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"...Strange Brew..."
Issued
2016 as a celebration of their 50th Anniversary - I’m loving the oversized
gatefold card sleeves for each release (like repro LPs) when only the double
"Wheels Of Fire" and the final studio album "Goodbye" had
them on the original vinyl issues.
Universal/Polydor has put new photos and track lists on the inner
gatefolds now given to "Fresh Cream" and "Disraeli Gears"
that look very tasty indeed - but although the outer hard-card slipcase is
handy and the whole package looks the part ("Wheels" is separated
onto two discs) - there’s no booklet and there’s no mastering credits either.
The
audio varies from really good to really great – but if I'm honest the Remasters
on "Gold" done by Suha Gur shine better (see separate review).
Paschal Byrne’s remasters on the Jack Bruce double are fabulous too. Still – it
feels nice to have their whole official output all in one place and looking
good into the mini box set bargain. There’s a lot to get through - so once more
unto the Strange Brews and the geared-up Politicians standing at the
Crossroads...
UK
released 29 April 2016 (6 May 2016 in the USA) - "Classic Album
Collection" by CREAM on Universal/Polydor 473 456-1 (0602547345615) is a
4-Album/5-Disc Mini Box Set and plays out as follows:
Disc
1 "Fresh Cream" (41:10 minutes):
1.
I Feel Free
2.
N.S.U.
3.
Sleepy Time Time
4.
Sweet Wine
5.
Spoonful
6.
Cat's Squirrel [Side 2]
7.
Four Until Late
8.
Rollin' And Tumblin'
9.
I'm So Glad
10.
Toad
Tracks
1 to 10 are their debut album "Fresh Cream" - released December 1966
in the UK on Reaction 593 001 (Mono) and Reaction 594 001 (Stereo) and in the
USA on Atco 33-206 (Mono) and Atco SD 33-206 (Stereo) - the Stereo mix is used. Recorded at Rayrik
and Ryemuse Studios in London and Produced by Robert Stigwood.
Disc
2 "Disraeli Gears" (33:38 minutes):
1.
Strange Brew
2.
Sunshine Of Your Love
3.
World Of Pain
4.
Dance The Night Away
5.
Blue Condition
6.
Tales Of Brave Ulysses
7.
Swalbr
8.
We're Going Wrong
9.
Outside Woman Blues
10.
Take It Back
11.
Mother's Lament
Tracks
1 to 11 are their 2nd studio album "Disraeli Gears" - released
November 1967 in the UK on Reaction 593 003 (Mono) and Reaction 594 003
(Stereo) and in the USA on Atco 33-232 (Mono) and Atco SD 33-232 (Stereo) - the
Stereo Mix is used on this CD. Produced by Felix Pappalardi.
Disc
3 "Wheels Of Fire" - (CD1 - In The Studio - 36:33 minutes):
1.
White Room
2.
Sitting On Top Of The World
3.
Passing The Time
4.
As You Said
5.
Pressed Rat And Warthog [Side 2]
6.
Politician
7.
Those Were The Days
8.
Born Under A Bad Sign
9.
Deserted Cities Of The Heart
Disc
3 "Wheels Of Fire" (CD2 - Live At The Fillmore - 44:32 minutes):
1.
Crossroads
2.
Spoonful
3.
Traintime [Side 2]
4.
Toad
Both
CDs of Disc 3 is the double-album "Wheels Of Fire" - released August
1968 in the UK on Polydor 582 031/2 (Mono) and Polydor 583 031/2 (Stereo) and
in the USA on Atco 2-700 (Mono) and Atco SD 2-700 (Stereo) – the Stereo Mix is
used for both discs. Produced by Felix Pappalardi. On CD2 Tracks 1, 2 and 3
recorded live at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco 10 March 1968 and
Track 4 recorded 7 March 1968 at the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco 8 March
1968.
Disc
4 "Goodbye" (30:46 minutes):
1.
I'm So Glad
2.
Politician
3.
Sitting on Top Of The World
4.
Badge [Side 2]
5.
Doing That Scrapyard Thing
6.
What A Bringdown
Tracks
1 to 6 are their 4th and final album "Goodbye" - released February
1969 in the UK on Polydor 583 053 (Stereo) and in the USA on Atco SD 7001
(Stereo). Side 1 recorded live - Side 2 studio recordings - Produced by Felix
Pappalardi.
Fresh
from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Yardbirds – Clapton had already
amassed a rep as the primo UK Bluesman whilst both Bruce and Baker had cut
their teeth with the legendary Graham Bond Organization - a band that lived for American Rhythm 'n'
Blues. So their December 1966
"Fresh Cream" debut is not surprisingly heavy with re-worked covers
of their R&B and Blues heroes - Robert Johnson's "Four Until
Late", Muddy Water'' "Rollin' & Tumblin'", Howlin' Wolf's
"Spoonful" penned by the Chess Records genius Willie Dixon, "I'm
So Glad" by Skip James and Dr. Isaiah Ross (miscredited as S. Splurge) on
the Side 2 opener "Cat's Squirrel".
It's odd in 2016 to think that Clapton as principal axeman of this most
guitar-driven of bands hasn't a credit anywhere - "N.S.U." and
"Dreaming" being by Bassist Jack Bruce - whilst he and his wife of
the time Janet Godfrey are credited to "Sleepy Time Time". The superb
and poppy "I Feel Free" is a co-write between Jack Bruce and lyricist
Pete Brown of Battered Ornaments and Piblokto! fame (later on Harvest Records)
who would also contribute cracking material to "Disraeli Gears"and
"Wheels Of Fire". The final two selections are "Toad" by
Drummer Ginger Baker and co-credit on "Sweet Wine" to Ginger Baker
and Janet Godfrey. And both Producer Felix Pappalardi with Songwriter Pete
Brown would feature as equal partners throughout Cream's tenure as the New Wave
of British Heavy Rock and Psychedelia.
Few
songs demonstrate the progress of a band from entertaining purveyors of cool
covers to their own distinguishable sound than the brilliant "Disraeli
Gears" opener "Strange Brew" - where suddenly - Cream the Band
seemed fully formed. Pete Brown helped out once again with that other great
riffage winner "Sunshine Of Your Love" - a song that still seems
fresh. "...Outside my window is a tree..." Eric sings on the
excellent "World Of Pain" wishing he was somewhere else - but even
that's trumped by one of the album's undoubted masterpieces - "Dance The
Night Away" where fame is already knocking too hard on their collective
doors "...gonna build myself a castle high up in the clouds...loose these
streets and crowds...". Baker complains too of 'no relaxation' in his
drowsy "Blue Condition” while The Rotary Connection would take the Rock
chug of "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and give it some Soul over on Cadet
Records (Cream were covered a lot). She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow becomes
SWALBR with the best ever lyrics in the world - where rainbows have beards and
paintings have moustaches (yeah baby). "We're Gone Wrong" sounds like
experimental Fleetwood Mac circa "Albatross" and "Outside Woman
Blues" finally sees EC stump up another self-penned song of worth (more
girly misery). Harmonicas pump up "Take It Back" as the LP ends on
the genuinely perverse sea-shanty "Mother's Lament" - where the band
does an Acapella telling us with glee that someone's skinny child has gone down
the plughole from lack of Rusks. In
truth - you forget how good "Disraeli Gears" was – the whole album a
genuine Sixties classic (check out the Abbey Road Half Speed Mastered Vinyl LP
reissue from April 2016 – best I’ve ever heard this notoriously crude recording
sound).
Double-albums
have always retained a cool for me that brings me back to them like a forlorn
moth to a musical flame - and the adventurous "Wheels Of Fire" was
one of my first burns. A kicking remaster of "White Room" gives those
up-front drums and guitars huge presence and power. Unfortunately the audio
wonderland quickly evaporates as there's loads of hiss on their cover of
Howlin' Wolf's Chess Classic "Sittin' On Top Of The World" - a
faithful version of a great Blues song but one that never really ignites for
me. Far better is Jazz Pianist Mike Taylor's involvement in the Small
Faces-sounding "Passing The Time" - a great trippy tune Steve
Marriott would have donned a Mod cap at.
Playing all the Acoustic Guitars and Cello on "As You Said"
(no EC involvement) - Jack Bruce had clearly been absorbing huge dollops of
"Magical Mystery Tour" when he produced one of the "Wheels"
best songs - adventurous and melodic and so brilliantly 60ts. As Ginger Baker
recites the ever-so-slightly loon-lyrics of "Pressed Rat And Warthog"
(I want to visit their shop in London) - Felix Pappalardi gives us all those
hectic trumpet bursts in the background.
The terribly well-dressed and right
honourable "Politician" for Sleaze-Upon-Sea wants a young lady to 'get
into my black car' to 'show you what my politics are' - a great tune they'd
return to 'live' for the "Goodbye" album. And the 'Studio' LP ends on
a trio of winners - their cover of Albert King's Stax gem "Born Under A
Bad Sign" (a song Cream almost made their own) and two wicked originals -
"Those Were The Days" and the brilliant "Deserted Cities Of The
Heart". And I can't imagine the number of young bucks who must have stood
in front of a mirror with a tennis racket and pretended they were EC as he lays
into the stunning live cut of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads".
I
can remember to this day the 'sting' of "Goodbye" - a pig's ear of an
LP clearly made up of scraps. The three live tracks on Side 1 were good but
never much more - "Badge" a rare and utterly sublime moment and the
final two living up their name 'bringdown' and the 'RIP' on the tombstone on
the inner gatefold. Listening to the lot in one splurge and you're reminded of
the ups and downs - the really great stuff like "Disraeli Gears" and
"Wheels Of Fire" and that innovative beginning "Fresh
Cream". But it's dampened for me by that final clunker and those seeking
audiophile sound would probably want to take their spondulicks elsewhere.
Still
- any band that can pull off singing "...but the rainbow has a
beard..." gets my vote. 'Those Were The Days' indeed...
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