"Gold" by CREAM - Featuring Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker with Guests Felix Papalardi and Pete Brown of Battering Ornaments (September 2005 UK Universal/Polydor 2CD 'Definitive Collection' Anthology from 1966 to 1970 - Suha Gur Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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Mercurial, innovative and indulgent buggers - CREAM were all of it. And that's not even factoring in the fluffy haircuts and equally colourful shirts. And yet after all these decades they still get name-checked amongst the legends of the Decade - and after hearing this extensive and brilliant retrospective - it's easy to hear why "Clapton Is God" got painted on London West End walls towards the end of the Sixties. Here are the White Rooms and Strange Brews...

Released September 2005 - "Gold" by CREAM is a 2CD Definitive Collection on Universal/Polydor 0602498801468 (Barcode 602498801468) and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 - IN THE STUDIO - (73:19 minutes):

1. I Feel Free (A-side of their second UK 7" single released December 1966 on Reaction 591 011)

2. N.S.U.

3. Sweet Wine

4. I'm So Glad (tracks 2, 3 and 4 from their UK debut album "Fresh Cream", released December 1966 on Reaction 593 001 (Mono) and 594 001 (Stereo). Note: "I Feel Free" wasn't on the UK LP but was included as Track 1 on the US Atco issue and as this is an American based compilation - hence the liner notes list Tracks 1 to 4 as being from "Fresh Cream". Stereo Mix used)

5. Strange Brew

6. Sunshine Of Your Love

7. World Of Pain

8. Tales Of Brave Ulysses

9. Swlabr

10. We're Going Wrong (tracks 5 to 10 from their 2nd UK album "Disraeli Gears" released November 1967 on Reaction 593 003 (Mono) and 594 003 (Stereo) - Stereo mix used. FELIX PAPPALARDI (of Mountain) plays many instruments on the album and Produced the record too)

11. White Room

12. Sitting On Top Of The World

13. Passing The Time

14. Politician

15. Those Were The Days

16. Born Under A Bad Sign

17. Deserted Cities Of The Sky (tracks 11 to 17 from their 3rd UK album "Wheels Of Fire" released August 1968 on Polydor 582 033 (Mono) and 583 033 (Stereo). It was a double album with Record 1 being Studio whilst Record 2 was Live. All tracks here are Studio Stereo mixes)

18. Anyone For Tennis (A-side of a May 1968 UK 7" single on Polydor 56258, non-album track at the time)

19. Badge

20. Doing That Scrapyard Thing

21. What A Bringdown (tracks 19 to 21 from their final UK studio/live album "Goodbye" released March 1969 on Polydor 583 053. "Badge" is written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison - features George Harrison on Guitar)

Disc 2 - LIVE (77:32 minutes):

1. N.S.U. (Live) - 10:17 minutes

2. Sleepy Time Time (Live) - 6:50 minutes

3. Rollin' And Tumblin' (Live) - 6:34 minutes (tracks 1 to 3 from "Live Cream" released June 1970 in the UK on Polydor 2383 016)

4. Spoonful (Live) - 16:46 minutes

5. Crossroads (Live) - 4:14 minutes

6. Sunshine Of Your Love (Live) - 7:24 minutes (from the UK album "Live Cream Volume II" released June 1972 on Polydor 2383 119)

7. I'm So Glad (Live) - 9:12 minutes (from their final UK studio/live album "Goodbye" released March 1969 on Polydor 583 053)

8. Toad (Live) - 16:16 minutes (tracks 4, 5 and 8 from the double-album "Wheels Of Fire" released August 1968 on Polydor 582 033 (Mono) and 583 033 (Stereo). It was a double album with Record 1 being Studio whilst Record 2 was Live. All tracks here are Live Stereo mixes)

The 16-page booklet is a pleasingly comprehensive affair for a 'Best Of' - nice photos of the band live and in-the-studio, decent liner notes from SCOTT SCHNIDER and full reissue credits on all songs. But the big news here is a name I always look out for - SUHA GUR. He's mastered the set and the sound quality (for their notoriously rough and ready recordings) is superb - full of power and presence yet not too amped up for the sake of it. Even the crudely recorded 'live' tracks have a great feel to them.

What's kind of remarkable about CREAM is how well all of this stuff stands up - the almost Vocal Group Pop of "I Feel Free" and "Anyone For Tennis", the so Sixties lyrics of "Swlabr" (She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow) right through the wailing harmonica and cool guitar Rock Blues of "Rollin' And Tumblin'" (Muddy Waters) and "Crossroads" (Robert Johnson). And who else made that "White Room" sound Cream made - the surprising whimsy of "Passing The Time" - the brilliant speed rock of "Deserted Cities Of The Heart" - that unbelievably hooky guitar in "Badge". We get "Moby Dick making out with Captain Blyth..." in "What A Bringdown" while the piano-boogie/treated guitar of "Doing That Scrapyard Thing" makes them sound like a more rocked-up Badfinger on Apple or The Beatles circa Mystery Tour. There is hiss on tracks like "Those Were The Days", "We Were Going" and the wicked "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" which is more audible than you might want - but this was the mid Sixties - and Cream weren't going to a quiet set of lads.

The clever part of this Definitive Collection is putting all the live stuff on Disc 2 - an arena where the band really comes into its own. Although ten minutes of "N.S.U." is probably indulgent - you get to hear the sheer power of the band on their cover of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful" (a Howlin' Wolf hit) where Clapton lets rip in a medium he loves. "Toad" is the same - you'd swear there was four in the band and not three - and Baker's solo is still awesome stuff. Don't you just love the way "Eric Clapton!" gets shouted to the crowd when most of the track and appreciation was for Baker's drumming...

Heavy Rock practically arrived with this British band - and this cheap-as-chips 2CD gem puts that Bentley-driving guru firmly in its place...(wouldn't that be nice)...