Cream - Disraeli Gears

As I start writing my memories, I realize that I haven't touched on anything from the 80's....yet. I guess I did feature the Police and the album Synchronicity. But, most of my music discoveries were in college and working at Dustys Records(all during the 80's). For me, the music of the 60's and 70's have a strange magic to me. This was an era before MTV, Music Videos and music "heroes" seemed a little more mysterious and out of our reach. One of those bands that had "legend" status to them was the first "Supergroup"...a power trio featuring the talents of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton - CREAM!

Of course, I had read about Clapton and Cream through my obsession with everything Van Halen and this included their influences. Eddie was a big Clapton fan and Alex Van Halen had also trumpeted the drumming of Ginger Baker too. I had read about other musicians talk about Cream too. So, my curiosity was piqued.

In the early years of MTV, part of their programming was a segment called: MTV Closet Classics. One of the videos I distinctly remember is a "Top of the Pops" style lip-synch performance of Cream doing Strange Brew. It's such a bad example of lip-synching that you can even catch Ginger Baker screw up during the playback. The song clocks in at 2:49. I wasn't very impressed by that song. But, I was anxious to hear more.

Shaun Theye became a friend of mine through the college drumline. Shaun had a pretty cool and diverse record collection. At the time, it was rather small considering how many records I would end up owning. But, he had some cool stuff and he introduced a lot of different tastes into my musical fabric of my life. Among his albums was Cream - Disraeli Gears. I dubbed off a cassette copy of the album and soon it was in my cassette deck more often than not.

Disraeli Gears is one of a few albums that (for me) defines 60's psychedelia. The album was coincidentally released in 1967 which is the year I was born. This band took the Blues and "electrified" it far beyond just plugging into an amplifier. Along with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream took the Blues, Rock, Pop and Jazz improvisation and made it into a melting pot of artistic musical expression. This musical expression is still being exercised by bands like Gov't Mule, Derek Trucks Band and Joe Bonamassa(among others).

Disraeli Gears starts off with Strange Brew which Clapton got from the song Lawdy Mama. In fact, for a brief time, I thought the song and the Bob and Doug McKenzie movie of the same name were somehow connected. ....only by title I guess. Next, is their best known song(along with White Room)...Sunshine of Your Love. As a drummer, I have played this song many times and for the longest time I had it in my mind that the drum fill in the chorus....

I've been waiting so long.....

drum fill (blick em..blick em..blick em)

..to be where I'm going

(blick em..blick em..blick em)

....was (and should have been) incorporated with Ginger on double bass drums. But, it's not on the original recording. Maybe I heard a live cut of it and that's where that came from. ...not sure.

The music continues with World of Pain and Dance the Night Away and the playing is so top notch that it's hard to believe that's this is recorded by a 3 piece band. Blue Condition mixes things up with not Jack or Eric on vocals but the irreverant vocals of Ginger. To fully appreciate Ginger Baker and his lead vocals and its humor, check out Pressed Rat and Warthog on Wheels of Fire and T.U.S.A. by the band Masters of Reality on their album Sunrise on the Sufferbus. Clapton lays down a bluesy guitar wail with Baker driving the beat while Jack Bruce takes on the role of storyteller as he tells Tales of Brave Ulysses.

 

 

 I never particularly paid close attention to the title or lyrics of the next song SWLABR because the song just sounds great with the guitar with an upper register fuzz tone. It just rocks. But, the title is an acronym for She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow or She Was Like A Bearded Rainbow. On We're Going Wrong, Jack Bruce and his vocals are highlighted as a true talent both vocally and instrumentally. Outside Woman Blues is next and I always felt it was rather pedestrian sounding until I came across a version that Doyle Bramhall II did on Clapton's Crossroads festival back in 2007. It's nice when artists go back and cover a song and give attention to those (somewhat) average songs and make them great. According the VH1's Classic Albums, Jack Bruce was inspired to write Take it Back after seeing images of American college students burning their draft cards during the Vietnam war. Finally, the album finishes off with Mother's Lament where the boys sing a cockney barbershop tune about losing "their baby down the drain".

This is Cream's most cohesive album as a band. I love this album and this band because I have drummer friends who like it. I have guitar friends who love it and I loved this band so much, I turned my brother onto it and he became a bass player who loved it. I always enjoyed talking to musicians who liked Cream, played Cream and jammed to Cream. We used to cover Sunshine of Your Love in the blues band BOOGIE CHILLUN. I go back and listen to us jam on that song and think "Wow...I really need to watch my tempo on this...Damn I'm playing too fast!' Then I'll go back and watch it and think "Well maybe it wasn't that bad!"

 

I recently bought a copy of Cream's 2005 reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall. I had seen clips online and on TV of both the Royal Albert Hall and then the show they did at Madison Square Garden later the same year. At first, I thought the three of them seemed (really old-first of all) a little rusty. But, the more I watch, the better it gets. One thing about Clapton is that when he's onstage with other great musicians (like Jack and Ginger) it forces him to be at the top of his musical talents and it shows. I had thought that Ginger had slowed the tempos way down. Then I saw a live recording of their farewell concert in 1968 and Ginger was a monster when it came to rushing his tempos. It looks like age, maturity and sobriety have done wonders for his playing too.