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All rights reserved.The Very Best of Cream - Cream (CD 1995)
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| Track Listing 1. Wrapping Paper 2. I Feel Free 3. N.S.U. 4. Sweet Wine 5. I'm So Glad 6. Spoonful 7. Strange Brew 8. Sunshine of Your Love 9. Tales of Brave Ulysses 10. Swlabr 11. We're Going Wrong 12. White Room 13. Sitting on Top of the World 14. Politician 15. Those Were the Days 16. Born Under a Bad Sign 17. Deserted Cities of the Heart 18. Crossroads 19. Anyone For Tennis 20. Badge
Album Notes Cream: Jack Bruce (vocals, acoustic guitar, cello, harmonica, piano, organ, electric bass); Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Ginger Baker (vocals, drums, percussion). Producers: Robert Stigwood, Felix Pappalardi. Compilation producers: Chris Griffin, Bill Levenson, George McManus. Engineers include: Tow Dowd, Damon Lyon-Shaw, John Timperley. Recorded in 1967-1968. Includes liner notes by Hugh Fielder. Digitally remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio (PolyGram Studios). There've been numerous one-disc Cream retrospectives over the years, but this is probably the best. Of course, Cream's official recorded output was only four albums during the group's brief two-year run, with very little chaff amongst the wheat, so one might be excused for wondering if you'd be better off with those still-in-print albums, or with THOSE WERE THE DAYS, the four-CD box set that collects more or less every note Cream ever recorded. In any case, at 20 songs, this is the most comprehensive one-CD Cream best-of extant and conceptually it's certainly the most interesting. Despite the fact the group was mostly esteemed as (and occasionally dismissed as) a live, blues-based extended-jams outfit that sometimes didn't know when to quit, most of the songs here are tuneful, concise studio tracks with Beatle-esque touches in the arrangements; it's hard to imagine how anybody could dismiss gems like "Anyone for Tennis" or "Badge" as excessive. | Find errors in the product description? Submit a catalog update request now. | ||||||||||||||
  Some of Clapton's best workReview created: 11/27/99 by: thetoolsofwar -- a member of Epinions  Pros: bluesy rock with world-class musicianship, classic tunes Cons: two versions of the album, and I like the one I no longer have better Wow! I can't believe nobody's reviewed this album yet! Maybe because most of us already know how good it is? Hmm...well, for those that don't, it is! Eric Clapton (guitar), Jack Bruce (bass), and Ginger Baker (drums), were only together for about 2 1/2 years ('66-'68), but they made some truly timeless classic songs. I've met lots of people who really loved "White Room," "Sunshine of Your Love," and "Strange Brew," but didn't know who performed them! Well, folks, they're all done by Cream. Good blues based rock'n'roll, lots of Clapton guitar solos...tasty! There are 10 songs on this album--they're all good, but the three already mentioned, plus "Crossroads" and "Born Under A Bad Sign" would easily be worth the price of the album by themselves. There appear to be at least two versions of "The Very Best of Cream" though--I had a copy on vinyl and it had "Toad" (where Ginger Baker really shines, similar to "Moby Dick" by Zeppelin), "Tales of Brave Ulysses," and "I'm So Glad" while this copy (on cassette) has "Politician," "Anyone For Tennis," and "Spoonful" instead. Since I don't have the vinyl copy anymore (I hate thieves!) I can't give any more details about the differences, but it's something to watch out for. I'd recommend the version with "Toad," especially for fans of percussion. As far as musicianship, this album is a study in excellence. Clapton cannot be overrated as a guitarist, he's one of the very, very best. The only problem with that is that it leaves Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker too-often under-appreciated. I'm not a drummer, but I know enough about drums to understand that Baker was truly exceptional. I do play bass, so I can definitely say that Jack Bruce did some outstanding playing on this album! His playing went beyond simple single-note back-ups or even standard walking-bass blues lines, he combined these with unique, melodic playing. The overall effect acts to maintain a solid background for Clapton's guitar while sounding like either Bruce or Baker could explode into solos of their own at any time. I'd compare Cream favorably to Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and early Black Sabbath, especially for the bass and drum work. Each of these bands is best known for their guitar/vocal combinations (Clapton, Hendrix, Page/Plant, Tony Iommi/Ozzy Osbourne), but they all had great drummers and bass players as well. Check 'em out! Review ID: 10000000000241922 Epinions.com ratings are not included in the item's average rating. Links in this review may have been removed. |
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