The Very Best of Cream - Cream (CD 1995)

The period of time from 1964 to 1969 was an exciting period in rock 'n roll music--to kick things off, there was the British invasion, headed up by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, which more or less revolutionized music as we knew it. Out on the West coast, groups like Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, and The Grateful Dead were exploring psychedelic themes, while in Seattle Jimi Hendrix was getting sounds out of his guitar that had never been heard before. In short, there was a lot going on musically during this period, which also just happened to be the years I was serving my time in high school.

Cream, the seminal blues-rock power trio, was right in the middle of this period of musical excitement. All of the players had solid blues backgrounds, but they put a hard rock edge on the blues style to create music that still endures today. The music of Cream evokes a sense of nostalgia with me--my high school days were good days indeed, and the music that I heard in those days still has special meaning for me.

The Very Best Of Cream is a good, comprehensive collection of the music of this great band. It has a good blend of music--their most popular tunes are on this album, as well as some of the more obscure songs done by Cream. All in all, I think this album captures the essence of their career as a band that lasted just a little over two years.

The players are:

Eric Clapton, guitar, vocals
Jack Bruce, bass guitar, vocals
Ginger Baker, drums

Highlights Of The Very Best Of Cream

Cream pays homage to the blues masters with songs like Spoonful, written by Willie Dixon, and Crossroads, the Robert Johnson classic--even though these tracks are basic blues numbers, Cream adds that hard rock 'n roll edge to transform these tunes into something that Dixon and Johnson probably couldn't have imagined. White Room and Tales Of Brave Ulysees feature Eric Clapton's first experimentation with the wah-wah pedal, an effect that was to become an integral part of his repertoire'. Both of those tracks also feature strong vocals from bass guitarist Jack Bruce.

Sunshine Of Your Love was Cream's biggest hit, while S.W.L.A.B.R. (She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow) abandons the blues style to explore psychedelic rock 'n roll. Strange Brew, written by Eric Clapton, and Born Under A Bad Sign, written by Booker T. Jones, display Clapton's considerable talents as a blues guitarist. Politician proves that Cream was capable of some pretty scathing social commentary, while songs like Wrapping Paper, Anyone For Tennis, and Sweet Wine are rather obscure efforts that give a glimpse of the ultimate versatility of Cream.

The highlight of this collection is Badge, written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison--Harrison played guitar on this track and to avoid arguments between record labels, he was credited as L'Angelo Mysterioso.

This is a great collection--perhaps my judgment is a little colored because of my love for music of this period, but I really like this stuff. Let me make two observations about Cream that I believe to be true--(1) Eric Clapton did the best guitar work of his career with Cream, and (2) Jack Bruce is one of the great rock 'n roll vocalists of our time.

Pick up this album and see if you agree with me.