Cream – Blues, Ancient and Modern

Written by Jim S.

This is only the second or third time in four years of blogging that I’ve reposted an older blog. But having just learned that Ginger Baker died at 80 years old, I felt compelled to say something. Jack and Ginger are now gone and so Mr. Clapton is keeping the flame burning ….

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/06/entertainment/ginger-baker-obituary-intl-gbr/index.html

In the early 1960s, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker were well-established London musicians who were known for their great proficiency. By 1966, they had known and/or played with each other a number of times and greatly respected each other’s abilities.

Clapton had already been a member of the Yardbirds and was playing in John Mayall’s band. The other guys had played with Alexis Korner and the Graham Bond Organisation.

When drummer Baker asked Clapton to form a new band with him, Clapton agreed on the condition that Jack Bruce be the bassist. This was disturbing to Ginger as he and Bruce had played together in Bond’s group and for some reason, couldn’t stand each other. At one point, Baker even pulled a knife on Bruce. (Rumor has it that just before he passed away, Bruce called Baker on the phone, said “Fuck you, I’m dying,” and hung up.)

Clapton had to (for the second time) tell John Mayall he was leaving. (The first time he just arbitrarily left with a pick-up band and wound up in Greece. Long story.) But now this was where his (and the other guys’) career really took off. Hailed as a ‘supergroup’ (in the UK anyway initially), they immediately set out to come up with a newer, more free-form, improvisational style of playing.

But from what I’ve read about the band, there doesn’t seem to have been a master plan as to exactly what to play. Blues? Sure. Jazz? Certainly Clapton, for one, wasn’t a jazzer. So lacking any real direction, they decided to play songs that Bruce wrote with his non-band partner Pete Brown. Clapton, not having yet started writing songs, would suggest old blues numbers like Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful,” and Skip James’ “I’m So Glad.”

Clapton felt strongly that he wanted Steve Winwood to join the band to fill out the sound but the other guys shot him down. (Clapton admits that they overdubbed instruments regularly on their albums.)

Cream first played outdoors in July 1966 to 15,000 people at the Windsor Jazz and Blues Festival. (They weren’t even referred to as Cream, just by their individual names.) They played a bunch of blues songs and a few originals and went over well. (Check out the fairly obscure “Meet Me in the Bottom,” a tune that was in their set that day but subsequently disappeared.) But after that, they slogged up and down England like every other band, recording when they were able.

Their second release, “I Feel Free,” is not quite a blues, but it’s a good, upbeat rock/pop tune. (Interestingly, also the first song ever played by underground radio station WBCN in Boston, one of the key stations in American underground radio:)

As I relate in one of my Jimi Hendrix posts, it was around this time that Hendrix showed up, plugged in, jammed with Cream – and blew everyone away. “Jimi just went for it,” says Clapton. “He played the guitar with his teeth, behind his head, lying on the floor…. It was amazing, and it was musically great, too, not just pyrotechnics.”

Released in November 1967, Disraeli Gears (a play on a bicycle’s derailleur gears and the British prime minister), was the album that arguably put Cream over the top. The musical atmosphere had changed over the years and the so-called British Invasion had brought in a flood of great bands and players. Seemingly overnight, at least in America, musical prowess was at least as important – if not more so – than a great song.

I thought for a while about what tune to use from this album. But how could I not go with “Sunshine of Your Love?” It’s the perfect psychedelic 1967 Summer of Love song with Bruce’s great vocals, Baker’s powerful drumming and Clapton’s quote from the doo-wop song, “Blue Moon.”

But here’s the thing – you can listen to the studio recording any time. However, I stumbled on this live, not lip synched, performance from some Glen Campbell (!) TV show. Lord knows what his middle-of-the-road audience thought:

To say Cream were popular would be an understatement. Mega-popular. Their live shows were famous (or infamous) for long, freewheeling improvisations. This is one of the bands that inspired a generation to graduate from 3-minute pop songs and into listening to blues, psychedelic music and long, extended jams. Asked to describe their music, Clapton called it blues, ancient and modern.

Today, “jam bands” are somewhat of a niche, the genre having fallen out of favor, at least on a mass popularity scale. A lot of rock bands today don’t even have members who can solo or for that matter, even want to.

Personally, I loved hearing these guys take a song, stretch out and play it for all it was worth. I’ll still sometimes put Cream on in the car, drive around and just dig the sound. This music is, for me, a stepping stone to jazz. Not because they use jazz chords or progressions but because they improvise so freely.

This is a live version of “I’m So Glad,” released in February 1969 from their final album, Goodbye:

However, as much as we loved them and never wanted them to stop, Cream had other ideas. The music kept getting louder and longer and with all the incessant touring, the relationship between Baker and Bruce forced Clapton into a peacemaker role. And then Eric wanted out, largely for two reasons.

Reason number one is that he had heard the music of Dylan and, specifically, an early acetate of The Band’s Music from Big Pink. That’s what I want to do, he said. The Band was about as far away from blues and endless jamming as you could get. But by 1968, Clapton had had enough of the guitar virtuoso role. Or, as he came to call it, the pseudo-virtuoso.

Because the other thing that happened is that on a college gig in Boston, a Rolling Stone writer did a scathing review of Clapton’s playing. He said he could trace every one of Clapton’s licks back to various blues players and called him the “master of the blues cliche.” (Interestingly, while Clapton in his autobio talks about his obsessive love for Pattie Boyd and his drug addiction, he never once mentions this incident.)

This profoundly affected the already sensitive Clapton and together with his love for The Band’s music, made him want to quit Cream and go in another direction. (The reviewer – Jon Landau – six years later saw Bruce Springsteen at the Harvard Square Theater and famously pronounced, “I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” Landau went on to become Springsteen’s producer and manager.)

And so Cream announced they would break up in May 1968 after two Royal Albert Hall concerts and a brief tour of the U.S. (The Albert Hall concert opening bands were Taste, with a young Irish guitarist named Rory Gallagher, and an up-and-coming band called Yes who didn’t even have an album out yet.) Some, including the band, think Cream’s final British shows were lackluster. Judge for yourself here. I think it smokes.

Goodbye was released in 1969 after the band’s breakup. It included the song “Badge,” co-written with Clapton’s chum, George Harrison. Harrison, for contractual reasons, appeared as L’Angelo Misteriso. Cream went their separate ways but reunited in 2005 for four shows at Royal Albert Hall. (Good album, killer version of “Stormy Monday.”)

Jack Bruce died of liver disease in 2014. I saw one of the very last Allman Brothers gigs that very night at the Beacon Theater in New York. Without saying a word, they played Cream’s song, “Politician.”

Cream were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. They were included in both Rolling Stone and VH1’s lists of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

38 thoughts on “Cream – Blues, Ancient and Modern”

  1. Their debut was one of the first albums i ever listened too. it shaped the kind of music I would listen too forever. It opened the door to all sorts of music. Sticking with the band at hand they are just simply one of CB’s favorites. Quality and just great music. Never had to think too much about it. Just liked it (a lot). Followed their careers after and dug what they all did. Eric hit it bigger as far as popularity but CB liked the other guys stuff just as much. Jack’s solo albums are some of my faves. I revisit and listen to Cream (and solo work) on a regular basis. As usual , you have struck a Chord with CB. (Where is everyone? No comments? Creams music is staple in my pad.)

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    1. We are on the same page on this one. Their music kicked the door open to listening to long-form jamming.

      As to the lack of comments, I’m as puzzled as you are. I think maybe it’s because much of the readership of this blog is younger. There’s some really young people (twenties or so) for whom much of this music is ancient history and are reading it to learn. But I think there are a fair number who are in their forties and early fifties, have no older sibling and who are not necessarily into long jams. Remember, the punks were anti all this stuff.

      So, glad you and a few other more, shall we say, “mature” types are on board. Let us appreciate what we were lucky enough to grow up with

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      1. All good points. Their music certainly is (was) not in the forefront compared to more commercially viable groups, super groups. Plus I don’t think Jack, Ginger and Eric would play the game. Could you imagine Ginger Baker on a cover of a teen mag. They’d have nightmares. Also the boys weren’t together that long. Those said groups are still in the public eye/ear because people are still making money off of it. Cream did not get the huge following in the day because they had very few radio friendly tunes. I think (know) people are still discovering music like Cream’s. It’s timeless. stuff. No comments doesn’t mean your piece didn’t reach anyone. All your followers are spinning ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ right now.

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        1. Actually they got more airplay back then than you might think. “Sunshine,” “White Room,””Crossroads,” and “I Feel Free” got a fair amount of airplay, even now on classic rock radio. The point I’m making is that those people don’t seem to have found my blog. Unless, to your point, they’re all right now listening to “Sunshine” and going, “Oh, wow. man.” 😀

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        2. I’m with you on all that and agree 100%. There’s so much good stuff out there that gets buried by the usual mega popular artists. I think people like ourselves go beyond that. We dig a little deeper. Cream was popular in the day (The Band, Santana, Traffic etc) but compared to the kind of popularity the Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys received I think it was no contest. Different music. I have absolutely no problems with those popular groups I was just finding other stuff that appealed to me more. Cream was near the top of the list. I still listen to them a lot. I see over on Vinyl Connection that ‘Disraeli Gears’ is featured. I haven’t checked it out yet but curious on the take and response. Bottom line is, CB enjoyed your piece on a fantastic group. I will keep tuning into this station.

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  3. You are becoming the Ted Williams of this blog thing. Big Earl and Moon Boy are heavy into Zep, Hendrix and sliding into the Allmans. I think it’s because of the bands they like talking about influences. That’s one of the ways I found new music. Staying with Cream, I know you’re a guitar guy. Clapton cuts loose on ‘Crossroads’ but I was listening to it a while back and Jack’s bass really caught me. Those three guys made some great music.

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  5. Each of the band members became famous for his skill and talent. It is not surprising that the music was the best way to express them.

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  6. Cream were incredible. I remember one night I was staying up late because I saw a good deal on Disraeli Gears on vinyl on ebay and it was a timed auction and I bought it for a good price. It’s one of my favourite albums ever. While I’m not a fan of Ginger Baker’s personality, he had so much talent – definitely one my favourite drummers ever “Toad” is such a great instrumental. I really wish I got to see him in concert a few years ago, but I think my husband and I decided to go to another concert that was happening at the same time instead or we didn’t have enough money for both.

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    1. Oh, yeah. Not to speak ill of the dead but Baker was a well-known SOB. (If you’ve never seen the documentary “Beware Mr. Baker,” it’s a good documentary but hardly a flattering portrait.) Never had a chance to see Cream or Baker but fortunately saw Clapton a few times. Still enjoy listening to that final show they did at Royal Albert Hall. And I’ve lost count of the number of shows where we had to flip a coin because we couldn’t afford both. It’s easier now. I flat out won’t be paying 600 bucks, for example, to see Elton John from a balcony behind the stage. Anyway, RIP Ginger.

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      1. I don’t go to as many concerts anymore because of the cost and because I don’t live in a big city anymore. Travelling up to the nearest big city isn’t cheap. I wish more classic rock acts would do smaller shows, like more acoustic, stripped-down stuff. I’m not really into big arena shows, gives me anxiety.

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        1. I live just outside of Boston and I have the opposite problem – way too many good shows come here both big and small. I was going to so many that I got saturated with it and decided to step away for a while. I’m pretty much done with the arena shows too but for about $40 – $50 I’ve seen an awful lot of good bands in the past few years. Check out my ‘Concert Reviews’ sometime if you’re bored.

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  7. Thinking of Ginger Baker today too.

    Well I liked Cream jamming along all right, but I’ve often thought when listening to some of their live cuts that some of it’s style is caused by the lack of effective stage monitor systems in the day. Some of the more out-there playing always sounds to me like what happens when a band’s stage volume to too loud to hear each other. Some of it verges on harmelodic stuff, and that’s not an altogether bad thing.

    Of course all of them where capable players, but there are some great songs on their records–as you mention, songs that could be played alongside pop songs of the day and were just as “hooky” while presenting unusual structures and ideas. “Sunshine of Your Love” and “White Room” are examples and were hits. Other personal favorites were “We’re Going Wrong” and “Tales of Brave Ulysses.”

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    1. Well said. With so many of that generation permanently leaving the stage shall we say, I don’t necessarily write (or re-post) about it. But Cream were special. First time I ever really heard blues; first time I ever heard long jams or that level of playing; first supergroup. I still listen to them now and again and saw (and wrote about) two Cream tribute bands in the past year. Times have changed and we shall not see their likes again any time soon.

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        5. Makes sense. I guess it’s the intersection of drive + interest plus a modicum of talent. Can’t recall if I mentioned this before but a friend of mine was taking guitar lessons and wanted me to show him some stuff. Worst student ever. Couldn’t play a single thing but wanted to jump over his lessons and learn “Pinball Wizard.” Plus no sense of rhythm, no ear, nothing. But I think that if someone has a reasonable musical feel they can pretty much learn an instrument, maybe not at a virtuoso level but enough to be enjoyable.

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        6. My people were music/sports types. There was always instruments around family gatherings and they were played and enjoyed. Believe me Doc it sounded good. And you are right. I had an uncle who couple play anything well. Up to the day he died he was trying to get better. He was mainly a sax/piano guy but picked up the guitar later in life and always sold himself short on how good he was. He was exactly what you said in your last sentence.
          CB was a sports guy/booze-hound/ trouble maker. But I do like music and people that can play.

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        7. I’m the only one in my family that plays anything. I don’t think i even have cousins who play. I have a brother-in-law who plays drums but he’s more into marching bands. My wife says all her sisters (not her) played something, again, mostly marching band stuff a long time ago. I used to know a friend of my father’s (since passed away) who had his own ensemble in the heyday of big bands. But he eventually gave up the sax and I always wondered why. If you can play something, stay at it. But I guess he just lost interest.

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        8. Nick’s keeping the flame going in a big way. Very cool.
          As far as the “To be or not to be” stuff, if CB was leaning in that direction I think he would be getting his influences from all that film he watched like “I am the fucking shore patrol”

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        9. I was clued in that “Beware of Mr. Baker” is out there on the Internet. Free. You’ve seen it. Watch it again. Think of your old man.

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        11. You know, I see CB maybe as an actor. I be he’d be good at that. Hamlet, right? To be or not to be. How is that even a question? (I probably used that joke already but it makes me laugh.)

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    1. Glad I re-posted it. I’m thinking that maybe from time to time I’ll re-post things that I did well before I had any sort of following. It’s naive of me to think that anybody would chase these down.
      ‘Disreaeli Gears’ is a great album but the real key for a lot of fans (especially me) is their live stuff. It may or may not be to your taste to listen to long, bluesy live jams. But if you want to hear what really set everybody on fire about them, that’s as good a place as any. ‘Wheels of Fire’ is half studio, half live and was my first introduction to them. It’s the one that has the live ‘Crossroads’ that they play a lot on classic rock radio.

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      1. I listened to most of the studio disc of Wheels on Fire today actually. I think I’m always going to gravitate towards the conciseness of Disraeli Gears though.

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        1. Sure, the live stuff is an acquired taste, especially if you’re not a blues lover. But boy I like to cruise down the highway and listen to those long jams to this day. And ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’ for me is just about as good as a blues gets. And concise.

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    1. Yeah, and he was in some pretty rough shape. We know the rock and roll lifestyle isn’t pretty and by all accounts (including his own) he didn’t take very good care of himself. It was a rough 80 years.

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  11. Proper great band. Each one of them knew how to compose and how to jam. Reckon I’ll give Disraeli Gears a listen today.

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    1. I wound up re-watching both the Ginger Baker documentary (fascinating) and the final Cream concert at Royal Albert Hall which I had DVR’ed a while back. And now, alas, it’s only Clapton. And of the three, given his substance abuse (he once had bleeding ulcers and spent a couple years on smack) should have been the first one to go. Not that I’m complaining.

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      1. That Mr Baker flick is probably my favourite music documentary. Ticks all the boxes.

        And yeah, I’m surprised Clapton is still standing.

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