CREAM

“The street is cold, its trees are gone.

The story's told the dark has won.

Once we set sail to catch a star.

We had to fail, it was too far."

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"B" 

 

Main Decades: 60's

Main Ages: Psychedelia(1966-1969)

Key Members:

Jack Bruce, Singer and Bass

Eric Clapton, Guitar

Ginger Baker, Drums

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Canciones Clave:

Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, Crossroads, Strange Brew, Spoonful, Tales of Brave Ulysses, I Feel Free, N.S.U. Badge, Toad, SWLABR, Born Under a bad Sign, I'm So Glad, Politician, Deserted Cities of the Heart, Dance the Night Away, Sitting on the Top of the World

 

It took me a while to discover this peculiar little band led by Eric Clapton. Despite being so good, they didn't have much exposure and didn't last long, so now they're in a kind of underground Monsters of Rock. Actually, it didn't take me that long, but by the time I came across them, I was already pretty steeped in the five pillars of world rock: Hendrix, Janis, Simon & Garfunkel, The Mammas & The Pappas, and I was quite excited about discovering bands from the early 60s like the Animals, The Who, and others. Back then, Clapton was moving the planet with the death of his son Conor and the beautiful ballad he wrote for him, Tears in Heaven, which was played day and night on every radio station. I remember he'd already released the single "My Father Eyes," and all I could think when I heard it was, "This guy is a nerd." So, when I was going with a friend to one of the Blue Jeans rehearsals, on the way there they played a live Cream special. We caught the program already in progress, so we had no idea who was playing, but we were both amazed by the density and perfection of the sounds. The only thing that left no doubt was that the voice was Clapton's (now I have my doubts, since Clapton isn't actually the lead singer of Cream, but he does have a certain resemblance to Bruce's). The point is, we ran to ask the experts about a good Clapton band, and they didn't hesitate to name us Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. I think Paco even started playing Sunshine of Your Love, one of those songs I'd heard before and had in my subconscious, but didn't know who it was. After that, I started looking for Cream material and material from those early Clapton years, becoming more and more fascinated...

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So now I’m writing this review and it occurred to me to categorize them in B. WTF!!! …B??? But most of the kids today who think Metallica are gods have never even heard of Cream! True, except for a couple of songs that still play on the radio from time to time, this band has practically been forgotten. And unfairly so, because it was they who laid the foundations, even before Hendrix and Zeppelin, of the privileged, powerful and solo-filled Hard Rock that would later develop into Metal among other genres, evolving the sound created by The Who and Kinks. But… But… B??? They barely lasted a little over 2 years, even less than Hendrix and that’s saying a lot! Yes; But unlike Hendrix, here we're not listening to one virtuoso, we're listening to three, who revolutionized the way we play guitar, bass, and drums. Together, they transformed rock, creating mature sounds from '66 onward that sound more like the post-psychedelic years, let's say '68, than the Summer of Love itself. And believe me, there are differences from one year to the next! This doesn't mean they're alien to psychedelia. Clapton's guitar, although heavily inspired by the old blues masters, was at its creative peak at the time, searching for new sounds, and thus he manages to give a psychedelic glow to his compositions and arrangements, a certain luminosity that, at least to me, reflects the true hippie spirit, in a much calmer and more colorful way than Hendrix, who tends to exude a lot of personal rage in his performances.

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Cream, then, is a very basic combo: guitar-bass-drums, creating a wall of sound in a very intelligent way. They don't just throw out notes like crazy; it's not noise, but music where you can often hear three solos at the same time. By the way, Jack Bruce can be credited with inventing bass solos. Yep. They're not just overly elaborate structures, they're bass solos, which is why he's one of my favorite bassists.

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Although they were skilled at creating medium-slow melodies and simpler ballads, Cream's specialty was powerful rockers, based on a blues structure but far removed from that apparent simplicity. Cream always sought to create quite complex instrumental harmonies with rhythm changes to cover the song's mere three or four notes, but with such a wave of notes, they seemed to be much more. Thus, they experimented with the simplest of sounds, taking them to unprecedented complexities, often with catchy and digestible choruses or riffs, which puts them in a diametrically opposed position to Pink Floyd of that era.

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Cream was also the first supergroup in history, which is why their sounds were so mature from their first album, although they continued to evolve in subsequent albums. It seems that Clapton won over his former bandmate Page, with whom he shared guitars for a few months in the Yardbirds, in creating a monstrous rock machine. Or who knows, maybe he inspired him... The fact is that after leaving the Yardbirds, young Eric decided to look for bandmates who could provide a foundation for the experimental sound he was aiming for, someone of his stature. And not to disparage his former band, but the Yardbirds had a sound closer to R&B, smoother than what Clapton was capable of. So he directly sought out two former members of the jazz group "Graham Bond Org" and separately discussed the idea of forming a supergroup, since both were recognized as among the best musicians on their instruments in England. The thing is that both had ended on not-so-good terms—let's say, ehem, Bruce even threatened Baker with a knife—so joining seemed very difficult. Since Eric didn't say anything about who the third member would be, they both enthusiastically accepted the idea of playing with Eric, who had already made a tremendous name for himself as a guitarist and whose contributions to songs for other bands were highly sought after. So he brainwashed them, getting them excited about the idea separately until he reunited them and somehow convinced them to smooth things over, at least musically. The rest, as they say, is history. I'm convinced this had a huge influence on the band's sound. And for the better. Let me explain: I think the mutual animosity between Ginger and Jack led them to become more competitive with each other, each seeking to excel with their instrument, and this had a very positive effect on the songs. Contrary to what one might think, there was no noticeable tension in the band's sound. The bad thing is that this same ego struggle led the group to fall apart after just three studio albums, ending a band that could have taken Led Zeppelin's place in history.

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Perhaps the band's weakest point is their vocals. Clapton has never been a great singer, and Jack Bruce isn't much better. However, early on, they agreed that Jack would be the lead vocalist to allow for more focus and exposure on the guitar. Which seems odd to me, since playing bass and singing at the same time is incredibly difficult, but the result isn't bad. Although neither of them has a gifted voice, they managed to arrange the songs so their vocals wouldn't ruin them, giving them a dry, deserted vocal feel, lacking much feeling, but in keeping with the music. Furthermore, the backing vocal arrangements make the harmonies shine a little more. Through hard work and professionalism, the guys managed to minimize their own limitations.

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The band's history isn't very long, and there's not much to say. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is the way Clapton brought the group together. Then, after the first rehearsals, Jack and Ginger realized they could coexist in the project and released their first album, "Fresh Cream," in '66. The album was born at the top of the charts, as ever since rumors of these musicians' reunion had spread, the music world was in a state of anticipation. Hence the name of the group—hehe—they were considered the cream of the crop of blues and jazz on the island, and what started as a joke became the definitive name of the band. Well, the album impressed everyone, as it contained avant-garde sounds that at that time were barely visible in the Beatles' "Revolver" or the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds." They were the first steps toward psychedelia that would culminate in a global explosion of sounds and flowers during the following summer. In that legendary '67, after a grueling tour, Cream released "Disraeli Gears," one of the best and most influential albums of that year and in the entire history of rock, in which they confirmed their virtuosity and continued to teach a lesson in how to make clean, acidic, energetic rock. Clapton began using the wha-wha on this album, and his already elevated image reached Guitar Hero status, although over the years he's become a self-limited nerd. A photo circulating around this time of graffiti reading "Clapton Is God" dates from this date, and many of us are still waiting for him to regain his role as a guitar legend... in vain.

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They then embarked on a new tour supporting the album, and the friction between Jack and Ginger returned. During the tour, material for a new album, the superb double album Wheels of Fire, emerged, but the ego clashes and differences between the three were so great that they even had to arrive in different limousines to concerts. By this time, Clapton was fed up with playing babysitter and had even had his own arguments with his bandmates. Wheels of Fire in '68 would be the band's requiem, with greater musical understanding, more dueling solos, improved vocal harmony, and more mature harmonies. Unfortunately, being a double album, it was not without its filler. The group split up shortly after the album's release, each embarking on different projects. Clapton would continue in his role as Guitar Hero for several years, forming bands like Blind Faith and Derek & the Dominoes. Even some of his early solo albums have great flashes, but tired of that status, he gradually faded away, leaning more toward acoustic blues than, in my personal opinion, and although I like it a lot, it's a waste and far from Slowhand's ability.

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As a curious fact, Cream reunited in 2005 for a concert at the legendary Royal Albert Hall. Curious because you can't call a reunion a band that lasted barely more than two years and is getting back together to play 37 years after their last live performance. Since they had never been great friends, and given the exorbitant cost of tickets that flew out in a few hours, it is said that this reunion was to help Jack and Ginger, who, incidentally, suffers from severe arthritis, with the financial problems of their children. Despite this, and Bruce's aging voice, the concert wasn't bad at all, and it was possible to see, at least for a moment, why Eric Clapton and his Cream band are considered hard rock legends, ahead of their time in the mid-1960s, and still ahead of their time at the beginning of this millennium.

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Lineup:

Jack Bruce is the bassist and provides lead vocals on most of the songs. He breaks away from the standard of a good bassist; we're talking about a virtuoso combo, and the bass is no exception. Although his origins are more jazz than blues, this allows him to achieve a number of unprecedented figures on the bass, taking ever greater risks until he achieved his first solos on this instrument. Although John Myung and a few others have now surpassed him in speed and technique, I will always mention him as my favorite bassist and my role model on this delightful instrument. And besides being the foundation or base of the song, Bruce always goes further and elevates his instrument to a leading role... Who said the bass is just for boring old bass playing the tones of the song?

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Ginger Baker is the spider who plays the drums. Although Keith Moon had already excelled on this instrument before him, no one had ever dared to perform a nearly five-minute drum solo and survive. "Toad" is a song that inaugurated exhaustive, mile-long drum solos, more effectively and long before Bonzo came up with Moby Dick. Also of jazz origins, this gives it endless resources when adapting to rock, carrying the rhythm of the songs into delicious crescendos. Baker is the heart of the band: Cream beat according to his heartbeats, with backward rhythms, sometimes tempestuous, always unpredictable. Along with Keith Moon, they can be credited with the seventies schools of drumming. A curious and favorable fact is that unlike The Who's drummer, Ginger did use off-beats.

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Eric Clapton: Occasional lead vocalist, but above all, the band's guitarist and riff player. Clapton broke free from his shackles with this band, achieving sounds similar to those of Hendrix, but cleaner, less furious, perhaps more calculated, but not necessarily inferior to those of the Seattle left-hander. Always directly influenced by the masters of the blues, Clapton was always the soul of the band, imbuing it with brilliant colors, rhythmic wha-whas, and tremendous solos that only a virtuoso and master of the requinto would have been capable of creating.

Here are you, born under a bad sign: The cream of the crop of rock, Cream!

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By Corvan  

Mar/13/2008

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