Although Cream were only together for a little more than two years, their influence was immense, both during their late-'60s' peak and in the years following their breakup. Cream were the first top group to truly exploit the power-trio format, in the process laying the foundation for much blues-rock and hard rock of the 1960s and 1970s. It was with Cream, too, that guitarist Eric Clapton truly became an international superstar. Some critics tagged the band as overrated, those were the ones' who didn't undertand the music scene at the time, citing the musicians' emphasis upon flash, virtuosity, and showmanship at the expense of taste and focus. This may have been true of their live shows in particular, but only after they had come back from the States the first time but in reality the best of their studio recordings were excellent fusions of blues, pop, and psychedelia, with concise original material outnumbering the so called bloated blues jams and overlong solos. Cream could be viewed as the first rock supergroup to become superstars, although none of the three members were that well known when the band formed in mid-1966. Eric Clapton had the biggest reputation, having established himself as a guitar hero first with the Yardbirds, and then in a more blues-intensive environment with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. I saw Clapton with Mayall twice both at the Bluesroom club in North London, he blew peoples minds with his guitar solos, especially 'Steppin Out' and 'Hideaway'. Clapton also sang Ramblin' on my Mind with his distinctive voice.
In the States, however, he was all but unknown, having left the Yardbirds before "For Your Love" made the American Top Ten.)
Bassist/singer Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker had both been in the Graham Bond Organisation, an underrated British R&B combo that drew extensively upon the jazz backgrounds of the musicians. Bruce had also been, very briefly, a member of the Bluesbreakers along Clapton, and also briefly a member of Manfred Mann when he became especially eager to pay the rent.
At first Cream's focus was electrified and amped-up traditional blues, which dominated their first album, Fresh Cream,
which made the British Top Ten in early 1967. Originals like "N.S.U." and "I Feel Free" gave notice that the band were capable of moving beyond the blues, and they truly found their voice on Disraeli Gears
in late 1967, which consisted mostly of group-penned songs. Here they fashioned invigorating, sometimes beguiling hard-driving psychedelic pop, which included plenty of memorable melodies and effective harmonies along with the expected crunching riffs. "Strange Brew," "Dance the Night Away," "Tales of Brave Ulysses," and "S.W.L.A.B.R." are all among their best tracks, and the album broke the band bigtime in the States, reaching the Top Five. It also generated their first big U.S. hit single, "Sunshine of Your Love," which was based around one of the most popular hard-rock riffs of the '60s.
With the double album Wheels of Fire,
Cream topped the American charts in 1968, establishing themselves alongside the Beatles and Hendrix as one of the biggest rock acts in the world. The record itself was a more erratic affair than Disraeli Gears, perhaps dogged by the decision to present separate discs of studio and live material; the concert tracks in particular did much to establish their reputation, for good or ill, for stretching songs way past the ten-minute mark on stage. The majestically doomy "White Room" gave Cream another huge American single, (although my particular favorite was "As You Said", a great Jack Bruce wailing vocals, with him playing cello)the group were firmly established as one of the biggest live draws of any kind. Their decision to disband in late 1968 — at a time when they were seemingly on top of the world — came as a shock to most of the rock audience. Cream's short lifespan, however, was in hindsight unsurprising given the considerable talents, ambitions, and egos of each of its members. Clapton in particular was tired of blowing away listeners with sheer power, and wanted to explore more subtle directions. After a farewell tour of the States, the band broke up in November 1968 after playing two marvelous sets at the Royal Albert Hall in London, I was fortunate to be be there, the backing bands were Taste who featured a very good guitarist, Rory Gallagher, and possibly the first big concert for Yes.
In 1969, however, they were in a sense bigger than ever — a posthumous album featuring both studio and live material, Goodbye,
made number two, highlighted by the haunting Eric Clapton-George Harrison composition "Badge," which remains one of Cream's most beloved tracks. Subsequently to that there have been many more albums since, culminating in a superb box set realeased in 1998.
