Cream
Live Cream (Vol. 1)
Original LP release: 1970
This CD released: 2002-09-21
Label: Universal Japan / Polydor
Catalog #: UICY-2372
From cduniverse:
Although Cream was only together for a brief period, the band set the standard for future blues-rock power trios by redefining the role of each instrument in the musical triangle. Traditional arrangements had only the guitarist soloing, but the instrumental prowess of both Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce meant that a high level of improvisation was possible from all corners. Nowhere was this more evident than in a live setting, as demonstrated by the four performances included on LIVE CREAM. Taken from a series of dates recorded at Winterland and Fillmore West in 1968, Clapton, Bruce, and Baker all play with a ferocity that makes Jack Bruce's 10-minute version of "N.S.U." fly by.
Bruce's other collaborations with co-writer Janet Godfrey, "Sleepy Time Time" and "Sweet Wine," show off his honeyed singing style and allow Clapton to indulge his blues jones while the band flexes its improvisational muscles. Coupled with a straight reading of Muddy Waters's "Rollin' And Tumblin'," taken from a Fillmore West performance, is a previously unreleased studio recording of the traditional "Lawdy Mama," later re-written as "Strange Brew," a Cream original. This is one of the finest overall documents of Cream's instrumental prowess and stakes-raising chemistry.
Cream: Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Jack Bruce (harmonica, bass instrument, background vocals); Ginger Baker (drums).
AMG review by Rob Bowman:
Cream was a band born to the stage. This is their most consistently brilliant album. Four of the five cuts appeared on Fresh Cream. The fifth, "Lawdy Mama," is a traditional blues piece that makes its first appearance here. All but "Lawdy Mama" are given extended jazz-based treatment. The dialog among the three musicians as the jams develop is fascinating. Foreground and background seem to dissolve as all three musicians take charge, using the full range of their instruments. Performances like this single-handedly raised the stakes of musicianship in rock.
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1. N.S.U. [10:15]
2. Sleepy Time Time [6:52]
3. Sweet Wine [15:16]
4. Rollin' And Tumblin' [6:42]
5. Lawdy Mama (Studio) [2:46]
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