Saturday, July 7, 2012

Eric Clapton and Company: "Cream" ("Sunshine of Your Love" and "Strange Brew" )

"Cream" was a rock-blues and psychedelic band that featured celebrated acoustic guitarist Eric Clapton (formerly of "The Blues Breakers" and "The Yard-birds"), drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce.  They were one the first "super-groups of the rock and roll era. 

Clapton, by the way, is the only performer in the Rock and Roll Fame of Fame to be inducted three separate times; for his tenure with "The Yard-birds", "Cream" and as a solo artist.  

 

The group's first major album was 1967's "Disraeli Gears".  It was recorded at Atlantic Records studios in New York City in May 1967 and released in November of that year.  It reached #5 in the British charts for top-selling albums and went to #4 in the USA .   Next to the release of The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" album, it is probably the most influential rock album for that year.     Cream released only four albums but set the standard for the fusion of blues and psychedelic rock for years to come. Their work has sold an total of 70 million albums.

I had thought that the title of the album was poking a bit of fun at Victorian-era England and the confidence conservatives of that day had in industrialization. The truth is more prosaic and humorous:

"The title of the album is based on a malapropism. Eric Clapton had been thinking of buying a racing bicycle and was discussing it with Ginger Baker, when a roadie named Mick Turner commented, "it's got them Disraeli Gears", meaning to say "derailleur gears," but instead alluding to 19th-century British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. The band thought this was hilarious, and decided that it should be the title of their next album."--Wikipedia

  The iconic album cover was by an Australian artist named Mike Stanley.   

    This is the best live version of the second trac and biggest hit on this album, Sunshine of Your Love". I don't think it really gets much more "Sixties" in music than this!

Oh, and this song has covered a few times.  The Japanese band  Gastunk released a cover as a single in 1988;  the English sludge band  Fudge Tunnel recorded it, too.  (Anybody ever seen a "sludge band?)  Other groups and performers to cover the song include Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Costello and The Police, Spanky Wilson, Ozzy Osbourne, Carlos Santana and the most famous psychedelic rocker of all time........Trini Lopez!!!

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6 comments:

  1. Crumbs, that second clip was a real trip back in time! the song on the first clip I hadn't heard before. Thanks Doug.

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  2. Doug I dropped in earlier this afternoon and I know many which loved this band - I never took to them mind you
    I do love Clapton.

    Again stay cool if you have temperatures like they are here.



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  3. It certainly was a trip back, Iri Ani. Looked like a great venue for a concert, too.

    I get a kick out of finding these old clips on You Tube; they really are like little time machines.

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  4. Thanks for stopping by Jack. Some psychadelic tunes from that time leave me a bit cold, but "Sunshine" seems as fresh as last week!

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  5. They sure are. I love finding old Kiwi clips of things I thought nobody had ever archived!

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