Cream at its most magnificent and at its worse. To get to the bad part of Cream, for me, it's their live recordings. All on side one, "I'm So Glad" "Sitting on Top of The World" and "Politician." Three fantastic songs, but overplayed and way too long. When I hear recordings of Cream playing live, it seems like it's a miracle that they know when or how to end the song. On the flip side, their studio recordings are tight, well-arranged, and always a trace of exotic touches, such as Jack Bruce's cello playing - and then there is his magnificent voice. "Doing That Scrapyard Thing" is a brilliant Bruce and Peter Brown song. A magnificent pop record. The other surprise is Ginger Baker's song contributions. "What A Bringdown" is also a snappy and great pop tune. Clapton with the assistance of the mysterious George Harrison comes up with "Badge," of the better Eric songs. Still, it doesn't compare to the Bruce and Ginger contribution. Eric is a technically great guitarist, but I always felt he was the one that could leave the band, and they can find someone better. If they had Chris Spedding - now that would make the Cream engine go-go. The studio sides also had the talent of Felix Pappalardi, who had the light touch, but with the arrangements that were usually fantastic.
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