Cream - "Goodbye" Vinyl, LP, Album, 1969 (ATCO Records)

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. 

Cream - "Wheels of Fire - In the Studio" Vinyl, LP, Album, UK, 1968 (Polydor)

I recently purchased this copy of Cream's "Wheels of Fire" because it's my dream version of the album.  No live album came with it, this edition is just the studio recordings.   I loathe Cream live.  On the other hand, I adore their adventuresome studio sides.  For one, the magnificent "White Room" which is one of the great songs to come out of 1968.   I'm a huge fan of Jack Bruce's voice and songwriting talents at this time of his career, and his work with lyricist Pete Brown, as well as the tension between him and Ginger Baker, made Cream a fascinating band.  The only weak link is Eric Clapton, who greatly contribute his guitar work in the mix, but I never felt he was up there with Ginger and Jack.  

Of the three main Cream albums, Clapton is almost an invisible presence on the studio side of the double package.  He didn't write any of the songs, and if memory serves me correctly, nor did he sing lead on any of these songs.  Guitar yes, but what comes to mind when listening to the record is Baker's drum patterns, which to me is always like the waves hitting the coastline, but there is a natural rhythm, but always with a twist.   He also contributes three songs as a songwriter, co-written with Mike Taylor, who was a Soho London Jazzier, who tragically drowned in the River Thames in 1969.  The rest is Jack Bruce/Pete Brown, with two covers. 

The original songs on "Wheels of Fire" are superb. Bruce and Brown couldn't go wrong with respect to their material.  They are almost chamber pieces with Bruce doing a lot of overdubs or with the assistance of the producer Felix Pappalardi, who added Violas, for instance on "White Room."  The surprising aspect is the strength of the Baker/Taylor material, which is a tragedy that they didn't produce more songs.  Cream only lasted for two years.  They were the first super-groups, to become even more super, with the formation of Blind Faith.  Still, I marvel at their sense of adventure, mostly due to the Bruce/Baker team-up.