Disraeli Gears

I can't believe I hadn't heard this album before. Sunshine of Your Love didn't even sound all that familiar to me. Anyway, this was bluesy and psychedelic in perfect amounts. It worked well. I hate Eric Clapton.

I was relived that this didn't include racist or anti-vax conspiracy theory themes, despite Eric Clapton's involvement. I don't know if we should separate the art from the artist, but for the purpose of this exercise I will try. Bluesy and psychedelic garage rock. It seems the Beatles weren't the only band doing interesting things in 1967. However, the interesting bits are relatively sparse here and there are several weak tracks, some of which are really quite annoying. The performance and musicianship maybe also disguises fairly nothingy song writing. Overall, about half of the album was enjoyable and it is easy to hear how this would have been influential. Sunshine of your Love the stand out track. 2/5.

This album should be a lot better for the hype it gets

Even in a release year crowded with banger albums (Jimi Hendrix, "Are You Experienced" and Beatles, "Magical Mystery Tour" among them), Cream's "Disraeli Gears" stands out among the very best of the year or even the decade. It's got everything you want form a 60s rock album (self-aware lyrics, social commentary, a bit of psychedelic juju, driving rhythms, the works) but with that extra dose of face-melting blues guitar from the the one and only Eric Clapton. The man's a guitar legend for a reason. Clapton's guitars, Baker's rhythms, and Jack Bruce's vocal performances combine to push out such a great vibe I can't help but love every minute of it.

Sorry Eric Clapton, really not doing anything for me. I can understand the significance of this record, but it was 30 mins long and felt like an hour. Not a winner chicken dinner.

Tales of Brave Ulysses and SWLBR are underrated gems. Classic album. Mother's Lament is weirdddd. Slightly repetitive at some points but a great listen. 4.5.

Quintessential psychedelic rock. Clatpon, Bruce, and Baker are all insanely talented, and each track managed to impress me. Lots of blues influence from Clapton's previous work in the Yardbirds. I love how the album goes from full psychedelia to blues near the end. Not a single bad track (ok Mother's Lament is just them having fun), and it becomes an enjoyable listen from start to end you can't get tired of.

THIS ALBUM FUCKS! I actually remember linking this to Giulietti like a year ago, when i was on a 60's kick. this album is so far out there, but in the best way, and just makes you feel like you are drugs on points, lol. there are some weird fucking songs like "Mother's Lament" was fucking morbid, but the rest of the album is fucking genius.

I've never understood the argument for Clapton being one of the greatest guitar players of all time. There are thousands of blues/rock guitarists that sound just as good or better. He doesn't really bring much to a song imo. He is also a racist asshole, but I am going to try to separate art from artist on this one. Sunshine Of Your Love has a cool riff, but besides that this album is incredibly lame. Not really sure what people see in Clapton, he really is average at best. Even for his time he doesn't sound that ahead of the pack or that unique. The production also sounds really muddy, but it was the 60's so I can let that slide a little bit. I can't tell if there are multiple singers or not, but no one here can sing. Low 3.

What a trip! A grooveless blues rock pissabout with mildly funny jokes. At least the half-arsed Dylan impression was funny, regardless of whether it was intended to be.

Big Kinks energy all over this but especially Blue Condition.

Jace Bruce is perhaps one of the most overshadow music of all time. He shines on this album. Some really songs, Strange Brew, Sunshine, Tales of Brave Ulysses, SWLABR, couple stinkers like blue condition.

Anybody who has read any of my previous reviews knows that I am not a lover of Psychedelia but beware because whilst this nods to then custom of filling yourself with mind-altering substances (and I am sure that at least two of this trio, Ginger & Eric, where stoned for the whole of the sessions) do not be fooled by the cover. this is a Jazz/Blues album of the highest quality. Classics like "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Strange Brew" and the Jack Bruce Composed "Take It Back" with some lovely R & B Mouth Organ from Jack are all classics. Love it as it is still Blues before they got "Heavy"... But probably one album that is the reason we had Led Zep Dominating the 70's. Love it and rightfully on the list. P.S. Mothers Lament is a music Hall classic too!

Yes, it's possible to separate Clapton's current tendencies to be an A-hole from the genius of CREAM. This album is a good reason. Nevermind the genius of Clapton's playing but listening to one of the greatest drummers Ginger Baker and the masterful bass playing of Jack Bruce makes this album such a sonic explosion that they only needed three members to do it.

Big Cream fan right here. I had already heard a lot of the big tracks on here but never the full album. Had a lot of fun jamming to this one. I enjoy a little more heavy, bluesy psych rock as opposed to the more pop/folksy stylings of Love. Wouldn't say Cream is an underrated band because they are very well respected, but I feel like the heavy psych rock discussion of that era is pretty dominated by Led Zeppelin. It was just cool to hear another laudable take on the genre.

Wow okay so I guess I know a lot more Cream than I thought. I get it now. The fuzz, chunky low sounds, the voice. It’s every movie soundtrack set in the late 60s/early 70s. A couple of weaker tunes, but just a solid rock album.

I can only imagine how good the threesome with some very liberal hippie chicks would have been to this album. On the other hand there's a LOT of "white guys play something influenced by blues" floating around this list and, in my humble, Cream are not the best at it.

Cream is the coolest thing Eric Clapton ever did, and even then…it’s not that cool.

A great album, a real ambrosia for the ears. 9 out of 10.

What an album!! Got to see them live at the Santa Monica civic auditorium with the electric prunes as the other band on the bill!! A must listen for anyone who likes 60’s Psychedelia bands a classic!!

4.9 One of the best things to come out of one of the best years for music. Fave songs: Strange Brew, Sunshine of your love, world of pain, SWLABR, Mother's Lament

# Playlist track - Tales of Brave Ulysses # Notes - Freaking amazing. Hard to choose just one track. - I listened to Cream a lot during my "mp3 download era". Still sounds just as great. - Still have no idea what "Mother's Lament" is about. lol. - Fun fact: In ancient times, I tried to create a blog, and the name would be "Strange Brew". As most things I wanted to do in life, procrastination got the best out of that one. - I was going to nominate "Strange Brew" to album track, but the imagery of "Tales of Brave Ulysses" is just too good.

This album was one of my undisputed favorites in high school, and it continues to be captivating. The lyrics come through crystal clear, and the guitar has some of the best riffs of all time. Despite the guitarist being a bit of dick, I thoroughly enjoy his work from the sixties. Of course the drums and bass are fantastic as well, but it's clear who they thought the stars of the show were in the mix. "Strange Brew," "Sunshine of Your Love," and "Tales of Brave Ulysses" are some of my favorite songs of all time, so I feel obliged to give this one a five. Bruce's voice is incredibly elegant, especially for other contemporary psychedelic rock (love Syd, and his voice, but Bruce definitely takes the cake). It's unfortunate that they only had a few albums, but they were all really solid. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, and 11.

Well that album was a trip, I'd expect deliberately so. Bit odd that it opens referencing "Strange fruit" as it's a British Rock album. However felt like a true global album pushing boundaries for the time (and still now considering the blandness which permeates now)

Super group comprised of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton. This is a fantastic album. If I recall correctly, Tales of Brave Ullyses was one of the first song to feature a wah-wha pedal.

Excellent album - shame about the last track. I guess they were trying to demonstrate a sense of humour!

Sometimes I thought I heard some licks from Layla, then I found out Eric Clapton was in this band

This is probably Cream’s best album. Half of it can be found on a greatest hits compilation. This album is primarily blues rock tinged with psychedelia. Unlike a lot of bands of the time, Cream does not let the psychedelic overrun the album and those elements are used tastefully and never at the expense of the blues core. The musicianship is of course top notch. With Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce having jazz backgrounds and Eric Clapton having a deep blues background, the quality of the music and arrangement takes priority. Luckily, both Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton have great voices which blend well. It’s almost unfair how good this band is. This album suffers only from the fact that it does contain some filler, though the short length of the album makes even that much more palatable.

Epic album..

Loved it!

I have not listened to this in a while but it still resonates as a breakthrough album by three rock legends, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker. Most people have at least heard "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love". There are many other great songs on this album that move seamlessly from the band's blues roots to more psychedelic rock. Love "Tales of Brave Ulysses." It was a pleasure listening to this again as it is an all time classic for me.

This is brilliant up there with the best rock from the 60’s cream is by far the best thing Clapton was involved in and this is their best album. 5 stars.

If the remainder of Disraeli Gears had been a shambolic shitshow following the colossal one-two punch of Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love, it wouldn't be remembered as fondly as it is now. Thankfully the eight songs (nine if you want to count Mother's Lament) that follow Sunshine does more than what's required to uphold its weight and become equally memorable and quality songs that justify its position as the absolute peak of the sweet yet sour, shortlived lather of guitar/bass/drum combo that was Cream.

My dad had this record in his collection and I spent some serious time working this cream into a foamy lather when I was growing up. From the album art to the primitive distorted riffs that go on and on, to the trippy lyrics (bearded rainbow, anyone?) this transitional album embodies what I had always thought the late 60's to be. Iron Butterfly's album sputtered after In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, but Disraeli Gears continues to crank out great tracks SWLBR, Strange Brew, Sunshine etc., (I can do without Mother's Lament and Dance the Night Away). It's hard to discount this album as it marks the beginning of the most important period of rock ... the early 70's.

this album will never get old for me. CLAPTON IS GOD

this is a great album, don’t love “we’re going wrong” and “mothers lament” (wtf?) but the rest are electric guitar bliss

amazing

vsf eric clapton

fuck Clapton. this album is great but I hope its the last Clapton album I have to listen to.

4.7 - So far this is the only Eric Clapton project I've heard that I wouldn't consider completely overrated. In fact, the intersection of blues, psychedelic and early heavy metal is truly special. "Strange Brew" starts us off with a perfect sample of all the colors within this record's palette - there's fuzzy squealing guitar, evocative lyrics and 12-bar blues. "Sunshine of Your Love" a rock mainstay invokes early elements of heavy metal. "Tales of Brave Ulysses", arguably the record's psychedelic apex, starts side B bringing together all of these elements. "We're Going Wrong" reminds us that in addition to being a world class guitarist, Clapton also has some impressive vocal chops. I also love the drumming on that song. "Mother's Lament" closes out the record with a dark little nursery melody.

"Oh, your baby has gone down the plug hole Oh, your baby has gone down the plug The poor little thing was so skinny and thin He should have been washed in a jug... ............. in a jug"

This album makes me want to drop acid. Best track: Sunshine Of Your Love.

Excellent rock and psych rooted in blues. I think Clapton might be a wanker, but I’ll keep that out of this. 4 Creams / 5.

Disraeli Gears Did either of you have this on CD? I never bought it but I’m sure I borrowed it from one of you. Anyhow, I haven’t listened to this in years, and I can’t really remember much of it, apart from, of course, being very familiar with Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love. Is this Clapton’s most inventive and interesting playing? As we’ve experienced on this list a lot of psychedelic influenced blues rock is woeful, but this feels different, the psychedelic pop approach seems to bring a sense of playfulness and service to the song from Clapton, and he works really well in tandem with Jack Bruce, while Ginger does whatever he wants. Sometimes Ginger does some great stuff and it really adds a different dimension to the songs, and at other times he just seems to be banging relentlessly on his tom toms. Also his two lead vocal tracks are terrible - Yellow Submarine and Octopus’s Garden these are not. World of Pain, Dance the Night Away, SWLABR, We’re Going Wrong are very good bits of bluesy psychedelic rock. Outside Woman Blues is a great bit of blues, but Take it Back is rather pedestrian and unremarkable in comparison, but overall Strange Brew, Sunshine of Your Love and Tales of Brave Ulysses are the standout tracks. Overall this is a very very good late 60s album with some great guitar and bass - an easy solid 4. ⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️ Playlist submission: Sunshine of Your Love

Cream is always at their best when they lean harder into their psychedelia than leaning into blues. Also, I am convinced Cream is good in spite of Clapton rather than because of him.

I enjoyed this. It was a different take on psych rock than the Love album. That one seemed very very 60s-70s to me. This one I think translates better today without seeming of an era (though it still is). I enjoyed Strange Brew immediately. Clapton was kind of a shitty dude.

Nice steady late 60s vibes. And shout out to guitar hero with Sunshine on Your Love, classiccc. Would listen to chill and hang out with some upbeatness. Good high too

Has some good songs on it for sure, but also songs which are not so good. I covered some of these when I was in a band as a teenager so it has fond memories. I remember buying the CD in Greenwich market.

Το μονο ωραιο μερος του αλμπουμ ειναι η κιθαρα του κλαπτον κατα τ αλλα πολυ αδυναμο. Rating:C

I expected this to be a great album. It didn't live up to my expectations at all. A few great tracks surrounded by unspectacular fillers. Blue Condition in particular is a yawn-fest.

This was solid for a while. Clapton playing only rhythm guitar and never speaking would be alright. The last three songs sucked. A goofy 'fun' song at the end isn't a good idea when the guys in the band do not seem fun to be around. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

3 stars for the song Strange Brew - minus 1 star for Eric Clapton being a turd.

Ok, some decent stuff, some whatever, not really the best, pretty forgettable overall

Скучно и однообразно.

dreck. sounds like a worse version of hermans hermits. Clapton was overrated from the get go.

I was not aware of how racist and stupid Clapton is! Lolllll. Sorry Eric your music is boring.

Classic Psychedelic Rock, through and through. Solid 5 Stars.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5 because I just had a lot of fun with this. I’ll preface any of my praise by saying this: Eric Clapton’s an asshole. Granted, he seems like the sort of sensible asshole that has empathy & some level of remorse, or at least the ability to fake it well enough that he’s not inspiring any real, additional damage past his initial waves of stupidity. In that sense, the line between art & artist is a little easier to separate here, but forgive me if I’m giving him too much leeway or credit. Anyway, enough about Eric: how about the actual music itself here? Well, it sure is some 1967 psychedelic rock. Mileage will vary about the enjoyability of this, and in a way, it really does boil down to whether or not you think it sounds good, because this feels like a quintessential example of what 1967 psychedelic rock is like. If you were to feed a prompt asking for this type of soundscape into an AI, and burn an entire fish family alive in the process, you’d probably get something like this. I really, really enjoyed this – there are a handful of moments where the album repeats verses & riffs and enters a bit of a stagnant state, but those moments don’t ruin the album that badly for me. That’s mainly why I’m at a 4.5, because they’re prevalent enough to be noticeable, but not obnoxious enough to bother me. When this album isn’t in a stagnant phase, it’s firing on all cylinders; the guitar work here is as good as advertised, the percussion is an incredible anchor that feels just a bit ahead of schedule for 1967, and the vocals are honestly pretty good; little bit of a subdued David Bowie vibe to them that feels like the perfect compliment to the occasionally chaotic soundscapes that surround it. I really don’t have that much to say – when this album is firing on all cylinders like that, it’s easy to get caught up in the energy & hit a total zen state, so I never had any deeper thoughts on the tracks like that. Is it a little silly to bump this up to a 5 on account of just having fun with it? Maybe, but I enjoyed it enough that I think it’s earned the bump. Huge shoutouts to “Dance the Night Away”, “Tales of Brave Ulysses” & “SWLABR”, by the way. Those 3 are my standouts for sure.

The best album from one of the greatest power trios of all time. Star of the show is Jack Bruce. This band worked because Clapton’s input was kept to a minimum.

Certainly a classic. Ginger’s angry ass drums are the winner here for me, but it’s also Clapton at his psychedelic best (except for Layla of course).

Great!

Fabulous classic album - on of the all time greats.

One of the most complete albums ever made.

Awesome!

Trying to check my white classic rock star preference here, this is still a must listen. It’s a bridge between old school rock, hard rock, psychedelic rock and even prog rock. You can hear the inspirations for everything Sabbath to Led Zeppelin to Rush to King Crimson and Pink Floyd echoing through it, all of which followed quickly on the heels of this.

Nimalo, nimalo loše. Neke pjesme imaju potencijala da uđu u stalnu rotaciju. Hvala listi što sam konačno dobila nešto ovako.

I love this music so much; it's in my bones. Obligatory: too bad Clapton turned into such an asshole.

I’ve spent years trying to get into Eric Clapton’s music—partly because I feel like I should enjoy it, even though he’s a deeply problematic figure. That said, Cream is by far the best version of Clapton. His solo work and time with the Yardbirds never clicked with me the same way. Disraeli Gears stands out as the album I return to most—it's a perfect fusion of blues and psychedelic rock, packed with memorable riffs and standout tracks. This album is so good I played it three times in a row. The biggest hit, “Sunshine of Your Love,” features one of the most iconic guitar riffs of its era. It’s brilliant—an undeniable classic. But the rest of the album holds up just as well. Tracks like “Strange Brew,” “Dance the Night Away,” and “SWLABR” are absolute gems, each with their own unique groove and iconic guitar work. Favourite tracks: “SWLABR” and “Sunshine of Your Love” Least favourite: “Mother’s Lament” – feels very Monty Python. I’m not convinced it needed to be on the album. Album artwork: A super cool, quintessentially '60s psychedelic cover—totally fitting for the sound within

All of the guys in this band are assholes but there would be no heavy metal without Cream, and this record specifically. What a lovely sludgefest. "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love" are especially tasty.

Best one so far. So much better than Coldplay.

Love it.

One of the greats, awesome

Fuzzy, bluesy, and trippy in all the right ways. A few weird moments, but I was grinning through most of it. Just don’t let Clapton babysit.

yeah i already knew i liked this album. i actually have a record of this album (if you know, you know…) i really enjoy funky british rock! i did forget to take real notes because i was locked in BUT my favorite tune is probably “sunshine of your love”. also, i liked the lament at the end. it gave the album something fresh to end with! 5/5.

One of the best! Such good music from a really great time to be alive!

Classic. Fully enjoyed during my high school years (1978-1982), even though it was released a decade earlier.

Great music, love 60s rock, I really hope to listen to this again and again

One of the best albums of 1967, an already strong year. Cream is maybe the gold standard of psychedelic blues and it shows here. Clapton is still a POS, though.

Great album! Cream was such a good band! Everyone in their peak and the music they created is perfect.

60s psychedelia at its best. All that sound from three people!

Chulísimo. Super interesa, música diferente

Blue condition was an interesting one in addition to the classic tracks on this album

This is a psychedelic blues rock experience that is not to be missed. It has some great tunes and some quirky 60s rock that is always fun to listen to.

Great

I mean, great right!

En el 67 estaban muy por delante de casi cualquier banda. Son el germen del virtuosismo y lo que después derivaría en el rock progresivo y que no acabaría ni con la oleada del 77, pero sin duda alguna ocupan un lugar destacado en la historia. Cualquier disco suyo es una joya pero este y Wheels of fire son imprescindibles.

This album fucks

The percussion throughout this album is a clear standout. Not for being showy, necessarily – in fact, quite the opposite. The restrained, laid-back style of drumming, featuring a softness that's often missing from 70s rock, is pretty refreshing. Of course, it could also be an artifact of bad/blurry production, but I like to think otherwise. The guitar, of course, is fantastic, featuring the perfect balance between clarity distortion to showcase some seriously great riffs. That hook in Sunshine Of Your Love is banned from guitar shops for a reason: everybody wants to play it. It almost transcends rock music. The guitarwork is Tales Of Brave Ulysses is also fantastic. The doubling of lead and bass parts does wonders. And that I-VIIb-VI-VIb bassline (and I-I7-IV-iv chord progression), as clichéd as it may be, has this unmatched medieval, magical, foreboding element. Love it. The singing is fine, but clearly not the focus of Cream's sound. In that way, and several others, the band sounds a bit like a prototype King Crimson. Take It Back is possibly the vocal standout track, and I'm a little surprised it wasn't released as a single. I did notice some flashes of political lyricism throughout the album, which is pretty nifty (though I generally ignore lyrics unless they're egregiously bad). I get the impression that hatred of Eric Clapton is bringing a lot of these reviews down a star or two. Listen, I get it. Clapton's a terrible person. So is 6ix9ine. So were/are Lennon, Kanye, Cardi B., Dr Dre, and countless others. I trust you can separate the artist from the music. 5/5 Key tracks: Strange Brew, Sunshine Of Your Love, Tales Of Brave Ulysses, SWLABR

Solid, heavy, psychedelic. Best in class, close to perfection. Tales of Brave Ulysses is the ultimate epic song.

Awesome, some known and awesome

This is a superb album. Love the blues riffs over the great drumming from Ginger Baker. Clapton is in his element here. Just perfect all the way around. This is a must listen. Highlights: Strange Brew Sunshine of Your Love SWLABR 5/5

Just gonna say…Classic

I love it.

One of my favourite albums ever, every song is just so good, no clangers all bangers as my dad would say. 6 stars if I could.

Finally an album I was stoked for. Late 60s rock is like no other - raw sonic explosions with loud guitars and no holds barred. I would love to travel back in time and experience this era of music live. Loved this.

The cream rises to the top. Oh yeah

5/5. Took me a bit to grow on me and if this was the first time hearing this one, I would probably not like it fully. On further listens, each song displays great musicianship, and Eric's guitar slaps. Some of the songs are silly but somehow feel needed because the album has an air of just having fun, like none of them are taking themselves seriously, even if they were. I would recommend this to anyone as an introduction to heavier psychedelia. Best Song: Strange Brew, Tales Of Brave Ulysses, SWLABR

Un álbum súper crudo, la definición de lo que uno pensaría con rock. Con un poco de lisergia de los 60, wah wahs y unas guitarras tremendas, con algo pero no mucho de distorsión. Un par de temas que son sexo (Stange Brew, Sunshine of your Love), partes más descontroladas como en World of Pain. La calidad del sonido es de la época, no es la mejor, se funden un poco los instrumentos pero eso hace al sonido. Hay sonidos muy del hippismo de los 60 (Dance the Night Away es re contra de ese palo), además los coros de voces de hombres también remiten mucho a la época. Blue Condition es un poco una resitación de poesía con toques de country y blues, no se canta se habla, y la letra es muy nihilista. Tales of the Brave Ulysses es trementa, tal vez mi favorita. La entrada de la voz de Clapton dulce contrastada después por Bruce, un riff y solos wahweahdos de puta madre un poco jimmy héndrixico. SWALBR es más bailable, de las menos intersantes también. La siguiente es una reticación pesimista, de lo menos interesantes en lo musical, la letra es aceptable. Outside Woman Blues es sexo, la voz de Eric un buen riff con guitarra ruidosa y bajadas de blues a una mujer, 6/8 a full, la letra tremenda! Take it Back es más de trovador tipo Bob Dylan por la armónica y la voz del cantante, con toques de country y blues, es bastante sencilla en composición y letra, la distingue la armónica, de lo más bajito del disco. El último es un poco una especie de rag cantado por hombres, casi a capella excepto por un teclado, como una canción de piratas cantada en un barco, muy divertida, me encantó, la historia que relata es TERRIBLE!!!

hadnt heard this in its entirety in at least 15 years.. man there are some amazing tracks…

Short and sweet collection of well crafted jams