Reviews (page 8 of 14)
I dunno! Yeah, the first two tracks are brilliant classics, and there are one or two others that I liked, basically the bluesy ones. The rest left me cold, so I'll give this effort three stars.
Iconic album.
good ol psych and blues
I really like the first two songs, but side B is a little weak for me. Overall, though, pretty good.
The best Psycadelic Rock album bar none. Three masters of their craft at the top of their game.
guys rock
Very interesting psychrock album. The guitarwork is sharp and sounds great, the vocals conplement the records themes and soundpatterns, being rough and hazy. Overall just a clean psychrock record. Favorite track: Strange Brew. Overall score: 7.0/10
NOW THIS I'VE HEARD AND FAMILIAR WITH!!! I admit I only know sunshine of your love but hells yeah! I am biased rn since this fits right in my alley.
Iconic sound of the 60s the guitars sound effortlessly cool Favourite song: Sunshine of Your Love
There’s a reason you’ve heard most of these songs on classic rock radio constantly. Solid stuff. SWLABR kicks ass.
This was the first complete listen to entire album in one sitting. I was very pleased with the mix. The mix of bass and lead guitars with the drums was very effective in my Grado phones. The album was in my personal collection, so I didn't need to use Amazon Music. On a favorite scale, I would say a 6 or 7 now. In my late 70s, I'm leaning to more jazz. Cream's blues do stray too far from my current taste.
60s psychedelia at its best. All that sound from three people!
very funky, great guitar, excellent atmosphere!! will definitely listen again
So great Jack Bruce is the weapon. SWLABR is awesome
Yeah ok
Could take or leave but objectively v good
First time in psychedelic rock. Guitar feels like lead vocals and lead vocalist is singing backup. Things turn bluesier at blue condition.... OHHHH. Fav- Tale of Brave Ulysses. Riff sounds like that Rasputin song
This is just awesome. I once played in a cover band called Sour Cream in which we played all these classics
nyilván sokkal jobb zene ez az előzőnél, cserébe viszont unalmas. nem blues annyira hogy szeressem mint zenét, és nem pszichedelikus annyira, hogy értékeljem az innovációt meg a kísérletezést.
Not bad at all, nice and groovy chill vibes
Pretty good vibes, it’s chill.
Not my cup of tea but this is a cool album. It has plenty of guitar riffs and some cool vocals. I like the mix of psychedelic rock and the Blues. Tales Of Brave Ulysses was a particular highlight.
The only Ingredient missing to make this 4* or higher is a quarter ounce of skunk. Pretty good guitar wankery just slightly odd
This is my favorite album with Eric Clapton. I don’t really know why but it’s better than all the others. I’m too tired to write this
摇滚吗
Baker and Bruce made this band. Clapton was just along for the ride
Okay, let’s get this out of the way. Sunshine Of Your Love carries the album for me. It’s the only song that I legitimately like on this album. The rest range from okay to ugh. The good ones range from Outside Women Blues and Tales of Brave Ulysses, which made Clapton easier to digest and appreciate since he’s teamed with Bruce and Baker. They emphasize the psychedelic spirit of the album. But then there are some annoying songs, like Blue Condition and We’re Going Wrong. And if I ever have to hear about the tree outside the window in World of Pain ever again, I’ll have it cut down. Maybe then you will stop singing about it. Mother’s Lament was a bit jarring too, but it’s at the end of the album and was probably the band fucking around, so I’m not going to go too hard on it. Overall, this is okay. Probably as good as an Eric Clapton effort will be for me. As an aside, can Clapton please stop showing up under different bands? This is the third time he has shown up under a different project and I haven’t even hit 150 albums yet. Calm your racist ass. Favorite track: Sunshine Of Your Love Other hits: Strange Brew, Outside Woman Blues, Tales of Brave Ulysses, SWLABR, Take It Back
Chulísimo. Super interesa, música diferente
Never really got Cream. Descent album nothing special probably album 998 on the list
Huge Fan of Psychedelic Rock and this Album is capturing the warmth and feeling of it really good. Really would be a dream to experience 70s woodstock drugged out tbh... Fuck Clapton (3.5/5.0)
For something so psychedelic I fluency, you'd hope it'd be a super vivid cornucopia of sounds. The reality is it's a lot of fairly standard blues with some more psychedelic stuff here and there. But even that sounds a bit derivative of other things done by themselves.
Britisk paykedelisk rock, udmærket
Not for me. 1/5
It's a nice album, but after so many albums, it's hard to listen to something that sounds innovative. Somehow they were doing what everyone was doing at that time.
Bangin rhythm section, dorky songs, tiresome guitar
I quite liked a lot of songs on here, good album overall.
Side A is just much more interesting than Side B. Still overall a very good album
First time listening to this album in its entirety. Recognized a few songs, some deep cuts. overall okay, but a couple tunes didn’t hit the mark for me, personally.
Sunshine of Your Love
Blue condition was an interesting one in addition to the classic tracks on this album
Eric Clapton views aside, I thought that this was mediocre with a couple of gems sprinkled in here and there. Listen again to the whole thing? Probably not!
enjoyable late 60s psych rock album. that last track is terrible though
The greatness is there, but only for the first half.
Þoli ekki Eric Clapton
Nei takk, ekkert Cream í minn tebolla.
Good classic rock.
Pretty freakin terrible.
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 album - A Mothers Lament has the greatest artistic value and Clapton really gets to show off his chops on that track.
A few fantastic songs, and some that were just fine. My wife gives this 5 stars, but she grew up with it.
The album that bought you "Sunshine of your Love" and not much else
Good
It's really hard to rate an album where I mostly like the music but I don't want to listen to this much if it at one time.
Great
Dan - Seemingly, like a lot of psychedelic albums, some annoying songs. But also so decent ones.
Cream’s Disraeli Gears is ahead of its time. And I mean, like, this record pales in comparison to anything Baker, Bruce, and even Clapton made after this. Don’t get me wrong, these three display their obvious incredible talent on every track here, but the whole time, it feels like that skill is being held back. The issue is I can’t really tell if the restraint is based in their blues background, the ethos of making a studio recording at the time, or the fact that, while they were very skilled by the time they made this recording, they still had room to grow, and that’s evident while you listen to Disraeli Gears. In my opinion, I think it’s a combination of all these issues. On top of that, their vision of experimentation is just psychedelic noodling, which I generally loathe. Whenever they come close to something interesting, though, they seem to cut themselves short, like on “World Of Pain” or “Tales Of Brave Ulysses.” The limitations of this sonic ceiling would normally inspire apathy from me, but there are one too many moments of pure cringe to ignore, and that’s really what ruins Disraeli Gears. “Blue Condition” once again proves that you should never let the drummer sing.”Mother’s Lament” is just boring, British kitsch that has no right taking up space here. And songs like “Dance The Night Away” and “We’re Going Wrong” are painful to me, even for psychedelic music. As a result, the only decent track here is “Sunshine Of Your Love,” which is still not a song I’d ever seek out on my own volition, even among ‘60s classics. To cap it all off, Disraeli Gears sounds like it was recorded onto a wax cylinder in an empty church with the mic placed 2 miles down the road. You can’t tell me it was just the times, too, because even other mid-tier psychedelic albums by bands that aren’t The Beatles, like Jefferson Airplane’s debut, sound immaculate compared to this. While Disraeli Gears may exemplify its time period, I’m not sure if it needs to continue to receive praise as a representative for the psychedelic era. Even in Cream’s own discography, Wheels Of Fire stands leagues above this; the only reason it isn’t included on this list is because it’s less obviously psychedelic, and while it has “White Room,” that’s not a big enough hit for this book. (Shout out to Spotify for autoplaying “White Room” when this ended so I could then immediately seek out that album and realize Cream doesn’t entirely suck.) And of course, Baker played on better records [like with Fela Kuti], and even if I generally dislike Clapton, I’d rather listen to Derek and the Dominos or even his fucking MTV Unplugged over this. Unless you’re knee-deep in your acid era, or you’re 11 and you just got your first guitar, I think Disraeli Gears is a waste of time, even as a historical object.
Pretty cool for 1967, basic but cool it's only three guys
Started really strong with the first 2 songs but the rest of the album was forgettable, including some skippable songs
I didn't hate this, but it didn't feel very memorable.
Alussa taas pari oivaa rallia, sen jälkeen hyytyi. Ihan kiva -tasoinen julkaisu.
Solid -1 for combined racism and baby murder
I mean, great right!
Multiple classic songs. Not consistent in quality, but stellar overall
What a band. One of the finest psychedelic/blues bands from the 60s.
Eric Clapton is the most overrated guitar player on the planet. However, Jack Bruce is a great bassist and an interesting singer, although his almost-falsetto can get on my nerves sometimes. Ginger Baker is an amazing drummer and was an interesting man--the film "Beware of Mr. Baker" from 2012 was an interesting film. So despite Clapton's involvement, I'll still give this a 3.
Had the classics otherwise, as lot of these bands from the 60s and 70s that I've heard only the hits, the rest of the album is just okay.
not for me. 1.5
Pretty great album. I hear a mix of blues and rock, which is very nice.
Some jams, the non-hits aren’t my speed.
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.
some all time vibes in this album
Great
Some good, some not so great. Decent album with a couple killer cuts.
idk
Standout Track: Tales Of Brave Ulysses
Decent. Sounded good, well performed. The songs didn't really do much for me, though.
This album fucks
Would probably listen again; too bad Eric Clapton is a weird, because this does rock pretty hard, though not a no-skip for me; favorite songs: sunshine of your love, strange brew; tales of brave Ulysses
I thought it was interesting that I hadn’t come across a Clapton album yet in this project and this week here are two. Stranger still is how much more I preferred the Derek and the Dominos album to Cream. Still, it’s fun to think of how the psych rock (which I largely think is silly) compares to other music of the time. Good stuff on here. But not completely for me.
Trochę kalka podobnych, bardziej popularnych zespołów tamtych czasów. Ale jest bardzo chwytliwe, miłe łaskocze uszy i kilka kawałków poszło do ulubionych, więc możne 7/10
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
As a fan of psych rock I thought I’d like it more. The whole thing sounded pretty samey samey and didn’t really hit many highs or lows. Sunshine of your love is a jam but nothing else struck me. I’ll insist that strange brew is a better movie than song.
Итс о кэй (что неожиданно, потому что я, конечно же, никакой не мьюзик крикет, а чистейший ноу ГМО хейтер, когда дело касается Эрика Клэптона). Лучшая песня - Sunshine of Your Love.
в целом прикольно но только одну песню себе добавила, думала поинтереснее будет,это же всё-таки крим
From okaish Psychedelic Rock to boring Blues.
Awesome
Great album. Clapton's an ass.
I was very excited for this album. I had never listened to the full album, just the huge hit song off the album, so I was excited to find some other gems and I was sadly disappointed. It’s not a terrible album but there’s no variety. You get one core sound throughout the whole album and it gets dry very quickly. I’d still recommend this album to somebody who had never heard of them or “sunshine of your love”, but I wouldn’t buy the album and I did not add any songs off the album to my main playlist. So ultimately, not great, not terrible.
Solid, heavy, psychedelic. Best in class, close to perfection. Tales of Brave Ulysses is the ultimate epic song.
3.09
This is a hard one to rate. I initially thought I wouldn't have a lot to say. The guitar/production on ‘Strange Brew’ sounds like ass, and Clapton and Baker both have irritating singing voices. But I quite liked the songs that, per Wikipedia, were written and sung by Jack Bruce. Liked the goofy music hall kinda song at the end too. It would be sensible to separate this album from the shadow of Eric Clapton.
Being a non-Clapton fan (obviously his politics are terrible, but I also don't like his music), I let out a big ol' "ugh" when I saw this was my album of the day. But it offended me less than I anticipated. I didn't like the last three songs, but the others were more or less fine. Going to give this 3 stars because I liked it more than the Derek & The Dominos album, which I rated 2 stars. And because this is, mercifully, much shorter.
A pretty loaded, psychedelic blues album, that had a strong influence on some of the greatest bands to come later. I get people's dislike of Clapton, and that Baker was a nut, but Cream put out some solid stuff. I'd give this a 4.
really enjoyed it, sounds really groovy with some great bluesy stuff as well
Ginger Baker’s drumming is just savage. Jack Bruce’s playing also grabs me throughout the whole album, The strongest tracks were the singles, of course. I started listening to the standard release and was disappointed by the hard panned stereo, so I switched over to the deluxe edition and was glad I did. It’s a much better mix.
Decent, I guess. A few highlights here and there, but overall feels overplayed and occasionally clumsy.
Decent but underwhelming blues rock, pretty standard Clapton fare. Nothing here that actively offended me but nothing that stood out as worthy of inclusion on the list.
I’ve always liked Sunshine of Your Love, and I liked Blue Condition. The rest of the album was enjoyable enough, but nothing special.
Did not make an impression
I mean it's alright
I liked that more than I really expected. It's been a minute since I last listened to these things and I expected I'd leave on a sour note but this was great. It's mostly psychedelic rock which has never been a favourite of mine but Cream pulled it off quite well. The ending track was also fun. Hope this won't be a one and done thing for me!
Not terrible, some enjoyable 60s rock. Album is defined by Sunshine of Your Love, and deservedly so
Pretty cool stuff, I had only heard strange brew and sunshine of your love, and to be honest I wasn’t a huge fan of strange brew, but as a whole album this was a very good time.
This is a very good classic album.
Great stuff, Clapton and friends
I definitely recognized the hit songs and the influence these guys had on rock. Very impressive good listen
I am an incredible hater. I hate vociferously and with a persistent and ignorant malice. The perfect combo to indiscriminately just not like stuff. Eric Clapton fits that hateable category for me. I know nothing about the chap, but I still find that he seems like a man who make you feel uncomfortable buying a guitar. Anyway, here’s one of his bands. Hope I don’t hate it. The best. Can only go down from here. Accompanied the nuclear waste montage on the perfect yet still underrated show “Get a Life,” and now hits my ears as both a reminder of that and as an incredible song. Three thumbs up (the extra is from the toxic waste). Super overplayed, but Sunshine of your Love is good. It’s so hard to hear it anew, and I think that ship has sailed but the song has its moments. That riff is iconic but I’ve never been able to enjoy the rest of the track as much. I’m such a sucker for vocal variation. The falsetto sections are so weird and haunting. This song was a huge surprise and absolutely fantastic. Hmm. The boredom is creeping in with this puppy. Ugh. This is terrible. Alright. A little bit of a reprieve here. Finally. Back to some upbeat stuff. It’s fine. A rainbow with a beard??? That’s cool. Uhhh. I’m running out of things to say. I’m still so behind from the Christmas break. Boring white guy blues. They’re ENGLISH????????????? NOOOOOOO. I knew that. Anyway. This is weird. I feel like it’s trying to be psychedelic and not really genuine. This feels like straight edge drug impersonation. Well Eric. This wasn’t too bad, I have to say. Tracks 1 and 3 blew my face off, and the rest sort of just left me without a face and getting kind of chilly noticing that my now faceless body is being exposed to the elements. I think if this was delivered in a more rough manner, it would’ve been even better, but what we have with Disraeli Gears is a competent album with some real heavy hitters to start it off and a trail of mediocrity to wind to a close. I suppose a re-listen might be warranted but for now, I leave dreaming of sunshine, love and of course, spelling bees in space. 2.5-3 HIGHLIGHTS: Strange Brew, World of Pain
I really like this band. The first two CDs I ever purchased were Appetite for Destruction and a Cream greatest hits CD. Some of these songs were real clunkers, but the highs are so, so high. (not really related to this rating, but I spent the rest of the day listening to "album radio" for this album and it was all great)
The good songs (singles?) are great, the musicianship is great… some of the other songs are only okay.
Pre: Pretty sure this is supposed to be a highly rated Cream album. Post: Its a good thing that Sunshine of your Love is on this album, because most of the rest of it isn't memorable. Pretty standard late 60s rock album. One star for Sunshine and one star for Jack Bruce/Ginger Baker.
This was one of my first purchased on my own albums -- I was pretty into Eric Clapton, the Byrds, etc.. I have outgrown my affection for 60s -70s Acid Rock / Bluesy Rock like this. I have a soft spot for a few of these songs, but I don't and won't seek out these songs.
Yes!!
Like many of the albums from the 60’s on this list, I felt nothing. Just all a bit boring for me.
Very generous 3 stars. 2 Star felt too harsh. The music actually had me excited from the get go, enjoyed the first song. Then the second song started, Sunshine of Your Love, and was really excited about it as I didn't know that it was THAT song. Sick guitar shit. Lyrcis abit meh, and that seemed to be the theme for the album. Got abit bored of it to be honest, but appreciated what it was doing alot of the time. I feel as though they were great musicians with fuck all to actually write about. Their talent with their instruments carried it for me. Like I said, generous giving 3 stars. Would've liked half stars again to give a 2.5
I quite like Cream’s albums. The live shows sound hellish in terms of drawn out, indulgent solos. Strange Brew is as cool as a cucumber, perfect mash up of blues and rock, with hushed vocals washing over it. Great false ending too. Sunshine of Your Love is iconic, its use in cinema immediately springs to mind during the first few notes. It's arguably their finest moment. It centres around such a simple riff, but the sounds and the space between sounds are so well crafted on this song, it's transformed into a giant rock anthem. World of Pain has a playfulness and psychedelia to it that reminds me of Pink Floyd with Syd, off kilter and whimsical, not as good though. I hated Mother's Lament with a passion. It's true that all musicians want to be comedians, and all comedians want to be musicians. There were a lot of album tracks like this in British music in the late sixties, The Beatles, Cream, The Who, The Small Faces to name a few. I reckon this is because everyone fancied themselves as being able to do The Goons or Monty Python. This album probably had wide appeal to the hippie youth of the late sixties. I found most of the tracks very average though. Yes you can play, but are the songs interesting, or are they incredibly samey? I can't deny some of the greatness on display so it's getting 3 stars.
Disraeli what? Cream who? World of Pain is the answer to all. High 3* again. Getting a lot of these recently - closer to 75/100 though, but not quite 4*
La Crema es la crema. No es quizás su mejor material, pero las perlas están ahí.
Reminded me of the beetles
It’s great, but stressful to listen to.
Clapton is so overrated
Awesome, some known and awesome
Sounds distinctly like the missing link between the Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Some songs very Beatles, some songs very Zeppelin, yet all obviously belonging on the same album together.
Not sure why people liked Cream so much back in the day
Not for me
It wasn't bad, but not amazing - maybe just didn't get me in the right mood. I'll give it 3*, but it could have been 4* on another day.
Sunshine of your Love obviously the highlight - nothing else blew my mind
Starts strong. Gets weak. 4/11 songs I like.
A definite classic with several timeless gems
Although "Disraeli Gears" is Cream's most acclaimed album, it is comparable to a weak Beatles album at most. There are a couple standouts admittedly, and "World Of Pain" is a fantastic example of late 60's psyche. However, the general songwriting and musicianship of the album is overtly mundane and underwhelming. Eric Clapton has got to be among the most conceited guitarists of all-time.
3/5
2 sterne
I was expecting way more from an album with Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love
Definitely highs and lows, many great songs but a few slower ones that felt out of place for me
Not a fan of supergroups, mais tous des excellents musiciens
4.5
Favorite is Blue Condition. Almost sounds like a Monty Python parody, but very earwormy. Solid album
I think I've made my peace with Clapton
lyrics kinda annoying i'm NOT gonna lie. this guy's voice is also pretty grating
This wasnt my thing. The sparseness of the sound made it seem really old and half finished. There are obviously some famous songs and the guitar is obviously good but by the time cockney sing song came along at the end, i was rolling my eyes.
Een vrij kort album met een schitterende hoes. De naam van de band deed natuurlijk weer eens geen belletje rinkelen, maar de gitaarriff van de tweede track kent vrijwel iedereen. En dat is niet het enige herkenbare deuntje. In het half uurtje speeltijd is niet elk nummer even geslaagd (Blue Condition vond ik bijv. helemaal niks en zo staan er nog 2 à 3 tracks tussen), maar over het algemeen is dit wel lekker om aan te hebben staan. De gitaren worden heerlijk geroerd en de drummer verstaat z'n vak. Qua zang weinig tot geen irritatie, wat ook wel een keer leuk meegenomen is. Ik ga hier een 4 voor uitdelen. Ik ben de week voor kerst nog niet vergeten.
Loved strange brew and sunshine of your love, but the rest of the tracks on this album didn’t really impress me
Influenced alot of great bands....
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
I used to rock Sunshine Of Your Love on Guitar Hero. Hadn't heard the rest of these songs before, but this was a vibe. Mother's Lament took me out, but otherwise no major skips. Strange Brew and Dance The Night Away were my favorites besides Sunshine.
Just gonna say…Classic
Decent classic rock vibe
Excellent psych Brit rock record. Good tunes and vibes throughout this one with some experimental guitars and vocals. They're having fun on this one. A couple classics I'm familiar with on here too.
Тяжёлый психоделический приступ в виде альбома
acceptable tunes standout track: sunshine of your love
I grew up listening to this. Good stuff.
Nice!
good bluesy
I love it.
There are some iconic songs on here: Sunshine of Your Love; White Room; Tales of Brave Ulysses. Blue Condition is a fun feeling drunken sounding dirge, SWLABR is great, and I throughly enjoy the throwback Mothers Lament. There’s no bad song on here, but there’s a few I don’t really care about. I’d give it 3.75.
Good
Really enjoyed this one, was more my style. It was nice to explore a bit more of Cream having only previously heard Sunshine of Your Love
This is a good album, but it is especially good when considering when it came out. Sunshine of Your Love is probably the biggest song on here, but there are several really strong tracks like Tales of Brave Ulysses, SWABLR, and Strange Brew. It is saying something that despite being the most famous, Eric Clapton might be the third best player in this trio.
It just doesn't quite work, does it? The components are impressive. But Ginger never sounds like he's playing WITH the music. He just sounds like a gorilla with really good rhythm who's off in a corner doing his thing. The mix - him low and over to the R - accentuates the disconnect. The lyrics are silly. There's not an ear worm to be found. Clapton's guitar chops are legit; but his 12 bar blues tracks are limp and soggy. Sunshine is a great track, but listening to the entire album makes me suspect its greatness is entirely accidental.
I had never heard of Cream but I really liked this album - I think I’m probably being a stinge with my 5 stars, but this was pretty close
I enjoyed this album - particularly the electric guitar. I love their song White Room and I feel like they’re super consistent with their sound which is cool! I probably wouldn’t put this one in high rotation but would listen to give my self a break from the frequent flying albums I have on repeat! I’d say 3.5
Groovy music that I would add to certain songs to playlist
Could've been a 2 song, maybe 3 song album. Not impressed.
But is it art? This is not a facetious question, but a serious gander at the essence of Cream, and in particular Eric Clapton. Allow me to define the artistic persuasion in rock. In the decade after rock n roll descended from Elysium, a few acts decided to explore beyond the Chuck Berry template and see what they could do with music. For instance, Brian Wilson began using more ambitious arrangements and experimenting with what the studio could achieve. The idea of rock as art essentially becomes codified in June 1966, when Bob Dylan and Frank Zappa (with the Mothers of Invention) release a week apart Blonde on Blonde and Freak Out!, the first double albums in rock. Not only were these two monumental in scale, they sought to include more learned techniques and inspirations, such as Dylan’s surreal wordplay and Zappa’s musique concrete forays. With psychedelia, this artsy bent became the norm, with the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and the Velvet Underground three of the many acts to try reaching out beyond their grasp and consciously producing art. This artiness has remained a plenteous meadow within rock, with prog, krautrock, punk, post-punk, and indie all claiming some territory within art. However, this artiness provoked a backlash. Plenty of bands were content just producing rock n roll, and didn’t care for these arty-farty art-school wankers citing books they’d never read and making music that supposedly required a grasp of post-structuralism to appreciate. The Rolling Stones attempted an artsy project with the ropey Their Satanic Majesty’s Request, but Mick is too canny a businessman to have pursued such folly ever again, and thus we get the standard Stone slab of It’s Only Rock n Roll But I Like It. Motörhead always insisted that they simply played rock n roll. AC/DC have recorded at least 10 songs that have “rock n roll” in the title. Oasis, the main rivals to Status Quo as the least artsy British band, declared that they were Rock ‘n’ Roll Stars. Now, the smart music fan should realise that this is a spectrum, not a dichotomy (Bowie is obviously artier than Queen, but Queen had some artiness to them), that there’s no reason one can’t appreciate bands of opposing persuasions, and that if one does have a preference, then that’s gravy too. But where do Cream lie in this rainbow? Cream are oft called the first supergroup, a group formed from acts which have already attained success (the name “Cream” comes from them being the cream of the crop in the British blues and jazz scene of the mid-60s). Cream consisted of singer and bassist Jack Bruce, lead guitarist and then-apparently-God Eric Clapton, and exceptionally cantankerous drummer Ginger Baker. Ginger Baker’s drumming, extrovert and peacocky, instantly became an exemplar for rock drummers, an exemplar where numerous followers of his became exemplars in their own right. However, the most celebrated instrumentalist in Cream is, of course, Eric Clapton, the blues purist who, since his emergence, has been routinely heralded as the greatest axeman Britain ever begat (though one should remember this reputation derives significantly from his key role as an establisher of dad rock, and that Clapton stopped being considered cool the instant Cream broke up). And that segues clumsily into the placement of Cream on the art/non-art spectrum. One would assume that Cream, what with their jazz inspirations and psychedelic trappings, belong on the artier half. Ah, but one is ignoring the presence of Clapton. With Clapton, the decisive term is not “art”, nor is it “rock”. “Blues”, I hear someone nasally suggest in the crowd, but no. For Clapton, it’s all about, and only about, “craft”. Eric Clapton plays guitar because playing guitar is what he does, and his guitar playing is about doing stuff on a guitar. Yes, I get how reductionist that is, but the foremost quality of Clapton’s music is his facility with the relevant techniques, a facility which has directed how Clapton has envisioned his music. Despite the frequent, historically justified comparisons between Clapton and Hendrix, the two men had utterly antithetical conceptions for their music. Hendrix wanted to expand the very possibilities of sound, so the studio became as much an instrument, dissonance and sheer noise were embraced, and the only limit was Hendrix’s kaleidoscopic imagination. Clapton, though, just wanted to play the guitar, and so the techniques Clapton uses, though impeccably employed, are yer standard guitar techniques. This is prima facie a strange criticism (I’m chiding Clapton for doing something well), but a fellow could wish that the scales be removed from Clapton’s repertoire. Anyway, Disraeli Gears, though seemingly a trip and a half of a record, is actually quite standard 60s fare. This is to be expected: don’t delude yourself into thinking that Clapton is going to experiment (Bruce and Baker joked that Cream was a jazz outfit, only they didn’t bother telling Clapton that). And the songs are rather likable, with the best being the mildly psychedelic ones (Strange Brew, Tales of Brave Ulysses), as they’re the ones most conducive to a make-out session with a spacey girl who’s still hot despite having pubic hair that reaches her knees. But the make-out session would be a short one, which demonstrates an unusual flaw: the album isn’t long enough. For an assemblage of such talent, you want a sense of the epic, you want a 10-minuter with Clapton pulling off every trick he knows, but you just get a condensed, slightly ersatz take on psychedelic rock. It’s a very good condensed, slightly ersatz take on psychedelic rock, but one still trips over its stumpiness. I guess the Cream’s just a bit off (I don’t know whether to be ashamed or proud of that). NoRadio, signing off.
Has three good songs, and the rest suck. Terrible sound, even on mono, which is apparently much better than the stereo sound. Perhaps a compilation with just the singles by this band is worthwhile. D
Not really my sound. Hippy stuff.
3.5/5. Better than I remembered. Some solid classic rock, not much else to say.
Disraeli Gears is an album that mistakes volume, distortion, and repetition for imagination. It presents itself as psychedelic and daring, but underneath the fuzz it is remarkably static, built on basic blues patterns stretched far past their breaking point. Songs drift by in a haze of wah pedals and echo, never developing, never surprising, just looping the same ideas until they wear thin. It feels less like a creative statement and more like a jam session that forgot to end. The playing is technically proficient but emotionally vacant. Eric Clapton’s guitar dominates everything, endlessly soloing without direction or intent, circling the same familiar phrases as if daring the listener to confuse skill with substance. Jack Bruce’s vocals strain toward mysticism, but the lyrics are so vague they barely register, while Ginger Baker’s drumming is busy rather than purposeful, filling gaps instead of driving momentum. Nothing here locks together, and nothing feels like it actually matters beyond showing off. What makes Disraeli Gears particularly irritating is how revered it is despite offering so little. This is not an album full of hidden depths or subtle moods that reward patience. It is loud, indulgent, and ultimately hollow, convinced of its own importance while delivering very little emotional or musical payoff. By the time it ends, there is no lingering image or feeling, just the sense that you have listened to a lot of noise in service of very few ideas. One out of five feels fair, if only to acknowledge that at least it eventually stops.
I’ve never cared much for Cream and listening to this again did not help
Was alright
Das Album Disraeli Gears von Cream ist interessant, wirkt aber stellenweise eintönig, da viele Lieder sich ähnlich anhören. Trotzdem beeindruckt es, dass man ein bis zwei Tracks wiedererkennt, obwohl weder die Band noch das Album einem zuvor bekannt waren. Ein spannendes Werk mit bekannten Momenten, das jedoch an Abwechslung vermissen lässt.
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.
This is great, with some terrific songs on it. My favourite is ‘Tales of Brave Ulysses’.
Day338 - listening for the first time and i didn't know jack bruce sang most of the songs. tales of brave ulysses sounds just like suzanna by leonard cohen.mothers lament is hilarious
Pretty cool!! A solid and consistent sound, good drums and guitar. Enjoyed this
Clapton Rules Everyone Around Me :(
sorry but cream sucks and eric clapton is a stupid piece of shit
There were a couple of good songs here but tthe quality isn't consistent across the album. If I'd bought it back in the day, I would have struggled to listen the whole way through
Really enjoyed. Like a 60s psychedelic White Stripes. Nothing mind-blowing but just a really solid album.Wanted more of the folk-pop stuff, didn't care too much for the full on blues rock. Best Track: World of Pain Worst Track: Take It Back
Best Song: Sunshine of Your Love Worst Song: Mother's Lament
++: Strange Brew, Sunshine of Your Love, Tales of Brave Ulysses, SWLABR, Outside Woman Blues, Take It Back +: World of Pain, Dance the Night Away, Blue Condition, We're Going Wrong, Mother's Lament 9,0/10
Clapton is a racist. He's pro foxhunting. I can't separate that out. Shit album anyway.
This is some great 60s psychedelic music. I’ve never been the biggest Eric Clapton fan but this group is more than just the sum of its parts. Jack Bruce , Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton all Play a key Role into making this band sound amazing The guitar tones are really good and the Songs are short and groove filled. 1967 Is one of the best years for music 4/5
Good British band from the 60’s. All fine musicians on their own. Some good music.
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.
It wasnt my type of music but it was realky good. I can only explain it as calming feels good music mostly I'd listen to it for reading or driving.
Interessanter Mix aus 60er Rock. Eric Clapton an der Gitarre ist immer schön zu hören. 4/5
Liked the change up in the last two songs. Anytime one of these albums has a song that I know I feel like the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the tv meme
Took a while to get into but I appreciate the progressiveness. It does dive back into straight blues on the back half. Plus a star for being short and to the point
Overall, I was surprised by how much I liked this album. Very diverse and dig the trio's interactive parts with each other. Even though I marked it as 3 stars, I would give it a 3.5 if I could.
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.
The cream rises to the top. Oh yeah
old rock, dnf
LOVE "Strange Brew" since the first time I heard it on classic rock radio in Jr. High. It just has a easy going groove but still rocks & it was an early Clapton vocal. "Sunshine Of Your Love" is still a rock staple and you hear it in movies, ads and on the radio. "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" used to be on the radio a lot in the 70/80's but not so much anymore. Some of the tracks are a bit dreary ("Blue Condition", "We're Going Wrong"). In it's day this may have been cutting edge, and I know Cream's influence is deep, but the sound hasn't aged as well as a lot of other classic recordings of the late 60's. I can't rank it Top 1001 and can only give it 2.5 stars
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
A few good songs, but more filled than anything else. This feels like an early album, not as cohesive as it could be. It was fun to listen to though.
This was a good 50/50 combination of blues and psychedelic. I can’t say I’m as excited as all the hype surrounding this album, but it’s still a decent album.
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!!!
Sunshine of Your Love Take It Back (Clapton blues)
A good album. But, I’m not sure it is on my must have list. Many Blues albums I would prefer to listen to.
Day 71 - Nov 25th, 2024 4/5 but only because I hate Eric Clapton
3-4
Whatever
i forgot how well i know this album. i have my dad’s vinyl copy and used to listen to it a lot in high school (especially whenever i was rewatching freaks & geeks lol). it’s fine. i can’t say it moves me but it’s fine.
I like the general sound of this album. It feels like the kind of music that would be playing in the background of a retro movie where some cool dudes are hanging out at a bar…maybe they’re playing pool…and smoking 😎 I absolutely LOVE Strange Brew and was hoping that on this relisten I’d find some other gems on here that I like even half as much as that one but unfortunately I did not. It gets a little samey for me after a few songs and I felt like I was listening to the same songs over and over (with the exception of the final track, Mother’s Lament, which was functional in that it reminded me he’s British which I for some reason always forget). Outside Woman Blues had such a similar groove as Strange Brew and it’s kind of weird those are on the same album (and I always thought the beginning of the riff from Sunshine of Your Love sounded so much like that of Cocaine, the latter of which I knew first as a kid and then was confused when I heard what sounded so similar years later in the former, but at least those are on different albums). I guess that’s just a signature rhythm and chord progression of the blues style but I do think there are artists who manage to have that distinct style without it all sounding like repeats of each other. It all ends up just sounding like Eric Clapton Flavored Sounds, which is not a horrible vibe to curate as I mentioned at the beginning, but the songs on their own aren’t distinct enough for me to care about as songs in their own right. *Best tracks: Strange Brew*
For all the classics, I get impatient listening through it.
hadnt heard this in its entirety in at least 15 years.. man there are some amazing tracks…
Good album. Recognized most of the his from this one.
Psychedelic magic. Quintessential 70s album.
Good Album
Dang I loved this! sunshine of your love was a seminal track for me from my youth, period where I was copying my brother. Brings back memories. Probably was on the air guitar album. An excellent album of blues goodness
Classic, great stuff. Feels like such a time capsule of music.
a cool album and i like the acoustic/natural instruments used. very rock vibes and the album cover is so cool i want the poster just to look at.
Favorite Track: Tales Of Brave Ulysses
Plenty of great songs on here but I was expecting something a bit more. Like the first 6 tracks are notably pretty good but after that the tracks just get weaker and my retention for it goes down as well. Not saying their bad but just that there was some untapped potential there. All in all it was still a pretty good album. Top 3 Favorites: Sunshine Of Your Love, Tales Of Brave Ulysses, and Strange Brew No bad songs 3.25-3.50/5
It's good but only that
Primera escucha impresiones: Strange Brew: 90 Sunshine Of Your Love: 90 World Of pain: 90 Dance The Night Away: 88 Blue Condition: , 60 Tales Of Brave Ulysses: 75 SWLABR: 84 Were Going Wrong: 80 Outside Women Blues: 80 Take It Back: 85 Mothers Lament: que es esto: 45 Total: 80
Short and sweet collection of well crafted jams
Cream taking blues-psych to the stars. Never bettered but somewhat of a timepiece, from an era that is among the most creative in the history of rock.
78% Best: Strange Brew; Sunshine Of Your Life; SWLABR; Take It Back Must-Hear? Not quite
Cream: Decent. Clapton: Permacunt.
only listened to some of it, some good stuff but not my cup of tea
Great band
4/10 Not really my thing. Sure it’s good but not hugely enjoyable.
The perfect mix of blues and psychedelic rock. Lot of people hate Clapton. Well he fucked Harrison's wife. But I am not Harrison so I dont give a shit.
A classic album, and one that influences heavy music even today. This band had some of the best musicians of that era. Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker. Strange Brew is a stellar psychedelic first track that leads to a song that would become one of their top tracks, “Sunshine of Your Love.” “Tales of Brave Ulysses” is the sleeper track on this album. It weaves together psychedelic imagery and verses with a crushingly heavy chorus riff. Overall this is an amazing album and always worth a spin.
Classic album, but some of it is a little stale. The hits are bonified and it's easy to see why they are staples in classic rock, but the rest of the album is a little stale.
I am on an absolute heater of great music right now. This is another one of those fantastic albums that paved the way for so much more of what I like and love. Clapton's most psychadelic piece. Soooooo busting
naaah
a cool jam. really like the vocals. the album has a really good vibe.
What a record! Imagine listening to it in 1967. What a mind blow. Not all the way consistent but definitely has some amazing tunes on it. Top tracks are Strange Brew, the eternal Sunshine Of Your Love, Tales Of Brave Ulysses and SWLABR.
could i write poetry to this? n
This album has some obviously great tracks. In addition to the hits that remain staples on Classic Rock radio, lesser known songs like "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "SWLABR" ring out as Psychedelic Blues gems. However, some other songs on this one fall flat musically and the falsetto singing gets tiresome after a bit. Also, that stupid song at the end, "Mother's Lament" is another example of artists using up valuable vinyl space and time for a jokey indulgence. I believe that these tracks later gave rise to the skits that have littered Rap albums for decades now. This would get four stars, but Eric Clapton is a notable prick and his racist right-wing politics are unforgivable. Minus one whole star for that.
Lots of bangers. Drums are great. Starts to falter towards the end, but then it's over.
Too oldies for my taste but enjoyed the drums and bassline in Sunshine Of Your Love and Tales of Brave Ulysses.
Super fun to listen to these three play together, but feels like a lot of padding considering it’s only 33 minutes long. Several indelible classics. Tales of Brave Ulysses is my favorite.
222/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
Disraeli Gears, Cream's iconic album, is widely celebrated as a rock classic, notable for its innovative production and intriguing lyrics. The fusion of blues and psychedelic rock, accompanied by stunning guitar solos and an experimental approach, solidified his place in music history. However, despite these laudatory qualities, the album fails to convey a deeper emotional connection, resulting in an experience that may seem tedious to some listeners. One of the main weaknesses of Disraeli Gears is the vocal delivery of the band members. Although Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker are undeniably talented, their vocal performances seem to lack passion and intensity, which detracts from the listener's immersion in the songs. This "lack of soul" in the interpretations can leave the album with a feeling of distance, meaning that, despite its skilled production and lyricism, it fails to fully resonate as it should.
Cream sucks, boring
Really thought I would like this, but was largely unimpressed. Songwriting didn’t hook me. I was expecting a bigger psych sound, but what I heard was pretty generic blues, something a guitar teacher would use to teach their students the blues.
Creaming my pants
ok boomer
This album is a classic in psychedelic blues, perfect for immersing yourself on a cold, rainy November day. While I’d heard many of these tracks before, listening to the entire album was a new experience, each song building on the last with its rich, layered soundscapes. The album’s haunting, bluesy riffs and deep grooves felt like they were made for the weather, amplifying the mood and making it an ideal companion to a stormy day. It is truly a must-listen for fans of this genre!
睡得挺香的
Eric solo: dull. Eric in a band: great
Some of the songs were good, some of them were among the most boring I have ever heard
I liked it with but not a top classic rock album
Good but kind of dragged towards the end. 3.5
Enjoyable psychedelia rock. I, for whatever reason, thought Sunshine of Your Love was a different song so interesting to me
Quintessential psychadelic rock
Clapton!!! He’s a musical genius but yes quite the asshole… anyhow this album had lots of potential after the A side but doesn’t quite carry that momentum. Nonetheless a very important album for the evolution of psych rock/pop, clearly had influence on the likes of Beatles, PF, etc and vice versa
Bueno
Incredible! Grace by Jeff Buckley is a hauntingly beautiful album that captures raw emotion with Buckley’s ethereal voice and poetic lyrics. Each track feels like a journey, blending rock, soul, and blues into something both intimate and timeless. Favorite Songs: So Real, Mojo Pin
Songs i know:2 Songs i like: 1.5 (sunshine of your life and tales of brave ulysses) Songs that could have been ripped straight from a car insurance advert: 7 Are cream the Coldplay of the late 60s/early 70s? All I can hear is the clicking of guitar hero
Some of this slaps and some of it really isn’t my cup of tea. Hard blues rock, yes please. Miss me with hippy-dippy singing about trees and faux-eastern mysticism though.
Tricky to review this one as I find a lot of British 60s psychedelic rock to have aged badly. Very much of its time. Also, Clapton is a cunt. Enoyed this when they stick to the bluesy Yardbirdsy sound. When they delve into the more psychedelic sounds they just sound a bit cringe. I remember my first spliff too lads. Standouts: Strange Brew Sunshine of Your Love Outside Woman Blues Take It Back The individual musicianship of the 3 involved Low Points: Pretty much the whole middle section (World of Pain through to We're Going Wrong) but especially Blue Condition and Tales of Brave Ulysses (although I liked the guitar parts) Mothers Lament is such a weird way to end an album.
First two songs were great. A lot of hippy filler, a good blues song and a weird cockney send off.
Would’ve been 3 had it not been for that inexcusable last track
Το μονο ωραιο μερος του αλμπουμ ειναι η κιθαρα του κλαπτον κατα τ αλλα πολυ αδυναμο. Rating:C
Cream at its best--which is very good indeed!!!
Started out well. Didn't like it from the second song onwards
raga è Eric Clapton. fine delle discussioni.
Classic
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.
Solid cover to cover
Good album
One of my favorites as a teen, kinda dated now, but still like it
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. (⌐■_■)
My two favourite things: English psychedelia, and Eric Clapton. I listened with an open mind, but it was no use.
***An ok album. Nothing great and yet nothing distasteful
Classic! There are so many good songs on this album. Favorites: Sunshine Of Your Love (obvious hit) and SWLABR.
The only bad thing about this album is that it is too short
thumbs up
Extremely era accurate cover art. I wonder how much LSD went into making this one. Sounds very gritty, and I would say '69 in general. Reminds me a lot of how Jimi Hendrix or Jeferson Airplanes songs sounds. Overall I think this is quite a good record. Have heard it before, but there's definitely quite a lot of good songs here in 'Tales Of Brave Ulysses', 'Outside Woman Blues', and 'Strange Brew', which all have very memorable riffs. And let's not forget 'Sunshine Of Your Love', which is actually quite a banger. Just a very mysterious and heavy riff. It definitely sounds a bit dated, but I still think it's catchy enough to hold up quite well today. And I can imagine that this must have been quite sick when it came out, especially live. Solid 4.
I think it is what it says on the can! Some 70s sych rock but released already in 1967. "Sunshine of Your Love" clearly the best song on the album by far but the rest was cool too. It managed to feel both fun and experimental while keeping to its psych rock core. It coming out in 1967 Not the most interesting album on the list but a 3 feels too harsh, especially since it was so early. Weak 4 from me.
Quintessential Cream - Iconic Album Cover - Late 60's Rock at its finest.
It's ok. Songwriting is on point, which is to be expected. But it's not very fun after a while.
Probably cool in the 60's
Solid record that mostly holds up.
I had never listened to this album in its entirety, so this was fun (and good).
Disraeli Gears is my first encounter with Eric Clapton and Cream, and it's quite an impressive introduction. This album is all about its intricate psychedelic sound. The instrumentation on it is masterful, and it blew me away on the first listen. It leaves no doubts in the album's status in the music canon, and I imagine at the time it was quite huge in the mainstream. That said, my impression was slightly ruined when I started more thoroughly listening to the lyrics, as they ended up quite plain, uneventful, monotone, and were all just singing about some woman, in a somewhat crass male way most of the time. It lowered my enjoyment of the songs I really loved off of this. The final song is a completely unnecessary departure that feels like a shitpost, and its presence on the album is utterly baffling. What were they even thinking with that one?
Sunshine of Your Love is iconic, and there are some great, almost glam-y tracks after it that are really up my alley, too. Nothing mindblowing, but this is some good straight up rock and roll, especially for 1967.
When Cream's hitting, they're great. When they're not, it's psychedelic mush. Sunshine of Your Love is an all-timer, of course. But I hadn't heard the non-hits on Disraeli Gears and, honestly, they didn't add much to my thoughts about the band. Unexpected bangers: Take it Back
A couple of classic tunes to top of a great album
I'd have dug this in 1967, but not sp much in 2024. The classic hits I dig, as I grew up with them, but the music, out of the context of the 60s and 70s loses my interest. A solid three for blues based music.
Ok album
It was okay.
67 was a pretty solid year, it seems. This is pretty close to 5 stars for me, but I can't help but feel that the last few songs pull it down overall.
On October the first, 1966 Eric Clapton watched Jimi Hendrix playing at the London Polytechnic. Shortly after, he switched from ripping off black American blues guitarists to, well, you do the math. Disraeli Gears tries to be a psychedelic acid rock album, but it plods and meanders, and manages to seem tediously long for a running time of just over half an hour. Ginger Baker is still a good drummer but Clapton can get in the bin.
I'm a bit torn; I've listened to it twice (first time some time ago, and second time today) mostly because I had a not-so-good memory of the album but wanted to check it out another time before rating it. I think I was ready to give it one star, but after a second listen, it's not that bad. Just a huge rip off of blues by a bunch of white dudes and some psychedelia on top of it.
Can see why it was influential musically, some tracks are naff like SWLABAR
Auch langweilig.
Mid 3s, goes pretty good. Tame Impala be here.
3.5
Mix down was sensational, truly a pleasure to listen to. Mother’s lament surprised me though it was a pleasure from start to finish.
A flawless 60s classic of blues and psychedelic rock. Standouts: Strange Brew, Sunshine Of Your Love and Tales Of Brave Ulysses.
Love
I really liked this at first, but felt like it failed to expand on the initial sound as it went on.
one good song
I was excited to see a Cream album pop up in this collection, and I also liked the somewhat-obscure-political-reference-sounding album title. But then came away feeling like I had *far* too outsized expectations for both the first-ever-superband and their album (and very disappointed to find out the "Disraeli" reference had nothing to do with the Right Honorable Mr. Benjamin). It's hard (maybe impossible) to find fault with "Sunshine of your love", of course, but that seems to be it on this album; the opening track starts you off on a bad foot, and then there's this weird alien insertion of "Sunshine" to blow your little mind, and then the remainder of the album is back to sad, occasionally-falsetto 60s generic rock, with a small exception for "Tales of brave Ulysses" and "SWLABR". How can the sum of several (well, three) incredibly talented musicians equal quasi-psychedelic-rock mush? Maybe it's because they had to record the album in a hurry due to expiring visas, or maybe just that veering away from their blues wheelhouse ran them on the rocks of mediocrity. A shame too that this is the only Cream album in the collection (although maybe it's a blessing?).
Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love earn the 5--rest of the album's pretty good too!