Fresh Cream

Occupation

Fresh Cream is the debut album of the first supergroup in rock history, the British band Cream. The guitarist Eric Clapton came from John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker from Graham Bond Organization. It was released in December 1966 during the height of the British Blues in the UK and a month later in a slightly different version in the United States.

On the list of 500 greatest albums of all time the music magazine Rolling Stone, the album reached number 102

Genesis

The band was previously in London Rayrik studio to I Feel Free and Wrapping Paper einzuspielen that came in the charts in October 1966. For the recording of their album they went into Ryemuse studio where they had poor production conditions: Communication with the recording technique was alone on a television camera. In retrospect, Jack Bruce complained about the " amateurish manner " in which the first four tracks were recorded live virtually. Nevertheless, the album was mixed ultimately in a wide range of sound and with some overdubs, when it was released in December 1966 - the same day as the second single from the band's I Feel Free.

Style and reception

The album is half cover versions of Blue Standards ( inter alia Rollin 'and Tumblin ' by Muddy Waters, Four Until Late by Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton on the microphone, and Spoonful by Willie Dixon ), as well as original compositions by especially Jack Bruce, including Sweet Wine, a reference to the psychedelic rock that was to come from the band afterwards, and without the strict alignment with the Blues as with John Mayall. Nevertheless Clapton plays on the pieces I'm So Glad and Rollin 'and Tumblin ' a blues-rock guitar with a force and freedom, as it was not previously present in the rock. With Ginger Baker's instrumental piece Toad the album also contains one of the first extended drum solos in rock music.

The album arrived in the UK at number 6 on the charts and sold well in the U.S. ( on the ATCO label).

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic considers Fresh Cream as geburtsfördend for the heavy metal and the jam rock. The album received four out of five stars.

Title list

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Comments

  • The above list describes the British first publication. The U.S. version includes the first song I Feel Free ( Bruce, Pete Brown) - 2:52 and lacks Spoonful.
  • The CD release also contains the songs Wrapping Paper, which was published in the fall of 1966 as a single, and The Coffee Song, thus a total of thirteen tracks.
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