As cliffsovinsanity and I discussed offlist, there’s a funny bit of incongruity in this clip.
I was thinking last night: I know they’re still a highly respected, legendary band, blah blah blah – and I like a number of their songs – but did Cream’s actual date of relevance expire sooner than might have been expected? By the time they broke up Jimi Hendrix had far surpassed them in psychedelia and musicianship and Led Zeppelin quickly built off and blew away Cream’s heavy blues-rock foundation. I think Cream picked the perfect time to break up. They would have been left in the dust if they continued into the early ’70s.
They’d have been especially left in the dust if they’d have started playing the songs Clapton went on to.
I always wanted to like Cream more than I do. I’ve got a friend that loves them, but even he never seems to play them anymore. I think you’re right about their expiration date.
What I was trying to get at I guess is that they were doing kind of heavy stuff earlier. I mean two years was a long time in the 60s. Bruce had a great voice and I am in the tank for Clapton.
I used to think that the only thing I wanted to hear from Cream was Badge and the short version of Crossroads, but now I think it would have been cool if they had gone more toward the psychedelic art-rock of songs like We’re Going Wrong and Deserted Cities of the Heart, even though I was never a fan of Bruce’s singing voice. That was probably a dead-end too, and Bruce subsequent career suggests that that path would have led towards prog/fusion. But I think Cream got stuck in the over-amped athletic approach of their live incarnation, and they just burned out. Plus I can’t imagine having to deal with Ginger Baker on a daily basis. Have you seen the documentary about him? What an asshole.
The thought of Ginger Baker as a “Jazz” drummer seems so ludicrous when you hear his clumsy, flamming, thudding style in Cream. He’s like one step up from the Troggs guy.
As cliffsovinsanity and I discussed offlist, there’s a funny bit of incongruity in this clip.
I was thinking last night: I know they’re still a highly respected, legendary band, blah blah blah – and I like a number of their songs – but did Cream’s actual date of relevance expire sooner than might have been expected? By the time they broke up Jimi Hendrix had far surpassed them in psychedelia and musicianship and Led Zeppelin quickly built off and blew away Cream’s heavy blues-rock foundation. I think Cream picked the perfect time to break up. They would have been left in the dust if they continued into the early ’70s.
They’d have been especially left in the dust if they’d have started playing the songs Clapton went on to.
I always wanted to like Cream more than I do. I’ve got a friend that loves them, but even he never seems to play them anymore. I think you’re right about their expiration date.
What I was trying to get at I guess is that they were doing kind of heavy stuff earlier. I mean two years was a long time in the 60s. Bruce had a great voice and I am in the tank for Clapton.
I got what you were getting and agree with those points, too.
I used to think that the only thing I wanted to hear from Cream was Badge and the short version of Crossroads, but now I think it would have been cool if they had gone more toward the psychedelic art-rock of songs like We’re Going Wrong and Deserted Cities of the Heart, even though I was never a fan of Bruce’s singing voice. That was probably a dead-end too, and Bruce subsequent career suggests that that path would have led towards prog/fusion. But I think Cream got stuck in the over-amped athletic approach of their live incarnation, and they just burned out. Plus I can’t imagine having to deal with Ginger Baker on a daily basis. Have you seen the documentary about him? What an asshole.
The thought of Ginger Baker as a “Jazz” drummer seems so ludicrous when you hear his clumsy, flamming, thudding style in Cream. He’s like one step up from the Troggs guy.
Don’t say that around him if he has a cane with him!