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ALBUM REVIEW

CREAM

Disraeli Gears

Released -  November, 1967 by Polydor Records. Produced by Felix Pappalardi

Jack Bruce -Bass; Lead & Backing Vocals; Harmonica; Keyboards
Eric Clapton - Guitars; Backing & Lead Vocals
Ginger Baker - Drums, Backing Vocals & Lead Vocal

REVIEW

Many call Disraeli Gears, Cream's second album, a combination Blues/Psychedelic Pop LP, but not myself. Okay, yes, it was a pop LP, and yes, I can hear just a bit of psychedelic music here and there - but nothing in the way like some of the other so called psychedelic albums sounded in the late '60s. As far as Blues, well I love the Blues, but I don't get that kind of feel from these songs, other than "Outside Woman Blues" - thanks to Eric Clapton's blues sounding guitar, and then the following tune, "Take It Back", thanks to Jack Bruce's fine harp playing. Guess English Blues just doesn't do the same for me as Chicago Blues does.

No question, this is the album where Clapton really started to shine as a lead guitarist. True, he was already well known before this LP for that - even well before Cream formed, but he seemed to let his guitar take over more on this album than on any of the other album tracks we had heard from him previously.

Best songs found on here are easy for me to pick, "Sunshine Of Your Love" is the best overall one, with a fine psychedelic like guitar played by Clapton and nice vocals added in from Bruce, really, a early hard rock gem!  "Strange Brew", the LP's opening number is also a fine psychedelic song, so perhaps because these first two songs are psychedelic, maybe this is why so many feel the entire LP is, as they do set the mood a bit.

"Swlabr" is also another winner, with Clapton once again shining on guitar and Bruce on the vocals. This song has to have one of the weirdest titles to any rock song. I'm told the title is an acronym for "She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow", well, okay, whatever, but that is still a weird enough title in its own rite.

A few other excellent songs of note are Bruce's "Take It Back", and "Tales Of Brave Ulysses ", plus I do dig Ginger Baker's "Blue Condition" a lot, too. In all, one fine solid LP from Cream, too bad they didn't last too long as a group (guess you can say that about all the bands Clapton was in!).

- Keno 2006

To listen to some soundclips from Disraeli Gears or to purchase it click on: Disraeli Gears

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