Cream - The hard-blues trio of aces

Britain's Cream were one of the institutions of the "blues revival" that raged through the Sixties. But in reality their historical impact proved to be even broader. They significantly influenced, in fact, English psychedelia and above all hard rock. Jimi Hendrix himself admitted that his "Experience" was born to carry on the path laid down by the "Holy Cream". Blues had, in turn, already undergone major innovations at the hands of landmark bands such as the Rolling Stones and the Who. Cream did the rest, managing to also make their peculiar (for the time) way of making music accessible to the public: long, free live jams in place of songs built on the canonical "chorus-bridge" structure and recorded in the studio.

But Cream were also one of the very first supergroups to appear on the rock scene. The sacred triumvirate, formed in the autumn of 1966, was made up of prima donnas who would have been leaders in any other great band, namely His Majesty Eric Patrick "Clapton" Clapp (Ripley, Surrey, 30/3/1945), the guitarist also known as "Slowhand" for his distinctive way of holding notes in suspension, bassist and singer Jack Bruce, and red-headed drummer Peter "Ginger" Baker. All three, before the union of the "Holy Cream", could already boast glorious track records with other musicians and bands from the nascent new wave of British music.

Eric Clapton, already held in something close to sainthood even before Cream, had a background straddling beat music and a still-raw R&B in the earliest incarnation of the Yardbirds, the historic outfit that also featured Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, and which proved hugely influential on later generations. John Mayall too, with his Bluesbreakers, benefited from Clapton's touch on his legendary self-titled album. When the record reached number six on the English charts, a fan scrawled on a wall: "Clapton is God". Having fallen in love with Jerry Lee Lewis and the blues as a boy, Clapton had started learning guitar with such passion that he was expelled from Kingston College of Art, at the age of seventeen, for playing in class.

Jack Bruce (Lanarkshire, Scotland, 14/5/1943), that is, everything a bassist should be and then some. Through Bruce, the bass carved out a space all its own and rose to the status of a solo instrument, capable not only of laying down melodic lines in the background to support the music, but of expressing itself in a spectacular, virtuosic way. A bass (sometimes even a six-string one) that simply refused to stay tucked away in its usual corner sketching out mere rhythmic parts, instead daring to rival the guitar itself in sheer vitality, the instrument that reigns supreme in rock. Bruce was also the band's only true singer, blessed with a voice of great range and power. His résumé already included stints alongside names heavy with glory, such as Graham Bond and Alexis Korner, or with Manfred Mann, before going on - he too - through that "university of the Blues" that was Mayall's Bluesbreakers, stepping in for John McVie, who was busy forming another notable British Blues band, Fleetwood Mac. Finally, it was with Clapton himself that Bruce had shared the experience of Powerhouse, a group set up by Mayall in which Steve Winwood played keyboards.

Drummer Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (Lewisham, London, 19/8/1939), finally, brought his jazz influences and irrepressible flair for experimental improvisation to a genre, the blues, that was far more rigorous and schematic than certain free-form music. Tribal sounds, drawn from the most remote corners of African culture, still echo through Cream's rhythmic foundations, a percussive carpet capable of expanding into boundless live performances for sheer showmanship and inventiveness. Baker would also prove important for introducing into rock one of the very first tracks made up entirely of an instrumental showcase, namely "Toad". Alongside Bruce himself in other earlier experiences, as far back as 1960 Baker had honed his drumming technique with Nigerian musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and later with Alexis Korner and in the Graham Bond Organisation.

Bringing together three such powerful personalities as these three men proved from the very start to be a rather arduous undertaking, inevitably doomed to a short lifespan, but theirs were intense, fiery years. Cream were torn apart by internal rivalries, never-hidden antipathies, and the urge to stand out and overshadow the rest of the band. Tensions that, in other line-ups, would have been ruinous, but in their case became the spark for intense musical performances, with music itself as the sole beneficiary.

Cream revisited the blues, freeing it from certain old clichés and innovating it through incredibly powerful riffs built on just a few notes, yet charged with such expressive force that they could carry an entire song's structure for several minutes at a time; but their strength also lay in a rhythmic foundation that was robust and powerful yet agile at the same time, capable of exploding into broad, feeling-driven improvisations that might never seem to want to end, if the inspiration was right. At times Cream worked as a single, cohesive, harmonious unit; at other times, they would carve up the space across an entire LP, each shaping a particular sound to their own taste while still managing to create a fantastical universe where the most varied moods converged. Thanks to Cream, the "old" blues took off again, only to explode a few seasons later in the territory of hard rock, with Led Zeppelin as its main standard-bearers.

The trio began showing off their skills in London clubs and later on the big stages of rock concerts, performing virtuosic jam sessions built above all on improvisation and amplified with real force.

In December 1966, following the single "Wrapping Paper", the band released their first full-length record, Fresh Cream. Although it was made up largely of blues covers, such as "Four Until Late" by the great bluesman Robert Johnson, the album represented a genuine innovation on the musical landscape, thanks to Clapton's use of the wah-wah in his solos and riffs, and to Baker's percussive acrobatics; not to take anything away, either, from Bruce's warm, persuasive voice, as he also wrote several original songs in collaboration with the poet Pete Brown. The rock of "I Feel Free", built on vocal harmonies, acts as a bridge between the band's past and the rest of their career; the same formula recurs in "N.S.U." (an acronym for "non-specific urethritis", the name of a venereal disease), where traces of psychedelia begin to appear, especially in the opening guitar arpeggio.

In March 1967, Cream made their first trip to the States, where they were invited to play for ten days on Bill Murray's K Show. The three were supposed to perform their songs within a set time, but the performance was a flop, since the theatre was half empty. In truth, the trio didn't much agree with Murray's demands, and he ended up having to back down. It was right around that time that Cream entered Atlantic Records' studios and, over three days in May, created their most important album, Disraeli Gears (1967): psychedelic cover art and production by Felix Pappalardi, who also handled the arrangements together with Robert Stigwood. Unlike the first album, which was largely built on blues-revival covers, this record is a mix of rock-blues and psychedelia, made up mostly of original material. The opening track, "Strange Brew", is a well-judged attempt to marry blues rhythms with rock energy, but the real masterpiece is the following "Sunshine Of Your Love": a legendary, furious riff introduces Bruce, who elevates the whole thing with a vocal performance full of feeling and a bass line that breaks away from the guitar's melody only to rejoin it, tracing the same melodic riff with the same aggressive charge as the guitar's feedback; in the background, Baker "gallops" on his own with rolls and syncopation; Clapton's central guitar solo is forceful and innovative, with the notes gradually gaining colour through expressive intensity and emotional charge.

After so much fury, things calm down on "World Of Pain", sung by Bruce, with a mood somewhere between beat and echoes of psychedelic guitar. Another classic is "Tales Of Brave Ulysses": a surreal opening, with the bass pointing the way toward the melody that will soon take shape; Clapton puts the wah-wah effect to masterful use, in nervous solo flourishes that quickly settle amid the many abrupt stops Baker imposes with his (here) thunderous playing. "Swlabr", on the other hand, is a furious piece of rock with scorching dark undertones: a sharp, heavily distorted riff, with Bruce gaining ground on Clapton through bass roars that at times even outdo "Slowhand" himself, before yielding the floor to him for a solo that soars to the heights. Finally, on the other blues standard, "Take It Back", the harmonica also appears, played by Bruce.

The commercial success of Disraeli Gears was enormous, to the point that its sales could largely compete with those of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Not to mention the success of the tours and the historic concerts that followed.

In August 1968, Wheels Of Fire (1968) was released, a double album made up of one studio record and one live record, recorded between July 1967 and June 1968 at the Fillmore East in New York, just a few months before the Fab Four produced their own double album, the "White Album". Felix Pappalardi didn't limit himself to production, but got more deeply involved in the studio sessions, adding numerous electronic effects and playing several classical instruments (harpsichord, violin, cello). On the album's masterpiece, the famous "White Room", alongside Clapton's usual, immortal riffs, there's a distinctive symbiosis between symphonic music and blues, thanks to the viola blending with the guitar; the same thing happens on "Passing The Time" and on the intense "As You Said", where instead it's a cello conversing with the voice and acoustic guitar. There's also no shortage of pure psychedelic gems, like "Pressed Rat And Warthog". The umbilical cord to the past, meanwhile, is represented by the blues numbers: "Born Under A Bad Sign" and above all "Politician", marked by a dragging, hypnotic riff. The album closes with the blazing ride of "Deserted Cities Of The Heart". Among the live tracks, "Toad", written by Baker, unfolds into a striking drum showcase (a full seventeen minutes!), one of the very first of its kind in rock history; also worth remembering is the version of "Crossroads", a medley bringing together two Robert Johnson songs, "Crossroads Blues" and "Traveling Riverside Blues", featuring one of Clapton's most legendary solo performances. Finally, worth noting is the cover of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful", complete with its inevitable closing improvisation.

Despite the huge success they achieved, tensions began to surface within the band. Like many great virtuoso musicians, the three of them were deeply self-centred, to the point of repeatedly acting like prima donnas, especially during concerts. The rest can be put down largely to the three members' drug abuse. The result was an inevitable split, made official at a concert held at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 November 1968.

The band's final album, fittingly titled Goodbye, was released in 1969, after the split. The record features three live tracks, including "Politician" and an extended version of "I'm So Glad", written by Nehemiah Skip James. Among the studio tracks, standouts include "Badge", a catchy pop-rock song written by Clapton and George Harrison, and "What A Bringdown", built on odd time signatures.

In 1972, Live II was released, containing their most important live jams, while the first volume had featured more conventional blues numbers.

At this point, the three decided to pursue separate careers. Clapton worked with Bruce again in Steve Winwood's Blind Faith, but that too proved to be a short-lived experience. He later moved to the United States, where in 1970 he took J.J. Cale's "After Midnight" to success. He then formed Derek & the Dominos. After that, he embarked on a long solo career, which we cover in the dedicated feature.

Bruce began playing with jazz musicians. 1969's Songs For A Tailor attempts a fusion of folk-rock and jazz. In 1970, a jam session with Colosseum saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith and guitarist John McLaughlin gave birth to Things We Like. Over the following two years, he played in Tony Williams' group and in Carla Bley's orchestra. Then came Harmony Row (1971), where he renewed the marriage of rock and jazz. In 1989, after getting clean from drugs, he released the first of three albums considered among the best of his career: A Question Of Time. The other two were Somethinels (1993) and Monkjack (1995). His last work, Shadows In The Air, dates back to 2001.

After Cream split up and the brief Blind Faith interlude, Baker moved to Nigeria and developed a passion for world music. Later, ravaged by heroin, he decided to get clean by moving to Italy, where he started running an olive grove. Only afterwards would he return to the scene, devoting himself to rock-jazz and putting out decent records such as Horses And Trees (1986), Middle Passage (1990) and Unseen Rain (1992). In 1994 he took part in another album with Bruce, Around The Next Dream. His final work, Coward Of The Country, dates back to 1999, and features an octet performing music composed by Ron Miles.

Cream were harshly criticized by many critics of the time, who accused them of sheer showmanship and excessive self-indulgence; others dismissed them as nothing more than a union of bluesmen. Clapton repeatedly denied this latter claim, insisting on the trio's identity and organic cohesion. But the debate continues to this day...

A number of compilations, in particular Live Cream (in 2 volumes) and a 4-CD box set, have tried to keep the myth of the English "power trio" alive. The only genuine Cream reunion took place on 12 January 1993 in Los Angeles, at the official ceremony marking their induction into the "Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame", with a live set.

Although it lasted little more than two years, the Cream phenomenon left a deep mark on rock history, influencing the technique and style of musicians across numerous generations, especially when it comes to hard rock and heavy metal. And audiences rewarded them with enormous success: in just three years, they managed to sell as many as fifteen million records.

In February 2005, Clapton decided to ask his old bandmates Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker to put together a series of concerts celebrating the prodigious career of Cream. From May 2 to 6, at the Royal Albert Hall, a roar greeted this piece of rock history as it returned to the stage – aches, pains and all, faces worn by time – with the great classics, from “Spoonful” to “Sunshine Of Your Love”. Tickets for the four shows vanished within an hour, and among the spectators were spotted Roger Waters, Brian May, Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page, further proof of the band's absolute importance within the British rock scene.

The double album Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6 2005 achieved decent commercial success, not least because it contains two songs, “Badge” and “Pressed Rat And Warthog”, that Cream had never played live before. Spurred on by the crowd's ovation, the trio returned to the stage for three more nights at New York's Madison Square Garden, from October 24 to 26. The encore wouldn't match the London shows, due to the trio's lack of rehearsal and, above all, old tensions resurfacing. It was Cream's final act: Jack Bruce would die of liver problems in 2014, while Ginger Baker would leave this world five years later after severe physical problems following years of substance abuse.

Contributions by Lorenzo Fattori

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