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Fresh Cream

Cream - Fresh Cream Audio CD

A fair review of the Cream "Fresh Cream" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Cream reviews here, or go back to the Cream tabs.

Band: Cream
Title: Fresh Cream
Rating:

Release Date: 1998-04-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: I Feel Free 2: N.S.U. 3: Sleepy Time Time 4: Dreaming 5: Sweet Wine 6: Spoonful 7: Cat's Squirrel 8: Four Until Late 9: Rollin' and Tumblin' 10: I'm So Glad 11: Toad

Blues and bluesy rock'n'roll debut not their finest. 65/100
Truth be told, of the bands of this era that I've lately been exploring, Cream would have to be the one I was most reluctant to try.
If this is the only Cream album I'd bought, then I'd have to say that I can't believe how they are held in such high esteem by critics. Have heard that Cream were influential in giving rise to heavy metal, which is why I explored them. Anyway, this is the first album of theirs that I bought, and here's what I think:

With bands who have songs that I really like, I put a tick next to that song in my notes, which I use to write these reviews. No ticks in my notes for this album. The next best thing is a dot next to the song title in my notes, which signifies that the song is alright or of interest in some way. I give two songs a dot:

Dreaming - has a 50s style to it, with nice multi-vocals going on, which complement and harmonise with each other well. Might appeal to people who like British icon Cliff Richard's 50's music.

Sweet wine - has a poetic style lyrical form, good backing vocals and an angular, sharp sounding lead guitar. Since I was listening to this album to hear traces of what would become heavy metal, I did note that this song had a metal style lead guitar. . . but maybe I am too generous in this regard, perhaps.

One song which might be of particular interest to music history buffs is:

Toad - an instrumental comprising a band jam at the start and end of the track, and a very long drum solo by Ginger Baker in the middle. I'm not a big music history buff myself, but this is the earliest drum solo instrumental I know of in the modern era of music (which I put at the time of the arrival of The Beatles).

Might as well go through the rest of the tracks here, in order:

I feel free - has an a capella intro with melodic multi vocals. Nice keyboards, which maybe reminds me of Mike Oldfield. Also feature cymbals, I think (or maybe tambourine) and bass and lead guitar.

N. S. U. - has a poppy lyrical style and noticeable lead guitar.

Sleepy time time - a laid back bluesy lead guitar feel. Has inconsequential lyrics and noticeable bass guitar.

Spoonful - bluesy, with harmonica and bass guitar. Vocals sound a wannabe African American!

Cat's squirrel - an instrumental which includes the harmonica.

Four until late - a country flavoured song with harmonica.

Rollin' and tumblin' - high energy blues with a good harmonica part. Again, the singer sounds like he would rather be black. Has some laddish backing singing.

I'm so glad - very simple, lyrically, with the title repeated a lot, as well as other lyrics repeated a lot, too. This song is catchy though. Has backing vocals and bass guitar. The melody sounds familiar though-there may be a song currently getting airplay at the time of this review which features a guitar melody like the melody in this song. If you've got any idea what that current song may be and whether I'm right or not, let me know!

If you're a casual explorer of music and want to check out Cream, in my opinion "Wheels of fire" is a great album and definitely worth getting. If you like the second cd which comes with that title sometimes, then Fresh Cream may be for you-it even includes an extended version of Toad, with an even longer drum solo. . . insanely long, at around 13 minutes! Disraeli Gears has been included on the series "Classic albums". Whilst I like it, and find it decent/solid, I don't think it is a classic album in the way that Wheels Of Fire is.

As this album was released in the mid 60s, it does have an issue common with releases around this time. . . faux stereo. By that I mean the stereo effect is quite limited to what you get today-it was until the 70s that albums generally had a good stereo sound to them. Also, in this cd the instruments often sound distant-not crisp, and fresh in other words.

Other bands of this era which I've explored recently and would recommend more than this Cream effort include:

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: "Are you experienced" and "Electric Ladyland" are essential purchases, I think, but "Axis: Bold as love" is in the same boat as "Disraeli Gears". . . desirable.

Led Zeppelin: "IV" is an essential purchase, whilst I think, maybe, that "III" and "Houses of the holy" are desirable.

Black Sabbath: "Paranoid" is essential. Albums like "Sabotage" and "Master of reality" are very good too, but their post "Paranoid" albums are generally consistent up until "Sabotage".

omitted tracks 12 & 13
. this cd is sheer brilliance. .
. . my only question is. .
. . what happened to tracks #12 & 13 (after TOAD)
. . i think they were titled "Coffee Blues"(?). .
. . and "Wrapping Paper", respectively. .

. . does anybody have any idea?.

speakers: 5 stars; headphones: 0
For those who do not think Clapton is god, or even a particularly interesting musicians (and less so with each album), the Cream albums stand as a display of once-in-a-lifetime inspiration, and this one is possibly the most striking: the guitar lines are melodious and beautiful, mixing a quiet blues dignity of "Sleepy Time Time" with the virtuosity of the "Rollin' and Tumblin'" rave-up, and the highly idiosyncratic transformation of "I'm So Glad" into psychedelic rock. This is a seminal album in rock 'n' roll, and while it is perhaps less original than either Disraeli Gears or Wheels of Fire, it is absolutely stunning in terms of sound and musicianship. Where did Eric get that fat, smooth sound? According to an interview I've read, he was too stoned at the time to remember, but he believes he just turned all his gear to 11 and let the chips fall where they may. That still leaves the question of mastering so much amp power so elegantly unanswered. Jack Bruce was the first bassist I saw who played a six-string bass, and it wasn't just for show: he used those two extra strings like no one else. Ginger Baker was also a first for me, insofar as he made me realize that drummers could be front-liners, not just non-star hired hands somewhere in the background; drummers this extraordinary were superstars in their own right - there just weren't that many of them. . .
One caveat as concerns the mix: this is the strangest mixing I've ever heard, bar none. As long as you listen to the CD through your speakers, you'll get the most out of it. But put your headphones on, and surprise! Suddenly you're immersed in a completely different universe, where no mixing really took place at all. That fabulous bass is barely audible, that fabulous double-kit sounds like a kid's first cymbal. The vocals are way up front, as if the lads were the finest voices ever and needed to be miked super close for posterity, at the expense of all the instruments. The instruments dance, now left, now a little bit right, and the guitar is so blatantly switched forward for solos, then recessed into overall mush, that you're left with the feeling that the final tape was made of disparate takes, recorded at different volume levels. Clearly, the mastering was done through speakers only; no one bothered to put the headphones on for a second and hear what that was like. Very strange. It's absolutely no better on the remaster than on the original. .

Cream can taste sour
These new releases are terrible, (the live ones were better anyway) there is no dynamic improvement, the drums are still tinny, bass & guitar just OK, subdued, hissy background, NO BETTER THAN THE OLD ALBUMS. Product good, remaster off - throw it out! I was so looking forward to updating my cream LPs with the new "Remasters" The music of Cream is generally really innovative and played live was awesome at times. This music cries out for a professional re-release. Of the three muscicians, Jack Bruce in particular has forged a fabulous career since the break up with great albums with Gary Moore, Robin Trower and solo material. Check it out, especially BBM - wow!- this is how the old Cream should sound.

Spoiler Alert: This is One Fine Recording
I don't have to tell you which two bands shook the roof, but Cream was one of them. Cream was one of the first bands I saw live when they were playing on the Murray the K show (two songs, five times a day) with The Who, The Blues Project, Mitch Ryder, Wilson Pickett, and special guest stars The Blues Magoos. The band came out and played NSU and I'm So Glad with Eric taking his solos with his back to the audience.

The recording is not clean--doesn't matter that there's a claim of remastering--but that's what made it work. Sure there is some primitive overdubbing, but even with that, it captures pretty well the excitement of the power trio--something that was new in '67. Cream was a perfect equalaterial triangle: each member weighed in equally as they competed for attention. What a band, and this is probably their best studio recording. If you haven't lisened to it in 40 years, give it a try. I bet you'll have to admit that it's damn good.

You can see a complete list of all Cream discography, or go back to the Cream tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.