Cream - Those Were the Days (63 tracks) +Album Reviews

This Is the Mother Lode for Cream Fans

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 01/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cream has the distinction of being the world's first supergroup. Comprised of Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals), Jack Bruce (bass, vocals), and Ginger Baker (drums) they would reshape the rock landscape over the course of four studio albums between December 1966 and January 1969 forging a hybrid of hard rock, heavy metal and the blues.This 4-CD box set includes Cream's four studio albums in their entirety, plus most of the live material from Wheels of Fire, Live Cream, Vol. 1 and 2, and a handful of non-album singles and previously unreleased live songs.Disc 1 contains Cream's first U.K. single "Wrapping Paper" and a previously unreleased version of "Lawdy Mama"--the version that originally appeared on Live Cream is on disc-2.Disc-2 contains the non-album single "Anyone for Tennis," "The Coffee Song" (which previously only appeared on the U.K. reissue of Fresh Cream), five previously unissued demos (of which only "SWLABR" eventually made it onto an album), and a Falstaff beer commercial(!) to round out the disc.The first two discs represent the studio material. Jack Bruce with lyricist Pete Brown wrote much of the band's original material, although Clapton did make some contributions, including "Strange Brew," Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Badge," the latter with George Harrison who also provided rhythm guitar.Discs 3 and 4 are all live recordings. The newly released material includes a 12-minute version of "N.S.U.," an extended 17-minute version of "Toad" and a performance of "Sunshine of Your Love" taken from the Glen Campbell Show in May 1968.This box set is so comprehensive as to make owning any other Cream albums unnecessary and (except for those on a tight budget) the purchase to make rather than the skimpy (by comparison) 20-track The Very Best of Cream. The sound quality is superb, the 48-page booklet is informative, and the music will blow you away! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"

Anyone for tennis! A must buy for Cream fans

James McDonnell | NJ | 01/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Cream experience was always multifaceted and exciting, both visually and musically. There was nothing subtle or understated about this group. The music and the album cover art was always memorable, innovative and colorful (some would say florid). There has always been 2 Eric Clapton's; one which overflows with energy, passion & adrenaline and the other devoid of it. This CD collection captures the former EC in all of his blazing and colorful guitar slinging glory, wired to 300 watts of Marshall stack amplifiers. Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker will always be the ultimate power rhythm section, setting the standard for all of those who would follow, including Zeppelin and Rush. Any collection which includes Dance the night away, White Room, Badge, Sunshine, Scrapyard, Crossroads, Those were the days, Ulysses, SWALABR, Strange Brew, & World of Pain plus superb liner notes which fully documents the group from inception to demise, with superb photographs is well worth the investment. The tracks have been digitally remastered, enhancing the listening experience, especially for the live tracks. This box set is thoughtful, comprehensive and is the ultimate word on the first and foremost power trio of the late 60's. Cream is 1/3 of the 60's holy trinity; the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix comprise the other 2/3."

The "Cream" Rises To The Top!!!

J. Harmon | LA-USA | 03/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the real deal. If you want to hear one of the greatest bands of all time, in their entirety, get this box set. Every official release is on this set. You get Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, Wheels of Fire, Goodbye, The "Wrapping Paper" and "Anyone For Tennis" singles, an outtake from the Fresh Cream sessions, and several demos from the "Lost" sessions. And to top it all off, you get the "Falstaff Beer" song. Disc 1 and 2 are the studio sides, while 3 and 4 are devoted to the live recordings. These are perhaps the greatest live stuff ever recorded by a rock band. Some of these jams make Jimi look tame!!

I recommend this box set for anyone who wants to emmerse themselves in the orgy that is Cream. I recommend it to a new fan, but if this set is too much for the casual fan, there is the 20-track "The Very Best of Cream", which is much more affordable($16 compared to $53!!). But if you are a huge and obssessed fan like me, you won't mind spending $53 hard earned dollars on this. If something ever happened to my copy of this, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to get another copy. Get this as soon as you can, and please, for my sake(and a whole lot of others), don't let great music like this be overshadowed by s**t that is produced today!!!"

Gallons of Cream

the dirty mac | Nutopian Global Institute | 08/15/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It would be hard to identify another band that accomplished as much in as little time as Cream did. This 4 CD box set does perfect justice to them because it contains almost everything of value that they ever recorded. Disc 1 has the complete albums FRESH CREAM (1966) and DISRAELI GEARS (1967) plus the non-LP single "Wrapping Paper" and one demo track. Disc 2 contains all of the studio tracks from WHEELS OF FIRE (1968) and GOODBYE (1969) plus the non-LP single "Anyone for Tennis" and a slew of rare or previously unreleased tracks.Anyone with an interest in this set is probably aware of the band's history and biggest songs. It might be best to call attention to the oddities or curiosities contained hererin. Their debut album FRESH CREAM has most of their least heralded music. Its best songs tend to be covers of American blues classics like "Spoonful," "Rollin' and Tumblin'," and "Cat's Squirrel." Their cover of Robert Johnson's "From Four Until Late" is a bit of a shock, because in retrospect it sounds more like a track from one of Eric Clapton's 1970s albums. "I Feel Free," written by Jack Bruce with guest lyricist Pete Brown, is probably the best of that album's original songs. (Belinda Carlisle did a fantastic cover version of that song in 1987.)Cream achieved their biggest commercial and critical successes with DISRAELI GEARS and WHEELS OF FIRE, both of which formed the core of their repertoire. A favorite of mine is "Pressed Rat and Wart Hog," on which Ginger Baker achieves heights of surrealism that Syd Barrett would envy. Of the three studio tracks from GOODBYE, "Badge" is by far the best. George Harrison co-wrote the song and played rhythm guitar to pay Clapton back for playing lead guitar on the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Of the rare or previously unreleased tracks, "The Coffee Song" is the most fun. "Lawdy Mama" is an interesting early incarnation of "Strange Brew." Don't forget the Falstaff Beer Commercial!Discs 3 and 4 are live concert performances from 1968, mostly at venues in the San Francisco bay area -- Winterland, Fillmore West, and the Oakland Coliseum Arena. Two are previously unreleased. The rest are culled from WHEELS OF FIRE, GOODBYE and LIVE CREAM Volumes 1 & 2. Here is where the band's jazz influence comes to the fore. The musicianship is always first-rate and at times the interplay among Clapton, Bruce and Baker is something to behold. But casual customers beware: Some of these tracks run in excess of 10 minutes -- like the 17 minute performance of "Toad," which is dominated by a 13 minute drum solo by Baker. Clearly, we're talking serious fans only. Newcomers should start with the more concise live tracks, particularly "Crossroads" (of course), "Tales of Brave Ulysses," "Sleepy Time Time," and the vastly underrated "Deserted Cities of the Heart." The final live track is a performance of "Sunshine of Your Love" from the old Glen Campbell Show! That alone says all you need to know about the depth and breadth of Cream's impact."

All you need to Own

Luis C. Diaz | Mason, Ohio | 12/21/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a serious classic rock collector this set must be part of your personal collection. Cream short career of three years was one of the most influencias in rock history by being the first supergroup to appear as it was formed by already succesful artist (Clapton, Baker and Bruce). Cream provided the ground work of hard rock, heavy metal and other bands to come. As with many rock nbands, the tension within the group gave room for musical struggles that, fortunate for us, translated into great albums and songs. But, this tensions were to end this creative trio early in their career. All this information and the music that resulted during those three yeras has been very well documented and putted together in this box set. All of the studio albums and live recordings commercialy available are here. The music was remastered very well and this provides greater listening pleasure. The set features great photos, essays and track and album information."

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