Search - Cream :: Fresh Cream

I Bought The LP Version in '67

David R. Crews | Dundalk, Maryland USA | 04/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When the album Fresh Cream was released, I was attending Dundalk High School in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. All through high school, I mowed lawns and shoveled snow to make money for buying record albums.



One day during '67, I was merrily enjoying spending profits of my hard and (believe it or not) happy labors, whilst on one of my frequent album buying trips to the Two Guys Department Store on Merritt Boulevard in Dundalk, Md.; Two Guys had one helluvan outstandingly hip and happening huge record department, especially for a middle class, mid-East Coast USA, boxy looking department store. On that day in '67, when I walked into Two Guys' Record Department, the first thing that commands my attention is the dark colored front cover of Fresh Cream with its really cool photograph of three very hip looking dudes; it was down a store isle that runs between two waist level, horizontal wooden counters of very well stocked record racks and on the back wall at around solar plexus level sets 7 or 8 Fresh Cream LPs in a metal wire record rack that was hanging on the wall. There were hundreds of albums neatly displayed and easily searched through to my right and the same to the left and the multitudes of colors, cover art and designs of dozens of different album covers visually beckoned to me to attract my interest, but I headed straight to Fresh Cream. Good instincts, 'ay?



My former neighbor - and one of the best friends of my lifetime - Austin "Buck" O'Baker - the drummer of the long gone great old '60s era Baltimore band The Psychedelic Propeller - was with me there, and he was happily shopping too. We were both 16-yrs-old at the time. His mother, Betty (Mrs. O'Baker to me), had driven us to Two Guys in her sweet runnin', Cordova Brown, '64 Chevy Impala; which is still one of my all time favorite motor vehicles. Love the re-curving lines of that '64 Chevy side trim, and the feel of a ride in a '64 Impala is solid, comfortably 'righteous'.



Anyways, I looks at that freshly stocked rack of brand new - unknown nearly anywheres yet - Fresh Cream album, and I ponders, "WHOO da what's dis? A three man group? I don't know; they are either gonna be really good or they sound like crap. Let me see who's on it. Eric Clapton - he's pretty good on the Yardbird's first LP, and I really dig John Mayall's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, but I don't know who these other two are, at all. Ginger Baker on Drums, Jack Bruce on bass guitar - they sure look like cool cats on that album cover. They're definitely 'deep'. It's Clapton, man, it's Clapton, hey!! But only three musicians? Never know though, it might be great. Ok, I'll buy it."



In them times, most long-playing-33-and-a-third-rpm vinyl record albums were issued in stereo and mono versions, with mono costing a dollar less than new-fangled stereo ones. I decided on the mono version of Fresh Cream. And have been mighty pleased with that decision ever since. I love the stereo CD version, but I believe that there should be a mono CD of Fresh Cream available. Like the banana cover Velvet Underground and Nico album, Fresh Cream's mono mix possesses solid rockin sound values that its stereo counterparts don't.



I purchased that mono Cream album and took it home, pulled out my pocket comb {a personal tradition never ignored - to this day} to slit the brand new album's shrink wrap covering, slit it, then I gently slides the disc out of the album cover and respectfully removes the new disc from it's paper inner sleeve, then I carefully - no fingerprints or other marks - puts it on the turntable in the big ol' wide, and well polished wood, middle class American Magnavox Stereo in my family's mid-East Coast American living room, the needle on the record player's arm hits the groove, BWannggg, bumph bumph buh buh bumph bumph "I feel free " bumph bumph bah dah bumph bumph "I feel free " AND I YELLED "WOW!" THEN JUMPED UP IN THE AIR OFF THAT LIVING ROOM FLOOR CAME DOWN IN FRONT OF THE RECORD PLAYER SCREAMIN-THINKIN "THAT'S SOME OF THE MOST RIGHT ON ROCKIN BLUES LICKS I"VE EVER HEARD BUCK'S GOTTA HEAR THIS RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!" So I deftly removed that record player's arm up off that fantastic mind-blowing new album, ran hard and fast out through the 1950's style wooden screen doored front portal of our family love filled American Home across the lawn to the O'Baker's side carport and up to their 1950's style wooden screen door on their family love filled American Home. I yelled in through Buck's open carport door and into the kitchen there - where Austin was making himself a sandwich - and I excitedly tells him that he absolutely don't wanna miss the very first time I play that new group Cream's album because I only had to hear the first half-minute of it to know it has a great new sound. I instantly knew it was going to be some of the most important music of the '67 era generation of Rock and Roll.



Back on that day, in '67, at Buck O'Baker's house - just after Fresh Cream had become available on the mid-East Coast of the USA, Buck - saying he wanted to eat his sandwich - growled at me like a hungry wolf cub, whilst scowling ridiculously at me for what he incorrectly perceived as to be me acting uncool for us hip teenagers by me being so delightedly thrilled over that music. Later, after he listened to the album he admitted it was an exciting addition to the rapidly advancing talents and skills of dedicated Rock and Roll musicians.



We all know that the album has indeed survived as some of the most important music in Rock and Roll history. Its sound 'fits' me to this day.



URSUSDAVE'S MUSIC PLAYLISTS [...]"

Omitted tracks 12 & 13

Mo Jangles | California | 04/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"..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?"