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This compilation of 22 Cream BBC tracks from 1966-1968 marked a major addition to the group's discography, particularly as they released relatively little product during their actual lifetime. All of but two of these cuts ("Lawdy Mama" and the 1968 version of "Steppin' Out," which had appeared on Eric Clapton's Crossroads box) were previously unreleased, and although many of these had made the round on bootlegs, the sound and presentation here is unsurprisingly preferable. As for actual surprises, there aren't many. It's a good cross section of songs from their studio records, though a couple, "Steppin' Out" and "Traintime," only appeared on live releases, and some of these BBC takes actually predate the release and recording of the album versions, which makes them of historical interest for intense Cream fans. (There are also four brief interviews with Eric Clapton from the original broadcasts.) There's a mild surprise in the absence of a version of "White Room," but otherwise many of the group's better compositions and covers are here, including "I Feel Free," "N.S.U.," "Strange Brew," "Tales of Brave Ulysses," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Born Under a Bad Sign," "Outside Woman Blues," "Crossroads," "We're Going Wrong," "I'm So Glad," "SWLABR," and "Politician." Cream took better advantage of the live-in-the-studio BBC format than some groups of similar stature. There's a lean urgency to most of the performances that, while not necessarily superior to the more fully realized and polished studio renditions, do vary notably in ambience from the more familiar versions. The sound quality is good but not perfect, and variable; sometimes it's excellent, yet at other times there seem to be imperfections in the tapes sourced, with "Sunshine of Your Love" suffering from a (not grievously) hollow, muffled quality. If there's any other slight criticism of this set, it's that a handful of BBC tracks don't appear, including some that don't make it onto this CD in any version, like "Sleepy Time Time," "Toad," and "Sitting on Top of the World." Given Cream's tendency to over-improvise on the band's live concert recordings, however, the concise nature of these BBC tracks (none of which exceed five minutes) makes them preferable listening in some respects.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
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Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Janet Godfrey, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Pete Brown, ComposerLyricist - Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
McKinley Morganfield, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Cream, MainArtist - James Bracken, ComposerLyricist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Eric Clapton, Arranger, Work Arranger - Robert Johnson, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Andrews, Producer - Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Traditional, ComposerLyricist - Jeff Griffin, Producer - Cream, MainArtist - S. Splurge, Arranger, Work Arranger
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Jeff Griffin, Producer - Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Jeff Griffin, Producer - Cream, MainArtist - Skip James, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Eric Clapton, Arranger, Work Arranger - Traditional, ComposerLyricist - Jeff Griffin, Producer - Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Pete Brown, ComposerLyricist - Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Robert Johnson, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Eric Clapton, ComposerLyricist - Felix Pappalardi, ComposerLyricist - Gail Collins, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Eric Clapton, ComposerLyricist - Martin Sharp, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bill Bebb, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Booker T. Jones, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Andrews, Producer - William Bell, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Eric Clapton, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Andrews, Producer - Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Bernie Andrews, Producer - Pete Brown, ComposerLyricist - Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Eric Clapton, ComposerLyricist - Bernie Andrews, Producer - Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Peter Ronald Brown, Author
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bev Phillips, Producer - Peter Ronald Brown, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Pete Brown, ComposerLyricist - Jack Bruce, ComposerLyricist - Cream, MainArtist - Bev Phillips, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Cream, MainArtist - James Bracken, ComposerLyricist - Bev Phillips, Producer
℗ 2003 BBC Records
Album review
This compilation of 22 Cream BBC tracks from 1966-1968 marked a major addition to the group's discography, particularly as they released relatively little product during their actual lifetime. All of but two of these cuts ("Lawdy Mama" and the 1968 version of "Steppin' Out," which had appeared on Eric Clapton's Crossroads box) were previously unreleased, and although many of these had made the round on bootlegs, the sound and presentation here is unsurprisingly preferable. As for actual surprises, there aren't many. It's a good cross section of songs from their studio records, though a couple, "Steppin' Out" and "Traintime," only appeared on live releases, and some of these BBC takes actually predate the release and recording of the album versions, which makes them of historical interest for intense Cream fans. (There are also four brief interviews with Eric Clapton from the original broadcasts.) There's a mild surprise in the absence of a version of "White Room," but otherwise many of the group's better compositions and covers are here, including "I Feel Free," "N.S.U.," "Strange Brew," "Tales of Brave Ulysses," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Born Under a Bad Sign," "Outside Woman Blues," "Crossroads," "We're Going Wrong," "I'm So Glad," "SWLABR," and "Politician." Cream took better advantage of the live-in-the-studio BBC format than some groups of similar stature. There's a lean urgency to most of the performances that, while not necessarily superior to the more fully realized and polished studio renditions, do vary notably in ambience from the more familiar versions. The sound quality is good but not perfect, and variable; sometimes it's excellent, yet at other times there seem to be imperfections in the tapes sourced, with "Sunshine of Your Love" suffering from a (not grievously) hollow, muffled quality. If there's any other slight criticism of this set, it's that a handful of BBC tracks don't appear, including some that don't make it onto this CD in any version, like "Sleepy Time Time," "Toad," and "Sitting on Top of the World." Given Cream's tendency to over-improvise on the band's live concert recordings, however, the concise nature of these BBC tracks (none of which exceed five minutes) makes them preferable listening in some respects.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 26 track(s)
- Total length: 01:08:21
- Main artists: Cream
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Polydor Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2003 Polydor Ltd. (UK) ℗ 2003 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
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