Cream Album: “Fresh Cream [Remaster]”

Fresh Cream is, in my opinion, the best Cream album. Not a single mediocre song here. This is probably one of the finest blues-rock albums ever recorded. Fresh Cream features none of the extravagance or psychedelia of their following albums. Just raw rocking blues. Is this album a classic? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it's damn good music.

This is great music, don't get me wrong. But listening to this on stereo headphones, I can't help but complain how terrible this mix is. On pretty much all of the songs, the bass and drums are muddled together on one channel, while the vocals and the guitar (sometimes) and other random instruments such as tambourines and harmonica are split on the other channel at a much higher volume than the rhythm section. It's a travesty to Bruce and Baker. I would hope that someday this will be re-released in the same type of quality remaster that Columbia did with Dylan's catalogue. Once again, this is a great album. Probably the most concise and the one that front to back, holds together the best out of all the Cream albums. If you can put up with a bad mix, you will have no complaints.

Fresh Cream is the first album by the legandary Cream.

Cream at this time knew they were a blues band but were in the process of figuring out which direction to go. Ginger Baken had drummed for the Graham Bond Organization and had been primarily a jazz drummer. Jack Bruce was more of a jazz bass player as well. To this day Baker and Bruce think Clapton is actaully a jazz player. Clapton is adamant that he is infact a blues player.

This CD is probably the only legitimate blues album in their catalog. There are two songs on this collection that stand out.

The first would be Spoonful by Willie Dixon. Spoonful only appeared on the British import in the 60's and now appears on the CD. Spoonful is one of the finest songs in their catalog.

Rollin and Tumblin is a shortened version of the Robert Johnson song "If I had possession over judgement Day. From Four Until Late is another Robert Johnson song from this CD that stands out. Sweet Wine is another solid performance and is sung by Eric Clapton in one of his rare singing performances with Cream.

The slide guitar on this recording is exquisite.

Toad gives Ginger Baker a chance to show off on the drums.

Toad provides the finest drum solo ever, at a time when every band did a drum solo.

Creams' biggest problem was their vocals and Jack Bruce took on the lions share. Clapton at this time lacked the confidence he needed. Clapton does do the vocals on Sweet Wine and Four until late.

If you are a Cream fan this is a must.

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 [...]

Cream was formed in june of 1966. The group consisted of 3 musicans: Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals), who gained experience by side of such greats as The Yardbirds or The Bluesbreakers, Jack Bruce (bass, vocals, harmonica) who earlier jammed with Alexis Korner, John Mayall or Manfred Mann, just to mention a few, and Ginger Baker (drums), who was oryginally a jazz player. The group was young, fresh and inspired, so in december of 1966, just 6 months after the band was formed, their debut album Fresh Cream was released. Although time would show that it was not peak of their ambitions and abilities, Cream's debut album is an excellent effort and a blues-rock classic.

Though the band's songwriting abilities were just evolving at the time, They managed to shell out number of excellent tracks. Major songwriter here appears to be Jack Bruce, who co-wrote about half of the tracks with outside musicans. Ginger Baker also threw in some of his creations. And Eric Clapton, though didn't write any songs for the album, helped with arranging blues covers.

The album kicks off with I Feel Free, one of the band's early hits - this song has that psychodelic groove typical for that era - and You can't help but love it. Excellent opener. Next up there is N.S.U. and it features symilar stylings. Powerful and original psychodelic rocker. Sleepy Time Time is relaxing bluesy jam featuring some amazing guitar work. Dreaming, a rather lame attempt at pop, isn't to par up with other bluesy tracks. My least favourite track on the album. Sweet Wine is a great rocker with some more great guitar work. One of the best songs on the album, and of finest Cream's compositions.

Hands down: here we have the classic Spoonful. This song has become a fan favourite, and for a good reason. The band's jamming on this track is priceless. Especially Clapton's guitar work is outstanding. Definately one of the band's strongest tracks.

Cat's Squirell is a nice instrumental, but pales in comparison with other masterpieces on the album. Four Until Late is another blues jam featuring some great harmonica. Rollin' And Tumblin' is a great fast paced furious rocker. I'm So Glad is more pop-oriented that other tracks, but no less excellent. And the closing Toad is Ginger Baker's five minutes. This song opens with a classic guitar riff and turns into an excellent drum solo. It shows Baker's abilities and is a precursor of all later drum solos.

Fresh Cream is an excellent album, but not the best the band would come up with. It is a good and solid debut, but some of Cream's later works sound more inspired and sophisticated. If You want to get into Cream, this is not the best place to start. Get Disraeli Gears - in my opinion the group's finest record of all. That said, I still recommend Fresh Cream for fans of 60s blues-rock and Cream fans.