Cream Album: “Wheels Of Fire [Remaster]”

If you aren't familiar with Cream, this is where I would start. Its a truly superb album, marred by a few sub-par songs, but on the whole this record can go toe to toe with just about any rock 'n roll record ever made. Its that good! The album is a fabulous blend of blues and psychedelia, and if you don't know what that means buy this album and give yourself a treat. The only other record ever made that excedes Wheels of Fire in those categories is Jimi Hendrix's "Electric LadyLand" (but that album is one of the five best rock records ever made.)

Some of the outstanding songs include "White Room" a blistering, psychedlic blues that was the albums greatest hit. It combines Eric Clapton delicious whah-whah guitars with Ginger Baker thundering, polyrythmic drums, and Jack Bruce's great vocals. A masterpiece all by itself. But the album doesn't stop there. "Born Under a Bad Sign", an old blues number, is taken to the roof tops with Clapton's swirling, screaming, crying guitars. Then there's "Deserted Cities of the Heart" - a very fast number who's energy is only topped by its sense of desperation.

But the real killer songs on this album are the live recordings - Robert Johnson's "Crossroads", and another old blues number "Spoonful". "Crossroads" shows Cream at its manic best - they set out on a blistering pace and don't look back. The two guitar solos on this cut alone are worth buying the album - just a full scale rail against the heavens! Just when you think it can't get any better than that, along comes "Spoonful", a slow, blistering blues with gut wrenching singing and guitar playing. Both are just stunning!!

If you're a Cream fan, all you need to know is whether or not the GOLD CD is worth it. There are two versions of this CD available - the "remastered" version and the "Gold CD." I have both, plus several copies of the original vinyl.

The Gold version costs twice as much as the "re-mastered" version, but its worth it if you care about sound quality. The sound balance on the Gold version is both warmer and clearer. There's a little bit of a raspy edge to the "re-mastered" version that is absent from the Gold CD.

In addition, the GolD CD brings out lots of nice details, and a greatly improved stereo image. You'll hear Jack Bruce's bass more clearly. There are lots of little sonic treats that jump out - the glockenspiel sparkles on "Pressed Rat and Wharhog", the double bass drums that Ginger Baker was famous for really jump out on "White Room", and Clapton's guitars just sound so warm and clear throughout the whole album. If you're listening on an inexpensive hi-fi, Walkman, or something like that, its probably not worth buying the Gold CD. You won't be able to hear the difference. But on a good setup, this Gold CD really pays off - its a "show off" type of recording.

This album, more than any other 60s work, sent more boys out to buy electric guitars with the hopes of becoming rock stars than anything before or since. And for good reason. The live recordings on this album gave us a mountainslide of brilliant no-holds-barred improv and a fiery dynamism that was the trademark of few bands of the time. It might not have been Clapton's best work -- for me that was the Bluesbreakers album with Mayall -- but it was near-genius nonetheless. Much has been said about this version of Crossroads and you'd better believe it all. Clapton's two solos on that son, one more incendiary than the other, rate as some of the most memorable guitar-playing of any rock era. The studio stuff is an added joy and even Baker's Pressed Rat isn't without its self-deprecating humor. Felix Pappalardi earns extra kudos for outstanding studio accompaniment and production. The original cover, black on silver ink, was a landmark of 60s album design. Listen to the audience on the live tracks. Clearly these people were there to soak in the brilliance of the music they were experiencing. You can too.

I was amazed at the transfer quality as earlier works sound tinny. I forgot how divers Cream is. It is as if they were experimenting with different types of songs. This is better than having variations of the same thing across the whole CD. It did not take me long to fall in love with the individual songs again. Everyone is familiar with "White Room" which is what made me think of this first but few remember "Pressed Rat and Warthog" or "Those Were the Days".

Bottom line the album is worth discovering or rediscovering.

To find Diamonds,tiny little rocks,one must dig through tons of rock. Here, in "Spoonful" you'll find the brightest Diamond in the history of rock.But where is it? Very easy.If you have a CD, and who doesn't these days, fast forward to 2 minutes and fifty seconds into the song,just after the vocals have ended. Continue listening till about the 8 minute mark. This is it. After you've heard this for several times it will hit you. You will take off. Get in your car and blast this at maximum volume. Be careful not to crash. Let me know what you think.

Cream's third album proved to be equally as good as their 1967 smash hit Disraeli Gears. Released in August of 1968 "Wheels Of Fire" was in some ways was Cream final finest hour. After this album the band basically went their seperate ways and issued out the disappointing "Goodbye" as a swan song album.

None the less Wheels Of Fire is considered by many as Cream's final album and maybe their finest. Like the previous Cream albums it contains several smash hits including WHITE ROOM, THOSE WERE THE DAYS and POLITICIAN three of my favourite Cream tracks ever. As well as the blues rock brilliance of SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD and BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN. Apart from the hits the other tracks are awesome on their own, AS YOU SAID and DESERTED CITIES OF THE HEART are both essential Cream tracks. PASSING THE TIME is a beautiful song and PRESSED RAT AND WARTHOG is a fun novelty tune.

The band was also kind enough to add an extra disc to make this a awesome double record. As disc 2 is live at the Fillmore featuring some great live tracks. CROSSROADS is essential and the 16 minute version of SPOONFUL is amazing. As for the other two tracks TRAINTIME is okay and TOAD is way too long however it proves that Baker is a brilliant drummer.

In conclusion Wheels Of Fire is essential Cream. The studio album is great on it's own but the live teacks are a bit