|  By
Cornbread
 Cream
– Royal Albert Hall, London May 2-3-5-6
2005
{2005 | Reprise/Warner}
One
of the most highly anticipated reunions in music;
Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton, performed
four nights at London's Royal Albert Hall which
is also where the band played its farewell show
November 26, 1968 some 37 years earlier. This
double CD highlights these performances with
nineteen tracks.
Cream formed in 1966 and disbanded in 1968.
With the exception of a brief reunion set at
their 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame, Cream had not played together
in nearly four decades. These two discs contain
sixties rock, British blues, killer Clapton
guitar solos although with less intensity than
in the sixties. Jack Bruce is awesome on bass,
he sings (less than prior) and plays harmonica.
Ginger Baker drumming is excellent. Ginger is
credited for developing the booming drum sound.
The songs;
1) I’m So Glad, 2) Spoonful,
3) Outside Woman Blues, 4) Pressed Rat &
Warthog, 5) Sleepy Time Time, 6) N.S.U., 7)
Badge, 8) Politician, 9) Sweet Wine, 10)
Rollin’ & Tumblin’, 11) Stormy
Monday, 12) Deserted Cities Of The Heart, 13)
Born Under A Bad Sign, 14) We’re Going
Wrong, 15) Crossroads, 16) White Room, 17) Toad,
18) Sunshine Of Your Love and 19) Sleepy Time
Time – alternative
Ginger Baker tosses us a couple of surprises;
the good – the song "Toad" is a nine minute
drum solo, the bad – Baker singing "Pressed
Rat & Warthog".
There is no shortage of blues here from T-Bone’s
"Stormy Monday" to Willie Dixon’s "Spoonful"
and Muddy Water’s "Rollin’ & Tumblin’"
or Robert Johnson’s "Crossroads", plus Creams own original blues stuff. Actually,
if it’s any indication 17 of the 19 tracks
have made my iPod. I loved this CD. I’d
go as far as say I like this fresh mix versus
the older versions.
Cornbread says, get the CD – it’s
awesome! There is also a DVD release of these
shows too.
Ciao'
for now, peace.
Peter 'Cornbread'
Cohen, CBP
~
Cornbread@STLBlues.net ~
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