Artist: Cream
Label: Polydor Records
Released: 1967
Of all four studio albums by power trio Cream, Disraeli Gears is probably their best. Released in 1967, it’s a masterpiece in every respect, the kind of record you’d still struggle to match today… Above all, it’s about individual musical chops that probably still have no equal, though on Disraeli Gears the “holy trinity” can happily push them into the background for the sake of cohesion. The birth pains of Fresh Cream are ancient history here, and Disraeli Gears, largely thanks to producer (and later Mountain bassist) Felix Pappalardi, knocks our socks off. Freshness, interplay, and above all a punchy mix of blues, jazz, and psychedelia define this album from start to finish.
And speaking of punch, Strange Brew is exactly that. A phenomenal blues with a choppy rhythm, which Bruce also nudges slightly toward jazz. A proper little Lawdy Mama, and that’s probably all it would have stayed if Pappalardi hadn’t taken it on in his own way. A track where Clapton, with his Albert King-style solo, shows off his maturity in full. A strange brew, maybe? Not really, compared to what’s still to come…Sunshine Of Your Love, with Baker as the “caveman”, presents the blues in a new form that was unimaginable for the time, where Ginger’s rhythm grabs you and won’t let go until you pass out in some ditch. Eric and Bruce (the lyrics are again by Pete Brown) pull off a stunt with their delivery of the vocal lines, processed through Felix’s rough production, that’s raw to the core. Other bands simply didn’t play like this before Cream! Why? I’ll leave the answer to you. World Of Pain, along with Dance The Night Away, floats in the psychedelia typical of Cream, which many later generations of early-seventies rock musicians looked up to. Definitely tracks you can light one up to without any problem. Blue Condition is typical British humor, with Jack Bruce in an interesting “aggregate” state, while the excellent Tales Of Brave Ulysses proves the boys are serious musicians after all. Despite a whole army of mermaids, little scarlet fishes, and similar Jack-style “friends” from Greek mythology (for which, besides Eric Clapton, Martin Sharp is actually responsible), Tales is probably one of Cream’s best creations overall. Clapton’s wah-wah gives the track an especially apocalyptic feel. Swlabr (short for She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow!!) is a wild blues number with a silly lyric, steered firmly by Ginger Baker. The same goes for We’re Going Wrong, technically Jack Bruce’s “baby”, but once again it’s Baker who has the most work on it. A really interesting piece, whose ending owes a lot to Spoonful. Eric vents his jealousy in Outside Woman Blues, whose author Arthur Reynolds would probably be thrilled with this “rough-hewn” Clapton version, spiced up with Bruce’s dancing bass, which sounds barely under control. Clapton’s vocal contribution deserves special praise, coming across very confident alongside, once again, a fun lyric.
What’s especially interesting is that there are basically no big solo spots on the whole album, the kind that would let three musicians of this caliber stand out even a little. And while Fresh Cream served up a bunch of them, Disraeli Gears has no such moments. The exception is Take It Back, where Jack Bruce completely dominates, with the other two barely noticeable. Generally speaking, the album holds an incredibly high level of quality throughout, and the only big minus is the closing Mother’s Lament, yet another in a line of covers of various traditional tunes. What the boys were thinking here will probably never be clear, though it’s true that with playing like this, a person can’t stay normal for long. Just as it’s a fact that with Disraeli Gears, Cream set new boundaries in rock music, ones many won’t manage to surpass for a long time.
Lineup
Eric Clapton – guitar/vocals
Jack Bruce – bass/vocals
Ginger Baker – drums
Production
Felix Pappalardi
Track List
1.Strange Brew
2.Sunshine Of Your Love
3.World Of Pain
4.Dance The Night Away
5.Blue Condition
6.Tales Of Brave Ulysses
7.Swlabr
8.We’re Going Wrong
9.Outside Woman Blues
10.Take It Back
11.Mother’s Lament
Album Length: 33.35
