Artist: Cream
Label: Polydor Records
Released: 1968
Wheels Of Fire is Cream’s third album in a row, and in many ways their last. Made up of two parts, a studio half and a second half recorded live in San Francisco, it shows the band in a different light than we were used to. While Felix Pappalardi is back on production, this time we mostly witness the biggest contribution yet from the Jack Bruce – Pete Brown duo, with Brown responsible for the often “goofy” but still fun lyrics. Ginger Baker steps up as a writer (maybe a bit too often) with his own similarly silly creations, while Clapton’s influence, at least on the first half of the album, is clearly too small. All of this is probably a result of the first tensions that were slowly starting to eat away at Cream by then.
Wheels Of Fire is basically an interesting palette of musical styles, often mixed with jazz and ’60s prog pop, and there’s no shortage of “off-the-wall” tunes whose real meaning a normal person has a hard time grasping. Psychedelia, apart from the opening White Room, is barely noticeable. That very track, whose verse leans heavily on Tales Of Brave Ulysses, counts as one of the trio’s greater achievements. Pappalardi, who on top of his usual duties accompanies the intro on viola, teams up with Clapton’s typical wah solo to create another phenomenal piece right here. In complete contrast to this eternal Cream classic stands the first of Baker’s “masterpieces”, Passing The Time, a truly weird thing with Ginger as the vocalist (!), where the jumping from dreaminess into a totally unhinged bass-and-drum dance paints a picture of complete chaos. Right alongside it, we can with no problem put Pressed Rat And Warthog, another Baker marvel, whose “lyrics”, which probably wouldn’t be out of place in some Monty Python script, Baker recites in full. A joke, right? This thing sounds truly sick. Which can’t be said of the one-of-a-kind Those Were The Days, yet another from Baker’s kitchen, which stirs up nostalgic feelings. The tune is simply excellent, and for that we have the phenomenal Bruce and Clapton to thank. Their solo spot, which is basically a kind of jam, deserves a mention as one of the better moments on any Cream album. Stunning!! It’s hard to believe the same guy is responsible for all three of those songs. Deserted Cities Of The Heart swims in similar waters, a dynamic track, again from the pen of the already so often mentioned duo Bruce – Brown. With these two songs, which nicely show off their versatility, Cream definitely appear to be at the peak of their creative powers. In the “less enjoyable” category falls As You Said. It’s an acoustic affair where Baker, a faithful companion, bores us a bit with his hi-hat. Even Bruce, with his signature vocals that left such a mark on most Cream songs, sounds lost here.
It’s time to slowly return to the blues, where the listener simply can’t get past two fantastic covers. Sitting On Top Of The World is an old blues classic by Chester Burnett, perfectly worked over to the very end with Jack’s gritty bass, on top of which Clapton’s typically “whining” guitar keeps strolling about. And if this kind of interpretation of legendary blues tunes is already breathtaking, what can one say about King’s Born Under A Bad Sign, which is bursting with energy. For both, most of the credit goes to Jack Bruce, whose vocals are truly unmatched. Same goes for Politician, a lively blues with playfully cheeky lyrics from Brown, where Bruce once again reigns supreme.
The second half of Wheels Of Fire brings us four live recordings that still stand today as a fine document of the power the trio radiated on stage so perfectly. Long improvisations, incredible dynamics, and the virtuosity of a trio that had no equal back then are nicely captured in this blues rock poker hand. Simple and brilliant, just like Robert Johnson’s Crossroads, surely the best version the music world has ever heard. Clapton totally lets loose this time, while his soloing creates a whirlpool of madness into which Jack and Ginger get sucked without any resistance whatsoever. INSANE!! Another one of the highlights is Spoonful, in the rawest performance you’ll ever hear. An epic, almost seventeen-minute run where each of the three floats around in their own improvised world. As is usual with bands where every member is the “main man” in their own way, Cream also offer us “spotlight” moments, this time for Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. In the first case Bruce entertains us with a long harmonica solo that ends up flowing into Ginger’s Toad, where the latter, as if competing with the other two, treats us to a long drum solo. A great finish to this stylistically diverse album, which took us so nicely through this crazy creamy world.
Lineup
Eric Clapton: guitar/vocals
Jack Bruce: bass/vocals
Ginger Baker: drums/vocals
Production
Felix Pappalardi
Track list
Disc 1.
1.White Room
2.Sitting On Top Of The World
3.Passing Time
4.As You Said
5.Pressed Rat And Warthog
6.Politician
7.Those Were The Days
8.Born Under A Bad Sign
9.Deserted Cities Of The Heart
Disc 2.
1.Crossroads
2.Spoonful
3.Traintime
4.Toad
Album length: 80.50
