BBC Sessions

Artist: Cream
Label: Polydor / Umgd
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Extra tracks
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 044007604823
EAN: 0044007604823
ASIN: B00008NER6

Release Date: 2003-03-25

BBC Sessions

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Blues Rock

| Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Hard Rock

| Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Psychedelic Rock

| Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)

| Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Sweet Wine
Eric Clapton Interview
Wrapping Paper
Rollin' And Tumblin'
Steppin' Out
Crossroads
Cat's Squirrel
Traintime
I'm So Glad
Lawdy Mama
Eric Clapton Interview 2
I Feel Free
N.S.U.
Four Until Late
Strange Brew
Eric Clapton Interview 3
Tales Of Brave Ulysses
We're Going Wrong
Eric Clapton Interview 4
Born Under A Bad Sign
Outside Woman Blues
Take It Back
Sunshine Of Your Love
Politician
Swlabr
Steppin' Out

Similar Items:

Those Were the Days
Live Cream, Vol. 2
Live Cream
Goodbye
Fresh Cream

Album Description

Another gem from the BBC archives! And this might just be the 'cream' of the crop-22 live-in-the-studio performances by Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce, only two of which have been released before! Includes renditions of then-current singles like 'I Feel Free' and 'Strange Brew' previews of upcoming album tracks like 'Tales of Brave Ulysses', 'We're Going Wrong', 'Born Under A Bad Sign', 'Politician', and 'Sunshine of Your Love', and versions of concert favorites like 'Traintime', 'Steppin' Out', and 'Crossroads', all recorded between November 1966 and January 1968. Also here are four short interview segments, as well as rare photos, session info and notes. A major find! Polydor. 2003.

Amazon.com

Betwixt journeyman stints with the Yardbirds and John Mayall and decades of laurel-resting, guitar god Eric Clapton was but one competitive third of what remains rock's most compelling power trios. Cream's penchant for incendiary live excess was legendary, a fact that makes the release of these 22 live-in-studio recordings for the BBC (which span just over a year of the band's early, brief career) all the more interesting. Powered by Ginger Baker's complex rhythms and the kinetic bass lines and burnished vocals of Jack Bruce, Clapton's playing is focused and intense, with the trio bringing a pop-smart economy to its slate of over-amped blues ("Rollin' and Tumblin'," "Cat's Squirrel") and originals that veered from nascent pop-psychedelia ("Strange Brew," "Sunshine of Your Love") to music-hall kitsch ("Wrapping Paper," "Take It Back"). The tracks here--fully 20 of them previously unreleased--offer extensive contemporary live previews of Disraeli Gears and even more compelling early workouts of material that would appear on Wheels of Fire. Though the collection's four Clapton interview excerpts come at the expense of Baker and Bruce, their musical accomplishments here can't be denied. It's as taut and focused a primer on the oft-overblown world of '60s blues rock as one is likely to find. Cream, indeed. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Great Music / Horrendous Sound Quality.......2007-03-01

Eric Clapton asked Free guitarist Paul Kossoff "How the hell do you do that" referring to Kossoff's signature vibrato. In his last interview in Guitar Player magazine, Kossoff commented on a recent Clapton concert he witnessed by saying "He whipped up quite a storm."
Two guitar legends, two sound qualities. Free's BBC recordings are crisp and sharp. I simply could not believe how muddled the Cream recordings sounded,
Now I will ask the question to the persons responsible for making Cream sound muddled in 2007: "How the hell do you do that?" Were you afraid to spend a few more pennies to clean up the sound of these recordings?
Inexcusable. Clapton and Kossoff forever.

5 for the music, 3 for the sound quality.......2007-02-06

BBC Sessions (2003) Various Cream sessions album.

The material here is great, and there's plenty of it. "BBC Sessions" spans Cream's entire career, displaying almost all of their hits. Although I can't say anything really negative about the song selection, I can say some negative things about the quality of sound on some of the tracks.

I realize that some of this stuff had to be dug out and dusted off and that there was an effort to make it sound as good as possible, but tracks such as "Crossroads" sound so muddled it's not very enjoyable. But on the opposite side of the spectrum, some of the material sounds better than what they did in the studio. The version of "Politician" done here is a bit faster and adds an extra verse, making it a harder rocking piece than that found on "Wheels of Fire".

I recommend it to any Cream fan. But casual listeners be warned! This is NOT a greatest hits compilation. These are various performances recorded during shows such as "Top of the Pops". Although the sound isn't always pristine, it is a nice listen, and some of the solos like on "I Feel Free" are incredible.

PUT A CHERRY ON TOP OF THIS CREAM, AN INCREDIBLE BBC SESSIONS RELEASE...................2007-01-28

I was not going to get this cd because of the bad reviews regarding its sound quality, but decided to try this Cream release out.The sound of this cd is fine despite 1960s primitive technology. This "BBC Sessions" cd covers the years 1966-1968. You will hear well known Cream songs in a different way. Cream gave their best effort because some of these songs were not released yet, and they wanted to give an incredible performance to show off their young skills to the world. The songs are plentiful as you hear tracks from "Disreali Gears" being performed before the album was released in Nov.1967,Disraeli Gears,Cream is raw and energetic with immense energy. On BBC Sessions you hear each Cream track being disected, as some of the tracks were only recently created. Like with the "Who BBC sessions" you really are transported back to the 1960s to a swinging England. The linear notes are a very facinating look into a real young genuine Psychedelic blues rock band. The linear notes were an all out effort in research. Kudos to Kevin Howlett, Howlett Media Productions for his in depth research into this cds literature booklet. "Cream BBC Sessions" is a well thought out researched production and is highly recommended listening to all..............

Organic Cream with Roasted Squirrel !!.......2006-12-23

I bought this CD recently, a gamble given that some reviewers had reservations about the sound quality, and one sad chappie had rated it as a waste of time and nothing new. Well I'm delighted to find that overall the sound is very good, given the BBC's recording capacity and the age of the tapes.

Any deficiency is more than compensated by the spirit of the performance. BBC live broadcasts were very popular and the reputation of a band could not be risked by poor performance, and in fact these recordings show the musical intelligence of a group that was able to develop and improve on the initial studio performance - check out the powerful break in "I'm So Glad" with it's use of the Spoonful bass note anchor and - I couldn't believe it - the 1812 ???

OK there are a few tracks with thin sound, for example, Wrapping Paper the first single, but even that is fascinating with Jack's rough edged tough vocals and the confident arrangement.

You must be thankful that these recordings are now available, lawdy mama we must be thankful !! Turn it up and play it loud. Give it some stick in the traffic. The power of Ginger's drumming and Jack's bass come through well on most tracks and Eric's guitar sound, while lacking studio `creaming' of double tracking, has good tone and is lyrical and precise. Jack's vocals are strong and the group's harmonies even in this live context come through well.

The performances are spirited, raw and inventive, and fascinating in their window to the mid sixties and the development of this primal band. There are some interesting early versions such as "Crossroads" which is not quite the standard of the later live recording but still good, "Politician" which is hot off the press, being completed in the BBC studio with an additional verse, "Traintime" which is more concise than on the live side of "Wheels Of Fire" and very fiery, and "Born Under a Bad Sign" prior to it's release on the studio "Wheels Of Fire".

"Tales of Brave Ulysses" has just been released as a "B" side at the time of the BBC recording, and Eric states that it is preferred by the band to "Strange Brew". Their performance of this song is great, as is "Sunshine Of your Love", "SWLABR", the aforementioned "I'm So Glad", "Outside Woman Blues", "Traintime" and the second version of "Stepping Out", to name highlights. I must admit that the CD rekindled my enthusiasm for Ginger's drumming which could be declamatory by comparison to, say, Mitch Mitchell - but then Mitch was too light on some of Jimi's live stuff. Ginger's drumming on these recordings has attack and imagination - "We're Going Wrong" is astounding.

These tracks are essential in my estimation to anyone with an interest in the development of rock, to anyone awed by the power and imagination, the possibilities of a three piece rock unit, and to anyone who hasn't heard 60's radio presenter Brian Matthew pronounce the word "squirrel", seemingly unimpeded by the limitations of the human voice box. This last is worth the price of admission alone, and I doubt it can be achieved today without the aid of digital technology or a small animal implant. Absolutely fab, groovers !!

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music CD

Perceptual ~ Brian Blade Fellowship

Swingin' ~ Arturo Sandoval

Founder of the Jazz Vibes: 1930-1944 ~ Lionel Hampton

Big Band Bash ~ Woody Herman

Let Heal It!

Cannonball's Sharpshooters ~ Cannonball Adderley

Libre ~ Alejandra Guzman

Crossing the Waters ~ Steve Schuch

Amorosa ~ Rosa Passos

S ~ Naoya