Eric Clapton - Selftitled (1970)

(U.K 1962 - Present)

By the time Eric Clapton launched his solo career with the release of his self-titled debut album in August 1970, he was long established as one of the world's major rock stars due to his group affiliations -- the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, and Blind Faith -- which had demonstrated his claim to being the best rock guitarist of his generation. That it took Clapton so long to go out on his own, however, was evidence of a degree of reticence unusual for one of his stature. And his debut album, though it spawned the Top 40 hit "After Midnight," was typical of his self-effacing approach: it was, in effect, an album by the group he had lately been featured in, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends.

Not surprisingly, before his solo debut had even been released, Clapton had retreated from his solo stance, assembling from the Delaney & Bonnie & Friends ranks the personnel for a group, Derek & the Dominos, with which he played for most of 1970. Clapton was largely inactive in 1971 and 1972, due to heroin addiction, but he performed a comeback concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London on January 13, 1973, resulting in the album Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert (September 1973). But Clapton did not launch a 'sustained solo' career until July 1974, when he released 461 Ocean Boulevard, which topped the charts and spawned the number one single "I Shot the Sheriff."

Delaney, Bonnie and Clapton On Stage 1970

But back to his first solo album.

When Delaney and Bonnie's tour of England ended, the two men went into the studio in Los Angeles and began work on Clapton's first solo album, 'Eric Clapton'. Delaney's influence on the record was considerable. He produced the album - which includes the joyful "Blues Power" and the fiery "Let It Rain" - and supplied most of the players from his own band, alongside Bonnie. His hand is especially evident on the alternative version of J.J Cale's "After Midnight" - which Delaney mixed and which features a horn section that does not appear on the L.P track. With Delaney's encouragement - Clapton emerged as a front man for the first time since he had been propelled into superstardom with Cream earlier. Clapton wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven tunes on the record, sang all the lead vocals and played crisply and spiritedly.

In Philip Norman's recent biography of Clapton entitled 'Slowhand' (2018), he notes - "The cover showed him in a fancy western-style white suit, slumped in a chair with his Fender Stratocaster 'Brownie' beside him, the same guitar he used to record Layla. (On a side note, Eric sold this guitar at a charity auction held at Christie's for $497,000 in 1998). He was back to being bearded yet again, and had a wary, reluctant look as if not totally convinced this was such a good idea.

Clapton playing 'Brownie'

It was not easy to change the deep-rooted perception of him as a brilliant contributor to albums as a session player rather than somebody able to carry a whole one on his own. And, although purchased in large quantities by his 'God' constituency, Eric Clapton failed to make either the British or US Top 10 with this one.

The music press, which had always been so kind to him, was almost unanimously dismissive: Melody Maker found 'depressing monotony' in 'a forced white version of soul and gospel as performed originally by Ike and Tina Turner and the Stax label artists', while Fusion magazine called it 'warmed-over Delaney and Bonnie with a little leftover Leon Russell'. A few tracks were singled out for praise, like 'Easy Now' and 'Let It Rain', a staple of his live shows ever afterwards.

Nor did it help that, at this moment of bidding for solo recognition, he was back in a band (Derek and The Dominos) that didn't even mention his name and, instead of promoting himself on the international stage, was playing venues specially chosen for their smallness and obscurity. His way of launching Derek and the Dominos, that same month, was a club tour of the UK on which, at his insistence, all tickets cost only 1 pound.

In London, rather than the Albert Hall or the Lyceum, they played the Speakeasy and his long-ago stomping-ground, the Marquee. If any club-owner slyly slipped his name onto a poster, he was furious.

To interviewers, he insisted that in Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon he'd finally found his true soulmates, and that Derek and the Dominos could never go the way of Cream, Blind Faith or Delaney & Bonnie." [Page 238, Eric Clapton 'Slowhand', by Philip Norman, 2018]

Album Reviews

(i) Well, to tell you the truth, Eric, we had begun to wonder. What with all the running around you've been doing of late, we'd begun to worry that you'd become just another studio musician, hobnobbing with the rich and famous. After all, overexposure to Leon Russell has been known to turn some people into wind-up tambourine-beating rocknroll dolls.

But no. Even though it's a "supersession," even though the personnel is liberally salted with old Delaney and Bonnie Friends, it comes off as a warm, friendly record of the kind that I haven't heard since the first Delaney and Bonnie album. Of the tunes, we have some good old tambourine beaters, one beautiful all-acoustic piece authored entirely by Clapton (most of the rest are by him and Delaney Bramlett, who produced), and a bunch of simply delightful D'n'B-styled gospel-type numbers, which, unlike a lot of the recent attempts in this genre, succeed because they build sensibly to a climax rather than indulging in the type of excess that spoiled Leon Russell's album, at least for me.

Clapton's voice is a revelation. He'd been scared to use it before because he thought it was terrible, but Delaney told him that his voice was a gift from God, and if he didn't use it, maybe God would take it away from him. Which, I thought, is maybe a nice way of saying "Well, maybe it ain't too hot, but you should sing along anyway." But Clapton's voice is just fine; rough and unfinished, maybe, but it adds to the rustic quality of the music. [by Ed Ward, September 3, 1970]

(ii) Eric Clapton's eponymous solo debut was recorded after he completed a tour with Delaney and Bonnie. Clapton used the core of the duo's backing band and co-wrote the majority of the songs with Delaney Bramlett -- accordingly, Eric Clapton sounds more laid-back and straightforward than any of the guitarist's previous recordings. There are still elements of blues and rock 'n' roll, but they're hidden beneath layers of gospel, R'n'B, country, and pop flourishes. And the pop element of the record is the strongest of the album's many elements -- "Blues Power" isn't really a blues song and only "Let It Rain," the album's closer, features extended solos.

Throughout the album, Clapton turns out concise solos that de-emphasize his status as guitar god, even when they display astonishing musicality and technique. That is both a good and a bad thing -- it's encouraging to hear him grow and become a more fully rounded musician, but too often the album needs the spark that some long guitar solos would have given it. In short, it needs a little more of Clapton's personality. [Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine]

This post consists of FLACS ripped from my vintage vinyl (yes, it's more than 50 years old folks) and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD formats, along with label scans.  As a bonus, I thought it appropriate to add Clapton's remake of  J.J Cale's hit "After Midnight" from 1987, as a sweetener.   If you get a chance, read his biography by Philip Norman entitled 'Slowhand' which for me provided a wonderful insight into the life and tribulations of this amazing and resilient artist.

Track List:

01. Slunky - 3:33

02. Bad Boy - 3:33

03. Lonesome And A Long Way From Home - 3:29

04. After Midnight - 2:51

05. Easy Now  - 2:57

06. Blues Power  - 3:08

07. Bottle Of Red Wine - 3:06

08. Lovin' You Lovin' Me - 5:02

09. I've Told You For The Last Time  - 3:06

10.Don't Know Why - 3:10

11.Let It Rain - 5:02

12. After Midnight (Bonus 1987 Version) - 4:07

Musicians

*Eric Clapton  - Guitar, Vocals

*J.I. Allison - Vocals

*Bonnie Bramlett  - Vocals

*Delaney Bramlett  -  Rhythm  Guitar, Vocals

*Rita Coolidge - Vocals

*Sonny Curtis -  Vocals

*Jim Gordon - Drums

*Bobby Keys - Saxophone

*Jim Price - Trumpet

*Carl Radle - Bass

*Leon Russell  - Piano

*John Simon - Piano

*Bobby Whitlock - Organ, Vocals

Eric Clapton Link (239Mb)

Double Post: Various Artists - Immortal Rock (1977) & Immortal Rock Vol.2 (1979)

 (Compilation - 60's / 70's)

Various Artists - Immortal Rock (1977)

The late 60's and early 70's was an era when rock came of age. This album features a collection of all time rock classics emphasising the strong influence of British and European musicians.

From Hendrix to Status Quo...the Who's Who of Rock's golden era are featured on this highly sort after compilation.
I have always considered this compilation (and it's follow up Vol.2 release) to be the best rock sampler albums to be released on Vinyl, representing the pinnacles of 60 and 70's rock. The only 'legendary' band not represented here are the Beatles, but then how many compilations have you seen with a Beatles track - none? Featured singles are:

 

The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown - Fire

Written by: Arthur Brown/Vincent Crane

Release Date: June, 1968

Highest Chart Position: #1 UK

Album Track: The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown

B-Side Single:  Rest Cure

During live performances and in the black and white promotional television clip, Brown performed the song wearing a burning helmet. The helmet was improvised with a leather skull cap onto which was bolted a metal dish that held lighter fluid or petrol. As the cap was not insulated, the heat from the burning fuel quickly conducted through the fixing bolt to the top of Brown's head, causing him considerable pain. The song is an example of the psychedelic rock of the period, though its lack of guitars or bass guitar distinguished it from many of its contemporaries. The lead instrument in this case was Vincent Crane's Hammond organ, augmented by an orchestral section featuring prominent brass. 

Pinball Wizard - The Who

Written by: Pete Townshend

Release Date: March, 1969

Highest Chart Position: #4 UK

Album Track: Tommy

B-Side Single:  Dogs part Two

In the first week of March 1969, Track released the first sampler from Tommy, a riveting new Townshend song entitled 'Pinball Wizard'. The song had actually been written for Nik Cohn, a journalist who was both a pinball fanatic and a close friend of Pete, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. It was by far The Who's best single release since 'I Can See For Miles' eighteen months earlier. "Pinball Wizard" opened with what is perhaps the best guitar part that Pete Townsend has ever written; following a slow, tension-filled build up through a series of unusual, rather melancholy chords, the rhythmic balance is secured with some furious strumming on acoustic guitar down an eight note sequence, each change enhanced by the deep cannon of John's bass guitar.

If there was any doubt that Pete Townsend is the finest rhythm guitarist in the whole of rock, 'Pinball Wizard' sets the record straight. The B-Side incidentally, was Keith Moon's jokey 'Dogs Part II', a throw away track with composition credited to 'Moon, Towser and Jason'. Towser was Pete's pet spaniel and Jason was John's favourite deerhound.

Thunderclap Newman - Something In The Air

Written by: Speedy Keen

Release Date: May, 1969

Highest Chart Position: #1 UK

Album Track: Hollywood Dream

B-Side Single: Wilhelmina

In 1969, Pete Townshend, The Who's guitarist, was the catalyst behind the formation of the band. The concept was to create a band to perform songs written by drummer and singer Speedy Keen, who had written "Armenia City in the Sky", the first track on The Who Sell Out. Townshend recruited jazz pianist Andy "Thunderclap" Newman (a friend from art college), and 15-year-old Glaswegian guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, who subsequently played lead guitar in Paul McCartney and Wings. Keen played the drums and sang the lead.

Jimi Hendrix – Hey Joe

Written by: Billy Roberts

Release Date: Dec, 1966 in UK

Highest Chart Position: #6 UK

Album Track: Are You Experienced?

B-Side: Stone Free (U.K), 51st Anniversary (US)

The lyrics tell of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico after shooting his unfaithful wife. 

Listed at No. 201 on Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010.

"Hey Joe" was the last song Hendrix performed at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and as such, it was also the final song of the whole festival. The song was performed after the crowd, comprising the 80,000 who had not yet left the festival, cheered for an encore

Derek And The Dominos - Layla

Written by: Eric Clapton/Jim Gordon

Release Date: March, 1971

Highest Chart Position: #7 UK

Album Track: Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs

B-Side Single: Bell Bottom Blues

Clapton originally wrote "Layla" as a ballad, with lyrics describing his unrequited love for Boyd, but the song became a "rocker" when, according to Clapton, Allman composed the song's signature riff. The song's length (7:04) proved prohibitive for radio airplay. As a result, a shortened version of the song, consisting of the first 2:43 of Part I, was released as a single in March 1971 by Atco Records in the United States. This version peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Rod Stewart - Maggie May

Written by: Rod Stewart/Mark Quittenton

Release Date: July, 1971

Highest Chart Position: #1 UK/US

Album Track: Every Picture Tells A Story

B-Side Single: Reason To Believe

Maggie May expresses the ambivalence and contradictory emotions of a boy involved in a relationship with an older woman and was written from Stewart's own experience. The song was released as the B-side of the single "Reason to Believe", but soon radio stations began playing the B-side and "Maggie May" became the more popular side. The song was Stewart's first substantial hit as a solo performer and launched his solo career. 

Eric Burdon And The Animals - Sky Pilot

Written by: Burdon/Briggs/Welder/Jenkins/McCulloch

Release Date: Jan, 1968 

Highest Chart Position: #14 US

Album Track: The Twain Shall Meet

B-Side Single: Sky Pilot Pt. 2

The sprawling single “Sky Pilot,” released at the dawn of that war-torn year, proved to be a game changer, one of rock’s first cinematic songs. At more than seven minutes, the number annexed both sides of the 45 record, its many sonic effects captured in true stereo. Even at that length, Eric Burdon’s song was a hit single, reaching No. 14 in the U.S. and remaining an FM radio staple over the decades. While the song’s subtle anti-war message surely concerned the Vietnam War, its shadowing invoked the two world wars.

The song is a balladic slice of life story about a chaplain who blesses a body of troops just before they set out on an overnight raid or patrol, and then retires to await their return.

Cream - White Room

Written by: Jack Bruce/Pete Brown

Release Date: Sept, 1968

Highest Chart Position: #6 US

Album Track: Wheels Of Fire

B-Side Single: Those Were Thee Days

Cream recorded White Room for the studio half of their 1968 double album Wheels of Fire. In September, a shorter US single edit (without the third verse) was released for AM radio stations, although album-oriented FM radio stations played the full album version. The subsequent UK single release in January 1969 used the full-length album version of the track.

Jack Bruce sang and played bass on the song, Eric Clapton overdubbed guitar parts, Ginger Baker played drums and timpani, and Felix Pappalardi – the group's producer – contributed violas. Clapton played his guitar through a wah-wah pedal to achieve a "talking-effect".

Focus - Hocus Pocus

Written by: Thijs Van Leer/Jan Akkerman

Release Date: July, 1971

Highest Chart Position: #9 US/Dutch

Album Track: Moving Waves

B-Side Single: Janis

An edited version was released as a single (with "Janis" as the B-side) on the Imperial, Polydor and Blue Horizon labels in Europe in 1971, but failed to chart outside of the Netherlands. A faster re-recording of the song (titled "Hocus Pocus 2" or "Hocus Pocus II" in some markets) was released in Europe in 1972. When performing live, Focus would play "Hocus Pocus" even faster. Supposedly the song was a bit of a joke by its authors, but if so, it was a very successful million-selling joke. 

Status Quo - Rain

Written by: Rick Parfitt

Release Date: Feb, 1976

Highest Chart Position: #7 UK

Album Track: Blue For You

B-Side Single: You Lost The Love

"Rain" was intended for Blue for You predecessor On the Level – but, at the time of the recording sessions, Parfitt had not completed the song and so it was held over. It in fact followed guitarist Francis Rossi's new introduction to speed; "That's why songs like 'Rain' were so edgy and fast," he explained.

John Mayall - Moving On

Written by: John Mayall

Release Date: 1973

Highest Chart Position: #116 US

Album Track: Moving On

B-Side Single: Keep Our Country Green

The single was lifted from "Moving On", a live album recorded at the Whiskey AGoGo, Los Angeles on the 10th of July 1972 with the aid of Wally Heider's Mobile Recording Truck. For this album, he reshuffled personnel, choosing Mitchell, Solomon, Larry Taylor, Victor Gaskin, Hartley, Robinson, Watts, flautist Charles Owen and baritone and tenor saxophonist Fred Jackson. The album and single, Moving On, was released in January, 1973.

Golden Earring - Radar Love

Written by: G.Kooyman/H.Hay

Release Date: Aug, 1973

Highest Chart Position: #10 US

Album Track: Moontan

B-Side Single: The Song Is Over

Radar Love is written from the point of view of a truck driver who says he has some sort of psychic connection with his girlfriend — "radar love". He senses that she urgently wants him to be with her, and it makes him reckless. His recklessness causes him to have a fatal accident, but even in the afterlife the song's narrator and his lover still have radar love.

Nazereth - Love Hurts

Written by: Boudleaux Bryant

Release Date: Nov, 1974

Highest Chart Position: #8 US

Album Track: Hair Of The Dog

B-Side Single: Down

Performed as a power ballad, the Nazareth version is the most popular version of the song and the only rendition of "Love Hurts" to become a hit single in the United States, reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1976. Jim Capaladi released a 'more up beat' version of Love Hurts in early 1975 and at one stage both versions were on the same charts at the same time - I personally preferred Nazareth's version.  The album version runs 3:52, with a guitar solo by Manny Charlton that is not on the 3:03 single. The lyrics of the song were changed for Nazareth's 1975 recording, where the original line "love is like a stove/it burns you when it's hot" was changed to "love is like a flame/it burns you when it's hot".

Oh, by the way, did you know that Nazareth got their name from the first line of the Band's "The Weight" - "I pulled into Nazareth..."

Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff

Written by: Bob Marley

Release Date: 1974

Highest Chart Position: #1 US

Album Track: 46 Ocean Boulevard

B-Side Single: Give Me Strength

With respect to the song title, Marley has explained his intention as "I wanted to say 'I shot the police' but the government would have made a fuss, so I said 'I shot the sheriff' instead… but it's the same idea: justice. Clapton kept the underlying reggae beat from Marley's original, but made it more of a rock song, with prominent organ and guitar. In America, reggae was big around this time - in 1972, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash became the first song of that genre to hit #1 in the States. For listeners craving just a touch of reggae with their rock, Clapton's "I Shot The Sheriff" hit the sweet spot.

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Various Artists - Immortal Rock Vol.2  (1979)

 In the tradition of the first Immortal Rock album (Polystar 2475 517) this collection features further examples of all time rock classics from the 60's and 70's. 

From Chuck Berry to Roger Daltrey....the Who's Who (no punn intended)  of Rock's Golden era are featured on this 2nd compilation.

Singles featured on this compilation are:

Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower 

Written by: Bob Dylan

Release Date: Sept, 1968 

Highest Chart Position: #20

Album Track: Electric Ladyland

B-Side Single: Long Hot Summer Night

Hendrix had been working on and off with the members of the band Traffic as he recorded Electric Ladyland. Traffic guitarist Dave Mason caught Hendrix at a party and the two discussed Bob Dylan's newest album, John Wesley Harding, containing "All Along The Watchtower." Hendrix, long fascinated with Dylan, decided to cover the song on the album. On the resulting track, Mason plays rhythm on a 12-string acoustic guitar.

Rare Bird - Sympathy

Written by: Rare Bird

Release Date: Feb 1970

Highest Chart Position: #27 UK

Album Track: Rare Bird

B-Side Single: Devil's High Concern

"Sympathy" is a song by the English progressive rock band Rare Bird. It became the band's only UK chart entry when it peaked at number 27 in the UK Singles Chart in 1970. The song reached No. 1 in Italy and in France, selling 500,000 copies in France and over one million globally.

Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

Written by: Bob Russell/Bobby Scott

Release Date: Sept, 1969

Highest Chart Position: #3 UK

Album Track: Non-album Single

B-Side Single: 'Cos You Like to Love Me

The Hollies' recorded the song in June 1969 at the Abbey Road Studios, with Allan Clarke on lead vocals. Elton John, who was still called 'Reg' at the time and was working as a session musician at the time, played piano on the song. He got paid 12 pounds for his trouble. 

In the Guardian newspaper of February 24, 2006, Hollies guitarist Tony Hicks said: "In the 1960s when we were short of songs I used to hang around publishers in Denmark Street. One afternoon, I'd been there ages and wanted to get going but this bloke said: 'Well there's one more song. It's probably not for you.' He played me the demo by the writers [Bobby Scott and Bob Russell]. It sounded like a 45rpm record played at 33rpm, the singer was slurring, like he was drunk. But it had something about it. There were frowns when I took it to the band but we speeded it up and added an orchestra. The only things left recognizable were the lyrics.

Rod Stewart - Mandolin Wind

Written by: Rod Stewart

Release Date: June, 1971

Highest Chart Position: #66 Aust 

Album Track: Every Picture Tell's A Story

B-Side Single: (I Know) I'm Losing You

"Mandolin Wind" was first released on Stewart's 1971 album Every Picture Tells a Story and later as the b-side of a single from that album, his version of "(I Know) I'm Losing You.

"Mandolin Wind" has been highly praised by music critics. In his review of Every Picture Tells a Story in Rolling Stone, John Mendelsohn refers to the song as being "nearly as good" as the #1 single off the album, "Maggie May."

The identity of the mandolin player on "Mandolin Wind" is unclear. The liner notes state that "the mandolin was played by the mandolin player in Lindisfarne" but that Rod Stewart had forgotten his name. In 2003, Ray Jackson claimed to be the mandolin player on the album, at least for the song "Maggie May." Jackson is the mandolin player from English folk-rock band Lindisfarne.

Allman Brothers - Ramblin' Man

Written by: Dickey Betts

Release Date: Aug, 1973 in US

Highest Chart Position: #2 US

Album Track: Brothers and Sisters

B-Side: Pony Boy

It was one of the first songs, alongside "Wasted Words", recorded for Brothers and Sisters (1973). They went to the studio to record a demo of the song to send to a friend, which is where the long guitar jam near the finale of the song was created. It is considerably more inspired by country music than other Allman Brothers Band compositions, which made the group reluctant to record it initially.

James Brown - It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World

Written by: James Brown/Betty Jean Newsome

Release Date: April, 1966

Highest Chart Position: #1 US

Album Track: It's A Man's Man's Man's World

B-Side Single: Is It Yes or Is It No?

The song's title is a word play on the 1963 comedy film It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Brown's co-writer and onetime girlfriend, Betty Jean Newsome, wrote the lyrics based on her own observations of the relations between the sexes. Newsome claimed in later years that Brown did not write any part of the song, and she argued in court that he sometimes forgot to pay her royalties. Australian musician Renée Geyer recorded a version in 1974. The song was released in November 1974 as the second single from her second studio album, It's a Man's Man's World. The song peaked at number 44 on the Australian Kent Music Report, becoming her first Australian top 50 single.

Roger Daltrey - Walking The Dog

Written by: Rufus Thomas

Release Date: June, 1975

Highest Chart Position: #52 UK

Album Track: Ride A Rock Horse

B-Side Single: Proud

Walking The Dog was recorded during Daltrey's filming commitments for Ken Russell's film Lisztomania. Daltrey’s version of the regularly rendered song basically sticks to the original blueprint, with the exception of a rather hauntingly repetitious tone slipped into the stew. It is quite baffling that the album from which this single was taken from, Ride a Rock Horse drew mixed responses when initially released. No doubt expectations simply ran too high for the Who celeberity, as this is certainly a potent piece of work. Daltrey’s amazing vocals, combined with sympathetic and inspired instrumentation anchor each number. Had Daltrey been an unknown entity and Ride a Rock Horse marked his maiden vinyl voyage, critics would have probably penned rapturous reviews. Those who wrote this album off the first time around should seriously give it another listen, while those just being introduced to Ride a Rock Horse will be suitably impressed.

Bachman Turner Overdrive - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

Written by: Randy Bachman

Release Date: Sept, 1974

Highest Chart Position: #1 US

Album Track: Not Fragile

B-Side Single: Free Wheelin'

The chorus of the song includes the song's famous stutter, and speaks of a devil woman looking at a man with big brown eyes and saying, "You ain't seen nothin' yet. B-b-b-baby, you just ain't seen na-na-nothin' yet. Here's somethin' that you're never gonna forget. B-b-b-baby, you just ain't seen na-na-nothin' yet.

Randy Bachman insists that the song was performed as a joke for his brother, Gary, who had a stutter, with no intention of sounding like the Who's "My Generation" which featured a stuttered lyric.  They only intended to record it once with the stutter and send the only recording to Gary.

Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love

Written by: Jack Bruce/Pete Brown/Eric Clapton

Release Date: Dec, 1967

Highest Chart Position: 

Album Track: Disraeli Gears

B-Side Single: SWLABR

With elements of hard rock, psychedelia, and pop, this song is one of Cream's best known and most popular songs. Cream bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce based it on a distinctive bass riff he developed after attending a Jimi Hendrix concert. Guitarist Eric Clapton and lyricist Pete Brown later contributed to the song and drummer Ginger Baker plays a distinctive tom-tom drum rhythm.

Jon English - Turn The Page

Written by: Bob Seger

Release Date: 1974

Highest Chart Position: #20 Aust

Album Track: It's All A Game

B-Side Single: Just the Way I Am

Turn The page is about life on the road, and the rigors musicians face when they're touring. It presents the other side of fame which the public doesn't see - the loneliness and aggravation.

Lovin' Spoonful - Summer In The City

Written by: John & Mark Sebastian

Release Date: July, 1966

Highest Chart Position: #1 US

Album Track: Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful

B-Side Single: Butchie's Tune

The Lovin' Spoonful recorded "Summer in the City" in two sessions at Columbia Studios in New York in March 1966. The recording is an early instance in pop music of added sound effects, made up of car horns and a pneumatic drill to mimic city noises. The effects were among the first on a pop song to employ an overlapping crossfade, an effect that had typically only been used on comedy albums. 

Eric Burdon & The Animals - Monterey

Written by: Burdon/Briggs/Welder/Jenkins/McCulloch

Release Date: Dec, 1967

Highest Chart Position: #15 US

Album Track: The Twain Shall Meet

B-Side Single: Ain't That So

The song provides an oral account of the June 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, at which the Animals performed. Burdon namedrops several of the acts who performed at the festival such as The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, the Who, the Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix. Chart wise, the song reached number 9 in Australia and number 20 in New Zealand. It did not appear as a hit in the UK, where the image of the Monterey festival was not as strong.

Chuck Berry - No Particular Place To Go

Written by: Chuck Berry

Release Date: May, 1964

Highest Chart Position: #3 UK

Album Track: St. Louis To Liverpool

B-Side Single: You Two

The song is a comical four verse story. In the first verse, the narrator is riding in his car as his girlfriend drives, and they kiss. In the second, they start to cuddle, and drive slow. In the third, they decide to park and take a walk, but are unable to release the seat belt. In the last verse, they drive home, defeated by said recalcitrant seat belt.

Slade - Get Down & Get With It

Written by: Bobby Marchan

Release Date: May, 1971

Highest Chart Position:  #16 UK

Album Track: Sladest

B-Side Single: Gospel According To Rasputin

Prior to recording the song in the studio, the band had established "Get Down and Get with It" as a popular number in their live-set, based on Little Richard's version. 

Impressed by the general audience reception of the song, Chandler suggested recording the song as a single. The band entered Olympic Studios in Barnes to record it and Chandler told the band: "Just play it like you do on-stage. Blast it out like it's live, and pretend that there's an audience in there with you." Successfully recorded in a single take, the band included foot-stomping and hand-clapping in the recording to give the song a live feel.

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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my Vinyl copies of these two compilation albums. Quality of these records is excellent although some base enhancements have been made to some tracks.

Full album artwork and label scans are included for vinyl - as far as I can tell, neither of these compilations have been released on CD.

Tracklist - Immortal Rock (1977)

A1   The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown  – Fire

A2   The Who  –  Pinball Wizard

A3   Thunderclap Newman  –  Something In The Air

A4   Jimi Hendrix  –  Hey Joe

A5   Derek And The Dominos  –  Layla

A6   Rod Stewart  –  Maggie May

A7   Eric Burdon And The Animals  –  Sky Pilot

B1   Cream –  White Room

B2   Focus –  Hocus Pocus

B3   Status Quo  –  Rain

B4   John Mayall  –  Moving On

B5   Golden Earring  –  Radar Love

B6   Nazareth – Love Hurts

B7   Eric Clapton  –  I Shot The Sheriff

Immortal Rock Link (327Mb) New Link 18/10/2023

Tracklist - Immortal Rock Vol.2 (1979)

A1 Jimi Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower

A2 Rare Bird –   Sympathy

A3 The Hollies – He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother

A4 Rod Stewart – Mandolin Wind

A5 The Allman Brothers Band –   Ramblin' Man

A6 James Brown – It's A Man's Man's Man's World

A7 Roger Daltrey – Walking The Dog

B1 Bachman-Turner Overdrive –   You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

B2 Cream – Sunshine Of Your Love

B3 Jon English – Turn The Page

B4 The Lovin' Spoonful – Summer In The City

B5 Eric Burdon & The Animals –  Monterey

B6 Chuck Berry – No Particular Place To Go

B7 Slade – Get Down & Get With It

Immortal Rock Vol.2 Link (307Mb) New Link 18/10/2023

Cream - Swedish Radio Sessions (1967) Bootleg

(U.K July 1966  -  November 1968)
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"Cream" The haughty-sounding name of the group formed by Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in July 1966 was not without some justification. Guitarist Eric Clapton, aged 21. had already been dubbed "God" by a prophet on a North London wall for his playing with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. He'd demonstrated his purist principles a year earlier, quitting "the most blueswailin" Yardbirds when they'd dared to go pop with their "For Your Love" single. And he'd also played sessions with first generation bluesman like Sonny Boy Willamson and Champion Jack Dupree.

Drummer Ginger Baker, aged 26. had come from a trad jazz background with Acker Bilk and Terry Lightfoot before moving into the burgeoning R&B scene in the early '60s with Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation whose jazz-tinged R&B gained them a strong reputation in musical circles and the club circuit.

Bassist Jack Bruce, aged 23, had studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and had already played with Baker in Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated and the Graham Bond Organisation. He'd also briefly coincided with Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and as part of an all-star session band that also featured Steve Winwood and Paul Jones before a short spell in the pop limelight with Manfred Mann.

Cream's formation sent a frisson of anticipation through a music world for whom the "supergroup" concept - not to mention the cynical connotations - was still some years away Their first gig on 31 July at the Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival (the forerunner of the Reading Festival) fulfilled all expectations as the band revelled in the possibilities of fusing the festival's favoured musical styles with their own much-vaunted skills. So the comparatively understated, low-key pop of their first single. "Wrapping Paper", in October came as something of a surprise, despite the band's previously stated commercial intentions.

Their debut album, Fresh Cream, released on Robert Stigwood's Reaction Records in December 1966, was an affirmation of the band's original manifesto. The group written numbers, featured blazing nascent heavy metal rock riffs on tracks like "NSU" and "Sweet Wine" providing a foundation for some short, sharp, sonic blasts that utilised Jack Bruce's fierce counterpoint bass, Ginger Baker's thunderous rhythms on his elaborate double bass-drum kit and Eric Clapton's searing solos and ferocious feedback. They also gave a vivid demonstration of just how far you could take blues numbers like Howling Wolf's "Spoonful", Robert Johnson's "Four Until Late" and Skip James' "I'm So Glad" while staying true to the spirit of the originals.

They even found a viable commercial formula for their second single, "I Feel Free" (with lyrics supplied by underground poet Pete Brown), compressing their talents into a three-minute swirl of rhythms, vocal harmonies and controlled feedback guitar. It got them to Number 11 in the charts and onto BBC Television's Top Of The Pops where they found themselves on the same show as Jimi Hendrix who was performing "Hey Joe". Their careers were to run in parallel but while Hendrix's flamboyance gave him the edge in terms of media exposure, particularly in Britain, it was Cream that would make the first breakthrough in America.

Having tightened themselves as a group with gigs around Britain and Europe during the first part of 1967, Cream set their sights on America, Their initial attempts were somewhat misguided - a week-long 15-minute slot six times a day in front of screaming teenagers on DJ Murray The K's "Music In The Fifth Dimension" show at the RKO Theatre in New York with Hermans' Hermits, The Loving Spoonful and The Who was notably unsuccessful. But once they were put in front of audiences who wanted to listen rather than scream they were guaranteed a rapturous response.

Cream Publicity Shot For Polydor

They also got the opportunity to record their second album at New York's Atlantic Studios in May 1967 - with producer Felix Pappalardi and engineer Tom Dowd. The sessions may have been hurried - three and a half days in total according to Dowd, foreclosed when a chauffeur arrived to take them to JFK Airport - but Disraeli Gears flowed with a supreme, focused confidence that grew out of the quality of the material the band had prepared. The opening track, "Strange Brew", a sublime BB King-influenced blues, was the band's third UK single, reaching Number 17 in July. The B-side, "Tales Of Brave Ulysses", was Clapton's first extravagant flourish using the newly introduced wah-wah pedal (was it any coincidence that Hendrix's first wah-wah flurry on "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" came out at the same time?). It was the epic "Sunshine Of Your Love" that was to become Cream's anthem -a pile-driving riff and climatic chorus that instinctively drew on the finest assets of the trio. The other tracks ranged across the ethereal, Byrds-like "Dance The Night Away", the attacking staccato of "SWLABR" (standing for "She Walks Like a Bearded Rainbow"*) and the steady rising crescendo of 'We're Going Wrong".

Disraeli Gears was released in November '67, towards the end of an extraordinary year of landmark albums that included The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper", The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds", Jefferson Airplane's "Surrealistic Pillow", Love's "Oa Capo", The Doors "The Doors", The Velvet Underground's "The Velvet Underground & Nico" and Pink Floyd's "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn".

Like them, Disraeli Gears perfectly catches the spirit of the moment which was epitomised by Martin Sharp's quintessential British flower-powered cover artwork. Cream had spent much of the summer of '67 playing concerts around Britain, including another appearance -this time top of the bill - at the Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival, but the last four months of the year were mainly spent in America, touring to increasing critical and popular acclaim as Disraeli Gears made the US Top 5, selling a million copies and fuelling the band's ascent to superstardom. The gilt edge to their rising status was provided by San Francisco which fervently took the band to its breast alongside its own myriad local heroes headed by The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.

Sessions for Cream's third album, Wheels Of Fire, were spread over the course of a year from mid '67 to mid '68, with some basic tracks being laid down at London's IBC Studios before the bulk of the work was completed back at New York's Atlantic Studios, again with Felix Pappalardi and Tom Dowd, The relatively extended time the group were able to spend in the studio allowed them to sound more comfortable which was in turn reflected by the more sophisticated production. In addition the group's internal musical dynamic was changing. The Jack Bruce/Pete Brown partnership supplied four of the album's nine tracks including the monumental "White Room", Cream's other great anthem with its portentous descending chords and driving wah-wah guitar, the biting, stiff funk of "Politician" and the florid escapism of "Deserted Cities Of The Heart".

Jack Bruce

Ginger Baker teamed"up with avant garde jazz musician Mike Taylor for three tracks including the babbling but melodic "Those Were The Days" and "Pressed Rat And Warthog" which is as spaced out as it sounds, Clapton, who'd had four co-writing credits on the previous album, preferred to cover Howlin' Wolf's grinding blues "Sittin On Top Of The World" and Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign" (written by the Stax soul team of Booker T Jones and William Bell). However, he did write a winsome ditty with Martin Sharp called "/Anyone For Tennis" which was recorded for the soundtrack of the Savage Seven movie and released as a single in May '68.

To this studio album, Cream added a second album of live tracks recorded in San Francisco in March 1968 called "Live At The Fillmore" (even though three of the four tracks were actually recorded at the Winterland). It included a monstrous 17-minute version of "Spoonful" that defined the term "rock jam", "Toad" a 16-minute drum solo and a 4-minute 14-second exquisite encapsulation of the power and musical dexterity that was Cream at their very very best -"Crossroads". Robert Johnson's stark, eerie masterpiece was given a different but equally compelling intensity.

Eric Clapton

But even as "Sunshine Of Your Love" was giving Cream their first American Top 40 single in February 1968 (it would go on to reach Number 5 in the summer), rumours that the band were planning to split were rife. The sparks that had given Cream their mercurial quality and inspiration were now destroying the group as their increasingly fractured personalities clashed under the suffocating conditions of endless touring.

By the time Wheels Of Fire was released in August 1968, resplendent in another magnificent Martin Sharp design, Cream had effectively ceased to exist as a group except when they were on stage together. That did not prevent the album from being an instant smash hit, however. It topped the album charts in the US for four weeks. In the UK, Wheels Of Fire was released both as a double album and as a single "studio" album and both versions made the Top 10 - at Number 3 and Number 7 respectively.

Clapton, Bruce and Baker had had enough each other, however. Cream were finished, They agreed to a farewell tour, which started in America in October and bowed out in style at London's Royal Albert Hall on 26 November.
Just before their last tour, Cream recorded three tracks at London's IBC Studios including "Badge" which featured George Harrison (credited as "L'Angela Mysterioso" for contractual reasons) on rhythm guitar and Clapton on the trademark bridge riff (or "badge" as he misread it on Harrison's lyric sheet). These tracks, together with three more live tracks, made up the Goodbye album released in March '69, topping the UK charts and reaching Number 2 in the US.

By then, the three members of Cream had moved on - Clapton and Baker into Blind Faith and Bruce into his solo career.

This post is a radio broadcast performance recorded at the "Concert Hall" in Stockholm on Cream's short Scandinavian tour on 7th March, 1967. It established them in Scandanavia.
The 5 songs were later broadcast on Sveriges Radio's "Konsert Med Cream"

This bootleg has been promoted as an "excellent" quality recording. While it is good it does have some problems. Of the three "excellent' quality versions I have heard, all are sped up. The worst ranges from 7-15% over speed.
The performance includes the five songs that would become the closing elements of their extended improvisational sets later in the year.
It is interesting to note that Ginger Baker's name is advertised as 'Peter Baker' on this Swedish billboard poster, and his nickname was probably unknown in European countries at that time.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from a Koine CD (sourced sometime ago from cyberspace) and includes limited artwork. I have also chosen to include artwork from some alternative releases that also include live tracks from other concerts during their 1967 tour, and are readily available on the internet if you search Google.
Track reviews below by Graeme Pattingale

Concert Review

Track Listing
01 - NSU (Bruce) 4.06
Starts with Baker sounding like he's been slowed down but in fact he's marking time while Jack sorts out some hardware problem. EC joins in to fill out time and then jack joins in. Not a significant variation on the 'Klooks' or "Fresh Cream' versions except its harder and the solo starting to adopt the three way jamming elements.
02 - Stepping Out (Bracken) 4.09
A brief performance but shows Eric's continuing growth and increased interaction between all three.
03 - Traintime (Bruce) 5.55
The Graham Bond Organisation piece revived in a reasonably extended performance. Jack and Ginger have been doing this for years and its really a bravura piece for both of them.
04 - Toad (Baker) 6.52
Short and close to the 'Fresh Cream' recording. The later extended versions were criticised as excessive but this lacks the excitement of the musical development of those versions. Baker was not a teller of short stories.
05 - I'm So Glad (James) 4.58
This song was usually the frantic closer of their sets later in the year. This is a proto-rendition ending with the guitar feeding back as Eric leaves it leaning against the stack.

Cream were:
Eric Clapton - Guitar / Vocals 
Jack Bruce - Bass / Vocals 
Ginger Baker - Drums

Cream Swedish Radio Sessions FLACs (181Mb) New Link 02/05/2020