Cream teamed up with producer Felix Pappalardi for their second album, Disraeli Gears, a move that helped push the power trio toward psychedelia and also helped give the album a thematic coherence missing from the debut. This, of course, means that Cream get further away from the pure blues improvisatory troupe they were intended to be, but it does get them to be who they truly are: a massive, innovative power trio.
The blues still courses throughout Disraeli Gears -- the swirling kaleidoscopic "Strange Brew" is built upon a riff lifted from Albert King -- but it's filtered into saturated colors, as it is on "Sunshine of Your Love," or it's slowed down and blurred out, as it is on the ominous murk of "Tales of Brave Ulysses." It's a pure psychedelic move that's spurred along by Jack Bruce's flourishing collaboration with Pete Brown.
Together, this pair steers the album away from recycled blues-rock and toward its eccentric British core, for with the fuzzy freakout "Swlabr," the music hall flourishes of "Dance the Night Away," the swinging "Take It Back," and of course, the old music hall song "Mother's Lament," this is a very British record. Even so, this crossed the ocean and also became a major hit in America, because regardless of how whimsical certain segments are, Cream are still a heavy rock trio and Disraeli Gears is a quintessential heavy rock album of the '60s. Yes, its psychedelic trappings tie it forever to 1967, but the imagination of the arrangements, the strength of the compositions, and especially the force of the musicianship make this album transcend its time as well.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
2013 SA-CD SHM-CD
1. Strange Brew (Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 2:47
2. Sunshine Of Your Love (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 4:10
3. World Of Pain (Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 3:03
4. Dance The Night Away (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:35
5. Blue Condition (Ginger Baker) - 3:30
6. Tales Of Brave Ulysses (Eric Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 2:46
7. SWLABR (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 2:33
8. We’re Going Wrong (Jack Bruce) - 3:28
9. Outside Woman Blues (Blind Joe Reynolds) - 2:26
10. Take It Back (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:07
11. Mother’s Lament (Traditional) - 1:48
12. Lawdy Mama (Traditional) - 2:02
13. Lawdy Mama (Traditional) - 2:48
14. Blue Condition (Ginger Baker) - 3:09
15. Strange Brew (Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 2:48
16. Sunshine Of Your Love (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 4:12
17. World Of Pain (Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 3:07
18. Dance The Night Away (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:35
19. Blue Condition (Ginger Baker) - 3:29
20. Tales Of Brave Ulysses (Eric Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 2:52
21. SWLABR (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 2:33
22. We’re Going Wrong (Jack Bruce) - 3:28
23. Outside Woman Blues (Blind Joe Reynolds) - 2:26
24. Take It Back (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:07
25. Mother’s Lament (Traditional) - 1:49
26. Lawdy Mama (Traditional) - 2:01
27. Lawdy Mama (Traditional) - 2:47
28. Blue Condition (Ginger Baker) - 3:13
Tracks 1-14 Stereo Recordings
Tracks 15-28 Mono Versions
Bonus Tracks 12-14, 26-28
2008 SHM-CD
Disc 1
1. Strange Brew (Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 2:46
2. Sunshine of Your Love (Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 4:10
3. World of Pain (Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 3:03
4. Dance the Night Away (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:34
5. Blue Condition (Ginger Baker) - 3:29
6. Tales of Brave Ulysses (Eric Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 2:46
7. Swlabr (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 2:32
8. We're Going Wrong (Jack Bruce) - 3:26
9. Outside Woman Blues (Blind Joe Reynolds) - 2:24
10.Take It Back (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:05
11.Mother's Lament (Traditional) - 1:47
12.Lawdy Mama (Version 2) (Traditional) - 2:00
13.Blue Condition (Alternate Version) (Ginger Baker) - 3:13
14.We're Going Wrong (Jack Bruce) - 3:49
15.Hey Now, Princess (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:31
16.Swlabr (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 4:30
17.Weird of Hermiston (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:12
18.The Clearout (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:58
Tracks 1-11 Stereo
Tracks 12-13 Outtakes
Tracks 14-18 Demos
Disc 2
1. Strange Brew (Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 2:46
2. Sunshine of Your Love (Clapton, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 4:10
3. World of Pain (Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 3:03
4. Dance the Night Away (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:34
5. Blue Condition (Ginger Baker) - 3:29
6. Tales of Brave Ulysses (Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 2:46
7. Swlabr (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 2:32
8. We're Going Wrong (Jack Bruce) - 3:26
9. Outside Woman Blues (Blind Joe Reynolds) - 2:24
10.Take It Back (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:05
11.Mother's Lament (Traditional) - 1:47
12. Lawdy Mama (Traditional) - 2:04
13. Blue Condition (Ginger Baker) - 3:12
14.Strange Brew (Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gail Collins) - 3:00
15.Tales of Brave Ulysses (Clapton, Sharp) - 2:55
16.We're Going Wrong (Jack Bruce) - 3:25
17.Born Under a Bad Sign (Booker T. Jones, William Bell) - 3:03
18.Outside Woman Blues (Blind Joe Reynolds) - 3:18
19.Take It Back (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 2:17
20.Politician (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 3:59
21.Swlabr (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) - 2:32
22.Steppin' Out (James Bracken) - 3:37
Tracks 1-11 Mono
Tracks 12-13 Outtakes
Tracks 14-22 BBC recordings
Cream
*Ginger Baker - Drums, Vocals
*Jack Bruce - Bass, Harmonica, Keyboards, Vocals
*Eric Clapton - Guitar, Vocals
