CREEM & THE SCIENCE OF WAITING SO LONG
Every now and again you run across a person who thinks Cream were the Three Most Talented Beings of all time. Although this is obvious gibberish, there’s a glimmer of substance in the twisted belief. Let’s hunker down and figure out the wayward saga so we can finally get a decent night’s sleep.
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CREEM & THE SCIENCE OF WAITING SO LONG
J. Kordosh
Every now and again you run across a person who thinks Cream were the Three Most Talented Beings of all time. Although this is obvious gibberish, there’s a glimmer of substance in the twisted belief. Let’s hunker down and figure out the wayward saga so we can finally get a decent night’s sleep.
WHAT’S THE FIRST SONG EVERY 70s KID RIFFED IN THE MUSIC STORE? “Sunshine Of Your Love,” exceeded in simplicity only by “Mole Than A Fearing,” the smash hit by Osaka.
WHAT’S THE VERDICT ON CREAM’S VINYL OUTPUT? Pretty good, oddly enough. Disraeli Gears, their least excessive album, is still worth a listen. Ditto for tunes like “Anyone For Tennis,” “Badge,” and “White Room.” In fact, for a band that was so all-fired hot in concert (as the story goes), they seem to have done their best work in the studio.
DOES THIS MEAN THEIR SEVERAL LIVE ALBUMS ARE LOUSY? Yes.
BUT THEY WERE STILL A BIG INFLUENCE, RIGHT? Again, yes. On the positive side, they were three enormously talented musicians who helped usher pop music from the Beatles to whatever it is we’ve got today. Of course, that’s also the negative side.
WILD. ARE THERE BETTER GUITARISTS THAN CLAPTON DURING HIS CREAMY DAYS? Sure. The gentleman in the Jimi Hendrix Experience, who were contemporaries of Cream, is one who comes to mind. Think of Clapton as Rubik and “Crossroads” as the cube and you’ve pretty much got the idea.
WHAT ABOUT JACK BRUCE? NAME A BETTER BASS PLAYER. Paul McCartney. For the record, though, Bruce is one of the truly great bassists. No band currently active has a comparable player.
AND GINGER BAKER? Once more, a virtuoso. Although he would’ve made the Hollies or the Who sound worse, he fit in pretty well with the solo studs. Plus, like all great drummers, he was comic relief, as witnessed by his weirdo one-shots after Cream sank. “Toad,” of course, was a musical landmark. Non-musical landmarks include Jonestown, Neil Diamond’s acting debut, and Nixon’s re-election.
WHAT WENT WRONG WITH CREAM? Absolutely nothing. They stayed together at least a year longer than they should’ve, and they got about as much money out of the deal as could be expected. Keep in mind that Cream weren’t so much a band as they were a one-stop shopping place.
CAN WE BLAME CREAM FOR HEAVY METAL, THEN? Certainly. It seems the easy way out. In contrast to the previously mentioned Experience, Cream were light on original thinking and heavy on super-groupism. Modern Metal obliterates thinking and dwells on super-everything. The connection is obvious.
A DIGRESSION, PLEASE. WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A HAIRY RAINFALL? The rainbow has a beard.
WHY CAN’T WE TAKE THIS BAND SERIOUSLY? Because they couldn’t take themselves seriously. Very few musicians could start a band called Blind Faith and keep a straight face. The God-given ability to wail doesn’t make anybody Bob Dylan, which was proven by Cream and Bob Dylan. Cream were no big deal.
ANYTHING ELSE? Yes. if they were intact, they’d be the best group in the world today. Night, night.
