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‘Songs For A Tailor’: After Cream, Jack Bruce’s Strongest Suit
A quick look at the songwriting credits on any of Cream’s albums will quickly show that they covered some blues classics. But it will also highlight the songwriting talent of John Symon Asher Bruce –...
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Down In The Soul Cellar: Spencer Davis Group Reopen Twisted Wheel
The Twisted Wheel is one of those night spots and music venues that remains in the hearts of those who frequented it, decades after its heyday. The original R&B club in Brazennose Street,...
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‘Blind Faith’: The Ultimate Supergroup’s Transatlantic Triumph
They were formed from the top division of British rock talent of the late 1960s and lasted for precisely one album. But September 20, 1969 was the date of perhaps the ultimate supergroup’s...
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‘White Room’: The Definitive Cream Recording?
There’s no question; if we had to pick just one track by Cream that epitomizes Jack Bruce’s vocal delivery, it would be “White Room.” There is something so special about the way he comes in following...
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Psychedelic Blues: When The Blues Turned On And Tuned In
After psychedelia came to a boil in the late 60s, the blues and rock heroes of the 50s took a brief but thrilling walk on the wild side, with fuzz guitars, wah-wah effects, and epic jams to the fore....
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It’s Goodbye From Us: Cream Hit The Road For Their Long Farewell
The feelings must have been bittersweet when Cream arrived on stage in America in October 1968. At the beginning of their farewell tour, the group were in the hottest commercial form of their short...
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Cream Wrap Up The Charts With Their First Single
While it never made it to their debut album, Cream’s very first single was a jazz-influenced song called “Wrapping Paper” that caught the music world off guard. The band that became the model for just...
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Derek And The Dominos’ ‘At The Fillmore’: Clapton’s Complicated Recording
Unravelling the Derek And the Dominos In Concert album and its subsequent incarnations is a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle. The different versions, culled from different shows, make it extremely...
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‘Disraeli Gears’: How Cream Shifted Into Psych-Blues Legends
Cream’s second album was recorded over three and a half days between May 8-16, 1967 in Atlantic Studios at 1841 Broadway, on the corner of 60th Street in New York City. Produced by Felix Pappalardi who...
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How Derek and The Dominos’ Historic Layla Sessions Birthed A Classic
From The Roosters to the Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, and Delaney and Bonnie; Eric Clapton had certainly gotten around prior to forming his new band in early summer 1970....
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Best Psychedelic Albums: 30 Mind-Expanding Records
Look up the word “psychedelic” in the dictionary, and one of the first definitions will be “mind-expanding.” That’s what all of the best psychedelic albums have in common. Most were made during the...
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So This Is Goodbye: When Cream Said Farewell At The Royal Albert Hall
By 1968, London’s Royal Albert Hall was seen by most people as the UK’s home of classical music. Despite hosting concerts by the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and others over the previous five...
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‘Fresh Cream’: A Rise To The Top For Cream’s Stirring Debut
From the first chord of the first song, the debut album by Cream was something new. Eric Clapton’s power chord gave way to handclaps and Jack Bruce’s humming, then Clapton returned in tandem with...
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‘Out Of The Storm’: How Jack Bruce Went Solo Again In 1974
There are hidden gems beyond number in the recording catalog of the late and great Jack Bruce. One of them is his solo entry that enjoyed its brief US chart run in December 1974, Out Of The Storm. The...
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Back Home: Eric Clapton’s Love Affair With The Royal Albert Hall
Eric Clapton’s return visits to his beloved Royal Albert Hall in London are a frequent reminder of the history of this rare relationship between artist and venue. In September 2018, it was literally...
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The Best Guitar Solos: 108 Hair-Raising Moments
There are plenty of ways to play a great guitar solo: You can make jaws drop by shredding for minutes on end, or you can do a simple but unforgettable bit that makes a great song even greater. We’ve...
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The Rhythm & The Blues: A Salute To Jerry Wexler
Plenty of record executives like to think they have changed the shape of popular music in one way or another. Jerry Wexler, born on January 10, 1917, not only changed its shape, he changed its name....
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‘Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert‘: Slowhand Comes Back To Life
As his countless devotees remember, the early 1970s were a difficult time in the life of Eric Clapton. Brought low by heroin addiction, he entered a downward spiral after appearing at his friend George...
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‘Sunshine Of Your Love’: Cream’s Majestic Dawn Surprise
In their short lifespan, Cream were one of the top album bands on the British, and indeed the world, rock scene. But they also amassed quite a sequence of hit singles, and in the chart week of January...
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Double Cream: Eric, Ginger And Jack At The Crossroads In A White Room
It happened when their active life as a group had already come to an end, but one week early in 1969 was doubly significant for Cream. Their version of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” (otherwise known as...
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