Cream Albums: The Essential Guide

[uwe]

Ok, ok, ok, naming and shaming Muse was unfair, they don't belong with the others!

Actually, I don't even think that Cream were the be-and-end-all of rock music, they did have a tendency to drag on a little bit, especially live, even back then! But that doesn't diminish their influence and how far they took improvisation in rock.

[westen44]

The Allman Brothers also had a tendency to drag on pretty often, but they were still great.   

[uwe]

True, but with two guitars, two drummers and a keyboarder, there was a bit more going on as regards musical colors. It was also a more gentle breeze improvisation, Cream was more intense in a sometimes exhausting way.

Sting once said something very perceptive about the demise of The Police: He said it that it became like painting from a color palette with always only three colors, no matter what you did. And that he wanted the availability of more colors to flesh out the songs he was hearing in his head. In Police, he had a greatly versatile guitarist and a totally idiosyncratic, gifted drummer, but it was still always the same colors.

Much as I like the charm and freedom of trio music, I can relate to that. Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, early Grand Funk Railroad (sans extra keyboards), Taste/early and late Rory Gallagher (ditto), Trapeze, Robin Trower Band, ZZ Top, Rush, even King Crimson in the RED era or UK (in Jobson/Wetton/Bozzio line-up) - none of them sounded really varied in musical colors. Not in a way a band like, say, The Beatles (with George Martin as the fifth Beatle) or Queen did.

Clapton moving on from Cream had a lot to do with that - it wasn't just having heard The Band's songwriting, but also the infinite musical colors The Band could produce (largely thanks to Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson). He never returned to a three-piece-line-up and is tellingly one of the few guitar gods that would nearly always want a second guitarist with him. I believe to him "trio rock" had become a somewhat adolescent concept - discuss! 

Police became actually quite a bit of an "orchestra" in the studio with the later albums - Zenyatta Mondatta was really their last sparse album (though not as sparse as the first two) -, but not sparse enough for Sting's ambitions obviously.

I've played in trios myself. And because I'm a busy and melodic/harmonic bassist with a penchant for doing things on bass most people don't do, I believe I was rather good at it, at least that is what people told me who played with me. But for all the intensity and fun of it, I sometimes missed additional musical colors too.

These days, I find any band line up I play in that doesn't also feature a keyboarder (who plays a lot and not just backing!) amputated.  I find the sonics of the early 70ies Elton John Band more attractive than those of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, now stone free me! There must be a closet pianist/organist lurking in me. 

[westen44]

I was very drawn to trio rock as a teenager.  So calling it adolescent rock might be a good description.  It started with the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream.  Then Grand Funk Railroad and ZZ Top appeared on the scene.  There were others, such as Muse, but that was much later. 

In my first real band, though, I was the one who pushed hard to get a keyboardist.  Except for a brief time when we had a lead singer for a year, I had to do all the vocals, too.  It wasn't until my mid-50s that I got the opportunity to be in a three-piece band.  This time, thank God, I didn't have to do all the singing.  Playing bass with a drummer and guitarist who sang was probably the most fun I've ever had in my entire life.  I found that playing in three-piece bands was just as much or even more fun than listening to them.  Still, they're relatively rare and I have to admit there are many valid arguments against them.  All I can do, however, is speak for myself on the matter. 

[uwe]

I played in a three-piece-band for a while. It was musically gratifying, I could do what I wanted (and did!, the - very good and versatile - guitarist/vocalist loved anything I did, even harmony bass overdubs in the studio  ) plus all outside-musicians really dug us.

Non-musicians were more lukewarm though. I think they were a little overwhelmed at times, we always went down well, but people watched and listened to us in silence rather than groove about and have a good time.

***I played a Kubicki Factor (long scale) with a really upfront sound over a bi-amped "solid state for lows/tubes for the rest"-rig with a 2x700 Watts stereo slave over 1x18", 1x15" und 4x10" Peavey und Hartke alu cone speakers. I would describe my sound at the time as "clearly (some might say: unrelentingly) audible". 

[westen44]

I played in a three-piece-band for a while. It was musically gratifying, I could do what I wanted (and did!, the - very good and versatile - guitarist/vocalist loved anything I did, even harmony bass overdubs in the studio  ) plus all outside-musicians really dug us.

Non-musicians were more lukewarm though. I think they were a little overwhelmed at times, we always went down well, but people watched and listened to us in silence rather than groove about and have a good time.

***I played a Kubicki Factor (long scale) with a really upfront sound over a bi-amped "solid state for lows/tubes for the rest"-rig with a 2x700 Watts stereo slave over 1x18", 1x15" und 4x10" Peavey und Hartke alu cone speakers. I would describe my sound at the time as "clearly (some might say: unrelentingly) audible". 

That reminded me.  The audience reaction to us was also fairly lukewarm.  Other bands I had been in usually got a lot better reception than that.  The guitarist had a friend who sometimes went along with us on our gigs.  She was also a musician.  I would have liked to know her better, but she made it clear she wasn't interested.  Nevertheless, she gave me probably the biggest compliment I have ever received about my playing.  That probably was a peak, though.  I'm not sure I could match now what I did then.  Now when it comes to both singing and playing I pretty much suck. 

[lowend1]

Successful "power" trios generally require that there be some absolutely staggering talent on board. The instrumentalists are usually doing double or triple duty with vocals, keyboards or whatever. They also have to act as emcees in the absence of a separate frontperson. That kind of scope is not seen much anymore.

[doombass]

I've played the trio format for over 30 years and during that time doubled in other settings. Our trio has ever since our first gig multiple times been said to sound like five though we are only three. We all came from playing in 4 piece bands so I guess we all kind of compensate the lack of a second guitar thus sounding "more"?

[morrow]

Done lots of trios , and I tend to be a groove player , but can fill it out when the rhythm drops out .

[uwe]

Speaking of power trios, look no further ...

[westen44]

I've always liked watching this Nijmegen concert with Robin Trower, Jack Bruce and Gary Husband.  I almost couldn't find it, but was relieved to find it again. 

[uwe]

Back to the topic, Cream who you say? Totally irrelevant for what came after: How could a vocal line be farther removed from anything this Jack Whatchamacallit did?