Cream – Disraeli Gears (1967)

I have never been much of a fan of Eric Clapton. He always sounded like dad-rock, even when he was young. And indeed, my dad really liked Eric Clapton, so I heard a lot of his music while growing up. It took me quite some time to realise that there was also some quite good albums he was on, but it definitely wasn't his solo stuff. Cream had its roots in blues rock but it evolved quite soon into a psychedelic rock band. The sound of the band is quite raw. All of the instruments sound really authentic without too much studio magic. This kind of sound must've influenced bands like Led Zeppelin who were just starting out in the late 60s. You can hear the blues influences in the style the band plays, but the sounds are heavier and there are some excellent hypnotic melodies on the album. I would go on to say that this is the best thing Clapton ever made.



I only bought this album on vinyl a few months ago. The main reason for buying it was that it's a kind of classic album that I think any record collector should own. Then again, I felt like I was also able to appreciate Cream in a new light after buying it. I bought it from a record-selling coffee shop in Columbia Road market. The vinyl was in really good condition and for that the price wasn't too high. This is definitely kind of music you need to listen to on vinyl only.

The album starts with one of Cream's biggest hits, Strange Brew. It has a groovy beat and sharp electric guitars. You can hear the blues roots of the band really clearly in this song. The list of hit songs continues with Sunshine of Your Love. This is one of the anthems of the drug-infused hippy era. I can see this being a hit in concert halls with psychedelic colours moving on the walls. There are similarities in this song to early Pink Floyd. World of Pain is more straightforward psychedelic pop song. The wah-pedal guitars and high-pitch vocals in the chorus make it almost a prime example of the hippy era psychedelia. Dance the Night Away has some of the most innovative guitar-work on the album. They sound like there would be multiple guitars intertwining, but when you listen carefully, it's most likely just one guitar. Blue Condition is much more of a blues song than a psychedelic rock song and it shows where the band came from. In terms of songwriting, though, it's one of the most boring songs on the album. Tales of Brave Ulysses is one of my favourite songs on the album. The wah-pedal filled guitars and descending melodies remind me of Jimi Hendrix, who arguably perfected this kind of music around the same time. SWLABR has some cool garage rock riffs in the beginning that almost sound like they alone could've influenced The White Stripes to make their music 30 years later. We're Going Wrong is a slow song where the band is at its most experimental. I don't know if they succeed or not with their experimentation. On the other hand, I like the hypnotic sound of the song, but in terms of songwriting, there's not much to grasp in this song. Outside Woman Blues is another garage blues song that has some true rock attitude. It sort of reminds me of the music The Black Keys has been playing in the last ten years or so. Take It Back is a proper rock n' roll song with some excellent harmonicas and bluesy rhythms. The album ends with a comical, very English sounding singalong called Mother's Lament. It almost reminds me of Monty Python's songs.

There's a kind of raw power in Cream's music that I wouldn't really expect from any later Clapton music. It's clearly visible from this live version of Sunshine of Your Love. When you listen to this song, it becomes clear that Cream had some influence in the birth of heavy metal as well. All of the other songs Youtube suggests based on this are early heavy metal classics.

I think I may buy the band's debut album, Fresh Cream, at some point if I find it with affordable price, because that's pretty good as well, but these really form the best of Clapton to me. Disraeli Gears takes even the advantage over the debut with its innovative psychedelic sounds. This album quite deservedly is a classic and should be a part of any good record collection.

Listen to the album on Spotify.