Cream: Disraeli Gears

While Cream’s name is funny, this band is far from a light-weight in the music realm. I mean, wow! They were pretty outstanding and this musical trio really stood out to me in my listening. I was pleasantly surprised at the level of music ability this band possessed. Because we have listened to a lot of Beatles, being exposed to Cream felt new and energizing. The style was completely different and overall I loved their album. For only their second album, I feel that their songs are very polished and for the most part (except for Mother’s Lament) they were strong on a variety of levels.

First, I’d like to point out their great instrumental use. They took the wild electric guitar sound of Jimi Hendrix and mashed it with vocals of the Who. But not quite. They have their own unique sound that really shocked me. I thought I had heard it all! Unlike a lot of the music preceding this album, “Disraeli Gears” highlights Cream’s jazzy and smooth rock style which also incorporates pretty balanced instrumentals. I love songs that can have wild electric guitar breaks and sick rhythms that drive it forward. Cream covers this no problem. They take the energy and inject it directly into each of their songs. What makes them seem EVEN BETTER than Jimi Hendrix (I know, dare I say it) is that they were able to reinvent themselves in each song. I was surprised at every turn. And it wasn’t the shocking difference between late Beatles’ songs. It was more of a mild change that altered the song, satisfied my craving for versatility, and also maintained a unity amongst the album. I also think that they are better at incorporating and mixing the rocking guitar parts into the rest of the song so that the vocals don’t get overpowered.

So, in every song, Cream brings it to the table (except for Mother’s Lament, which I felt that they must’ve been doing drugs while singing) instrumentally. Their vocals also varied in a positive manner. In some songs the vocals ooze energy while at other times they are crooning or have a voice haunted in tone.

But let’s get to the album! I guess I was too enamored with their fresh style! Anyway, I’d like to point out four main songs. These songs emphasize the multi-faceted nature of the band.  The first one was “Sunshine of Your Love”. I could’ve sworn that I’d heard this song before on guitar hero or something. It had a catchy and familiar counter melody in the bass that drove the song forward effectively. This song starts the album off with high intensity and blaring high-pitched electric guitar overlaying the main countermelody.  This classic rock sound that relies heavily on guitar really appeals to me and Cream implements it perfectly in this song. While this song DOES get a little repetitive, the lyrics and vocals make up for it. Every strum of the guitar I feel myself wanting to tap my foot and the song just ultimately gets cooler and hipper with each verse. Check it out: It’s probably my favorite song on the album.

Coming off of that epic song, the album progresses right into “World of Pain”. Now, I was disappointed in this song and I wanted to make that clear. The vocals didn’t sound as energized and they sounded more like a haunted house narrator than the lead vocalist in a successful rock band. While I think the vocals didn’t appeal to my tastes, this song is worthy of blog space because it illustrates the fact that Cream didn’t rely ONLY on the electric guitar. While there are instrumental breaks, the (creepy) vocals primarily drive the song. Overall, I thought it was pretty trippy, but let’s see what you think.

The next song is “Blue Condition” and I literally would’ve mistaken this song as a John Lennon piece. This sounds so much like Lennon that I took a double-take when listening to it. The slow tempo also provides relief and variation to the other high energy/intensity songs towards the beginning of the album. What’s funny, is that I don’t really like Lennon as a vocalist, but this song actually appeals to me! I guess Cream is just Lennon 2.0! The calm aura this song emits matches its deep lyrics as well. Check this one out too:

 “Take it Back” is the last song I’ll be highlighting. I know this a lot of songs to digest, but all of these provide a fresh new look at Cream that illustrates their many dynamics as a band. This song, unlike all the others, sounds very country-pop to me and starkly contrasts the heavy rock sound of the rest of the album. I love how they incorporated weird instruments like harmonica. Unlike the Stones, though, they implement it well! One last song for the night: