Rock's First Supergroup: Cream
Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker - Another Possible Reunion
Mar 24, 2007
Cream (not, careful readers will note, The Cream) was a British band, formed in 1996 and gaining worldwide popularity before its break-up in 1968, a mere two years later. The band’s members were Eric Clapton (formerly with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers) on lead guitar, Jack Bruce (with Manfred Mann) on bass guitar, and Ginger Baker (the Graham Bond Organisation) on drums. Alongside Jimi Hendrix, who came to prominence in the UK alongside Cream, they set the gold standard for the blues-based ‘power-trio’. They were the first band to be called a ‘supergroup’, a band whose members were acknowledged stars before they joined forces in the new group.
Their Music and Its Influences
The band drew on the blues, which Clapton (and for a short time Bruce) had honed to near perfection under the tutelage of Mayall, and also developed a full repertoire of songs written by Bruce, often in association with British poet Pete Brown. (Brown’s own band was called Piblokto.) Baker pioneered the long drum solo in rock, drawing on his background in jazz music where the drum solo had long been a staple of live performance. His most famous solo is titled ‘Toad’, during live performances of which, Clapton and Bruce would leave the stage to refresh themselves.
The band had a string of hits and best-selling albums. Their best known single success was ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, taken from their album ‘Disraeli Gears’ (1967). This album incorporated elements of blues and also the whimsy that characterised British psychedelia. Bruce has called the bass line in ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, the greatest ever written. Although immodest, many would agree with him.
Prior to ‘Disraeli Gears’, the band has released ‘Fresh Cream’ which was more blues-based and included songs such as ‘Crossroads’, ‘Spoonful’ and ‘Rollin’and Tumblin’’. ‘Toad’ also appeared on this album. For their third album, Cream released a double, ‘Wheels of Fire’, one volume of which was recorded live at San Francisco's Fillmore West and the other in the studio. The live album contained long versions of both ‘Toad’ and ‘Crossroads’. The final album to be released just after the band broke up was called ‘Goodbye’. There was also a BBC film of the final two concerts in London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The End of the Road & Back Together - Briefly
The break-up, when it came, has been described as inevitable. The band contained three large egos, each with a distinctive vision of where they wanted to go. Baker and Bruce had quarrelled badly when they were both members of the Graham Bond Organisation. (Baker had actually sacked Bruce and the latter had then joined Manfred Mann briefly before Cream brought them back together again.) Each went on to other things, Clapton becoming the best known to the general public for his best-selling hit ‘Layla’. (Clapton and Baker had continued to play together in the short-lived Blind Faith [with Stevie Winwood and Rick Grech] immediately following the break-up.)
The members of the band reformed in 2005 to play a short series of reunion gigs at the Royal Albert Hall. The gigs were immediate sell-outs and, as had been the case in 1968, the shows were filmed for public showing. Three further gigs were played in New York. To date, there have been no more and there is little hope that there will be in future. The apparent reason – the bad relationship between Bruce and Baker.
Legacy
It is safe to say that without Cream, the history of rock music would have been different. The band influenced many others, including Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, and was, in turn influenced by the former and also the individual members of the latter. In two short years, they gave the world three magical albums, played hundreds of live shows, and showed a generation of budding rock-stars how it should be done. Oh, almost forgot, they also gave the world the best ever bass line!
Addendum
A report in USA Today in May 2007 had Jack Bruce saying that he "agreed recently to play an unspecified show or shows later this year with guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker." He gave the date as "a bit later then" Live Earth.
The report continued: "Bruce recently told the Scotsman newspaper there was no chance the band would reunite because of long-standing tension between him and Baker.
"Then, the next day, it came up we're doing something if I wanted to. Obviously, I'm not going to be the one to say no," Bruce told the AP during an appearance at the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp."
Perhaps that bass-line will be heard again!
