In July of 1966, big things were brewing. A new band was being whipped up, a trio of impeccable talent that would come to be known as Cream.
The group was made up of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce.
For a short time, these three well-established musicians, the cream of the crop, joined together in the form of this supergroup and made some bloody good music.
To celebrate the recent anniversary of their formation, here’s a little bit of trivia on the band.
For those who have had a go at the questions on The Sound Facebook page, read on for the answers.
ANSWERS
Answer one: ‘Fresh Cream’
After forming in July 1966, Cream went straight to the studio and started working on their debut single and album. What resulted was the release of ‘Fresh Cream’ at the beginning of December in that same year.
Answer two: ‘Toad’
While there had been earlier occurrences of solo drums in performances, Ginger Baker’s in the live version of ‘Toad’ was thought to be the first of its kind and calibre for the classic rock genre.
The epic 10-minute solo was revolutionary at the time, and for good reason.
Answer three: Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was a man who influenced many of the artists around at the same time as him (and plenty that came after him), and when it came to Cream, this was no exception.
After seeing the 'Jimi Hendrix Experience' at the Saville Theatre, London, Cream’s bass guitarist, Jack Bruce, used Hendrix’s performance as inspiration to come up with the riff for ‘Sunshine of Your Love’.
As Eric Clapton once recalled to Rolling Stone:
“He [Jimi Hendrix] played this gig that was blinding. I don’t think Jack [Bruce] had really taken him [Hendrix] in before. It was the complete embodiment of all aspects of rock guitar rolled into one. And when he [Jack] did see it that night, after the gig, he went home and came up with the riff. It was strictly a dedication to Jimi. And then we wrote the song on top of it.”
Interesting to note that Hendrix used to play the song back to the band in dedication to Cream, not knowing he was, in fact, the inspiration behind its origin.
Answer four: Pete Brown
A celebrated poet and lyricist in the British poetry scene, Pete Brown was the wordsmith behind many Cream songs such as ‘White Room’, ‘I Feel Free’, and ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’.
Answer five: 1968
Just two years after they had formed, Cream split up. Off the back of their American Tour, as well as two shows in the UK, and with tensions running high between Bruce and Baker, they decided it was best to part ways.
At the start of 1969, a few months after the announcement, they released their final album, ‘Goodbye Cream’.
Answer six: ‘Badge’
‘Badge’, the last Cream song to chart after its release in 1969, was co-written by Eric Clapton and L’Angelo Misterioso (Italian for “the mysterious angel”).
Turns out the perhaps not-so-mysterious angel was none other than George Harrison, who had to go under a pseudonym due to contractual reasons.
To add even more of a twist to the story, the song’s name ‘Badge’ was a nod to Clapton having misread Harrison's note on the lyric sheet, which said “bridge”.
