Gentlemen, let me blow some minds. The night this song was played was March 10, 1968 at Winterland, first set. Now program this on your player: They opened with 1: "Tales of "Brave Ulysses" (from Live Cream2); 2. "Spoonfull"(Wheels); 3."Crossroads" (Wheels); 4. This version of Goin Wrong; 5."Sweet Wine"(Live Cream). It may well be the greatest live set in rock history. Play it for yourself in the order it was played that night and imagine sitting there in the front row. Think of it: A strong Tales, then Spoonful, one of the greatest long improvs followed immediately by Crossroads a pinnacle rock improv. Goin Wrong is forgivably a little ragged to my ears but they finish incredibly strong with Sweet Wine. If Cream had had proper management we would have had this incredible set on an album, with the songs in order and liner notes explaining it was all from the same incendiary set. I would have omitted Goin Wrong from the album, though it has its moments. Concert Vault has Bill Graham's in house tape of this set which shows the order and proves Crossroads was unedited. I've enjoyed this post and the positive comments on the thread. I was privileged to see Cream Nov 3 1968 in Baltimore, their third to last concert. Saw EC and Ginger with Blind Faith at the same venue, 7 20 1969 the day of first moon landing. By the way, at midnight May 17 1969 same venue in my $6 front row seat, just as the last notes of Jimi Hendrix and the Experience rang out, I turned 19. "Those were the days yes they were...."
I saw Cream in the fall of 1967 on two weekends. I think it was late August. The first song they played was Cats Squirrel, followed by NSU. I cant recall the order but they played most of Fresh Cream and some from Disraeli Gears (Sunchine, Brave Ulysses). They also played Spoonful. I think my favs were Sleepy Time Time, NSU, Sunshine, Spoonful, Sweet Wine, Rollin and Tumblin, and Brave Uly. Of course, they were all fantastic. The next week the group was visibly tired and it showed in its performance. Baker was just trashed and had a couple of moments when he seemed to lose it. I imagine that most people didnt notice but I was right in front and was paying rapt attention to the group. I saw them again a few months later and they were good but nothing like the first time I saw them. It's hard when you see a group on an especially auspicious night and then again. Nothing can compare. But, they were better than anyone I'd ever seen. Before or since.
The entire gig is available if you know where to look. The old chestnut that 'Crossroads' was 'edited' is, as you say finally laid to rest. It was ridiculous in my opinion. Crossroads is some performance. Ii works on perfectly on this particular night simply because Baker shifts the beat emphasis to the 3rd. He normally played it on the 2nd which made the entire number 'trot'! Put simply, the difference gives it forward momentum and makes it far more dynamic. Using a horse analogy, it's the difference between a canter and a gallop! If you listen to it, the three of them are so busy and syncopated the idea that you could somehow splice edits into it without them being spotted (especially back then) is frankly, stupid! I saw them in Jan. & Aug. '67 and they were astonishing!
yeah that middle section of spoonful is the most incredible piece of music I've ever heard or will hear. They're like a great jazz band playing improvisational blues
A dozen naysayers disliked this recording, this is Cream''s legendary sound that no one else has ever emulated and this is LIVE not studio recorded. I guess you folks don't have any taste?
A delicate and deeply felt performance by all three players. Jack is fearless on this vocal. Eric captures the mood beautifully with his ripping solo. Don't miss the Ginger Baker genius of varied tempos throughout. Wow.
Wow, Its actually quite difficult to sing off key intentionally like the marvelous Jack Bruce does on this piece. He was a wonderful bass player and had a very unique and stunning voice with great vibrato
Great photo collection. My favorite song from Disraeli Gears. This song spoke to me as a teenager going through a relationship going wrong. I always get a little misty when I listen to it. Jack Bruce RIP.
I'm a huge Cream fan and feel the loss of Jack Bruce very much. I'm 55 but feel i should be 65 based on my musical taste- Cream is one of my favorite bands and was hoping for another reunion like back in 2005. RIP Mr.Bruce
that is nothing strange. Im 36 now. We grew up with real stuff. It was on radio from time to time when i was a kid. THIS glorious fkn band But its just a part of us because it was simply there and in your life and it indeed becomes a part of you and your psyche. Maybe your soul...dunno...but it is quite somethin . Its always there. Age is just age. Im so blessed and lucky to have this band in my life and times and universal realm ...?...as a lifelong fan and just STILL amazed since my childhood. My teen years especially.
@@thibaultfontaine3880 I'm old enough to have seen them. Firstly at St. Mary's College in Twickenham in Jan.'67 then at The NJF Festival at Windsor in August '67 where they topped the bill. It was also at the same event that Mick Taylor played one of his earliest gigs with John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac made their debut and Ten Years After played a blinding set in the main tent!
Much as I love Ginger and Eric, it's Bruce's songwriting that made this band as important as they were and ARE! Great collection of photos, btw. I've seen a LOT of pictures of the boys in the 47 years since I first began listening to them and most of these are unfamiliar to me. Thx!
let's not overlook Peter Brown who wrote 99% (?) of the lyrics for Jack Bruce (check out any song credits) . an incomparable writing team, no less than John & Paul, Elton & Bernie . . . Burt & Hal, etc. you get the picture . Peter Brown is still alive and recording . . . he's a singer . you can find him on RU-vid
Jack didn't do all the songwriting although he got a lot of credit, some of which he didn't deserve, and without credit to either Baker or Clapton. That was apparently a huge bone of contention, particularly with Baker, who got very little in the way of songwriting credit but was absolutely essential to some of the compositions as they were happening. Clapton was sort of the peacemaker and let Jack have his way to avoid further strife. It was one of the reasons they broke up, each time they broke up.
Malcom, Jack’s son does a remarkable job of emulating his father on this song. Catching the 50 Year’s of Cream with Will, Kofi and Malcom a few weeks ago was the thill of a lifetime, it brought back my happy memories of the ‘68 concerts. I never thought we would see and feel Cream again, having the three boys perform live was a real treat.
Incredible!! I've been a Cream fanatic since 1967 and I don't ever remember hearing a live version of this! I know this is a bootleg, but it has the best quality of any bootleg I've ever heard!! Great evidence of their phenomenal power on stage.
Thanks JB for composing this song! Being such a personal song for JB you can really hear the heartfelt emotion as he delivers his vocals. Cream!! There hasn't been anything to compare in my humble opinion
Eric loved Hendrix and got a perm to emulate Hendrix, who loved Dylan and had got a perm to emulate Dylan's loose curly hair. Eric wanted Jack to get a perm too, but when you're Jack Bruce you don't have to act like you're Noel Redding.
At 64, I've grown into a stringent jazz fan...but I have always loved Cream, ever since I heard 'Fresh Cream' at age 13 or so. They have never disappointed my listening desire...Jack's bewilderingly fine bass, his awesome voice, with Clapton and Baker...man, they have made me smile and dance and sing along for half a century! Not bad, guys...RIP, Mr. Bruce. Thank you.
I was ten years old. My older brother took me as a favor to my parents. ( There night out ) Ever at ten. They made an impression on me. Jack Bruce was the reason I began playing bass. I still play and gig. RIP Jack.
Dear Tom, I am the author of the book "The Who: A Million Little Memories", a collective memoir about the band made of hundreds of tales, anecdotes, accounts from those who were related to the band from 1964 to 1978 - friends, familiars, promoters, photographers. This is a work based on exclusive material and unseen pictures I have been sent by people from England and the USA. I have collected and featured fantastic materials from people who used to see the Who at the Fillmore Auditorium and Fillmore West, Winterland, at Woodstock and Monterey and many other venues. This book has been published in Italy in September 2018 by the renowned Italian music published Arcana press and it is highly looked forward by American and English Who fans. I am working on an expanded and updated English edition, with more material in it I am collecting from fans time by time. I'm looking for more material - tales, photos - and I was wondering if you could help me with that. All best, Ed
+Hi Everybody! When they started it at the Albert Hall in 2005 I thought it might be terrible but they nailed it.. Jack didn't have the same range by then but he had more control and more depth. The band also played much more like a band by then too, so all the maturity all round made it a much better version. I agree totally!
I agree. Jack might have lost some range by 2005, but I could not believe the soul and feeling he broght to the song. Plus, Baker playing with those "cotton ball" sticks killed me.
I have to say, the one from 2005 they included on the live CD is definitely my favorite recording of the song as well. When the solo comes it like they take off to another universe completely... it was just so powerful! The dynamics of it, the feel... all of it was breathtaking.
Nah! No comparison. The 2005 reunion performances lacked 'fire'. They had no edge. Sure the performances were good, but it had too strong a 'whiff' of going through the motions. It re-inflated Ginger's bank balance though, which was the main idea!
This is Wonderful! A stunning performance! It was always a bit hit or miss 'Live'. Tonight, they nailed it! And how! And lets hear it for the time and effort put in to the video collage! I always loved the series of shots at around 4.18 where they are in Scotland on the old railway tracks.............tripping!
Great version, should have been on Live Cream Vol.2. The sharp semitone that Jack sings ("today") is actually intentional, it's part of the arrangement and exactly how he sang it on "Disraeli Gears" and it ramps up the angst during the ascending chords superbly. Ginger's toms, played with soft-beaters, is one of the best examples of his unique approach and Eric is totally on-point with the kind of control other guitarists simply don't have. There's also a fantastic version from the Palais des Sports, Paris in June '67 where Eric just cuts loose and you can hear the audience going beserk.
This was from the March 10 performance at Winterland..same show that Crossroads was recorded..What an incredible night that would have been to experience. Legend has it that Ginger stumbled onto the stage that night just a few minutes before the show wassupposed to start.)
Great version this is around the time Clapton started to really use the Gibson Firebird as his go to guitar. I've seen a few clips and photos from this period that show him with it. I love how they started to get a little darker with the material to.
The Firebird was used a lot on the "Farewell" Oct/Nov 68 as at the Nov 3 Baltimore show I was at. At this March 10 68 show with "Were Goin Wrong" EC is shown with the famous painted SG in the first picture on this video. He uses the Firebird on the May 17 1968 Glen Campbell show, the only time Cream ever was shown live on US TV. It was a fine performance but the producers turned his amp down below overdrive level costing EC his signature sweet singing sustain. Stigwood should have had Cream live all over US tv and made sure producers could not mess with their sound.
The Fillmore/Winterland recordings (like this one) are all on the SG. This was early March and Clapton bought the Firebird in Philly in April. I saw them in Chicago shortly after and I was crushed when he didn’t play The Fool!
Wow, what a great video. The song is awesome to start and Winterland has been torn down apparently so it has some music history as well. And all those stills, really cool, I hadnt seen 95% of those stills before, really nice. So yea, two thumbs up :) Jack Bruce wrote this song about his girlfriend (or wife) cant remember for sure. But her name was Janet. After an argument they had, of course. This song is so great live man, awesome, God bless.
Yes, genuine social and rock history. Fabulous rendition of this track, especially when you consider the relatively crude equipment of the day and the stress of non-stop touring. So her name was Janet? Yes, he refers to her in one interview on the net somewhere - says she was his wife at the time. At a different level, I do have one problem with this song, and if I'd ever had the chance to interview Jack, I'd have brought it up. The implication is that it's all her fault. Yes, he says "we"'re going wrong - but please open "your mind" etc. I somehow think it takes two to make a relationship work, and fail. But there is no real admission by Jack that 'maybe I've been wrong here too.' Would be nice to get Janet's point of view, even after all these years.
Eric Clapton is always associated with a Gibson in the Cream area. One that always comes to mind is the "fool" Gibson SG or the Red 335 Hollowbody. I believe Sir George lent or gave him a Cherry red les paul at this time also. When Clapton was once asked about these guitars, during a interview he quoted " the most interesting or adventurous guitar l played at the time, especially in a live setting was the Firebird" After viewing these pictures you can see it being played often, mostly in the later Cream days. I knew a someone who attended a Cream concert in St. Louis Missouri at
...and there lies the problems between Jack and Ginger. Jack was the real Rock and Roller in the band- he wanted it LOUD!! Ginger couldn't hear his own drum beat.
Awesome audio from a much better time in human history saw Cream in Chicago at the long defunct Coliseum and I’ll remember it until I’m gone……and maybe longer! 😉
Pablo, I think Clapton felt he had been blown away by Hendrix But both great. But Hendrix. What a loss. Who would think you could use your teeth to play a guitar? A total genius.
@@annandmartintravers5281 - Jimi for a few years played the Chitlin Circuit - which is a route that includes all the places that allowed blacks to play and hang out. Jimi saw the greatest blues and R'n'B players on earth and he imitated all of their tricks - including playing the guitar with their teeth. There were thousands of brilliant black musicians doing things that we will never see. I invented a dance style in 1975 that actually became popular and somewhere in the eighties somebody actually gave a name to the style. I'm not the first to dance that way but I had never seen it done anywhere when I "discovered" it. I just had to get that off my chest. I refuse to look it up in Wiki because my name won't be there. I will dance that way for anybody that asks and they will say, "wow - you really did invent it". I also invented a guitar warm up that I have never heard anybody do. What were we talking about?
Dear Steve, I am the author of the book "The Who: A Million Little Memories", a collective memoir about the band made of hundreds of tales, anecdotes, accounts from those who were related to the band from 1964 to 1978 - friends, familiars, promoters, photographers. This is a work based on exclusive material and unseen pictures I have been sent by people from England and the USA. I have collected and featured fantastic materials from people who used to see the Who at the Fillmore Auditorium and Fillmore West, Winterland, at Woodstock and Monterey and many other venues. This book has been published in Italy in September 2018 by the renowned Italian music published Arcana press and it is highly looked forward by American and English Who fans. I am working on an expanded and updated English edition, with more material in it I am collecting from fans time by time. I'm looking for more material - tales, photos - and I was wondering if you could help me with that. All best, Ed
This how you post a video on You Tube if you ain't got the video, if you have pics. Awesome presentation, incredible song. Check out 'Jack Bruce on piano' he does a 6:36 minute of this, solo, very passionate, in about his 60's. I read Jack's biography and he says they got married when she was about 16. He'd turned into a junkie thinking heroin was cool due to so many American blues men being into it and Ginger was. It's not unthinkable his addiction added stress and strain to their marital relationship. He was known to be, shall we say, happy to be with girls who liked being with famous band members. That may have gotten in any argument if that was happening during the marriage. I think tho, it's also possible to ask the person we're arguing with to open their mind. There's no lyric asking him to open his mind. Indeed, that's the path to solution. We're going wrong does foretell their eventual split. When he remarried it was, 'of course' he had to quit heroin for the 2nd marriage to last. And he did quit, per the book.
More like Eric reflecting the intense changes he was going through in the late 60s. You compare for instance the 1965 John Lennon with 1970 and everything in between
