Album Reviews

Yes, Clapton, Bruce and Baker have gotten older. Face it, they’ve gotten old as have those of us who’ve been Cream fans since they were called “The Cream” on the first album jacket. And face it, youth be served, they haven’t the raw power they once had.

While those attending the May 2005 reunion at The Royal Albert Hall, in their excitement to see their heroes, ran on adrenalin overdrive, listening at home makes it obvious that tempi are slower and more plodding, aggression is in retreat and creative juices have dried somewhat since the band’s heyday.

Hey, that’s just the facts of life. While the hardcore fans came away frothing at the mouth with praise for the shows, the more objective observers made clear that while there were embers smoldering in the wake of the performances, they hardly caught fire.

PBS broadcast a compilation drawn from the four performances (May 2,3,5 and 6, 2005) in high definition with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel sound before I got this box to review, so I saw the performance in HD with surround sound first. That drove home the age issue big time, and made clear that of the three, it was Clapton who seemed most off his game at times, filling space with notes that didn’t add up to much.

That much is obvious from the opener, “I’m So Glad,” which is less than inspired, though competently played. It’s tough enough for three guys to fill in all the musical spaces needed for a trio to become a self-contained rock machine when they’re pushing thirty, not to mention retirement age!

While the set was culled from all four nights, the compilation follows the actual set list, so while “I’m So Glad” was from the final night’s performance, it was the concert opener. Judging by the choices, Friday was the concert to have attended (12 of 19 tracks), with Tuesday coming in second (4) and Thursday being the “off” night (just 3), though of course choices could have been made on the basis of technical as well as musical considerations.

It takes a while for the oldsters to get warmed up, but once they do and the tentativeness dissipates, they lock in and the listener can relax into the music instead of feeling queasy about the possibility that the whole enterprise might drift off the road. There are nanoseconds in “I’m So Glad” where that sounds like a distinct possibility!

The group only made a four LPs in its history and all the great tracks are here, including “N.S.U.” (named after the original Wankel engine automobile or the STD “non specific urethritis” depending upon who you ask), “White Room,” “Sunshine of Your Love,” “Badge,” “Politician,” “Deserted Cities,” etc. Even the fanciful “Pressed Rat & Warthog” has a turn with Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker narrating his tune as he did on the original.

There’s a reason why this expensive, sumptuously packaged (embossed full color cover, poster, individual full color album jacket), 3 LP set has sold out its first pressing: Stan Ricker’s ½ speed mastering job is just gorgeous. Yes, this is cut from a digital source, but whatever Stan has done, it sounds so much better than the cheap CD edition, not to mention the lifeless surround mix I heard while watching the HD feed.

The sound is big and full, with an especially great drum sound, particularly Baker’s toms, and you can bet that as a bass player himself, Ricker worked hard to get Bruce’s bass to sound rich, full and articulate, which it does. The picture is deep, wide and dynamic, and even the audience has been well-miked. It almost sounds "surround." A great recording, effectively transferred to vinyl and well pressed by RTI, though my side 1 was unacceptably eccentric, leading to some annoying “wow.”

Tom Biery, Warner Brothers’ resident vinyl fanatic, and the man in charge of all the great recent Warners vinyl titles (they’ll keep coming if you keep buying), assured me that a second pressing has been ordered so you won’t be shut out if you want this set.