Search - Cream :: Wheels of Fire (Mlps)

The best...

nicjaytee | London | 06/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Gifted, erratic and incredibly powerful, Cream were probably the most important band to emerge from London's mid 60's R&B scene. Faced with a peer group of brilliant guitarists including Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Peter Green & Jimi Hendrix, a host of other world-class musicians such as Rod Stewart, John Mayall, John McVie & Steve Winwood, and a huge number of other less well known but equally gifted back-up players - all touring the same small club circuit night after night - Cream exploded into this scene in mid 1966 as a group deliberately conceived, as their name implied, to be "the best".To understand how good they were you had to see them live during the short period in which their lofty ambition came close to fruition. They were "the best" and, after stamping their authority in the UK, they switched to the USA to blow their home-grown competition off stage. Imploding in well documented strife by mid 1968, those who saw them during this brief period were privileged indeed. For those who didn't there's little on offer. The group's recordings are at best a shadow of what they were live, with the few real gems spread across their four albums "Fresh Cream" (a fair encapsulation of where they were in mid 1966); "Disraeli Gears" (a studio album with a couple of real highlights and much mediocre stuffing); "Goodbye" (even more so) and, "Wheels of Fire" (probably the closest you'll get). The subsequently released live albums add little more.But.. one track says it all. "Crossroads": possibly the best interaction of three musicians at the peak of their powers ever committed to tape. Eric Clapton's breathtaking guitar solos are matched, virtually note for note, by Jack Bruce's brilliant "lead guitar" bass lines and Ginger Baker's power drumming. Live, because it had to be to capture it. As DJ John Peel said after playing this track on its first UK broadcast: "now tell me they're human". It's here, surrounded by some of their best recorded music, and it's priceless!"

ONE OF THE GREAT ONES ! ! A+A+A+A+A+

James E. Lane | Joplin, mo. USA | 05/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1968 there we're three 2-lp set's issued. That we're destined for immortality. 1. THE BEATLES ~ WHITE ALBUM
2. ELECTRIC LADYLAND ~ JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
3. WHEELS OF FIRE ~ CREAMFor us young pre-teen's, hearing someone really fire up a guitar was the thrill of a life. And no one did it better then CREAM.
Someone told me that the difference between JIMI HENDRIX and ERIC CLAPTON was that.
JIMI was technicolor, widescreen, panoramavision.
ERIC was intimate, personnel, envisagement.Any player worth their salt will tell you they wore out Crossroads learning it. In the days before TAB, you had to sit there and pick up the needle over and over. {No guitar tuner,either,lol.} But really, this was always an over priced lp. And the cd is no exception. To tell the truth. You need to get the 4 cd set, THOSE WERE THE DAYS. It has everything by CREAM you will ever want. They put all the Studio stuff, (in order)on 2 cd's. And the Live stuff (put together like a live show, very well done)on 2 cd's. So it's way well worth the price.SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD and BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN continue the great English pattern of bringing out the best of the older blues guitar player's. That was started by the STONES. POLITICIAN showed them that they could write them just as well, too.PASSING THE TIME, AS YOU SAID and THOSE WERE THE DAYS all are great textured songs, that later groups like LED ZEPPELIN would learn from. The driver's: WHITE ROOM and DESERTED CITIES OF THE HEART, are the two direct in your face rocker's on this lp/cd.NOW THE LIVE SIDE:
Of course there's CROSSROADS. Is there anyone who has not blown a speaker to this one? To bad in those day's it was hard to get a great live recording!SPOONFUL, took sometime to get into. After hearing ZEP's DAZED AND CONFUSED a few thousand time. I came back to SPOONFUL and POW! it hit me hard, what a great jam!!TRAINTIME is the JACK BRUCE (him and his harp) and GINGER BAKER backing him up.(drag's on a little to long)
TOAD (drum solo time) One more time, TO BAD THEY COULDN'T RECORD LIVE STUFF IN THOSE DAY'S!!But over all get the THOSE WERE THE DAYS, Better mastering for your buck's!!"

Great follow-up to the masterful Disraeli Gears

CaptainJack | RockWorld | 03/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Wheels Of Fire, Cream's third LP, was released in july of 1968. The album actually consists of two parts, one recorded in studio, and the other one recorded live (though it is desribed as "Live In Filmore", only Toad was recorded there; other tracks were recorded in Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco). Wheels Of Fire is regarded as Cream's greatest achievment, and while I don't think it's as outstanding as Disraeli Gears, I don't deny it's an excellent album.



The studio part contains some of the finest music Cream ever recorded. Many of songs from this CD became regular concert staples. Let's see how does the studio part measure up.



White Room kicks the things off. This number opens with 5/4 tempo, and haunting cellos and then builds up into a psychodelic rocker. It is noticable that the song borrows riff from earlier Cream tune, Tales Of Brave Ulysess, but despite this it manages to be an original and inspiring track. Then we have Sitting On The Top Of The World, an outstanding Howlin' Wolf cover. Clapton's amazing guitar work and harmonic tempo changes make this one my favourite. Passing The Time is a bit bizzare composition, but definately a creative one. Slow melodic verses turn into hard-rocking repetitive chorus. As You Said is quite chilly, and it features Clapton on acoustic guitar. Pressed Rat And Warthog, definately the weirdest song on the album (and of the weirdest songs of all), is Baker reciting a strange tale about pressed rat and warthog who closed down their shop with a bizzare melody in the background. Things get back to rock with Politician, a strong blues rocker build around a killer riff. Those Were The Days is another psychodelic rocker with some poetry speaking about the ancient times. Born Under A Bad Sign gets things back to blues; this outstanding blues number never fails to please. Deserted Cities Of The Heart finishes the first half of the album and is one of the most underrated Cream songs. It is a Hard guitar-driven tale with emotional lyrics. The moment when Jack Bruce sings "Now My heart's drowned in no love strams" is so heartbreaking and dark that I sometimes even shed a tear. A masterpiece.



Now the live part, which is mostly stuff for hardcore fans, with the exception of the first track, Crossroads. Every Cream fan knows this song. It is definately one of the most inspiring numbers in rock history. Clapton shows his mastery of blues guitar, and Bruce and Baker show why they are the most underrated rhytm section in the history! They do incredible jamming during the solo breaks. If I would have to pick my one favourite Cream song, this may be it.

Spoonful, stretching to nearly 17 minutes, features some jamming, which, I have to admit, becomes quite boring after a few listens. Traintime is Bruce-Baker duo, with Baker playing the drums and Bruce handling vocals and harmonica. Some may say this song drags on a bit too long, but I like it. It's a good track to listen from time to time. The closing Toad is Ginger Baker showing his abilities on the drums. The song lasts for 16 minutes and the major part of it is a drum solo, but for a hardcore Cream fan, like me, this is something to listen and enjoy. Ginger Baker is one of the most underrated drummers ever, and here he proves it. His solo on drums is creative and inspiring, and it's good to give it a listen.



Wheels Of Fire is a great album, but I don't think it's the band's best. My favourite still remains Disraeli Gears, but WOF is a must have for any Cream fan. If You want to start Your experience with Cream, don't do it with this album - get Disraeli Gears. Still, WOF remains a classic and is a must have for any fan who digs Cream or classic rock, in general.

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