Classic Rock Catalog: Cream

Recorded 1966, released 12/66 (U.K.) 1/67 (U.S.)

Cream's debut studio album, Fresh Cream peaked at #6 in the U.K. and #39 in the U.S. where it was certified gold. The lead track, "I Feel Free" was released as a single, but failed to chart in the US. The album contained future concert favorites like "Sleepy Time Time," "Rollin' and Tumblin'" and drummer Ginger Baker's extended solo jam, "Toad."

SIDE 1

1. "I Feel Free"

2. "N.S.U."

3. "Sleepy Time Time"

4. "Dreaming"

5. "Sweet Wine"

SIDE 2

1. "Cat's Squirrel

2. "Four Until Late"

3. "Rollin' and Tumblin'"

4. "I'm So Glad"

5. "Toad"

Recorded 1967, released 11/67

Their second album, Disraeli Gears was Cream's ticket to a U.S. audience, peaking at #4 and certified Platinum. The album marked a move from blues rock to psychedelic, with its trippy cover art and songs like "Strange Brew" and "Tales of Brave Ulysses." The album was produced by Felix Pappalardi, who would produce the band's remaining albums, and go on to become bassist for Mountain.

SIDE 1

1. "Strange Brew"

2. "Sunshine of Your Love"

3. "World of Pain"

4. "Dance the Night Away"

5. "Blue Condition"

SIDE 2

1. "Tales of Brave Ulysses"

2. "SWLABR"

3. "We're Going Wrong"

4. "Outside Woman Blues"

5. "Take It Back"

6. "Mother's Lament"

Recorded 1967-68, released 8/68

Wheels of Fire was a double album, half recorded in the studio, half live. It reached #1 in the U.S. and became the first double album to be certified Platinum. It was one of the first albums to make use of an eight-track recording process (the standard of the day being four tracks.) The tracks "White Room" and "Pressed Rat and Warthog" became psych rock favorites.

SIDE 1 (studio)

1. "White Room"

2. "Sitting on Top of the World"

3. "Passing the Time"

4. "As You Said"

SIDE 2 (studio)

1. "Pressed Rat and Warthog"

2. "Politician"

3. "Those Were the Days"

4. "Born Under a Bad Sign"

5. "Deserted Cities of the Heart"

SIDE 3 (live)

1. "Crossroads"

2. "Spoonful"

SIDE 4 (live)

1. "Traintime"

2. "Toad"

Recorded 1968, released 3/69

The appropriately titled Goodbye contained three of Cream's last studio tracks, and three songs from one of their last live concerts. Clapton and George Harrison co-wrote "Badge" and Harrison (using the alias L'Angelo Misterioso) played rhythym guitar on the track. The album reached #2 in the U.S. and was the band's only U.K. #1. The album was released four months after the band had broken up.

SIDE 1

1. "I'm So Glad"

2. "Politician"

SIDE 2

1. "Sitting on Top of the World"

2. "Badge"

3. "Doing That Scrapyard Thing"

4 "What a Bringdown"

5. "Anyone For Tennis" 

Recorded 1967-68, released 4/70

Live Cream, the second album released after the band split up, actually consisted of four live tracks from a series of San Francisco concerts in March, 1968 and a studio track - "Lawdy Mama" - that had been recorded in 1967. Interest in the band was still high, and even though the album contained just one new track (out of just five) the album peaked at #4 in the U.K. and at #15 in the US.

SIDE 1

1. "N.S.U."

2. "Sleepy Time Time"

3. "Lawdy Mama"

SIDE 2

1. "Sweet Wine"

2. "Rollin' and Tumblin'"

Recorded 1968, released 3/72

Even with no new material and just one track more than Volume 1 two years earlier, Live Cream Volume 2 still managed to make the top 30 in the U.S. and the Top 15 in the UK. There were more tracks because there were fewer of the extended jams that were prevalent in the group's earlier live performances. Like the first Live Cream, performances were from a series of San Francisco concerts (at Winterland Ballroom and Oakland Coliseum Arena.)

SIDE 1

1. "Deserted Cities of the Heart"

2. "White Room"

3. "Politician"

4. "Tales of Brave Ulysses"

SIDE 2

1. "Sunshine of Your Love"

2. "Steppin' Out"

Recorded 1966-68, released 5/03

BBC Sessions consists of material drawn from eight BBC radio shows recorded during the height of Cream's popularity. The album included 22 performances and four interviews with Clapton. It was released 35 years after the band called it quits, and, except for the interviews, didn't contain anything that couldn't be found on earlier releases. Accordingly, the CD failed to chart.

Recorded 5/05, released 10/05

In 1968, Cream performed their farewell concert at London's Royal Albert Hall. In 2005, they returned to that stage for a series of reunion concerts. A double CD followed in a few months, charting on both U.K. and U.S. album charts, at #61 and #59 respectively.

DISC 1

1. "I'm So Glad"

2. "Spoonful"

3. "Outside Woman Blues"

4. "Pressed Rat and Warthog"

5. "Sleepy Time Time"

6. "N.S.U."

7. "Badge"

8. "Politician"

9. "Sweet Wine"

10. "Rollin' and Tumblin'"

11. "Stormy Monday"

12. "Deserted Cities Of The Heart"

DISC 2 

1. "Born Under a Bad Sign"

2. "We're Going Wrong"

3. "Crossroads"

4. "White Room"

5. "Toad"

6. "Sunshine of Your Love"

7. "Sleepy Time Time"

Six video releases are part of the Cream catalog:

Farewell Concert (at Royal Albert Hall in 1968) (purchase DVD)

Strange Brew (re-edited version of Farewell Concert) (purchase DVD)

Fresh Live Cream (recorded at Cream's 1993 Rock Hall induction) (purchase DVD)

Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005 (DVD version of the 2005 reunion concerts)

Classic Albums - Cream: Disraeli Gears ("making of" documentary) (purchase DVD)

Cream: Classic Artists (authorized biopic) (purchase DVD)

Since 1969 there have been seven "best of" compilations and a box set recapping Cream's music:

Best of Cream (1969) (purchase vinyl LP)

Heavy Cream (1973) (purchase vinyl LP)

Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream (1983) (purchase CD, vinyl LP)

The Very Best of Cream (1995) (purchase/download CD, vinyl LP, MP3)

Those Were the Days box set (1997) (purchase/download CD, MP3)

20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection - The Best of Cream (2000) (purchase/download CD, MP3)

Gold (2005) (purchase/download CD, MP3)

I Feel Free - Ultimate Cream (2005) (purchase CD, vinyl LP)