Quarto Valley Records: Heavenly Cream - An Acoustic Tribute To Cream - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Heavenly Cream - An Acoustic Tribute To Cream and it's a solid cover of much of Cream's catalog by top name artists. Opening with I Feel Free, Deborah Bonham, John's sister has the lead vocals, backed by Bernie Marsden on guitar, Malcolm Bruce (Jack's son) on piano, Neil Murray on bass and Frank Tontoh on drums. Solid opener. Theme For An Imaginary Western, written by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown is fronted by Brown on vocal and backed by Clem Clemson  (Humble Pie) and Malcolm Bruce on guitars, John Donaldson on piano, Mo Foster on piano, and Cheryl Alleyne on drums. This is a great track and always one of my favorites with Jacks vocals and played by Leslie West of Mountain. Ginger Baker penned, Sweet Wine, is a standout with Baker on drums Nathan James on vocal, Marsden on guitar, Mo Nazam on guitar, Bruce on bass, Pee Wee Ellis on sax, Henry Lowther on trumpet, and Abass Dodoo on percussion. Take It Back, another Bruce/Brown composition is prime with the illustrious Maggie Bell on lead vocal. Her vocals are as sweet as they were in the 60's and a perfect fit for this track with Marsden and Tony Remy on guitars, Bruce on piano, Winston Blissett on bass and Tontoh on drums. One of the classic blues tracks covered by Cream was Howlin Wolf's Sitting On Top Of The World. Here we have a dynamic duo with Bell teamed with Bobby Rush who also plays harmonica, supported by Marsden and Remy on guitars, Bruce on piano, Blissett on bass and Tontoh on drums. Wrapping the release is Born Under A Bad Sign featuring Paul Rogers on vocal. Marsden and Nazam on guitars, Bruce on bass and Moreno Buttinar on drums. This is an interesting release with a solid assemblage of talent. 

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Cream boxed set to be released on heavyweight vinyl / May 18 on USM

Cream Albums To Be Re-Released In Full 180gm Heavyweight Vinyl Boxed-Set

May 18th On USM



USM are pleased to announce the release of the band's complete studio and live albums between 1966 - 1972.

Cream were a 1960s British Rock Supergroup Power Trio consisting of bassist/singer Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock, combining psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's operatice voice and prominent bass playing and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming.

Cream's music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad". Their third album (included in this set), Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album.

The full set includes "Fresh Cream" (1LP), "Disraeli Gears" (1LP), "Wheels Of Fire" (2LP), "Goodbye" (1LP), and live albums "Live Cream" (1LP), and "Live Cream Volume II" (1LP).

The Graham Bond Organization

This is a bit campy but an entertaining way to pay homage to Graham on his birthday. Graham John Clifton Bond (28 October 1937 – 8 May 1974) was an English musician, considered a founding father of the English rhythm and blues boom of the 1960s. Bond was an innovator, described as "an important, under-appreciated figure of early British R&B", along with Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner. Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin and Ginger Baker first achieved prominence in his group, the Graham Bond Organisation. Bond was voted Britain's New Jazz Star in 1961. He was an early user of the Hammond organ/Leslie speaker combination in British rhythm and blues[4] - he "split" the Hammond for portability - and was the first British artist to record using a mellotron, on his "The Sound of '65" and "There's A Bond Between Us" LPs. As such he was a major influence upon later rock keyboardists: Deep Purple's Jon Lord said "He taught me, hands on, most of what I know about the Hammond organ" Bond was born in Romford, Essex. Adopted from a Dr. Barnardo's home, he was educated at the Royal Liberty School in Gidea Park, East London, where he learned music. His first jazz gig was in 1960 with the Goudie Charles Quintet, staying for a year. He first gained national attention as a jazz saxophonist as a member of the Don Rendell Quintet, then briefly joined Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated before forming the Graham Bond Quartet with musicians he met in the Korner group, Ginger Baker on drums and Jack Bruce on double bass, together with John McLaughlin on guitar; and adopting the Hammond organ as his main instrument. The group then became the Graham Bond Organization (GBO), while John McLaughlin was later replaced by Dick Heckstall-Smith on saxophones. Lack of commercial success, plus internal struggles, brought an end to the group in 1967 as Bond's mental and physical health deteriorated. Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker had already left, to form Cream with Eric Clapton. Baker's replacement, Jon Hiseman, and Dick Heckstall-Smith went on to form Colosseum. After the break-up of the Organization, Bond continued to exhibit mental disorders, with manic episodes and periods of intense depression, exacerbated by heavy drug use. Moving to America, he recorded two albums and performed session work for Harvey Mandel and Dr. John among others, but he returned to England in 1969.[4] He then formed Graham Bond Initiation with his new wife Diane Stewart, who shared his interest in magick, and in 1970 Holy Magick, which recorded a self-titled album and We Put Our Magick On You. He was also re-united with old band members while playing saxophone in Ginger Baker's Air Force and spending a short time in the Jack Bruce Band. Solid Bond, a double-album compiling live tracks recorded in 1963 by the Graham Bond Quartet (Bond, McLaughlin, Bruce and Baker) and a studio session from 1966 by the Graham Bond Organisation (Bond, Heckstall-Smith and Hiseman) was released that same year. In 1972 he teamed up with Pete Brown to record Two Heads are Better Than One. He also recorded an album with the John Dummer Band in 1973, although this was not released until 2008. After the near-simultaneous collapse of his band and his marriage, Bond then formed Magus with British folk-singer Carolanne Pegg and American bassist Marc Mazz, which disbanded around Christmas 1973 without recording. During that same period, he discovered American singer-songwriter-guitarist Mick Lee, and they played together live but never recorded. Plans to include Chris Wood of Traffic never materialized due to Bond's death. Bond's financial affairs were in chaos, and the years of lack of commercial success and the recent demise of Magus had badly hurt his pride.[citation needed] Throughout his career he had been hampered with severe bouts of drug addiction, and spent January 1973 in hospital after a nervous breakdown.[citation needed] On May 8, 1974, Bond died under the wheels of a train at Finsbury Park station, London, at the age of 36. Most sources list the death as a suicide. Friends agree that he was off drugs, although becoming increasingly obsessed with the occult (he believed he was Aleister Crowley's son). If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - - -

Do What You Like - Ginger Baker (Blind Faith)

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (born 19 August 1939, Lewisham, South London) is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences. He has also had other collaborations such as with Gary Moore, Hawkwind and Public Image Ltd.

Baker's drumming attracted attention for its flamboyance, showmanship and his use of two bass drums instead of the conventional single bass kick drum (following a similar set-up used by Louie Bellson during his days with Duke Ellington). Although a firmly established rock drummer and praised as "Rock's first superstar drummer", he prefers being called a jazz drummer. Baker's influence has extended to drummers of both genres, including Billy Cobham, Peter Criss, Bill Ward, Ian Paice, Nick Mason, and John Bonham. AllMusic has described him as "the most influential percussionist of the 1960s" and stated that "virtually every drummer of every heavy metal band that has followed since that time has sought to emulate some aspect of Baker's playing."

While at times performing in a similar way to Keith Moon from The Who, Baker also employs a more restrained style influenced by the British jazz groups he heard during the late 1950s and early 1960s. In his early days as a drummer, he performed lengthy drum solos, the best known being the five minute drum solo "Toad" from Cream's debut album Fresh Cream (1966). He is also noted for using a variety of other percussion instruments and for his application of African rhythms. He would often emphasize the flam, a drum rudiment in which both sticks attack the drumhead at almost the same time, giving a heavy thunderous sound.
Baker gained fame as a member of the Graham Bond Organisation and then as a member of the rock band Cream from 1966 until they disbanded in 1968. He later joined the group Blind Faith. In 1970 Baker formed, toured and recorded with fusion rock group Ginger Baker's Air Force.

Baker formed and recorded with Ginger Baker's Energy and was involved in collaborations with Bill Laswell, jazz bassist Charlie Haden, jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, and pioneering afro beat musician Fela Kuti. He was also member of Hawkwind, Atomic Rooster and Public Image Ltd.. In 1994 he formed The Ginger Baker Trio and joined the bassist known as Googe in Masters of Reality formed by producer, singer and guitarist Chris Goss.

Baker sat in for Kuti, during recording sessions in 1971 and these were released by Regal Zonophone as Live! (Fela Kuti album) (1971)' Fela also appeared with Ginger Baker on Stratavarious (1972) alongside Bobby Gass,a pseudonym for Bobby Tench from The Jeff Beck Group. Stratavarious was later re-issued as part of the compilation Do What You Like. Baker formed Baker Gurvitz Army in 1974 and recorded three albums with them before the band broke up in 1976.

In 1992 Baker played with the hard-rock group Masters of Reality on the album Sunrise on the Sufferbus, yielding the top-ten hit "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)".

In 1994 Baker joined BBM, a short-lived power trio with the lineup of Baker, Jack Bruce and Irish blues rock guitarist Gary Moore. On 3 May 2005, Baker was reunited with Eric Clapton and Bruce for a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden. The London concerts were recorded and released as Royal Albert Hall London May 2–3–5–6 2005 (2005), In a Rolling Stone article written in 2009, Bruce is quoted as saying: "It's a knife-edge thing between me and Ginger. Nowadays, we're happily co-existing in different continents [Bruce lives in Britain, Baker in South Africa]...although I was thinking of asking him to move. He's still a bit too close."

In 2008 a bank clerk, Lindiwe Noko, was charged with defrauding him of almost one-half million Rand ($60,000). The bank clerk claimed that it was a gift after she and Baker became lovers. Not so, insisted Baker, who explained, "I've a scar that only a woman who had a thing with me would know. It's there and she doesn't know it's there."

Baker's biography Hellraiser was published in 2009
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I'm So Glad - Cream

Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock, combining the psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's voice and blues bass playing and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album. Cream are widely regarded as being the world's first successful supergroup. In their career, they sold over 15 million albums worldwide.

Cream's music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad". Cream's biggest hits were "I Feel Free" (UK, #11), "Sunshine of Your Love" (US, #5), "White Room" (US, #6), "Crossroads" (US, #28), and "Badge" (UK, #18).

Cream made a significant impact upon the popular music of the time, and, along with Jimi Hendrix, they popularised the use of the wah-wah pedal. They provided a heavy yet technically proficient musical theme that foreshadowed and influenced the emergence of British bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Jeff Beck Group in the late 1960s. The band's live performances influenced progressive rock acts such as Rush, jam bands such as The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead, Phish and heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath.

Cream was ranked #16 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and Rolling Stone named them the sixty-sixth greatest artist of all time. In 2010 VH1 also ranked them #61 on their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
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Rollin' and Tumblin' - Cream

Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock,combining the psychedelia-themed lyrics, Eric Clapton's blues guitar playing, Jack Bruce's voice and blues bass playing and Ginger Baker's jazz-influenced drumming. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album. Cream is widely regarded as being the world's first notable and successful supergroup. In over two years, they sold over 35 million albums.

Cream's music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad". Cream's biggest hits were "I Feel Free" (UK, #11), "Sunshine of Your Love" (US, #5), "White Room" (US, #6), "Crossroads" (US, #28), and "Badge" (UK, #18).[

Cream made a significant impact upon the popular music of the time, and along with Jimi Hendrix, they popularised the use of the wah-wah pedal. They provided a heavy yet technically proficient musical theme that foreshadowed and influenced the emergence of British bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and The Jeff Beck Group in the late 1960s. The band's live performances influenced progressive rock acts such as Rush, jam bands such as The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead, Phish and heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath.

Cream was ranked #16 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and Rolling Stone named them the sixty-sixth greatest artist of all time. In 2010 VH1 also ranked them #61 on their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
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