LOS ANGELES (UMe Records) - In May 2005,
Cream - the band of guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer
Ginger Baker that forever changed rock 'n' roll - will perform for the first time in nearly 37 years. One of the most highly anticipated reunions in rock history, the series of concerts will take place at London's Royal Albert Hall, where the band played its farewell concert on November 26, 1968.
Commemorating the event is the debut of the groundbreaking group's definitive two-CD anthology, Cream - Gold (Polydor/UMe), released April 26, 2005. Featuring 29 newly digitally remastered recordings, Cream - Gold embraces the band both in the studio and on stage.
Disc One collects 21 studio tracks, highlighted by "I Feel Free," "Strange Brew," "Sunshine Of Your Love," "White Room," "SWLABR," "I'm So Glad," "NSU," "Tales Of Brave Ulysses," "Politician," "Born Under A Bad Sign" and "Badge." Disc Two brings together eight legendary live performances - "Crossroads," "I'm So Glad," "NSU," "Sleepy Time Time," "Sunshine Of Your Love," "Rollin' And Tumblin'" and the 16-minute epics "Spoonful" and "Toad." The package also boasts a deluxe booklet filled with track details, photos and an informative essay.
Cream - Gold includes selections from each of the band's albums: Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, live-and-studio Wheels Of Fire, live-and-studio Goodbye, Live Cream and Live Cream, Volume 2 plus the single of "Anyone For Tennis." The studio tracks include "Sweet Wine," "World Of Pain," "We're Going Wrong," "Sitting On Top Of The World," "Passing The Time," "Those Were The Days," "Deserted Cities Of The Heart," "Doing That Scrapyard Thing" and "What A Bringdown."
Fusing Delta blues, pop and psychedelia, Cream created a sound all its own. During a recording life of just over two years, 1966-1968, the band established the prototypical blues rock power trio, laid the foundation for the hard rock of succeeding decades and redefined the instrumentalist in rock. Yet, at the height of its fame, Cream broke up. Clapton and Baker subsequently formed Blind Faith, and all three eventually went solo, with Clapton achieving one of the most renowned careers in rock. One measure of Cream's impact is that, despite such a short career, in 1993 the trio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Cream - Gold joins earlier-released definitive two-CD retrospectives in the Gold series UMe debuted in January 2005. Issued concurrently on April 26, 2005 with Cream - Gold are Burning Spear - Gold (Island/UMe), Chuck Berry - Gold (Geffen/UMe), Engelbert Humperdinck - Gold (Hip-O/UMe), Peter Frampton - Gold (A&M/UMe), The Supremes - Gold (Motown/UMe) and Classic Rock - Gold (Hip-O/UMe).
