First is classic rock radio staple "Strange Brew". Even after thousands of listens, I still find myself entranced by this song. The hypnotic bass grove keeps you locked in the song. Bluesy, but psychedelic as well, it would be the perfect song to sum up what Cream were: heavy psychedelic blues. Clapton shows that he may not be God, but the guitars on this track certainly bring you closer to heaven, at least metaphorically. Scorching guitars. Ginger Baker's drumming is of course top notch, and you would be hard-pressed to find better rock drumming. Fantastic. One of the first songs that I learned on guitar comes next, "Sunshine Of Your Love". The first real metal riff, it set the blueprint for Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, and any other band considered to be Godfathers of metal. I've heard the song a tad too many times, but it is still great. The unconventional jazz drumming is what I listen to the most nowadays, odd, but it somehow works in the song. Baker could always take a very complex beat and apply it to a rock song, that is his genius.
Next is "World of Pain". Much less bluesy than many of the songs on the album, it was actually written by "Felix Pappalardi" of the band Mountain. Very psychedelic, you almost get a contact high listening to the song. Bruce and Clapton trade vocals, and the chorus harmonies are hauntingly beautiful. Amazing song. A psychedelic class. The slightly jazzy "Dance the Night Away" is another very psychedelic tune. Like the band's "White Room", it is truly an epic song. Clapton's leads literally reach the sky, soaked in reverb, they are truly ethereal. One of the best bass lines in rock, Jack Bruce really shows on this song why his playing is the stuff of legend. He dances along the song, literally floating over guitars and drums. It's hard to believe that a sound so big was made by only three people. Next up is not one of my favorites. "Blue Condition" was written and sung by Ginger Baker. Kind of a drummer "joke song", the over-exaggerated English accent starts to grate. I usually turn the album over (yes, vinyl) at this point.
Side 2 opens with a bang. "Tales of Brave Ulysses", based on the poem by Homer, is another psychedelic blues number. Very similar musically to White Room by the band, I felt a little underwhelmed due to its very short length. Bruce's vocals are amazing, very powerful. Good song. Next is "SWALBR". A psychedelic retelling of the "evil woman" blues legend, Bruce's vocals again prove that he was the true lead singer of Cream. I particularly like the rapid chord changes, very intense, but again a little short and the lyrics are a tad cryptic and silly (bearded rainbows?). "We're Going Wrong" is another Jack Bruce sung and written composition. Side 2 is a bit too dominated by Bruce. While I like his songs and vocals, they can sometimes sound very similar when put together. Also, Clapton's vocals and harmonies start to be missed at this point. You are almost begging for him to "come back". A very influential song on Led Zeppelin, its a bit too sparse and slow for me. It feels like a musical sketch, rather than a full song. Not a classic in my opinion.
"Outside Woman Blues" brings Clapton back into the picture. A cover of the Arthur Reynold's blues standard, it shows where Clapton's heart really lied. I like the psychedelic take on the song, but the two worlds clash a bit here. Bruce is driving the song into the 1960s musically, and Clapton has one foot planted in the past. A very odd clash. Not bad, but somewhat unnecessary on such a stellar album. "Take It Back" is Jack Bruce's attempt at blues. In my opinion, Bruce was always more well-suited to psychedelic sounding song rather than bluesy numbers. I feel that Clapton should have sung the song, his gritty and bluesy vocals are more well-suited to this style of song. Doesn't work for me. Last up is joke song "Mother's Lament". A nursery rhyme/barbershop style song, it lightens up the album, but really is just a simple joke song.
"Disraeli Gears" is a masterpiece. Despite some filler on Side 2, most of the song on the album are absolute classics and leaps and bounds above most other 1960s band. Without this monumental album, its hard to imagine I would even be writing this blog about heavy music, Heavenly.
Rating-10/10
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