Disraeli Gears | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 November 1967 | |||
Recorded | 11–15 May 1967 | |||
Studio | Atlantic, New York City | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 33:02 | |||
Label | Reaction | |||
Producer | Felix Pappalardi | |||
Cream chronology | ||||
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Singles from Disraeli Gears | ||||
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Disraeli Gears is the second studio album by the British rock band Cream. It was released in November 1967 [1] and reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart., [2] and No. 1 on the Swedish and Finnish charts. The album was also No. 1 for two weeks on the Australian album chart and was listed as the No. 1 album of 1968 by Cash Box in the year-end album chart in the United States. The album features the singles "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love", as well as their respective B-sides "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "SWLABR".
The original 11-track album was remastered in 1998, and then subsequently released as a two-disc Deluxe Edition in 2004.
The album was recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York between 11 and 15 May 1967, [3] following the band's nine shows as part of Murray the K's "Music in the 5th Dimension" concert series. Cream's American label, ATCO, was a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlantic Records. [4] [5]
The sessions were produced by future Mountain bassist Felix Pappalardi – who co-wrote the tracks "Strange Brew" and "World of Pain" with wife Gail Collins – and were engineered by Tom Dowd – who would later work with Clapton on projects such as Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and 461 Ocean Boulevard . Atlantic Records owner Ahmet Ertegun was also present during the sessions. [6]
According to Dowd, the recording sessions took only three-and-a-half days. The band's visas expired on the very last day of recording. [7]
Drummer Ginger Baker recalled how the album's title was based on a malapropism which alluded to 19th-century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli:
You know how the title came about – Disraeli Gears – yeah? We had this Austin Westminster, and Mick Turner was one of the roadies who'd been with me a long time, and he was driving along and Eric [Clapton] was talking about getting a racing bicycle. Mick, driving, went 'Oh yeah – Disraeli gears!' meaning derailleur gears ... We all just fell over ... We said that's got to be the album title. [8]
The cover art was created by Australian artist Martin Sharp who lived in the same building as Clapton, The Pheasantry in Chelsea. Sharp would go on to create the artwork to Cream's next album Wheels of Fire and co-wrote the songs "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and The Savage Seven movie theme "Anyone for Tennis" with Clapton. The photography was by Bob Whitaker, known for his work for the Beatles, including the controversial Yesterday and Today "butcher" cover. Most of the photographs were taken in July 1967, with shoots in London's Hyde Park as well as in the Scottish Highlands. Some of the images were shot on Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the British isles. The photos show a clean-shaven Clapton with a bouffant, permed hairstyle. By the time of the album's release in November, however, he was letting his hair grow out straight and had grown a moustache.
The front cover consists of a psychedelic collage with the title centred and band name below, surrounded by a floral arrangement. Martin Sharp was attempting to capture the sound of the music in the cover, which he describes as a "warm fluorescent sound": [9]
I got hold of a publicity shot and cut it up, along with cutouts from various books, laid the pieces out and stuck them together as a collage on a 12-inch square. I did some drawing outlines, and then painted all over it with fluorescent inks and paints of the time. I really wanted to capture that warm, electric sound of their music in the colours and expression of the cover. On my way to England, I'd gone (to Cambodia). And in one of the towns I visited, there were these amazing sculptures with faces on each side, and huge trees growing out on top... Over the years, these great trees had taken root and grown. I suppose I thought that was a bit like the band: where you could see three faces, and the music coming out of their heads. [10]
The cover art was later used for the compilation Those Were the Days .
Disraeli Gears features the group veering away, quite heavily, from their blues roots and indulging in more psychedelic sounds, in particular on tracks such as "Tales of Brave Ulysses", "SWLABR", "World of Pain" and "Dance the Night Away", the last of which features a 12-string guitar (the only time the instrument would be used on a Cream recording). The most blues-like tunes on the album are Clapton's arrangement of "Outside Woman Blues", the Bruce-Brown composition "Take It Back" which had been inspired by the contemporary media images of American students burning their draft cards which featured harmonica work by Jack Bruce, [11] and the opening track "Strange Brew", which was based on a 12-bar blues song called "Lawdy Mama".
Unlike the previous Fresh Cream, which was vocally dominated by Bruce, the vocals on Disraeli Gears were a more democratic affair. Clapton sings lead on "Strange Brew" and "Outside Woman Blues", and co-lead on "World of Pain", "Dance the Night Away" and "Sunshine of Your Love". Baker, meanwhile, performs lead vocals on his composition "Blue Condition". All three band members sing together on "Mother's Lament".
In contrast to much of the band's other work, Disraeli Gears comprises mainly short, self-contained songs, with none of the improvisation and jamming for which the band was known onstage.
The album was released in November 1967 by Reaction Records. [1]
The original 11-track album was remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio at PolyGram Studios [1] for a 1998 release, including bonus photographs accompanying the original album artwork.
The Disraeli Gears Deluxe Edition includes the complete album in both mono and stereo, demos, alternative takes and tracks taken from the band's live sessions on BBC radio. Included is an outtake of "Blue Condition" with Eric Clapton on lead vocals, and demos of the songs "Weird of Hermiston" and "The Clearout" which were not released until Jack Bruce's first solo album Songs for a Tailor .
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
BBC Music | (positive) [13] |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Great Rock Discography | 9/10 [16] |
MusicHound | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Music Story | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sputnikmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Writing for the BBC, Chris Jones described the album as "a perfect encapsulation of the point where the blues got psychedelic and in turn got heavy". [13] Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic describes the album as "a quintessential heavy rock album of the '60s". [12] Dave Swanson of Ultimate Classic Rock believes the album to be "their masterpiece". [20]
In 1999, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [21]
It was voted number 182 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000). [22] In 2003 the album was ranked number 112 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, [23] then was re-ranked at number 114 in a 2012 revised list, [24] and at number 170 in a 2020 revised list. [25] VH1 named it 87th-greatest album of all time in 2001. [26]
In 2008, the album won a Classic Rock Roll of Honours Award for Classic Album. [27]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
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1. | "Strange Brew" | Eric Clapton | 2:46 | |
2. | "Sunshine of Your Love" |
| Bruce and Clapton | 4:10 |
3. | "World of Pain" |
| Clapton and Bruce | 3:02 |
4. | "Dance the Night Away" |
| Bruce and Clapton | 3:34 |
5. | "Blue Condition" | Ginger Baker | Ginger Baker | 3:29 |
Total length: | 17:01 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocals | Length |
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1. | "Tales of Brave Ulysses" |
| Bruce | 2:46 |
2. | "SWLABR" |
| Bruce | 2:31 |
3. | "We're Going Wrong" | Bruce | Bruce | 3:27 |
4. | "Outside Woman Blues" | Blind Joe Reynolds, arr. Clapton | Clapton | 2:25 |
5. | "Take It Back" |
| Bruce | 3:05 |
6. | "Mother's Lament" | Traditional, [nb 1] arr. Bruce, Clapton, Baker | Baker, Clapton, and Bruce | 1:47 |
Total length: | 16:01 |
Disc one (stereo)
| Disc two (mono)
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Note: A. Side One, B. Side Two
Cream
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [43] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [44] 1998 release | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [45] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
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United Kingdom | November 1967 | Reaction Records | mono LP | 593 003 |
stereo LP | 594 003 | |||
United States | November 1967 | Atco Records | mono LP | 33-232 |
stereo LP | SD 33-232 | |||
Germany | November 1967 | Polydor Records | stereo LP | 184 105 |
Japan | May 1968 | Polydor Records | stereo LP | MP-1390 |
United States | 1977 | RSO Records | LP | RS 1–3010 |
United States | 1986 | Polydor Records | CD | 823 636-2 |
United States | 2004 | Polydor Records/Chronciles | Deluxe Edition CD | B0003331-02 |
United Kingdom | 2004 | Polydor Records | Deluxe Edition CD | 0602498193129 |
Japan | 2013 | USM Japan | SACD | UIGY 15002 |
Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. He ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". In 2023, Rolling Stone named Clapton the 35th best guitarist of all time. He was also named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009.
Cream were a British rock band formed in London in 1966. The group consisted of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. Bruce was the primary songwriter and vocalist, although Clapton and Baker contributed to songs. Formed by members of previously successful bands, they are widely considered the first supergroup. Cream were highly regarded for the instrumental proficiency of each of their members.
John Symon Asher Bruce was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and bassist of rock band Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a solo career and also played with several bands.
Fresh Cream is the debut studio album by the British rock band Cream, consisting of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker. The album was released in the UK on 9 December 1966, as the first LP on the Reaction Records label, owned by producer Robert Stigwood. It was released in both mono and stereo versions, at the same time as the release of the single "I Feel Free". The album peaked at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was released in a slightly different form in January 1967 by Atco Records in the US, also in mono and stereo versions.
Wheels of Fire is the third album by the British rock band Cream. It was released in the US in June 1968 as a two-disc vinyl LP, with one disc recorded in the studio and the other recorded live. It was released in the UK on August 9. It reached number three in the United Kingdom and number one in the United States, Canada and Australia, becoming the world's first platinum-selling double album. In May 2012, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it at number 205 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It was voted number 757 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).
"Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British rock band Cream. With elements of hard rock and psychedelia, it is one of Cream's best known and most popular songs. Cream bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce based it on a distinctive bass riff he developed after attending a Jimi Hendrix concert. Guitarist Eric Clapton and lyricist Pete Brown later contributed to the song and drummer Ginger Baker plays a distinctive tom-tom drum rhythm.
"White Room" is a song by British rock band Cream, composed by bassist Jack Bruce with lyrics by poet Pete Brown. They recorded it for the studio half of the 1968 double album Wheels of Fire. In September, a shorter US single edit was released for AM radio stations, although album-oriented FM radio stations played the full album version. The subsequent UK single release in January 1969 used the full-length album version of the track.
The History of Eric Clapton is a compilation double LP, released in 1972 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom, and Atco Records in the United States. It features Eric Clapton performing in various bands between 1964 and 1970, including The Yardbirds, Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos.
Blues Breakers, colloquially known as The Beano Album, is the debut studio album by the English blues rock band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, originally credited to John Mayall with Eric Clapton. Produced by Mike Vernon and released in 1966 by Decca Records (UK) and London Records (US), it pioneered a guitar-dominated blues-rock sound.
Eric Clapton is the debut solo studio album by English rock musician Eric Clapton, released in August 1970 by Atco and Polydor Records.
Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream is a 1983 compilation album by the British rock band Cream.
Gold is a two-disc compilation album by the British rock band Cream, released in 2005 to help celebrate the band's reunion at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a part of the larger Gold series.
"Tales of Brave Ulysses" is a song recorded in 1967 by British group Cream. It was released as the B-side to the "Strange Brew" single in June 1967. In November, the song was included on Cream's second album, Disraeli Gears. The song features one of the earliest uses of a wah-wah pedal, which guitarist Eric Clapton plays throughout the song. Cream's song "White Room" copies the chord progression to a large extent.
"SWLABR" is a song recorded by the British rock band Cream in 1967. It first appeared on the album Disraeli Gears (1967). Later, the song was the B-side to Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" single.
"We're Going Wrong" is a song by British supergroup Cream from the album Disraeli Gears. The song was written by bassist Jack Bruce and was the only song on Gears that Jack wrote without lyricist Pete Brown.
The Cream of Clapton is an Eric Clapton compilation album released in 1995. Additionally, the European and U.S.-versions have a different track listings. The European version had already been released as The Best of Eric Clapton in 1991, though without the track "I Can't Stand It".
Cream were a 1960s British rock power trio consisting of drummer Ginger Baker, guitarist/singer Eric Clapton and bassist/singer Jack Bruce. While together they released four albums, the last two being partly recorded live in concert, and ten singles. Since breaking up there have been four albums of music recorded live in concert, and 10 compilation albums.
Best of Cream is a compilation album of material recorded from 1966 to 1968 by the rock band Cream, and released shortly after their disbanding. The album was originally released by Cream's U.S. label Atco (Atlantic) Records, and was available on that label during the years 1969–1972. The album was briefly reissued in the U.S. in 1977 by RSO/Polydor Records, to whom U.S. distribution rights for Cream's recordings had reverted by that time. A re-release was pressed in 2014 by Polydor on 180g vinyl.
"Strange Brew" is a song by the British rock band Cream. First released as a single in June 1967 in the UK and US, it was later added to their second studio album Disraeli Gears. The song features Eric Clapton on lead vocals rather than the usual lead by Jack Bruce. The single peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart in July of that same year. In the UK, it was the last Cream single to be released by Reaction Records.
"Outside Woman Blues" is a blues song originally recorded by Blind Joe Reynolds in 1929. It is one of few known recordings made by Reynolds, who used "Woman Blues" in several song titles, including "Cold Woman Blues", "Goose Hill Woman Blues", and "Third Street Woman Blues".