Goodbye (Cream album)

Last updated

Goodbye
Goodbye album.PNG
Studio album / Live album by
Cream
Released5 February 1969 (1969-02-05)
RecordedOctober and November 1968
Venue The Forum, Los Angeles
Studio Wally Heider Studios, Los Angeles, IBC, London [1]
Genre
Length30:30
Label Polydor
Producer Felix Pappalardi [1]
Cream chronology
Wheels of Fire
(1968)		Goodbye
(1969)		 Best of Cream
(1969)
Singles from Goodbye
  1. "Badge" / "What a Bringdown"
    Released: March 1969

Goodbye (also called Goodbye Cream) [2] is the fourth and final studio album by Cream, with three tracks recorded live, and three recorded in the studio. The album was released after Cream disbanded in November 1968. [3]

Contents

Background and recording

Just before Cream's third album, Wheels of Fire , was to be released, the group's manager Robert Stigwood announced that the group would disband after a farewell tour and a final concert at the Royal Albert Hall in November. [4] The group started their farewell tour on 4 October 1968 in Oakland, California [4] and 15 days later on 19 October the group performed at The Forum in Los Angeles where the three live recordings on Goodbye were recorded with Felix Pappalardi and engineers Adrian Barber and Bill Halverson. [1] Just after their farewell tour concluded in November (and just prior to the final Royal Albert Hall show on 26 Nov), Cream recorded three songs over three days at Wally Heider Studios in Los Angeles with producer Felix Pappalardi and engineer Damon Lyon-Shaw, with overdubs at IBC Studios in London a month later. Each of the three songs was penned by a different member of the band. The songs "Badge" and "Doing That Scrapyard Thing" featured Eric Clapton using a Leslie speaker, [4] while all three recordings featured keyboard instruments played by either Jack Bruce or Felix Pappalardi. [1] Present at the Wally Heider sessions on 21 November was George Harrison, credited on the album sleeve for contractual reasons as "L'Angelo Misterioso", who contributed rhythm guitar to "Badge", the song he co-wrote with Clapton. [5]

In a 1969 Rolling Stone interview, producer Phil Spector told a possibly apocryphal story about how Atlantic Records head Ahmet Ertegun caused the album to happen: "Like the Cream are breakin' up, and he said, 'like man you have to do a final album for me.' They said, 'Why man, we hate each other,' or somethin' like that. Ahmet said, 'Oh no man, you have to do one more album for me. Jerry Wexler has cancer, and he’s dyin' and he wants to hear one more album from you.' So they go in, make the album and he says, 'Like man, Jerry Wexler isn’t dyin', he’s much better, he’s improved.'” [6]

Compiling, artwork, and packaging

The original plan for Goodbye was to make it a double album, with one disc featuring studio recordings and the other with live performances, like Wheels of Fire. With a lack of quality material on hand, however, the album was only one disc with three live recordings and three studio recordings. [4]

The original LP release of the album was packaged in a gatefold sleeve with art direction handled by Haig Adishian. The outer sleeve featured photography by Roger Phillips with a cover design by Alan Aldridge Ink Studios featuring the group doing a showbiz soft shuffle with top hats and silver silk tails, while the inner sleeve featured an illustration of a cemetery by Roger Hane that had the song titles on tombstones. [7] A compact disc reissue of the album for the Cream Remasters series in 1998 featured an inlay photograph and had the inner-sleeve illustration in the liner notes of the album. [1]

Release

Goodbye was released on 5 February 1969 by Atco Records in the United States, debuting in the Billboard chart on 15 February [8] and a month later in Europe by Polydor Records. It debuted at No. 1 in the United Kingdom on 15 March, staying in that position for four non-consecutive weeks, [9] and peaked at No. 2 in the United States. A single, "Badge", was released from the album a month later and hit No. 18 on the UK charts. Interest in the now-defunct group was so intense at this point that the album's release pushed two of the group's earlier albums, Fresh Cream and Disraeli Gears , to both peak at No. 7 on the UK chart in late February 1969. [10] [11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Retrospective reviews
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Christgau's Consumer Guide A− [14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]

The album was received well by New Musical Express , whose Nick Logan wrote an article-long review discussing each track. He praised the version of "I'm So Glad" for "being as good as they've ever done it and suffice to say the musicianship is stunning", while noting "Badge" as "compelling listening" and pinpointing "What a Bringdown" as Jack Bruce's favorite of the studio tracks. [16] Melody Maker wrote "no drum solos on this one, but all three are in superb form". [17] Record Mirror was slightly less enthusiastic, stating "a worthwhile souvenir though nothing superastonishing to fill us with desperate regrets it's all over", naming "What a Bringdown" as the best track and "a mild knockout". [18] Over in America, Cashbox penned a short review which simply stated "the group has a reservation for the charts with this set, and should claim it in short order". [19]

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone , music critic Ray Rezos felt Cream deserved to depart with a better album. He wrote that most of the live songs sounded inferior to the original recordings and that the studio tracks were marred by the same flaw as on Wheels of Fire, namely the presence of blues playing on songs whose compositions were not blues in his opinion. [20] Nonetheless, Goodbye was voted the 148th best rock album of all time in Paul Gambaccini's 1978 poll of 50 prominent American and English rock critics, issued as the book Critic's Choice: Top 200 Albums . [21]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Goodbye a work of "hard, heavy rock" and "strong moments" rather than cohesiveness, with live music that is generally better than on Wheels of Fire and a side of studio recordings that also found Cream "at something of a peak". [12] Robert Christgau also reacted favourably to the album, citing it as his favourite record from the group. [14] J. D. Considine was less impressed in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992), deeming Goodbye an incomplete record with "exquisite studio work" but mediocre live performances. [15]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Vocal(s) [1] Length
1."I'm So Glad (Live)" Skip James Jack Bruce, with Eric Clapton 9:13
2."Politician (Live)"Bruce, Pete Brown Bruce6:20
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Vocal(s) [1] Length
3."Sitting on Top of the World (Live)" Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon; arr. Chester Burnett Bruce5:01
4."Badge"Clapton, George Harrison [22] Clapton2:44
5."Doing That Scrapyard Thing"Bruce, BrownBruce3:15
6."What a Bringdown" Ginger Baker Clapton, with Bruce3:57
CD bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Vocal(s)Length
7."Anyone for Tennis" ( The Savage Seven theme)Clapton, Martin Sharp Clapton2:37

Notes:

Personnel

Cream

Additional musicians

Recording

Charts

Chart (1969–1970)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [23] 6
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [24] 5
Finnish Albums (Suomen Virallinen) [25] 3
French Albums (SNEP) [26] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [27] 9
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [28] 7
UK Albums (OCC) [29] 1
US Billboard 200 [30] 2

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [31] Gold35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [32] Platinum300,000^
United States (RIAA) [33] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cream (band)</span> 1960s British rock supergroup

Cream were a British rock supergroup 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.

<i>Fresh Cream</i> 1966 studio album by Cream

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.

<i>Wheels of Fire</i> 1968 studio/live album by Cream

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 in the same format on August 9.

<i>Disraeli Gears</i> 1967 studio album by Cream

Disraeli Gears is the second studio album by the British rock band Cream. 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunshine of Your Love</span> Song first recorded by Cream in 1967

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Room</span> 1968 single by Cream

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badge (song)</span> 1969 single by Cream

"Badge" is a song written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison, and recorded by British rock music group Cream on their final album, Goodbye. Also issued as a single in March 1969, "Badge" peaked at number 18 in the UK Singles Chart and number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<i>The History of Eric Clapton</i> 1972 compilation album by Eric Clapton

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.

<i>Live Cream</i> 1970 live album by Cream

Live Cream is a live compilation album by the British rock band Cream, released in 1970. This album comprises four live tracks recorded in 1968 and one studio track "Lawdy Mama" from 1967. The instrumental track for "Lawdy Mama" is the same as heard on "Strange Brew" with a different vocal and guitar solo by Eric Clapton.

<i>Live Cream Volume II</i> 1972 live album by Cream

Live Cream Volume II is the second live album by the British rock band Cream, released in March 1972 by Polydor Records. This album contains six tracks recorded at various performances from 9 March to 4 October 1968.

<i>Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream</i> 1983 compilation album by Cream

Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream is a 1983 compilation album by the British rock band Cream.

<i>Those Were the Days</i> (Cream album) 1997 box set by Cream

Those Were the Days is a retrospective compilation of music recorded by the British rock band Cream, released on 23 September 1997. It comprises four compact discs and includes almost every studio track released during the band's active lifetime, with the exception of the original "Passing The Time" from Wheels of Fire, and all but three tracks from the live material recorded in 1968 and released on Wheels of Fire, Goodbye, and the two Live Cream volumes of 1970 and 1972. The title is taken from the song written by Ginger Baker and Mike Taylor, released on Wheels of Fire in 1968.

<i>Gold</i> (Cream album) 2005 greatest hits album by 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tales of Brave Ulysses</span> 1967 single by Cream

"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 May 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.

<i>Heavy Cream</i> 1972 compilation album by Cream

Heavy Cream is a compilation album of material recorded by the British rock band Cream from 1966 to 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross Road Blues</span> 1936 blues song by Robert Johnson

"Cross Road Blues" is a song written by the American blues artist Robert Johnson. He performed it solo with his vocal and acoustic slide guitar in the Delta blues style. The song has become part of the Robert Johnson mythology as referring to the place where he sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for musical genius. This is based largely on folklore of the American South that identifies a crossroads as the site where Faustian bargains can be made, as the lyrics do not contain any references to Satan.

<i>The Cream of Clapton</i> 1995 greatest hits album by Eric Clapton

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".

<i>Best of Cream</i> 1969 greatest hits album by Cream

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anyone for Tennis</span> 1968 single by Cream

"Anyone for Tennis (The Savage Seven Theme)" is a song by the British rock band Cream. It was used as the theme song for the 1968 film The Savage Seven.

"Doing That Scrapyard Thing" is a song from British group Cream's 1969 farewell album, Goodbye. Composed by the band's bassist, Jack Bruce, with lyrics by Pete Brown, the song, alongside Eric Clapton's "Badge" and Ginger Baker's "What a Bringdown," was one of Cream's final studio recordings.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Goodbye (CD liner). Cream. Polydor Records. 1969. 31453 1815-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ↑ Baker, Ginger. "Ginger Baker History Archive 1968". gingerbaker.com. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Welch, Chris (4 August 2005). "The Farewell". Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Schumacher, Michael (2005). "Chapter 5: Do What You Like (1968–69)" . Crossroads: The Life and Times of Eric Clapton (First ed.). New York City, United States: Hyperion Books. pp.  107, 111, 113, 114. ISBN   0-7868-6074-X.
  5. ↑ "George Harrison Performs on Badge by Cream". Beatles Bible. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Wenner, Jann S. (1 November 1969). "Phil Spector: The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  7. ↑ Goodbye (Vinyl sleeve). Cream. New York City, United States: Atco Records. 1969. SD 7001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ↑ Whitburn, Joel. "Joel Whitburn's Record Research: Online Music Vault" . Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Goodbye". Official Charts. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Fresh Cream". Official Charts. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  11. ↑ "Disraeli Gears". Official Charts. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  12. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Cream: Goodbye > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  13. ↑ Kot, Greg (1993). "It's A Roller-coaster Career From Blues To Pop And Back". Chicago Tribune . No. 21 February. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Robert Christgau: Online Exchange, part 3". RockCritics.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  15. 1 2 Considine, J. D. (1992). "Cream". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 166. ISBN   0679737294.
  16. ↑ Logan, Nick. "Jack Bruce talks about farewell LP" (PDF). New Musical Express. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  17. ↑ "MM LP Supplement: Pop" (PDF). Melody Maker. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  18. ↑ "Cream Farewell" (PDF). Record Mirror. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  19. ↑ "Cashbox Album Reviews" (PDF). Cashbox. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  20. ↑ Rezos, Ray (5 April 1969). "Review: Goodbye by Cream". Rolling Stone . San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  21. ↑ Gambaccini, Paul (1978). Rock Critic's Choice: The Top 200 Albums. Omnibus. pp. 83–4. ISBN   0860014940.
  22. ↑ Per BMI records, BMI Work #80556. Some releases of the album erroneously credit Clapton only.
  23. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  24. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5957". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  25. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 100. ISBN   951-31-2503-3.
  26. ↑ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – C". Infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2024.Select Cream from the menu, then press OK.
  27. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cream – Goodbye" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  28. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Cream – Goodbye". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  29. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  30. ↑ "Cream Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  31. ↑ "Australian Fun Countdowns: Accreditation Awards". Warner Music Sales International. BMI Music International. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  32. ↑ "Best-selling Rock LPs". Billboard. 28 September 1968. p.  1 . Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  33. ↑ "American album certifications – Cream". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 17 September 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.