Cream Stirring Up 2005 Reunion

[DRL]

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. November 09, 2004, 6:00 PM ET

Cream Stirring Up 2005 Reunion


Vintage rock trio Cream will reunite for a string of shows next year at London's Royal Albert Hall, sources tell Billboard.com. The group -- guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce -- played its final shows at Albert Hall before splintering in November 1968. Cream has not performed together since its 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Billboard.com understands the trio will begin rehearsals after the first of the year, with an eye on a week-long run of gigs at Albert Hall. It is unknown if plans call for additional shows in other parts of the world. A spokesperson for Clapton had no comment.

In just two years, Cream achieved legendary status on the strength of the albums "Fresh Cream," "Disraeli Gears" (recently reissued in a deluxe edition by Polydor) and the half-live/half-studio "Wheels of Fire," expertly blending blues, rock and the burgeoning strains of psychedelia.

"Disraeli Gears" is a particular landmark, sporting such signature tracks as "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love," which features one of the most distinctive riffs in rock history.

"Live, Cream was a great, hardworking band -- Eric was supreme and Ginger the most musical drummer alive -- and those original live albums were very good, probably the best records of their kind up to that point," Bruce told Billboard in 1997, prior to the release of the boxed set "Those Were the Days." "But our studio recordings were probably more important, although there you can tell that each one of us had a different idea of what Cream should be."

Following Cream's split, Clapton and Baker joined another supergroup, Blind Faith, with Traffic's Steve Winwood and Family bassist Rick Grech. But the combo issued only one album before Clapton set off on an enduring solo career. Baker and Bruce have continued to record and tour in a variety of incarnations.

[DRL]

Creme de la Cream
Updated 03:25 PST Sat, Jan 29 2005
Rumors of a Cream reunion first got started last November, were confirmed by Eric Clapton in December, and now the dates are finally in: The '60s supergroup, whose hits include "Sunshine of Your Love," "Strange Brew"and "White Room," will reunite for four shows at London's Royal Albert Hall in May.
The last time guitarist Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker appeared on stage together was the band's 1993 Hall of Fame induction, where they played a three-song set that has kept fans hungry for a reunion ever since.
Cream formed in 1966 and released four albums in two years with worldwide sales of more than 35 million copies. The group played its last British show at the Albert Hall in 1968, shortly after returning from a U.S. tour that had earned them a reported $60,000 per night.
Clapton has said the May 2-6 shows will be recorded for release on CD and DVD.

[DRL]

Supergroup Cream rises again

After four decades, the legendary trio returns to the stage

By CNN's Gordon Isfeld
Tuesday, May 3, 2005 Posted: 9:13 AM EDT (1313 GMT)



LONDON, England (CNN) -- It could have gone all terribly wrong. Jack Bruce could have passed out during his bass solo. Ginger Baker could have expired amid a flurry of drumsticks. Or the two could have just beaten each other silly right there on stage. All the while guitarist Eric Clapton would be gently weeping in the wings.

None of this would have surprised Cream fans in the 1960s -- the acrimony and excesses within the supergroup being as well known as their musical riffs.

But that was then, this is now.

Thirty-seven years ago after the group performed its final concert at Royal Albert Hall, the trio returned to the same venue on Monday, much changed but still very much revered.

"Thanks for waiting all these years," Clapton admonished the crowd during the first of four sold-out concerts in London. "We're going to play every song we know."

Well, not quite. In just over two hours, Cream ripped through 18 songs -- beginning with "I'm So Glad" and then on to "Spoonful," "Badge," "Born Under a Bad Sign," Sitting On Top of the World" and "White Room."

After a tentative start and strained vocals on the first song, the group grew tighter, more assured and even energized. It was during "White Room" and the encore offering of "Sunshine of Your Love" that the audience -- and the group -- seemed to be dragged (singing and swaying) from the past into the present, without missing a beat.

Cream burst onto the scene unexpectedly in 1966 -- three musicians little known outside their individual musical spheres but very much aware of their own abilities, as was evident in the choice of group's name. And for just over two years (from 1966 to 1968), they were indeed the crème de la crème.




Clapton, now 60, was still in his teens when he showed himself to be a guitar wizard with the Yardbirds and then legendary John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. It was Baker who first approached Clapton about forming a group. It was Clapton who suggested Bruce as the third member -- an idea that didn't go down well with Baker, who had fallen out with the Scotsman when they were both members of the Graham Bond Organisation, a British rhythm and blues band. Despite the animosity between the two -- something that would take on violent overtones and self-destructive behavior in years ahead -- Baker and Bruce agreed to work together again.

Gone on Monday was the acrimony, along with the extended improvisations and half-hour solos.

Somewhere in the vacuum of career transitions and personal crisis, Clapton and company appear to have become a group, perhaps really for the first time. Mature, paced and professional, and begging the question: How good would these guy have been in the early days if not for drugs, alcohol and egos?

Still, as Baker launched into his obligatory drum solo (at just six minutes, far shorter than his trademark outings), a fan yelled out, "You go old man." He didn't need the encouragement.

Why the three agreed to a reunion at this time and place is not yet clear. They're not talking publicly.

Clapton certainly doesn't need the money. The others clearly do, but at what cost to their physical well-being? Bruce had a liver transplant in 2003, while Baker reportedly suffers from arthritis.




But Clapton hinted at a possible reunion in 1993, when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and played a brief set for the audience. "I was moved," Clapton is quoted as saying in "To The Limits," a 2003 book by Forbes magazine's Jim Clash. "I was in some other place. It's been so long since I've been around something from somebody else that's inspired me." Up until then, he added, "it's been up to me to inspire me."

For his part, Bruce, 61, has admitted that cash has also been a factor but so has Cream's place in history." Apart from the money... that band tends to get overlooked these day," he says in Clash's book. "Led Zeppelin, for instance, has gotten a lot of recognition, and quite rightly so. But, it seems to be forgotten that Cream and (Jimi) Hendrix really created that audience. A reunion would help clarify that."

Baker, 65, who struggled with a heroin addiction for many years, had been less enthusiastic about getting back together. "A lot of people think I'm dead... But that's nothing new," he tells Clash. "There was a point where I wanted to do it, when I totally went broke.... That is not a reason to do something, you know." But they did do it, and now the question is: Why did anyone care? Earlier this month, the poet Pete Brown -- who, along with Bruce, wrote many of Cream's best-known songs -- told The Telegraph newspaper the band's enduring appeal was simply a matter of quality. "There's really no substitute for great playing and writing," he said. "You can chuck things into a computer and get people off the street who look great, but in the end they aren't going to do anything that lasts."




On a Monday evening in London, four decades on, that quality came through loud (but not too loud) and clear.

And to answer the question of why and why now on Clapton's behalf ... with many of his old friends and colleagues now dead, it's perhaps comforting to be encircled by those who helped get you where you are today. The comfort of friends reconciled and wiser ... while they last.

For those who missed Monday's concert, and the others, the marketers have been busy.

"I Feel Free - Ultimate Cream," a 2 CD set billed as "the definitive collection from the original supergroup," was released on Monday. They include in studio and live performances by Cream.

There's also a "Special Edition - Limited Deluxe" 3 CD box set, which includes BBC sessions and interviews with Clapton.

[DRL]

Here is the set list for all 4 shows.


I'm So Glad
Spoonful
Outside Woman Blues
Pressed Rat and Wart Hog
Sleepy Time, Time
NSU
Badge
Politician
Sweet Wine
Rollin' & Tumblin'
Stormy Monday
Deserted Cities of the Heart
Born Under a Bad Sign
We're Going Wrong
Crossroads
Sitting on Top of the World
White Room
Toad
Sunshine of Your Love (Encore)

[DRL]

Cream Mulling New York Run?



By Ray Waddell, Nashville



On the heels of its early May reunion run at London's Royal Albert Hall, legendary power trio Cream may be crossing the Atlantic for another round of shows this fall. Sources say dates are being "unofficially" held for three concerts at Madison Square Garden in October.

Guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce regrouped for the first time since their 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a May 2-6 stand at London's Royal Albert Hall. The shows grossed more than $3.6 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

"Live, Cream was a great, hardworking band -- Eric was supreme and Ginger the most musical drummer alive -- and those original live albums were very good, probably the best records of their kind up to that point," Bruce told Billboard in 1997, prior to the release of the boxed set "Those Were the Days."

Neither Madison Square Garden nor Clapton's agent would confirm that the dates were being held.

As previously reported, Clapton's next studio album, "Back Home," is due Aug. 30 via Reprise/Duck. The set features guest appearances from John Mayer, Steve Winwood, Robert Randolph and Simon Climie.

[DRL]

Although the track list has not yet been revealed, a DVD chronicling Cream's May reunion run at London's Royal Albert Hall will be released Oct. 4 via Rhino. The shows found Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker performing together for the first time in nearly 37 years, save for a one-off set at Cream's 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The group is said to be mulling a similar run at New York's Madison Square Garden in late October, but has yet to confirm specifics. The London shows grossed more than $3.6 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.

As previously reported, Clapton will on Aug. 30 release his next Duck/Reprise album, "Back Home."

[DRL]

Cream In The U.S.A.
Updated 14:28 PDT Tue, Sep 06 2005
After four hugely successful nights at London's Royal Albert Hall and weeks of speculation, Cream has announced three shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The October 24 -26 shows are reportedly the only U.S. dates for legendary rock group comprising Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton.
The concerts will be produced by Ron Delsener Presents and tickets will be available in advance to American Express card holders. through a special pre-sale starting September 12 at 9 a.m. The early tickets can be purchased via ticketmaster.com and there will be a four ticket per person limit.
If tickets remain, they will then go on-sale to the general public on September 19.
Cream formed in 1966 and disbanded in 1968. In less than three years, the band produced three seminal studio albums, Fresh Cream (1966), Disraeli Gears (1967) and Wheels of Fire (1968)
The band toured incessantly and its concerts were legendary. Prior to the Royal Albert Hall shows, the last time the band played together was in 1993 when the group was inaugurated into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.