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Rating: The Farewell Tour of '68 was the last one that Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce did together as Cream (excluding later reunions). This bootleg is the recording of one of those 22 concerts, the one at the Inglewood Forum in Los Angeles. Nine tracks, basically all the Cream classics, beautifully elongated and spread over just over an hour and a quarter of total CD duration. The performance is perhaps a bit imprecise, let's be clear, not that they play badly, they are still three masters in their respective roles, let's say there's some minor mistakes here and there, some imperfections, technically these are not the best Cream, they appear a bit distracted in some moments, not very focused, perhaps with their minds already projected towards their future adventures, and probably under the influence of some strange stuff, surely a bit tipsy. But to counterbalance this, there is tremendous energy, the sound is robust and dirty enough, the performance is very muscular, in short, they seem to play more with their gut than their head, visceral, spontaneous, sincere. They show once again that they are comfortable with long instrumental solos and the usual inventiveness at an improvisational level. Guitar, Bass, and Drums in continuous challenge, the most demonic blues that flows into hard rock and psychedelia.
The record gives its best in the sequence of the first three tracks, the concert's attack is relentless, with a captivating and wild "White Room," at the start of which there seems to be a small cut, then the historic cover "Crossroads" (Robert Johnson), and then reaching the pinnacle already at the third track, one of the most famous riffs ever, "Sunshine of Your Love" with Clapton's guitar taking center stage. Jack Bruce's frenzied harmonica characterizes the subsequent "Traintime," while "Toad" gives Baker's virtuoso percussionism the leading role. Another homage to old Blues is the very elongated "Spoonful" (Willie Dixon), followed by "I'm so Glad," never much loved by the one writing here, and by a very heavy "Politician" that seems to anticipate the gloomy and distorted style and sound of Black Sabbath. It ends with another old famous blues standard "Sitting on the Top of the World" obviously reworked by the three in their own way. Framing the performance is a very warm audience and generally a fun and festive atmosphere, despite it being a farewell tour.
This is just one of the many records that testify how hard rock was present on stages already a few years before its official debut on record (LED ZEPPELIN, 1969), and confirms the important pioneering role played by Cream in the genre.
The sound of the recording is good, not crystal clear, after all, it is a bootleg, but the three instruments and the vocals come through distinctly. The upper part of the CD looks like a small vinyl and is enclosed in a simple cardboard case, but charming in its simplicity. If you like heavy blues and the instrumental improvisation typical of Cream, but I would say common to much of the music of that period, then consider giving it a thought, you might like it.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 White Room (06:00)
In the white room with black curtains, near the station
Blackroof country, no gold pavements, tired starlings
Silver horses ran down moonbeams in your dark eyes
Dawnlight smiles on you, leaving my contentment
I'll wait in this place where the sun never shines
Wait in this place where the shadows run from themselves
You said no strings could secure you at the station
Platform ticket, restless diesels, goodbye windows
I walked into such a sad time at the station
As I walked out, felt my own need just beginning
I'll wait in the queue when the trains come back
Lie with you where the shadows run from themselves
At the party she was kindness in the hard crowd
Consolation for the old wound now forgotten
Yellow tigers crouched in jungles in her dark eyes
She's just dressing, goodbye windows, tired starlings
I'll sleep in this place with the lonely crowd
Lie in the dark where the shadows run from themselves
02 Politician (05:08)
Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
I want to just show you what my politics are.
I'm a political man and I practice what I preach.
I'm a political man and I practice what I preach.
So don't deny me baby, not while you're in my reach.
I support the left, though I'm leaning, leaning to the right.
I support the left, though I'm leaning to the right.
But I'm just not there when it's coming to a fight.
Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
Hey now baby, get into my big black car.
I want to just show you what my politics are.
03 Crossroads (04:00)
I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
Down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees
Asked the Lord above for mercy, "Take me if you please."
I went down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride
Down to the crossroads, tried to flag a ride
Nobody seemed to know me, everybody passed me by.
Well, I'm going down to Rosedale, take my rider by my side.
Going down to Rosedale, take my rider by my side.
You can still barrelhouse, baby, on the riverside
[Guitar solo 1]
I'm going down to Rosedale, take my rider by my side
Going down to Rosedale, take my rider by my side
You can still barrelhouse, baby, on the riverside
[Guitar solo 2]
You can run, you can run, tell my friend poor Willie Brown.
Run, you can run, tell my friend poor Willie Brown.
And I'm standing at the crossroads, believe I'm sinking down.
04 Sunshine of Your Love (05:10)
It's getting near dawn,
When lights close their tired eyes.
I'll soon be with you my love,
To give you my dawn surprise.
I'll be with you darling soon,
I'll be with you when the stars start falling.
I've been waiting so long
To be where I'm going
In the sunshine of your love.
I'm with you my love,
The light's shining through on you.
Yes, I'm with you my love,
It's the morning and just we two.
I'll stay with you darling now,
I'll stay with you till my seeds are dried up.
I've been waiting so long
To be where I'm going
In the sunshine of your love.
I'm with you my love,
The light's shining through on you.
Yes, I'm with you my love,
It's the morning and just we two.
I'll stay with you darling now,
I'll stay with you till my seeds are dried up.
I've been waiting so long
I've been waiting so long
I've been waiting so long
To be where I'm going
In the sunshine of your love.
05 Spoonful (16:58)
Could fill spoons full of diamonds,
Could fill spoons full of gold.
Just a little spoon of your precious love
Will satisfy my soul.
Men lies about it.
Some of them cries about it.
Some of them dies about it.
Everything's a-fightin' about the spoonful.
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful.
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful.
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful.
That spoon, that spoon, that spoonful.
Could fill spoons full of coffee,
Could fill spoons full of tea.
Just a little spoon of your precious love;
Is that enough for me?
Chorus
Could fill spoons full of water,
Save them from the desert sands.
But a little spoon of your forty-five
Saved you from another man.
Chorus
06 Deserted Cities of the Heart (04:42)
Upon this street where time has died.
The golden treat you never tried.
In times of old, in days gone by.
If I could catch your dancing eye.
It was on the way,
On the road to dreams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
The street is cold, its trees are gone.
The story's told the dark has won.
Once we set sail to catch a star.
We had to fail, it was too far.
It was on the way,
On the road to dreams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
I felt the wind shout like a drum.
You said, "My friend, love's end has come."
It couldn't last, had to stop.
You drained it all to the last drop.
It was on the way,
On the road to dreams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
On this dark street the sun is black.
The winter life is coming back.
On this dark street it's cold inside.
There's no retreat from time that's died.
It was on the way,
On the road to dreams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love streams, yeah.
Now my heart's drowned in no love.
08 I'm so glad (07:07)
chorus
I'm so glad
I'm so glad
I'm glad, I'm glad, I'm glad
(reapt one time)
don't know what to do
don't know what to do
don't know what to do
tired of weeping
tired of moaning
tired of groaning for you
chorus
tired of weeping
tired of moaning
tired of groaning for you
chorus repeat 8 times with
one extra I'm glad on 6th time
09 Sitting on top of the World (13:47)
One summer day, she went away;
Gone and left me, she's gone to stay.
She's gone, but I don't worry:
I'm sitting on top of the world.
All the summer, worked all this fall.
Had to take Christmas in my overalls.
Chorus
Going down to the freight yard, gonna catch me a freight train.
Going to leave this town; worked and got to home.
Chorus
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