Product Details

• Actors: Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton
• Directors: Martyn Atkins
• Writers: Janine Polla Werner
• Producers: Anu Krishnan, Barry Schulman, David Horn, James Pluta, John Beug
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: Unknown (Dolby Digital 5.1), Unknown (DTS 5.1), Unknown (PCM Stereo), English (DTS 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Strat. Mkt.
• DVD Release Date: October 4, 2005
• Run Time: 130 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (211 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0009WFFS6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,329 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Cream - Royal Albert Hall - London May 2-3-5-6 2005" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

CREAM:ROYAL ALBERT HALL 2005 - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

309 of 326 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shock and Awe: How little has changed in 37 years, October 5, 2005

By 

Junglies (Morrisville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cream - Royal Albert Hall - London May 2-3-5-6 2005 (DVD)

I bought this DVD with some degree of trepidation given that most of these reunion gigs/albums whatever seldom live up to the hype Rumours have abounded about Jack Bruce's poor health and finances as well as personal emnities between the various band members but in the end I could not pass it up.

From the moment that the band walked on the stage I had a lump in my throat and from the very fist note it was clear that in the intervening years since Goodbye Cream the only thing that had changed was the degree of skill and virtuosity that each possessed had increased.

I am not churlish about the song selection given the stated number of songs that the trio had played together summed to only 35 as per Bruce including the ones that had never been played. I am sure that each of us has our own favourites that we wanted them to play and we were disappointed by their exclusion but ce la vie. I do agree with others that a gesture to the diehard fans about making available the totality of the concerts available on CD would be a good one. Especially since Eric has done it before regarding his solo performances in the same venue.

Before foccussing on the songs I must say that for me the most poignant moment can when they were performing Badge and Clapton left the section attributed to his friend George on the album silent before resuming his blistering, very heartfelt playing. If these shows are about anything it is about learning that life is too short for holding grudges and we should all be thankful of each opportunity to share our wonderful gifts with others.

Aside from the music the highlights of this two disc set lie in the camera shot of Brian May in the audience during the performance, another friend who has been a good asscoiate of Eric's in recent years and the brief interviews, alas each done separately giving us insight into the shows.

AS for the music, it is a shock to the system to see what these three old men can put out on stage just in terms of the sheer power of the trio. The band rehearsed a lot we know but the blistering improvisations remain outstanding and the Grateful Dead would be proud. The interplay between Bruce and Clapton was a joy to behold and Bruce's bass almost seemed to be alive. Ginger Baker may be getting on a bit but he can still pound the life out of the drum kit.

For me Crossroads brought tears to my eyes as did Badge, The initial chords of the blues song seemed an anachronism in an odd sort of way but Clapton has a way of giving each song another idiosyncratic feel at the heart of the blues tradition but at the same time in a very contemporary manner. His seemingly endless capacity to express his emotions in a different way in each song in such an easy manner is incredible and that was no more so in evidence in We're Going Wrong.

To me none of the songs were a disappointment even Pressed Rat and Wharthog which even seemed to belong. You almost wanted the discs to go on forever and the surprising thing is that by the end they do not seem to have been on long at all.

I thought that I had seen the pinnacle of Clapton playing at the Concert for George in the loving yet mournful rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps yet in these shows you found the full gamut of hurt and anguish, joy and pain, being delivered almost offhandedly by a Clapton whose own life experiences have earned him the term blues player. These three guys on the stage infront of such a mixed age audience drew us all in the to excellent playing and in effect into their own intimate relationship. The DVD selection in the fantastic sound derserves to be in every home.

Cream we salute thee. The Cream is dead. Long live the Cream.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2 stars for a great DVD of a great band, September 28, 2005

By 

bass boy "music fan" (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cream - Royal Albert Hall - London May 2-3-5-6 2005 (DVD)

Of course Cream isn't playing with the same ferociousness they did when they were in their 20s back in the 1960s, but name one band from that era that still does. The Who's Pete Townshend still has his manic-style of guitar thrashing, but that's about it. The Stones are still good, but not as intense as they once were.
On to the Cream DVD. Great picture, great audio. It's widescreen, with a lot of detail and depth to the visuals. The colors are lively and the vibe of the show is caught well on this video. Sound is very, very good, with lots of Jack Bruce's bass (taking a less "dirty" tone here than in the 1960s) and full, well-rounded drum sound from Ginger Baker. His toms and bass drums boom, and his high-hat, which he miraculously works with his foot through the entire DVD, helps add mid- and high-range sounds in the absence of a second guitar or keyboards. Here's Cream, the original three - Bruce, Baker and Eric Clapton, playing together again. And it sounds great. Yes, there not as firey as they once were, bu they still jam. Baker's "Toad" is a treat, and his drum solo, with its swing-style and floating vibe, is very impressive. Bruce and Clapton trade off verses on "White Room," which is a nice change from the original recording, although not necessarily better. The new DVD shows Cream to have much more of a sense of humor on-stage than some might think. Clapton, Baker and Bruce are seen smiling at each other constantly, showing that they've kissed and made up, so to speak. As a musician, it's fun to watch their eye-contact with each other, wondering if some of those smiles are from possible mistakes they're making on their instruments. Regardless, they're amazing musicians, and no flubbed notes are evident (except on the alternate extra of "Sunshine of Your Love," where Clapton misses his first vocal cue and then laughs). Clapton also seems more relaxed on-stage than in other vidoes of his solo concerts. It's remarkable, considering that he was stressed a bit from not being able to rely on a second guitar and keyboard. But that's the charm of this video. Three instruments (four, if you count Bruce's harmonica, and he works gloriously into overtime here) and three voices, and that's all. The video was taken from four nights at the Royal Albert Hall, and although it could have felt like a chop job, rocketing back and forth between nights, it doesn't. The date is subtly put in the corner of the screen whenever the concert changes, and it feels like a smoothly-edited documentary movie. It's very, very good, with the camera and editing personnel not afraid to hold a shot for longer than 7 or 8 seconds. The audience shots mostly are held to a minimum. There are some cool shots of the Hall's lobby during the concert, and some outdoor shots. Surprisngly, they work.
The extra interviews are brief, but all right. It's interesting that Clapton says he kind of initiated the reunion after Jack fell ill a year or two ago. Jack does look awfully thin in the video, but his bass skills and his vocals are still there. We only hope he's not sick. Watching Baker don Cream 2005 tour shirts throughout the video, the viewer wishes they'd do a full-scale reunion of America, instead of just a few nights in NY in October.
A very good DVD to own.
Peace

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Circle is Finally Complete, February 6, 2006

By 

Jefferson T. Packer (Taos, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cream - Royal Albert Hall - London May 2-3-5-6 2005 (DVD)

First of all, I would advise level-headed readers to ignore the one-star extremists. These people are so cynical that if Jesus Christ Himself were to make a comeback in their living rooms, they would scorn Him as a sellout because He wasn't still wearing the original crown of thorns.

Frankly, I don't care why Cream decided to make this concert happen - I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude that they did it before one of them left us. Let's get real. These three men are closing in on 70, and they have absolutely no right to play as well, sing as beautifully or sound as incredible as they do on this DVD. Basically, what you have here are three grandfathers playing a young man's hard driving blues, and doing a d**n fine job. In the music business, perhaps only B.B. King, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash have worn their years as magnificently as Eric, Jack and Ginger do here.

This isn't a "comeback" or a "reunion," despite what the DVD credits would have us believe. Musically, this is a continuation, a new chapter in the annals of Cream. Yes, they play most of their original hits, and yes there are (many) moments when you'll hear the young men they once were coming out in their voices and in their playing. But a perfect recreation of their 1968 sound is not what this concert is about.

Instead, this is like classical pianist Glen Gould's "Book End" recordings of the Goldberg Variations. He recorded them first in his 20's and then again in his 70's. The songs are the same, the brilliance is the same; the interpretations are subtly but powerfully different, as one would expect from a man who has gathered fifty years of life experience between them.

Any attempt by Cream to exactly reproduce their sound from 1968 for the May 2005 R.A.H. concert would have turned this into a sad caricature, in the same way that it would have been pathetic for them to have grown out their hair and squeezed into polyester bell bottoms. As Jack says in one of the interviews, "We didn't want to become a tribute band to ourselves; that would have been awful." I couldn't agree more, and if we want to experience Cream circa 1968, that's what "Fresh Live Cream," "Cream Farewell Concert" and "Cream Live Vols 1 & 2" are for.

Instead, what this DVD gives us is a miraculous concert by three of the greatest musicians ever to pick up the fundamental classic rock instruments. The songs are familiar, and so is the general sound, but the music itself is new in a way that is magnificent.

As for the production: The sound quality is flawless, the video is perfect, the camera angles are occasionally irritating but often quite good, and the band is tastefully presented alone on stage with no backup musicians or overdubbing. While I would have enjoyed seeing more extra materials on the 2nd DVD, such as an interview with all three at the same time and some vintage film footage, what we get in the whole set is still worth several times the selling price.

Real fans of this trio will be overwhelmed and overjoyed to experience what they have given us on this DVD. They were purists then, and they are purists now.