Customer Reviews

Disraeli Gears

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3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In the summer of 1968 a friend and I were fortunate fourteen-year olds... we scored a brief summer job clearing knee-high weeds from behind a sign manufacturing shop. With our $30 windfall we purchased two of the classic psychedelic albums released the previous year. I walked home with The Beatles 'Sgt. Peppers', while my buddy picked up Cream's 'Disraeli Gears'. Both were wise purchases, but I felt I had made the better choice since I got the cool pop-out Pepper inserts! Given the same choice today, I may well walk home with Cream...

'Disraeli Gears' is, arguably, the finest album recorded by Cream. The only real competition is from 'Wheels Of Fire', and that's a double-lp, so it's difficult to make comparisons. It is one of several albums that made the late-1960's psychedelic era the psychedelic era. It was the second of their four studio releases, and for most people it was the work that brought the band to their attention. Cream had a hit with 'Crossroads' from their first album, but 'Sunshine of Your Love' rose to number five on the national charts, and essentially ushered in the heavy metal feel for bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. The overall strength of 'Disraeli Gears' also easily eclipsed the quality of their first album, 'Fresh Cream'. Eric Clapton indulges heartily in the mainstay of psychedelic rock, the wah-pedal guitar, while Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce add their readily distinguishable style on drums and bass, respectively. All three contribute to the vocals, though Clapton and Bruce share most of the leads.

The origins of psychedelic rock albums and songs often has strange origins, and this album is a case in point. Consider that the title for this album was gleaned from a mispronunciation of "derailleur gears" for racing bicycles as "Disraeli gears". Can you imagine how many hours stoned-out freaks spent contemplating the connection between Benjamin Disraeli and gears? Ukulele Music To My Ears would have rhymed and perhaps made more sense. The psychedelic imagery is ever-present in the lyrics as well. 'SWLABR', for example, is an acronym for She Walks Like a Bearded Rainbow, words that appear nowhere in this rocked-up tune (though we are told that "the picture has a mustache"...).

I love the beginning of 'Disraeli Gears'. 'Strange Brew', which gleaned a lot of playing time on the emerging FM stations of the era, is the opener. It's followed by 'Sunshine of Your Love', 'World of Pain' and 'Dance the Night Away', superb psychedelic rock numbers. You would be hard pressed to find four finer consecutive songs on any disc. 'Blue Condition', like 'We're Going Wrong' are both slow, dismal numbers, which capture their stories well, but seem to stand in the way of rummaging through the other great rock tracks on the disc, 'Tales of Brave Ulysses', an excellent electrified cover of Arthur Reynold's 'Outside Woman Blues', and 'Take It Back'. 'Mother's Lament', a short (1:47), traditional cockney number, is the a capella closer, essentially a throw-away unless you're into traditional cockney numbers.

Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce are the author's of most of the great compositions found on 'Disraeli Gears'. The album is steeped in memorable guitar riffs and clever, thought-provoking lyrics. And few bands, especially bands stripped down to lead guitar, bass and drums, aside from today's White Stripes (who somehow do it with two...), rocked as fluidly as Cream. There won't be a dollar of your entertainment money wasted here.

When you've heard all of Hendrix a thousand times and are desperate for more, but not the same, you must turn to Cream's psychedelic bluesy classic rock! Great tunes, great solos, by the best rock stylists of their time. One great thing about Cream is that whether in the studio or live, they remain fresh and this album is proof. I realize that saying Disraeli Gears is the best Cream album (over Wheels of Fire) is setting myself up for a fight, but there it is. Every song is a major one, with the most immitated rock guitar tracks of all time (the only exception being Stairway to Heaven). Plus, it is most distinctively Cream, whereas the other albums have integrated many licks and styles that can be found on Hendrix and other blues and rock artists' albums. That doesn't stop me from owning and playing the heck out of them, but establishes, for me, that Disraeli Gears is the supreme achievement of the band.

This album brought Cream to the top in 1967. While their debut was a great album on its own, this sophomore effort is in my opinion the band's finest hour. On this record, the trio of Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton approaches variety of genres like Psychodelia, Classic Blues, Rock and many more with perfection. Many songs from this album are longtime Cream classics and stand as a principle of the band's repertoire.

Disraeli Gears saw the trio growing as the musicans. The songwiritng has improved a lot since Fresh Cream and the songs sound a lot more sophisticated and inspired. Unlike on the band's debut, most of the songs are originals written by band's members and there are only two covers to be found (Outside Woman Blues, Mother's Lament)

The album opens with Strange Brew, straight-up blues with a recognizable guitar lick. A good opener. Sunshine Of Your Love, arguably Cream's biggest hit, follows next. This classic opens with a fierce guitar riff and features a legendary guitar solo. Every band member shines on this number. But even if it's the major hit, it's far from being the only one great song on here. World Of Pain and Dance The Night Away deliver some colorful psychedelia, and Blue Condition is a nice relaxing blues track. The giant Tales Of Brave Ulysess follows next. This track features a superb guitar riff and some psychodelic poetry written by Martin Sharp. The use of wah-wah is a great addition. Definately an inspired and amazing track, one of my personal favourites. SWLABR (She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow), an intense rocker, never fails to please. Catchy lyrics and guitar riff will get stuck in your head once You hear it. Outside Woman Blues delivers some more classic blues playing. Take It Back follows similar stylings, and some harmonica is to be found here as well. The closing Mother's Lament is more a joke song, and though most reviewers seem to dislike it, I think it's a nice closer. Cream is not only about being seriously, and they show it on this track.

Disraeli Gears is not only Cream's finest record, it's also one of the major classics of the 60s. It is as influental as Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced", The Doors' debut album or The Beatles' "Sergeant Pepper's lonely Hearts Club Band". If You call Yourself a classic rock fan, this is a must have. And If You want to get into Cream, this is the best place to start. Highly Recommended.

After their blues based debut album "Fresh Cream," these three brittish virtuosos came to America to record something a little different. Recorded in three days, these three musicains cranked out some of the era's hardest blues and rock. The album kicks off with "Strange Brew" which is a TOTAL ripoff on Albert King's style (one picture from these sessions actually shows Clapton with an Albert King album in his hand!). The song itself is a sharp and catchy opener with some entertaining pschedelic lyrics. Next comes a rock monster-"Sunshine of Your Love." Starting out with a damn catchy hook, and basing itself around driving guitar and drum underpinning this track really emphasizes what Cream was all about (note Clapton's "Blue Moon" quote going into the middle solo). After the ferosity of "Sunshine" they take it down a notch with "World of Pain." Even though it has rather elementary lyrics, Baker's drumming makes this song. Notice his wonderfully off-beat mid tempo drums during the choruses and his blitzkreig bass drums at the fade out. Keeping in the same toned down vein, "Dance the Night Away" follows with a gorgeous ringing twelve string intro by Clapton. This is a very unique Cream song, it almost sounds like The Byrds and contains some excellent eastern guitar by Clapton. This is certainly an underrated track in Cream's recording career, and one which fits the psychedelic era like a glove. Sadly this song is followed by Ginger's slow and sloppy "Blue Condition." This is definitely filler, as Ginger recites (yes recites, not sings) lyrics which aren't entertaining to a melody that can't even save it. "Tales of Brave Ulysses" makes up for "Blue Condition." Starting out with a group one chord intro, Bruce does a slow decending bass line over mythological/psychedelic lyrics. Then Clapton joins in with his sharp piercing wah-wah splashes (the first ever recording of a wah-wah pedal). As the song continues on, Bruce's soaring vocals get louder, and Clapton's guitar becomes harder edged. This is truly a masterwork of Cream and the psychedelic era. "S.W.L.A.B.R." picks up the tempo with some great instrumentalism but odd lyrics ("but the picture has a mustache" WHAT?!?!?). After the furious "S.W.L.A.B.R." the tempo is again slowed down for "We're Going Wrong," which starts out with a very high vocal line by Bruce and wonderful drumming by Baker. Clapton quietly strums in the back until the volume increases and he rips some great solo lines. If Bruce's vocals were perhaps lower (like on the demo version on the Those Were the Days box set) I would love this song, but regardles, it's still a keeper. Now reverting back to the blues, "Outside Woman Blues" follows. Clapton owns this song, as he takes on the singing duties and showcases some great rythem and lead playing. Next it's Bruces turn at the blues with "Take It Back." This song has a great swing element, and Clapton's beefy backing guitar keeps it going. Also, the audience in the back is a great touch! Unfortunatley the album ends on a bum note. "Mother's Lament" is a singalong song with no guitar and just a piano in the back. One thing I would like to see is "The Clearout" from the Lost Sessions (March 1967) added on as a last track. This is a great piece of music with Clapton's power chord lead and Bruce's rampaging bass. It has the Disraeli Gears feel, but I doubt that track will be added anyway. If you own the box set, play "The Clearout" after "Take It Back," the feel is great. However by and large, "Disraeli Gears" is a great album which showcases Eric, Jack and Ginger's talent along with the aims of the psychedlic blues rock movement.

One of the truly classic rock albums, Disraeli Gears was the album that made superstars of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. Recorded in 1967, this was the group's follow-up to the blues-rock masterpiece, Fresh Cream. Disraeli Gears is far less blues-based than its predecessor and goes more towards hard rock. Although it is a great, classic album, I find it to be less solid than Fresh Cream as it contains a few weak spots which that album did not. I'll elaborate on a track-by-track analysis.

Strange Brew - Perfect album opener. This is a Cream classic and one of their most well-known songs. Great song and a good groove with Clapton imitating Albert King on the solo.

Sunshine Of Your Love - Classic, classic, classic rock song. One of the all-time great guitar riffs. Excellent solo. Absolutely perfect.

World Of Pain - A bit slower than most of the songs on the album, and not one of the most memorable either. Clapton's guitar, however, is the high point of this song with nice wah-wah rhythm parts and a cool solo. Great bass playing by Jack too.

Dance The Night Away - Another good, but not great one. One of the lesser songs on the album.

Blue Condition - Who's idea was it to let Ginger sing? This song really isn't bad, but Ginger Baker is known for being a drummer, not a singer. This song illustrates why. One of the low points.

Tales Of Brave Ulysses - Short, but sweet. Great wah-wah guitar from Clapton and weird, poetic lyrics. A real high point.

Swlabr - More psychedelia. A pretty hard rocking tune with an unpronounceable title (actually stands for "She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow"). More weird, psychedelic lyrics from Pete Brown.

We're Going Wrong - The tempo slows down again on this Jack Bruce song. A very nice vocal from Jack and great drumming from Ginger, but it's kind of dull.

Outside Woman Blues - A great bluesy song with vocals by Clapton and a nice riff. One of my personal favorite songs on the album. Great guitar solo.

Take It Back - Another blues tune sung by Jack, with some nice harmonica blowing too. I like this one a lot.

Mother's Lament - An interesting conclusion to the album. An English pub song sung with thick cockney accents. The only instrument is piano. It's a slight, but enjoyable addition to this fine album.

Overall, this a great but uneven album. I find Fresh Cream to be Cream's best overall album. Disraeli Gears, even with its flaws, is still a very strong album with more high points than low. An essential rock album and very necessary for Clapton fans.

Disraeli Gears is the second of three killer albums from Cream, along with Fresh Cream and Wheels of Fire. There are several classics on this album and the lesser known songs are just as strong. The performances are absolutely brilliant throughout the album. First there's the huge single "Sunshine of Your Love", featuring one of the most memorable riffs in rock n' roll history, which is still played everyday on classic rock radio. Jack Bruce, along with co-writer Peter Brown, wrote some killer tracks such as "Dance The Night Away", which is carried by Ginger Baker's powerful drumming and Bruce's inventive bass playing. They also contributed "Swlabr", one of their best tracks ever, lead by Bruce's soaring vocals. Eric Clapton's playing is great throughout, particularly on the wah-wah heavy "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and their cover of "Outside Woman Blues." Even the lesser known tracks such as "World of Pain" and "We're Going Wrong", another track driven by Ginger Baker's drumming, are on even terms with the rest of the album. Excellent album from the best year in music, 1967.

"Disraeli Gears." In my opinion the finest record from the Summer of Love, the year that included monster albums like "Sgt. Peppers," "Are you Experienced," "Strange Days," "Axis: Bold As Love," "The Who Sell Out," etc, etc. This record is the epitome of psychedelic blues rock. Just look at classics such as "Strange Brew" and Cream's signature song, the immortal "Sunshine Of Your Love." "World of Pain," "Dance the Night Away," and Baker's "Blue Condition" are superb, dreary, and stoned out. "Tales of Brave Ulysses" is Clapton's wondrous introduction to the wah-wah pedal. "Swlabr" (She Walks Like a Bearded Rainbow) is catchy as all hell, even though the lyrics are as incoherent as a Turkmenstani literature book. "Outside Women Blues" features a great riff and some great lyrics "If You lose your money, great God, don't lose your mind/ And if you lose your woman, please don't fool with mine." "Take It Back" is a fine blues rock song. The only song I dislike on "Gears" is "We're Going Wrong. ("Mother's Lament doesn't really count)" Bruce's voice is annoying and the song itself is boring. This is a colorful record and the best mix of hardcore blues riffs and acid. Go Get It. NOW!!

If you haven't done so recently put your CD of "Disraeli Gears" into your best hi-fi system, turn it up and play it straight through. Different... you bet. Not only does the incredibly rich sound just jump out of the speakers but the sheer power of the songs played back-to-back is quite stunning. That's what it was like when you originally bought the LP, and that's how it should be heard to remember why it's one of rock's "classic" albums. Best of all you can use the wonders of modern technology to skip over its two fairly serious aberrations, "Blue Condition" & "Mothers Lament", to end up with a superb set of genuinely progressive "psychedelia meets the blues" that, on the way, features some quite breathtaking interactions between three world class musicians.

Im writing reviews in search of broadening my musical horizons so to speak. its time to ditch the blink and killswitch and move on to the wide world of music. I grew up in Washington so i do love the alternative music. I hope i don't end up in the same category either.

All the kids in high school wear shirts that showcase the doors, zeppelin, pink floyd, sometimes even the beatles. It is a sad fact that Cream is never showcased. So many people have never even heard of this great band. "Disraeli Gears" which is the most recognized Cream CD, is a colorful mix of blues guitar, hard riffs, skillfull drmming, and earnest vocals. Something that would be known as alternative by todays standards. But this album is 30 years old, making it that much more amazing. Each member moves very freely in my opinion. Clapton can solo and colour the vocals whenever he wants to, Baker adds fills and variations to his style of playing. the main thing i like about the recording is how stripped down it is. Each instrument stands out just enough to be recognized, and as well as it should because there is marvelous craftsmenship. the band is based in blues playing but there is heavy influence of rock. Psychedelic, yes. but it is not limited to psychedelia. "Swlabr", is heavily paced rock song, clapton surely is god and great influence to any stadium rocker of the '80s. Even when the band isnt stunning you with guitar moves they are efective, "We're going down" showcases the haunting vocals as the drums beat away while "Take it back" showcases the more blues sound they are known for. songs like "strange Brew" are the majority of the album though. Colouring solos and riffs with haunting lyrics are prominent. I would recommend this CD to anyone who can feel a groove but still wants to rock.

The tone that Clapton used here, very 'woop-woop' with the treble turned down, (ironically, the exact opposite of the trebly-toned Albert King, although much of Clapton's work here uses King's riffs), became the currency of the day among every rock lead guitarist under 25. In fact, it is my -least- favorite Clapton tone, as it washes out all of the high-end string noises that lend to expression,(it's 'easy' on mistakes, which explains why every amateur had this tone within days of the original release.) Nonetheless, the songwriting and playing harkens back to a time when everything wasn't done with sales numbers in mind, poetry and improvisation making it to the top 40.