Customer Reviews

Goodbye

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I respectfully disagree with another reviewer about the dubious quality of "Doing that scrapyard thing" and "What a bringdown". Scrapyard is one of my favourite Cream songs, a classic '60s Monty Pythonesque music hall jaunt reminiscent of Beatles offerings like "Lady Madonna". Great leslie enhanced guitar on this one. Is that Felix Papallardi on keyboards? What a bringdown is a great Baker(?) song. The bridge is classic Jack on vocals. In fact the three studio songs were at the time considered on a par with each other (Badge, of course, gaining wide popularity over time). The lack of soloing on Scrapyard and Bringdown give an indication of perhaps a more ensemble approach which could have developed (ala the Band or Traffic). The politician and sitting on top versions on this album are outstanding, as is I'm so glad. On comparing this album with Wheels of Fire, the studio cuts are certainly on a par with the lesser heard wheels titles and the live cuts are far more enduring than Toad (unless you're a percussionist). I have fond memories of this album, as I'm sure many others do as well. It marked the poignancy of their breakup as a band. It also pointed to possible new, and unfortunately unrealized within that group, directions. Goodbye was, in fact, a nice bridge (bridge not badge) between Wheels of Fire and the Blind Faith album. Let's hope we hear more of Cream in the future.

This fourth and final album to be issued--in January 1969--during Cream's two-and-a-half year career is probably their most consistent, and among their best. At six songs in just over thirty minutes, it's short, and for anyone awaiting a major final statement in 1969 it must have been a bringdown. But looking at the group's work 35 years later, it is by far their tightest album, with nary a weak cut.
"Fresh Cream" (December 1966 - the US version issued early in 1967 is superior)was Cream heavying up the blues. Some of Clapton's most blistering guitar can be found on this mix of originals (by Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker) and blues covers. The best version on CD is DCC's gold disc, combining the UK only track ("Spoonful") with the US only track (the classic "I Feel Free") and adding both sides of Cream's debut single ("Coffee Song"/"Wrapping Paper"), all nicely annotated. "Disreali Gears" lacks the sonic impact of the debut, but shows Cream's progress away from blues derivations to a more integrated sound: fine pop hooks adorn blues/psych originals. Clapton is more subdued as a guitarist, but makes his presence felt as both vocalist and (for the first time) songwriter, and there are more varied tonal colors and moods, from the proto-Zep mythology of "Brave Ulysses" to the haunting, downcast "We're Going Wrong." Much of the progress is due to new producer/multi-instumentalist (and virtual fourth member) Felix Pappalardi, who had produced Fred Neil and the Youngbloods, and would go on to found Mountain in 1969.
The # 1 smash double album "Wheels Of Fire," was yet another step forward, with Bruce, Baker and Pappalardi adding trumpets,tubular bells, tonettes, cellos, and violas to the mix of two covers (Albert King and Howlin' Wolf) and seven fine originals (including perhaps Ginger Baker's finest contributions to the group--"Passing the Time" is worthy of John Cale, and fans should hear the near-six minute version first issued by DCC). The second, live, disc shows that,however far they had grown in the studio they had become amazingly self indulgent on stage. (No doubt these aimless jams sounded fresher in 1968). Of the four mostly long tracks, only the Clapton-sung "Crossroads" captured the fire of live Cream at its best. The other three live tracks, adding up to 40 minutes, are really the worst Cream on record. (Again, the DCC gold version, reproducing the original silver-foil cover and adding Clapton's only original song from these sessions, "Anyone For Tennis," is the way to go if you can afford a copy).
Cream broke up in December 1968, and "Goodbye" is its farewell (though a 'Best Of' and two volumes of "Live Cream" would follow). The three live tracks are loose and full of fire (especially the classic nine-minute "I'm So Glad"), recorded near the end, in October 1968. Clapton's guitar is blistering, but the trio maintains focus and these killer tracks beat the live disc on "Wheels of Fire" hands down.
The three studio tracks show the continuing growth of the band (with Pappalardi once again playing and producing throughout). This is not the sound of the famed power trio, but a creative studio collaborative. Each member contributes a gem: Clapton's "Badge" (with George Harrison) is one of his greatest achievements. Bruce plays piano (and Pappalardi, mellotron) on Jack's delightfully whimsical "Doing That Scrapyard Thing," which, like "Badge" is more reminiscent of the Beatles or Traffic than anything on the first two Cream albums. Ginger Baker's track, typically mordant and surreal(he was, after all, both the oldest member and in the midst of a lengthy period of opiate addiction)"What A Bringdown," is terrific: driving and jazzy, a four minute antecedent to Blind Faith's "Do What You Like," with Bruce on keyboards and Pappalardi playing bass!
"Goodbye" was no grand final statement - thank god! - but a fleet, near flawless minor classic that has aged better than some of the group's more famous work. If you can find it, check out Mobile Fidelity's killer transfer (now out of print).

The song "I'm So Glad" alone makes this Cream's most important album.

On the subject of Cream everyobdy always says Clapton, Clapton, Clapton, but what made Cream great was Jack Bruce and his invention of a unique free-form flavor of rock music that exploded the song conventions of the mid sixties. Bruce studied classical music at university until he was driven to drop out by the narrow-mindedness of his teachers. But in school he learned a love of Bach's use of multiple melodies working in counterpoint--which led to the three-ring circus effect in Cream's music of Bruce playing interesting, dramatic, creative bass lines underneath Clapton's guitar solos, while Ginger Baker did interesting things on the drums.

Jack Bruce and Cream drummer Ginger Baker were also students of the free-form jazz and rock invented in the U.S. in the late 1950s and in the 60s. They followed Ornette Coleman (see the album Friends and Neighbors--it came out later but it was the culmination of Coleman's "Free Jazz" style); they also listened to the Grateful Dead (who were influenced by Ornette Coleman as well--check out the Dead's Blues for Allah as well as "Ladies and Gentlemen"). Cream influenced Miles Davis's free-form style (Miles's best stuff in this genre was on Live Evil and also On the Corner; it started with In A Silent Way and then Bitches Brew).

Clapton was a great musician but for him it's been downhill since this album Goodbye. Before Cream was started, Clapton was in John Mayall's blues band (check out the wonderful Blues Breakers album), and Mayall made Clapton practise for 8 hours a day, which make him simply an assassin on the guitar. When Clapton joined Jack Bruce, who persuaded him to use his expert playing in a free-form style, Clapton soared.

This album shows their best work.

(When Clapton went out on his own and called the shots creatively, the work was just never as good as when he collaborated with thoughtful musicians like Mayall and Jack Bruce.)

Other great Cream: Disraeli Gears (a studio album), and Wheels of Fire (part studio album, part live album).

Another great album by Jack Bruce now out of print is the jazz disk Things We Like, with jazz guitarist John McLaughlin. McLaughlin's best jazz album was Extrapolation, though many prefer The Inner Mounting Flame.

Ginger Baker is now out of a long hibernation and two great recent jazz disks from him are Going Back Home and then Falling Of The Roof. They feature bassist Charlie Haden of Ornette Coleman's band (see above), as well as the best guitarist working today, jazz guy Bill Frisell. Bill Frisell's other great albums are Have A Little Faith (starting with Track 9) and the cd "Live".

Goodbye is generally agreed upon as the weakest of Cream's albums, but it is still very, very good. The live tracks, as stated before, are phenomenal. My personal favorite is 'Sitting on Top of the World'. Clapton's blues guitar is mind-blowing on this one. The studio tracks are also great. 'Badge', one of Cream's very best songs is here, of course. I do not agree with the other reviewers that the final two studio tracks are 'weak'. They're not up to the level of 'Badge' certainly, but they're still really good. I like 'Doing That Scrapyard Thing' a lot. It's a catchy tune with nice lyrics which sounds rather like the Beatles, I think. 'What a Bringdown' is also a fine song by Ginger with great vocals and guitar by Clapton.

I give Goodbye four and a half stars instead of five only because I know that Cream was capable of much more than a short, six-track album with only three new studio cuts. If the album had featured more new original songs to fill it out more, that would have helped. This is apparently, however, the best that Cream could manage in the time around their breakup, but still it's pretty darn good.

It's always amazed me that so few people realize how great this album really is. Many criticize it for just having "long jams". That's kind of like criticizing John Coltrane or Miles Davis for playing "long jams". But this is what made Cream great. They were the greatest instrumental and improvisational band in the history of rock music with phenomenal guitar solos by Eric Clapton and with amazing interplay between Clapton's guitar and Jack Bruce's great bass playing. Why anyone would prefer their first two studio albums with only one or two choruses of guitar solo to this is beyond me. And on top of it Badge on this album has in my opinion Clapton's most beautiful studio guitar solo ever. Only Wheels of Fire can compete with this album, but in my opinion only Crossroads on that album attains greatness, while all three live tracks on this album do. Just listen to the intro guitar chorus on Sitting on Top of the World. It still sounds unreal today, but I remember hearing it back when this first came out, and it was stupefying. I remember after seeing Cream perform live Steve Miller said about Clapton that he couldn't believe that anyone could be that good. That's the kind of playing that's on this album. My guess is that the people who rate this album poorly see rock music essentially in terms of songs and singing and do not understand great instrumental music. But most of the world's greatest music is instrumental music, and Cream provided the greatest instrumental music in the history of rock music.

I agree with the other reviewers I scanned, in that this is Cream's weakest effort. However, it's STILL awesome! If you're curious and want to take the time for my input, here 'tis. I grew up a strong Cream fan (saw them twice) and bought all their albums and played them to death in the 60s and 70s. As we all mature (well, most of us), I stopped listening to them (other than the occasional radio play of White Room and Crossroads over the years). OK, so I'm now selling all my old LPs on eBay, as it's just a hassle to play them on the stereo. After listing my 4 Cream albums (Wheels of Fire was clearly the best, then Fresh Cream, Goodbye in last place), I decided to record some of the tunes I liked the most to CD (rather than fork for buying new CDs). I remember how much the live Sitting on Top of the World used to get me off. Actually, the first 6 guitar notes were among my favorite all time musical sounds for years. So, I put it on and IT STILL WORKS! This album is worth buying just for the live Sitting on Top (as well as Badge). Politian still works great too for a 52-year old grandpa.

Most people could feel cheated when buying this album, since it is only 1/2 hour of music. One track is a throwaway, probably their worst song ever (that scrpayard thing). Yet, if you are interested in the Cream or Clapton, you need this album. It includes one of Clapton best composotions of his career (Badge) and some of Clapton best live performances ever. Eddie Van Halen selected this version of 'I am so glad' as his all time favourite solo.

...when it is remastered by the chucklehead who did "Goodbye" by Cream (the latest remaster). Don't get me wrong this is a fine album and unlike some people here, I feel that the trio of studio tracks demonstrated continued growth for the band. Eric Clapton and George Harrison's "Badge" features a sublime melody for the chorus and Harrison himself reused the bridge of the song (which is how it got its title--Clapton read "bridge" as "Badge")for "Here Comes the Sun" for The Beatles' "Abbey Road" (in fact all of the guitar playing up until the solo is Harrison playing rhythm guitar). Jack Bruce and Peter Brown's "Doing That Scrapyard Thing" is wonderfully eccentric and points to the direction of his second solo album (although it was released first--confused? So were fans!)"Songs for A Taylor" and Ginger Baker checks in with one of his most accomplished songs the tense "What A Bringdown" closing out the album.

What's really interesting are the live cuts that open the album. All three feature Cream at the top of their game and compliment the other live tracks from "Wheels of Fire", "Live Cream Volumes 1 & 2". In fact I personally feel that these are among the strongest live cuts that the band committed to record (along with "Live Cream II")but your milage may vary.


This remaster sounds a bit shrill, harsh and compressed to me. If you can find an original first CD issue go with that or as another choice the Mofi Gold Edition (which isn't the best one admittedly but it's pretty darn good). Both are better than the latest CD editions that have been littering the stores. The music is the most important part of course but also keep in mind HOW it is presented in terms of sound also can be important as well.

This is Cream's last album, and it's decent, but it's not as good as the other albums like Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire. However, the main reason to get this album is the live songs. I'm So Glad is another great classic jam that was in the vein of some of the live cuts off of Wheels Of Fire. The best thing about this, though, is that everyone is soloing at the same time. You can hear the rythym messup. Politician and Sitting On Top Of The World are 10 times better live than on the album. As for the studio songs, they're really good. Badge is one of the prettiest Cream songs ever, right next to Anyone for Tennis, and Doing That Scrapyard Thing reminds me of Traffic. What A Bringdown is good for a Ginger Baker song (Blue Condition [stinks]), and I have a version of the album with Anyone for Tennis on it, which might be the 5th time it's been on a record. Good album, although it's about 28 minutes.

This is a good Cream album!!! Not as great as Wheels Of Fire or Disreali Gears, but it's still good!!! Great live workouts of I'm So Glad,Politition,and Sitting On Top Of The World. and the studio tracks are cool too!!! Badge is the highlight, but Doing That Scrapyard Thing and What A Bringdown have their own unique charm also! Overall a great album!!! Five stars!!! A+