Customer Reviews

Live Cream Volume 2

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album was my first acquaintance with Cream. I was 14 years old and beginning to take interest in drums. I put this record on, and within 15 seconds of listening to the first number I realized what rock drumming should be about.

There's enough musical material just on the first number, (Deserted Cities of the Heart) to have inspired countless future metal albums in terms of riffs and playing paradigms. In the second part of White Room, after the instrumental bit, it seems that they are bringing the number to a close; then there is a slight time change and Clapton plays some unearthly notes on the guitar, before the ending really climaxes. The intensity of just these few seconds is so staggering that you wonder what it felt like being in the audience, or being one of the three!

Compared to Live Cream vol 1, the songs are less drawn out (except Steppin' Out) but more intense, I would say.

I can't see how anyone could have given this album less than five stars out of five - if anyone ever played better or more spectacular I would like to hear that!

Cream's studio albums are classic, but the reason that these guys came together on Earth was to play live.

Taped at such San Francisco area venues as Winterland, and the Oakland Coloseum in 1968, Jack, Ginger, and Clapton stretch out full force on strong live versions of "White Room," "Politician," "Sunshine Of Your Love," and a hypnotic version of "Tales Of Brave Ulysses."

Bruce's "Deserted Cities Of The Heart" is sung with intensity, and the final cut "Steppin' Out" is a high powered 13 minute blues jam, showcasing each member of The Cream.

THe way these guys jam on their extended live cuts is full of jazz-like fluidity, bluesy rhythm, and the intensity of hard rock. And it all comes together on this disk.

Clapton's solos are extraterrestrial, and Bruce's voice is in good form.

Definately some of the coolest hard rock from the sixties.

This was one of the reasons I started playing guitar!

Released a few years after the band broke up, it never failed to show why Cream had the stellar reputation it did. Without studio sweetening, these tracks stand up beautifully in a live environment.

The combination of Ginger Baker's liberally jazz-inflected drumming, Jack Bruce's roaring, snarling yet melodic bass and Clapton's soulful blues phrasing cranked up to 11 was enough to get my attention at a young age and stuck with me ever since. Combined with memorable riffs and melodies, colorful chord progressions ("Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Deserted Cities of The Heart" as great examples)and Jack Bruce's soaring voice, this was indeed a fearsome threesome that messed me up for life in a good way. The band's ability to combine the cry of the blues, colorful psychedelia and the loose "go for it" attitude of jazz improvisation was a miracle to behold.

"Steppin Out" takes a fun blues instrumental and shoots it to the moon with Clapton and Baker kicking out the jams and taking no prisoners.

Despite the nasty internal tensions that blew the band apart after their brief existence, they managed to put out an impressive catalog of music that would inspire for years to come. Can't recommend it enough.

Released in 1972, Live Cream Volume 2 was the second posthumous live album released after the supergroup announced their breakup in 1968. Apparently, the band was still missed as like their first live album, Live Cream, it would reach the Top 40 in the U.S. However, the difference between them is evident almost from the get go. While Live Cream showed the band at their magical jamming best, Volume 2 reins in the excitement as the live tracks stay close to the originals. That's not to say that it isn't a strong album as the excellent interplay between Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton is still intact and the performances are still very strong. The opening track, "Deserted Cities of the Heart", is by far the most energetic song here as the band's performance sounds like a train that threatens to run off the tracks. Even though it clocks in at less than 5 minutes, the performance makes you look forward to the passion and experimentation that made the live disc of Wheels of Fire, Live Cream, and even the live songs on Goodbye so special. However, the band plays it straight for the next four tracks, particularly on "White Room" and "Politician." The album does redeem itself a little with Clapton's wah-wah solo on "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and the long closing jam on "Sunshine of Your Love." The closer "Steppin' Out" is not only Clapton's showcase but also the main reason to pick up the album. Easily one of their best live tracks, Clapton lets out a long bluesy solo for the first 4 minutes as Baker and Bruce change things up throughout. However, the best is yet to come. While Bruce takes a seat, Clapton lets out an a capella solo for around a minute before Baker slowly works his way in. As the track continues, Clapton's playing changes moods throughout while Baker's drumming provides the perfect accompaniment before reaching its dynamic end at the 13:38 mark. All told, while this is a fine live release, it's not quite on the level of their other live releases. However, if you can't enough of Cream, this won't disappoint you.

This is mostly a response to "kireviewer" below:

1). Contrary to what you've stated, the
album was brought out a full two years after
"Live Cream, Vol I". No "rush to cash in".

2). This is one of the first live rock albums
ever to utilize then-state-of-the-art mobile
recording technology, and the engineers involved
fully deserve a part of my five stars; this thing
sounds great!

For everybody else: Man, buy this thing! These performances
are the essence of great live blues-rock. Wonderful
album, all of it!

Some time during the end of 1967 and all through 1968, pop & rock music began its departure from the standard 3 to 4' minutes songs and from the typical "verse, middle eight, verse" structure that was used by every artist in the 60's. Several groups (Beatles, Floyd, Vanilla Fudge, etc.) and guitar players like (Zappa and Hendrix), experimented with longer music pieces and unexpected style changing. However, when it comes to the "rock" scene, Cream is a pioneer in "hard rock" and in adding freedom into the music structure by jamming in and out of the songs. I recommend and prefer this live album over any of the studio material (even the great and extensive compilation "The Very Best of...") because I believe it better captures the essence of Cream's "harder rock" sound and their improvising capabilities. Furthermore, I prefer, LIVE II over its predecessor "Cream LIVE" (or Vol I) because the compositions are better. Clapton's first jamming sessions with J. Bruce and G. Backer are not only a rock document but a joyful and moving experience.

Well, I am only 16, but I am definitely a well versed Cream lover. When I got this cd i was blown away by the amazing playing by all three of those awesome virtuosos. I love how Clapton can just keep going with those awesome solos without repeating himself. Eric Clapton is truly my inspiration for playing guitar, and i am always playing along with this cd. It is great learning material. Jack Bruce is truly a lead guitar player who can play bass like a guitar. It's amazing! And, what can you say about a drummer like Ginger Baker. He astounds me, how he can change the entire sound of the band. He can bring them up to a huge finale type beat, and then just come right back in and still keep an amazing beat at the same time.

Much like the first Live Cream album, this Volume 2 was released as a "quickie" album to milk Cream's ample fan base of their cash. That statement may sound a bit harsh; however, the music is DAMN good for being part of a rip-off album released without the consent of Eric, Jack and Ginger.

The album starts off very slowly, with the first three tracks coming from what could be construed as Cream's worst recorded concert performance: Oakland 10/4/68. That night was the group's first show in nearly four months and they hadn't had a decent rehearsal since June 1968. Most of the music from that concert is sub-par by Cream standards (especially the still-unreleased "Passing the Time" from that night) but better than many bands at their peak. "Deserted Cities" is out-of-tune and inferior to the WOF studio (it doesn't work as effectively without Bruce's cello lines), "White Room" isn't all that hot either, but "Politician" is definitely an improvement in terms of energy and technical precision, and though the orgy of soloing guitars of the WOF version is missed, this tune works very well live.

The next three tracks were recorded in March 1968 at the same Winterland shows that produced the live disc of WOF. The Winterland performances are Cream at their absolute peak, the polar opposite of the sub-par Oakland show. "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Sunshine of Your Love" are superlative, energetic performances and are among the best versions I have ever heard of these songs. The obvious highlight of the latter tune is the ending jam on the song's final A major chord, though it is rather short compared to other performances of the song (a 17 minute version with a 12 minute (!) ending coda is available on bootlegs).

Which brings me to "Stepping Out," the highlight of the entire album. At 13 minutes, it's definitely not for anyone with little or no patience, but this is certainly a great Eric performance. It's not the best performance of this Clapton solo piece (that would go to Brandeis), but it certainly is respectable and a welcome addition to the live Cream cannon.

Now, of course, there will always be gripes over this album, since it obviously, as stated before, was quickly thrown together with little regard to Cream fans. However, the excellent quality of these recordings must be cherished, since soundboard recordings of Cream in the '60s are a rarity and most fans like me have to listen to poorly-made, hissy audience tapes to hear Cream in their full live glory. Forget the 2005 reunited Cream and take a gander at this. It's well worth getting.

This is the only Cream recording I know of that captures the energy that this incredible band had. None of their studio albums do. This album shows three virtuosos at their furious best.

Some of the most powerful music from the best power trio to pick up instruments. I would recomend this to anybody who likes good solid rock and roll. Nothing beats live music.