Search - Cream: Classic Artists on DVD

Detailed Documentary (no music)

C. S. Junker | Burien, WA USA | 12/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Disc 1 of this set is an exhaustive history of Cream, from a detailed examination of the early careers of all three members, to their success and breakup, up to and including the recent reunion concerts in London and New York. There are some very brief performance clips, but in a movie that runs close to two hours there are perhaps two minutes of music.



For hard-core Cream fans, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. We learn that Ginger Baker's clashes with Jack Bruce go back to pre-Cream days, when both played with Graham Bond. Baker gets really uncorked about this, which is refreshing in a way, as most rockumentaries are hagiographies that carefully avoid any real criticism. Jack Bruce doesn't really respond to Baker's bitter criticism and appears to shrug it off, so it's hard to see him as the overbearing egotist that Baker accuses him of being.



That gives you an idea of the level of detail covered by this film. It's more about the personalities of the musicians than the development of the music, so it's interesting from the standpoint of behind-the-scenes ego clashes. There's more talk about who took credit for which songs (mostly complaints from Baker) then there is about how the songs came together or how the sound developed.



The "Classic Albums" disc "Disraeli Gears" is far more informative about the music, so I'd recommend buying that one first. The musicians discuss every song in some depth, and Clapton demonstrates the blues riffs they started with and gives you an idea of how the finished song was done.



There is some performance footage in the extra features section (along with another 40 minutes or so of interview clips). Very little footage of Cream was ever filmed, and the segment here has been seen before on the out-of-print Fresh Live Cream DVD (or perhaps the so-called Farewell Concert DVD). The camera is stuck right underneath Jack Bruce, so you mostly see him; every so often the camerman swings right to give us a glimpse of Baker and Clapton, but you can tell he's down in front and has little room to maneuver. Again, the performance footage on "Disrael Gears" is much better.



You also get a music video for NSU (suprisingly well done for that time), plus two German TV appearances where the band mime two songs.



Disc 2 is an Audio CD with about 40 minutes' worth of previously unreleased live tracks, and this is pretty good stuff.



This is a good purchase for hard-core Cream fans, but if it's the music you're interested in, rather than the personalities, I'd recommend getting the "Disraeli Gears" disc first."

A detailed description

Kay Emm Gee | 12/09/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all this DVD/CD package was produced with the FULL cooperation and endorsement of Cream.

Here is what you receive in this package:

A DVD with a 2 hour documentary on Cream. It contains NEW interviews with Clapton, Baker, and Bruce along with many other important figures in the band's history. The documentary is sprinkled with song footage throughout but no complete songs are featured.

The DVD "extras" contain just over 25 minuets worth of vintage performances. The highlight is a 17 minuet live version of, "Spoonfull" (color) filmed in London's Revolution Club. The other performances are black and white lip-synch telivsion broadcasts of "Strange Brew", "I Feel Free", and "NSU." Video and audio quality are excellent.



The CD contains a 25 minuet live show performed for Swedish Radio in 1967. Again, audio quality is excellent, much better than the BBC CD. These sessions are not from the BBC. Songs on this CD are: NSU, Steppin' Out, Traintime, Toad, and I'm So Glad.



The booklet contains an interesting and well written overview of the band. It also contains many rare photos and pictures of vintage Cream concert posters.



This is a package worth buying. All video and audio performances are of excellent quality. Much better than pervious bootleg releases.

"

A Great overview of Cream, warts and all

Richard E. Johnson | Jacksonville, FL United States | 11/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD covers Cream very well and should be considered the best DVD for the history of the band. If you can only buy one this should be it. Second would be the Classic Albums Disraeli Gears DVD.



The nicest part of this DVD is the inclusion of not just the band, but also Ben Palmer and Paul Jones and other people close to the band in the early days. It covers the entire history including the recent reunion concert. Bruce and Clapton seem to be very comfortable in their history and recent reunion. Baker seems a little bitter, but he has also had the least success, post Cream.

"

Baker is a wild whiny wet blanket snuffing out the spirit of

Studebacher Hoch | Portland, OR | 03/16/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD should more accurately be called, "The Revenge of Baker". He is so intent on slandering Jack Bruce that it really takes the joy out of the package. For years, they've been best of buddies, intermittently, and then at each other's throats. And clearly, the interviewers caught Ginger at a down moment. His relentless negativity about Jack and about Cream and their history makes this thing a complete downer. Jack Bruce, to his credit, keeps it all polite and interesting until the end where he says, "Ginger is a saint!!" while laughing. The depth of the look at the early careeers of these three is quite laudable. And it's interesting to get the perspective of the band members after the Madison Square Garden reunion concerts - which were not particularly good - and served as the catalyst for the break-up of the band (again). The reunion was like the first time they were together, only on fast forward. Also, it would be nice if someone could explain to Ginger the difference between writing a song and arranging it and playing the drum part of it. You just have to laugh when Ginger argues that he should have gotten writing credit for the drum part in White Room. Yeah, it's a sgnature hook into the song, but he didn't write the music and he didn't write the words. He's just a bitter old man. Anyway, it's a shame that their reunion ended in bitter ruins all these years later. At least the rest of us still have the music. And by the way, the CD included with this package is just okay. The sound quality is pretty lousy and the performances are all right. It's nothing I care to listen to more than once or twice. If you don't already have the other Cream DVDs - including the Disraeli Gears one, and that other Cream history, go get those first. They actually have performances on them and everyone is in a better mood. The best part of this DVD is the three song performance at the Revolution Club. That's sheer joy."