Fresh Cream

I remember purchasing this album a number of decades ago when Cream was showing the world what three excellent musicians could do together. Some heralded Cream as the best of the best for lead guitar, bass, and drums. While those terms are always subjective, as are all opinions of music and those who produce it, there is no doubt these three were top tier. This album on SACD SHM brings out all the details and nuances of the music and listens like a live performance in front of you. Played through a high end system it is immersive and captivating.

Everything about this boxset is excellent. The set includes a book and a cardboard holder for the 3 CDs and Blu-Ray audio disc. I really enjoy how they used the UK artwork for the outer sleeve that holds the contents, the German cover for the book and the US cover for the sleeve which holds the discs, a nice touch. The book contains a lot of nice high-res images, including pictures of the band, single artwork, single label and also of the master tapes. On top of the excellent photos, you get extensive liner notes, such as lyrics for singles and outtakes, all of the dates which were played to promote the album and an eight-page essay by Rolling Stone editor David Fricke which details the way the band formed and gives context to its release.Now onto the music, the remastering on this set is excellent and is worth every cent alone. I purchased this set specifically for the mono mix and was pleased with how it sounded. I am very pleased with the bonus material as well, the mono album on disc one has every single that was released in chronological order just after the album and you get two French EPs which include alternate mixes of some of the tracks from the album and some of the singles. While the mono mix is the main attraction to this set, I must say that I was pleased with disc two and three as well. On disc two, the stereo album, I was pleased with the modern stereo remixes of a few of the songs which were done for this set as bonus material, these more than make up for the extremely weak stereo mix that was originally released back in '66 for me. On disc three you get session outtake tracks, alternate mixes of tracks from the album and some BBC radio show live recordings. The fourth disc is a Blu-Ray which includes the US version of the album in stereo and in mono along with singles as bonus tracks.This set offers a lot of value with everything you receive, this is one of the best releases of this album for me.

This is a seminal album in rock 'n' roll, and while it is perhaps less original than either Disraeli Gears or Wheels of Fire, it is absolutely stunning in terms of sound and musicianship. For those who do not think Clapton is god, or even a particularly interesting musicians (and less so with each album), the Cream albums stand as a display of once-in-a-lifetime inspiration, and this one is possibly the most striking: the guitar lines are melodious and beautiful, mixing a quiet blues dignity of "Sleepy Time Time" with the virtuosity of the "Rollin' and Tumblin'" rave-up, and the highly idiosyncratic transformation of "I'm So Glad" into psychedelic rock. Where did Eric get that fat, smooth sound? According to an interview I've read, he was too stoned at the time to remember, but he believes he just turned all his gear to 11 and let the chips fall where they may. That still leaves the question of mastering so much amp power so elegantly unanswered. Jack Bruce was the first bassist I saw who played a six-string bass, and it wasn't just for show: he used those two extra strings like no one else. Ginger Baker was also a first for me, insofar as he made me realize that drummers could be front-liners, not just non-star hired hands somewhere in the background; drummers this extraordinary were superstars in their own right - there just weren't that many of them...One caveat as concerns the mix: this is the strangest mixing I've ever heard, bar none. As long as you listen to the CD through your speakers, you'll get the most out of it. But put your headphones on, and surprise! Suddenly you're immersed in a completely different universe, where no mixing really took place at all. That fabulous bass is barely audible, that fabulous double-kit sounds like a kid's first cymbal. The vocals are way up front, as if the lads were the finest voices ever and needed to be miked super close for posterity, at the expense of all the instruments. The instruments dance, now left, now a little bit right, and the guitar is so blatantly switched forward for solos, then recessed into overall mush, that you're left with the feeling that the final tape was made of disparate takes, recorded at different volume levels. Clearly, the mastering was done through speakers only; no one bothered to put the headphones on for a second and hear what that was like. Very strange. It's absolutely no better on the remaster than on the original.

Great quality, played perfectly. Very fast shipping! Only reason I left a star out was that it mentioned it would feature “I Feel Free”, which it did not. Still, great album!

Indeed a classic album and will never be forgotten for as many reasons as it will be remembered. Right off the bat there are three of them- Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. How's that for starters? Besides the Japanese limited edition of this disc, I also have the domestic release which varies slightly. There are two bonus tracks - "Wrapping Paper" and "The Coffee Song". They do not appear on the second and third pressings.This version of the disc includes their second single "I Feel Free" and it's b-side, "N.S.U." which had already been included on the original album anyway. Great blues, great rock and the vocals are the best. I guess thats why they are called CREAM! By the way, when they rereleased the domestic cd, they changed from Polydor to RSO records and the third pressing was on Atco. This first pressing on Polydor is extremely rare and long been out of print. If you can find it it would probably would cost a fortune.