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Berringer · 10-10-2008, 07:00 PM

OUTSIDE WOMAN BLUES
Anyone who thought Cream's second album was going to run out of steam after so many superlative songs had a surprise coming to them. "Outside Woman Blues" takes a traditional blues riff and adds a generous dollop of late sixties psychedelia to the recipe. Layers of groove blues are piled on top of each other while Clapton decorates the foreground with his symphonious vocals and salient guitar intonations. By this time, Clapton's legacy as a guitar virtuoso was legendary. Enough so that one faithful fan spray painted the phrase "Clapton is God" on one of the walls in an Islington underground station. This led to one of the most famous Eric Clapton portraits that didn't actually have the man himself caught in the viewfinder:

TAKE IT BACK
What tuneful platter from the period would be complete without the obligatory anti-war statements? In "Take it Back", we find Jack Bruce's declaration opposing the draft; a resistance that was being felt across a nation of unprepared youths who were still trying to find their own identities without adding the pressures of life or death ordeals to the mix. Backing Bruce's affable vocal work is a selection of willowy harmonica notes, dexterous percussion, jaunty guitar riffs and Bruce's own boogieing bass. More up tempo than most musicians' diatribes on Vietnam, "Take it Back" sticks in the listener's skull for quite some time after hearing its rugged verbosity.

MOTHER'S LAMENT
Closing off this exemplary experience in flowered nostalgia is a light piece of amusement in the form of the one and a half minute long "Mother's Lament". More a throwaway than an actual afterpiece, "Mother's Lament" is (at once) the exact opposite of what the band was trying to display over the duration of "Disraeli Gears" and the epitome of everything the album actually became. It's not quite as good a closer as "Toad" or "Deserted Cities of the Heart", however it fits the proceedings nicely. The proverbial cherry on top of the ice cream.

Overall, "Disraeli Gears" is a deeper look into the psychedelic sixties than the casual listener would like to accept. Dizzying and exceptional, Cream's second outing will leave purists speechless from the breathtaking morphology and transcendency of its recordings. I give the album ***** out of ***** stars. I also recommend puraching a vinyl copy of the album as opposed to its compact disc release. Normally you can find a good quality copy for around seven or eight dollars.

10-10-2008, 07:00 PM	#32 (permalink)
Berringer Groupie Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The Psychedelic Underground Posts: 37	OUTSIDE WOMAN BLUES Anyone who thought Cream's second album was going to run out of steam after so many superlative songs had a surprise coming to them. "Outside Woman Blues" takes a traditional blues riff and adds a generous dollop of late sixties psychedelia to the recipe. Layers of groove blues are piled on top of each other while Clapton decorates the foreground with his symphonious vocals and salient guitar intonations. By this time, Clapton's legacy as a guitar virtuoso was legendary. Enough so that one faithful fan spray painted the phrase "Clapton is God" on one of the walls in an Islington underground station. This led to one of the most famous Eric Clapton portraits that didn't actually have the man himself caught in the viewfinder: TAKE IT BACK What tuneful platter from the period would be complete without the obligatory anti-war statements? In "Take it Back", we find Jack Bruce's declaration opposing the draft; a resistance that was being felt across a nation of unprepared youths who were still trying to find their own identities without adding the pressures of life or death ordeals to the mix. Backing Bruce's affable vocal work is a selection of willowy harmonica notes, dexterous percussion, jaunty guitar riffs and Bruce's own boogieing bass. More up tempo than most musicians' diatribes on Vietnam, "Take it Back" sticks in the listener's skull for quite some time after hearing its rugged verbosity. MOTHER'S LAMENT Closing off this exemplary experience in flowered nostalgia is a light piece of amusement in the form of the one and a half minute long "Mother's Lament". More a throwaway than an actual afterpiece, "Mother's Lament" is (at once) the exact opposite of what the band was trying to display over the duration of "Disraeli Gears" and the epitome of everything the album actually became. It's not quite as good a closer as "Toad" or "Deserted Cities of the Heart", however it fits the proceedings nicely. The proverbial cherry on top of the ice cream. Overall, "Disraeli Gears" is a deeper look into the psychedelic sixties than the casual listener would like to accept. Dizzying and exceptional, Cream's second outing will leave purists speechless from the breathtaking morphology and transcendency of its recordings. I give the album *** out of *** stars. I also recommend puraching a vinyl copy of the album as opposed to its compact disc release. Normally you can find a good quality copy for around seven or eight dollars.