Customer Reviews
Cream's best record? - By: G. E. Harrison, 17 Sep 2008 
'Fresh Cream' was Cream's first release, recorded within a few months of them getting together. It was probably one of the first 'progressive blues' records & as such sounded different to anything else aroundin 1966, apart from perhaps Jimi Hendrix. Looking back now it seems to contain a slightly odd mix of melodic pop - "I Feel Free", "NSU" "Sweet Wine", updated country blues - "Four Until Late", "I'm So Glad" & harder-edged blues workouts - "Spoonful", "Cat's Squirrel" & "Rollin' And Tumblin'". As time went on it was these workouts that would come to dominate their set as extended jams but here they are relatively concise &in my opinion all the better for that.
Although Clapton's guitar is very much to the fore, the exceptional rhythm section of Bruce & Baker is very much an equal part of the overall sound, perhaps the first timein rock that the bass had been usedin such an upfront way. Bruce's powerful & emotional baritone vocals were also a major & very distinctive elementin their sound. I was never very keen on the drum solo "Toad" - not one for repeated plays.
For me this was Cream's best record, combining melody & emotion, with muscular playing that was relatively free but still disciplined & succinct. I think that later on they probably managed to combine the pop & blues elements better into songs like "Sunshine of your love" & "Strange Brew" but the later live extended versions of many of these songs added little to these original versions. Here they sound fresh & agile, & far from the lumbering dinosaur they would later turn into.
The Album That Launched A Zillion Guitar Soloists. - By: Ben, 30 Aug 2007 Fresh Cream as well as being the debut album of powerhouse blues trio, Cream, was arguably the album which gave birth to all those blues/rock bands featuring guitar jamming soloists. It's just that Cream hit on the idea first, & probablyin their short lifespan did it better than most.
Although Eric Clapton was already making a name for himselfin Britain's underground scene with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, it wasn't until he joined Cream later that year (1966) that he was given a complete free rein. On 'Fresh Cream' Clapton is at his fiery best, & not on any of the other subsequent Cream or solo albums did he ever sound this goodin the studio. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than on Willie Dixon's 'Spoonful'. His solo builds slowly into a real hypnotic crescendo, & then it's over too soon. Another minute or so would have been guitar heaven.
All the other tracks are of a very high standard. There are the 2 pop/rock openers 'I feel free' & 'NSU', which get the album off to a flying start, The former (not originally included on the LP) was released as a singlein the UK & was a top 10 hit, creating further interestin the band. 'Sleepy time time' is just perfectly executed, with a gorgeous Clapton solo. I really like 'Dreaming', a fantasy song. It is very tastefully done & the harmonies are great. 'Four to late' is a country & western song, which is an oddity compared to the other blues-based tracks, & the only cut on the album that features Clapton on lead vocals. But it has a relaxed feel, providing a welcome respite between the more frenetic tracks on the album. The remaining tracks are all essential listening & feature plenty of jamming, on harmonica as well as guitar, notably 'Rolling & Tumbling', & Cat's Squirrel'. But special mention should be made of Ginger Baker's 'Toad'. I normally get bored with drum solos, which are often nothing more than an excuse for self-indulgence by drummers. This track proves one of the few exception to the rule. It's a superb drum solo, which builds on itself & keeps the listener totally involved throughout, & a perfect closer to the album.
To my ears this is Cream's best studio albumin terms of sound & performance, with not one duff track or filler on it, unlike their subsequent releases, & it has a live feel to it. "Fresh Cream" is still fresh today nearly 40 years on. As for its influence, Jimi Hendrix arrivedin London almost a year later (1967) quickly capitalising on the idea of extended blues guitar soloing taking it to even greater heights of popularity. Jimmy Page & Jeff Beck were 2 others, who started to play 'blues/rock guitar' solos after the release of this album, both of them having replaced Eric Claptonin the Yardbirds, interestingly enough. But without him, would these names still have emerged or done similar things?
Brilliant, timeless debut... - By: nicjaytee, 17 Jan 2007 When you set out to be "the best", as Cream did, you'd better be sure you deliver. And, after a very odd start with their first single "Wrapping Paper" - that left those who hadn't seen them live wondering what all the fuss was about - deliver they did with an album that remains one of the most inventive & powerful debuts of all time. Still exciting forty years on (and helped by the inclusion of "I Feel Free" which inexplicably was only released as a singlein the UK despite being recordedin the same sessions) its combination of driving blues & Eric Clapton's incredible "barrier bending" guitar playing - evidenced to perfectionin their stunning interpretation of Skip James' "I'm So Glad" - took the British R&B scene by storm & set a precedent that raised expectations of what was to come beyond all reasonable levels.
There was indeed more to come, but while much of "Disraeli Gears" & parts of "Wheels of Fire" were as good, if not better, "Fresh Cream" is infused with the sheer enthusiasm of a group getting it right for the first time. And, like all similarly brilliant debut albums, that's what shines through & makes it timeless.
A fine album with half the tracks ruined by primitive stereo engineering - By: Basiledes, 18 Mar 2006 
Nearly all the numbers on this 1967 first album suffer from extremely unnatural & artificial sounding stereo separation & the artificial production. This is particularly damagingin the case of 'NSU', 'Sweet Wine', & especially 'I'm So Glad'. The bass & drums are placed on the extreme right on top of one another so that it is often difficult to tell the bass & bass drum apart. Vocals & guitar tend to be on the left & extreme left. This is the sort of stereo engineering one associates with the early 60's. They all sound much better when heardin mono but nothing can save the vocals of 'I'm So Glad' from the production.
'Spoonful' also sounds artificially produced for a blues number but the other blues tracks fare less badly as the production is more basic.
Although I have only given this 3 stars that is intended as a measure of how far short it is of what it might have been. But playedin mono or if it were re-engineered with a more convincing sound stage I would give it 4 against the 5 of 'Goodbye Cream'.
Interesting and enjoyable... - By: Top Cat, 15 Jun 2001 Cream's first effort was a very varied but uneven effort. In here you will find great sixties pop ("I Feel Free"), sixties pop ("Dreaming"), hard blues ("Rollin' And Tumblin'"), harmless blues ("Sleepy Time Time"), cool dark menacing blues ("Spoonful"), as well as some charming blues ("From Four Until Late") & even the proto-heavy-metal type drum solo ("Toad"). You may not like all of the songs but what you can't deny is this record has a great production with a clear & crisp sound & good, good guitar solos courtesy of Mr. Clapton, especially on the blues covers but even more so on "I'm So Glad" where, if you are also a Deep Purple enthusiast, will find the foundations of early Blackmore's technique. Plus, Jack Bruce's bass is also a highlight with a thick & fuzzy sound. Ginger Baker doesn't get to shine as much as his companions on this, I'm afraid.
If you want to get into Cream & don't know where to start, start here & if you like it continue with Disraeli Gears & be blown away as you witness the evolution of one of the most ground breaking, adventurous & influential bands of the sixties.
I love you, Esther.
