Ginger was credited for the intro to this song. At first the bass player came in with the riff and baker was like “ no no no play it backwards with a 5/4 time signature…. And what you get it magic

The cellos in the 5/4 instrumental breaks were played by Jack Bruce. Besides bass guitar, he also played cello, double bass, guitar, keyboards and harmonica, and of course was a very unique vocalist.

Awesome reaction to an awesome tune. My favorite cream piece is " Tales of Brave Ulysses ". Please do check it out. Lyrically and musically on a par ( at least)with white room.

I'm forturnate to be so old as to have seen Cream do this and other songs live, in concert. Great memory. Wheels of Fire tour.

Their use of colour in the lyrics is so mesmerizing and psychedelic! Paints a beautiful picture as well

I never thought about it that way before but you're right man, totally cinematic. Everybody in this was amazing. Jack Bruce just slays me every time man. If you want to hear another supergroup with roughly the same Personnel then check out the one and only album ever released by this temporary get together and it's called Blind Faith. It had a huge impact. It's pretty progressive but it really affected a lot of people.

Once again your first listen brings new insight to a track I've been listening to my entire life. Good stuff.

Don't forget the fabulous drumming by Ginger Baker.

One of my favourite Cream tracks is ‘As You Said’ with Jack Bruce playing the cello.

Whenever you hear the studio version of the song fade out like that, you can choose to be bothered by it or you can choose to take that as an opportunity to go hear a live recording of the same song. When they get to the end of the song they can't just fade it out they have to keep going and releasing all that energy. They'll just go on a jam for several minutes. Usually the fade-out was a compromise with the record labels during the days when there was a lot more pressure to keep a potential radio hit under 4 minutes long. So yeah, whenever you hear a fade-out, consider that an invitation to hear a much more high-energy live version.

Oh yeah, this is the track that I think of when I think of Cream.

First time I heard this I was about 13-years old. I remember the powerful percussion as my first impression.

For being only together 2 years the amount of inspirational, cultural hits they created is unbelievable. From White Room, Sunshine, I Feel Free, Crossroads etc. their discography is the envy of many bands with far more years in their arsenal. Cream were amazing and far beyond their time

A real musical masterpiece. I'm glad I grew up with this music. 🎶🎶🎸🎸🎸❤️❤️👍

When I was a kid, my dad had a Fender, a fuzz box and a wah-wah pedal. Cream was one of my favorite bands. :P

I'm a professional drummer also and Ginger's tom's are tuned 😎 perfectly! I love it! Bill Fisher

Clapton's work along with the magnificent foundation laid for him by Jack Bruce's bass and Ginger's uncanny drumming has been since it was released, and remains like a musical massage for me. I was in high school and had a couple of great friends guiding me through this mysterious new world of artful rocking music that was blowing our minds in the late 60s. This song was kind of a life changer for me -- much of the rest of the "Wheels of Fire" album were more traditional blues tracks and covers of classics like "Sitting on Top of the Word". But this song was as you suggested, cinematic in feel and when the wah wah faded, in impact too. Much of that is thanks to Jack's majestic vocal through verse and chorus as much as the huge instrumental lead in to the song and later verses. I've been a music junkie for most of my 70 years, and this song remains in my Top 5 all time favorites.

You really make me appreciate this OLD music from my past... I thank you!

Ginger Baker was ridiculous in that final part. Clapton too but gotta give credit to those drums. Mesmerizing

love Jack's singing. Always thought he wrote it. No mention of Ginger's drumming?

It’s only one girl. I’ve heard this song when it came out and was a huge hit. Never needed to know all the lyrics. The music is incredible.

Amazing track, and a great review as well. I think you nailed it about there being tiers of guitar players, Keith Richards, Gilmour, Clapton, Hendrix, etc - you know it's them almost immediately. Guys like Carlos Santana are the same way. A lot of where they live is in pentatonic minor scales, but they are superb with their phrasing and fluidity. Obviously they do a lot more than the Pentatonic minor, but they can take simple concepts like that and take them into outer space. Guitar is a great instrument that is easy to learn, but takes a lifetime at least to master. 🤘🏼👽

You are the absolute best on youtube in getting the lyrics and impression on the first listen. I'm constantly blown away by your understanding. Also....the tension within the space before the outro solo is PAINFUL, in the best way! :)

Wonderful song to react to. LOVE these lyrics. And this is a stellar reaction.

First time viewer here, saying I love how you back up and start from five seconds or so from where you stopped! SO many reactors don't/won't and many of us in the audience are like "Dude! You just missed a killer transition!" (Or cool build-up or great lyric or whatever). Love also your acute interest in and discerning appreciation of the lyrics, which, frankly, I'd never grocked all that much till I borrowed your ears here! Cheers! EDIT: Oh, I just noticed your name:"Rewinds" Go figure, lol!

You had to be there to totally understand... Love your reaction, man...

"Tales of Brave Ulysses" is another gem lyrically and musically.

They called them the cream of the crop for a reason. Impeccable drumming, absolutely out of this world guitar, and some of the best bass playing and vocals in any rock group ever. Clapton's impressive soloing skills and his mastery of the wah-wah pedal are on full display here. I honestly think this is one of his finest tracks. You want to know where "Clapton is God" came from? Here you go.

Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton taking turns on the vocals, Clapton taking to the falsetto on the chorus verses. An outstanding song by Cream; Baker's drums are key, as is Clapton's outstanding wah-wah guitar work.

That was so different than bubble-gum pop, and ferry-ing around the Mersey, that journalists wrote about Cream and Hendrix like they were really some sort of aliens......well, that's still undecided in Jimi's case.

Truly one of my favorite songs. Ever. Great reaction. Fkn LOVE ginger baker

Just found your reaction channel and I must say your reviews are a notch above most others that I've seen. Love your analysis of both the music and the lyrics and I can't wait until you fall into the rabbit hole of Steely Dan and the briar patch of Pink Floyd. Keep up the entertaining work and I'll be watching.

I've never been able take my focus away from Clapton long enough to think about what the lyrics mean. You have sort of made me look at them. Thank You. When there is a Guitar, Fuzzface, and a Wah pedal coming out of the speakers you could hit me in the head with a hammer and it wouldn't get my attention.

You might enjoy the live version from live Cream Vol.II. no fade out and vocal harmonies in the cinematic room riff

Note bending yes. But also an early use of a Wha Wha pedal.

Glad to finally get some idea of what this song relayed. Some of us would just make up our own words back then.

Baker's drum beat literally slaps you in the face. Wild man and a genius!!!!

Ginger is killing it on drums

Yes, top-tier for sure. Hendrix, Clapton, Gilmour,Page, Beck… easy to name about 20 …. they each have their own voice. I LOVE wah-wah peddle. To me, it’s the sound of psychedelia. Clapton evidently agreed, leaving Cream because he wanted to go back to pure blues…that’s his love. With Clapton gone from this genre, and Hendrix dying so young in 1970, it left the door wide open for guitarists like Page snd Walsh to do this kind of playing.

Just love Ginger Baker's drumming!! Not playing with the the melody. Brilliant!!😁🇬🇧

I bought this as single (45 rpm) when it first came out. Never really thought about the lyrics. Thanks for the analysis!

I strongly believe bassist and co-writer Jack Bruce's impassioned vocals and the way he changes his delivery for the different sections of the song have a great deal to do with the power of this brilliant song and set of performances. Baker's unique and widely-influenced and influential drumming and drum patterns, Clapton's masterful use of the wah-wah, as you pointed out enhancing his carefully curated and musicological blues links. A near unbeatable combination at the time, perhaps more so in the ensuing years with history to look back over with the perspective and distance gained.

Good call on "cinematic." You're 100% right, it's in the same spirit as Ennio Morricone.

As part of your Guitar Hero musical Journey, you really need to get on some Jeff Beck

I was litening to this in 6th grade and beyond having grown up musically on the Yardbirds, the Byrds, the Buffalo Springfield, and the Hollies. I still have Disraeili Gears and the Best of Cream in album format. I'm so blessed to have musically grown up during the revolution.

Excellent idea to put up the lyrics to the song: I wish more reactors would follow suit! Excellent review, too!

Stepping in from another genre is a gift. You don't evaluate guitarists with any sentimentality. The big names are the big names for a reason.

Ginger’s drumming is just incredible on this track. Also one of my favorite Clapton performances 👍🏻

Politician, Jack Bruce at his best. You should also check out some Blind Faith, with Clapton, Ginger, Ric Grech and the incomparable Steve Winwood. I would suggest In the Presence of the Lord.

I love this song!!

This was a double album. One platter was a studio recording and the other from a live performance. The live platter is amazing, especially the recording of Spoonful.

Great choice and they have many great songs,try Spoonful, it is a classic in the studio but even better live, it takes on a life of its own. Enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎸🎶

Clapton's Wah Wah pedal playing is impeccable!

Gotcha man good job with your reaction

A brilliant reaction 👏

Wow! Im 64 and you explained the song. I wasore into the instrumentals than the meaning of the song. Hey! This is proof i can still learn.

I like your interpretation. At the party she was kindness and helped him get passed the old wounds, but in the end she was just window dressing with the same tired eyes.

I used to have this album. Fun to hear again 😊

Say Hey Syed, I am a Cream fan from the very first sight of the album cover photo of an unknown band in the new release/cutout section of my local department store: Fresh Cream. I bought it without listening first. I did the same with Hendrix's first record AND Grateful Dead's first record. My thought was: "These guys look so cool, they must sound cool. That reasoning didn't always work. My first three tries (Hendrix, Cream, and the Dead) were just shallow luck. 'White Room' has never been among my favorite cuts by Cream. I liked everything about it but the composition itself. But, lo and behold, here it is 55 years later and a hip-hop fan from another land gives me a new appreciation for the sheer artistry and imagery of the track. Thanks, man.

At some point you should check out the live White Room- EC 24 Nights at the Royal Albert Hall

I am free of angst and free of words as I drown myself.

Syed. I suggest you listen to the Cream song Badge, which has Eric Clapton on lead vocals, and a very Beatlesque descending guitar lick. (or maybe the Beatles took it from Clapton!)

Pete Brown is worth checking out in his own right, his lyrics graced not only Cream tunes, but Jack Bruce's solo albums too. "Theme from an Imaginary Western" is one superb tune to react to, lyrics & music.

If you want a mentor for life at the train give " Jethro Tull" Locomotive Breath ". It's about a man on a train( his life) and it want slow down. Also haste best flute solo. Yes a flute solo in a rock band and on one leg at times. Much see the live version.

The best Wa-Wa effect riff is Terry Kath of Chicago’s 25 or 6-4; 1970 Live From Tanglewood, Ma. (Bar None)

I've always thought it was the same girl, just leaving for whatever reason & returning at the same station. He's not enjoying the situation, knowing his joy will always be short lived.

1975 HS students lounge we played this every day....

Tales of brave ulysses & outside women blues are two faves of mine.. def check out ✌️🎸🎵

Ginger in top form here. Crunchy!

♥

I like fade-out outtros, esp the fade out of "Sunshine of Your Love". Why do some not like them?

I think it's the same girl throughout - by the 3rd verse, she's forgotten how much she hurt him before, and proceeds to do it again... Youch that hurts...

This was AM radio in the 60's.

That poor wah wah pedal got wore out

There was a reason one of Eric's nicknames (besides GOD) was "Fender Bender"!

Request: Politician by Cream

You dislike the fade out, me as well. I think that a song wants to end. 👍

To me the mid 60s to the mid 70s was Clapton at his best.

Violin's! What..

Have you heard 'Tales of Brave Ulysses' yet?

As a former poet this was how I wrote. Except for the punctuation and capitalization.

Who is this f- -k ing drummer ! WOW !

To me there is no second girl. He still loves the first girl, when they meet at the party she is kind but has moved on. He still is destined to "lie in the dark where the shadows run from themselves". He hasn't got over her. You forgot to praise the drums and the recording of them.

Next Cream reaction, should be Badge.

Basically, its about living in a gloomy, shitty apartment in the city near a train station. At least thats what I get from the lyrics.

The song is like a metaphor for there's nowhere else to go buddy. You are blowing it big time. (however he got there) You'll be in a proper white room next. That is it. Up and back on it...or bust.

Watch live at prince royal Albert hall?

Dude, Cream? Hello. The best guitar player of his era (Clapton) best bass player in his milieu was Jack Bruce and a totally great Jazz drummer that all came together to be the "cream" of their collective era in the United Kingdom and later America. Watch them in their early work together, see them come together 30 or more years later in their reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London. You gotta get the reunion video and watch them recreate the magic that the trio were still able to bring to their long lost legion of fans. Now, there is only Clapton left.

Western like the scores of Ennio Morricone.

React to their song Badge

Rip it up Slowhand.😎

A little background: Clapton was hopelessly in love with his best friends(George Harrison, to be exact) wife!

I dare you to listen to "Pressed Rat and Warthog"

Ginger Baker joined Master of Reality for one album where his powerful jazzy drumming stands out in the production. The album "Sunrise on the Sufferbus" contains a rare opportunity to hear Mr. Baker on vocals with the band dutifully doing his backing vocals. The song in question is a deep and meaningful critique of the inability to get a good cup of tea in the USA. As a fellow Brit I'm sure it is a topic close to your heart, so I sincerely think you should listen to "T.U.S.A." accompanied with your fave cuppa.

React to: Cream - I feel free.

Just a small pedantic point...Wheels of Fire...not Wheels on Fire...

If you think that was good, you should hear the updated version they played live in this 2005 reunion concert they did: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mqmTY5OhvcXUdnU.html

Always thought this song was about cocaine.

Ginger Baker … nuff said

"White Room" is Cream's most average song. More interesting is "We're Going Wrong", from the Disraeli Gears album, "Deserted Cities Of The Heart" is far more impressive, from the Wheels Of Fire album.