Don't worry me and malcom are keeping the feud going 😆

Ginger Baker - “Jack and I started a jazz band,. We just didn’t tell Eric that.”

Read a recent interview with Eric where he said Cream was probably was the best band he was ever in. I would remove the probably.

I met Jack Bruce in 1993. Lovely guy - also my hero as a bassist. I was very lucky to met my idol. ☺️

Have heard that another reason Clapton wanted Bruce in Cream is that he didn't see himself as the lead vocalist. In those days, Clapton sang, but Bruce had the really big high voice - some say setting the stage for '70s rock singers. A cogent writer observed that each member of Cream were playing in a different band: Clapton thought it was a blues band; Bruce thought it was a vehicle for his songs, and .Baker thought he was playing in jazz/rock combo (before the term "fusion" even existed).

I like how you characterized Jack and Ginger, with reverence and respect. Good work Sir.

When I first heard Cream, as a teen, in 1967, it blew me away, sonically. They were the first and finest Supergroup of the 60's! And their music remains, timeless! Thanks for the video on this famous feud, between Baker and Bruce.

I loved how their live shows were competitions especially between Baker and Bruce. The live Filmore cut of Spoonful is a wonderful example of great musicians working to out do each other and push each other to greater heights. Their conflicting personalities brought the best out of them when it worked. Rock In Peace - Ginger and Jack

Ginger and Jack were soul mates. The best fucking rhythm section in rock n roll history. No doubt they're up there arguing, bickering, fighting and making music with each other still.

I met Jack at the ElMocombo in Toronto in 1988. I was scared to death and only 18. I snuck into the club in the afternoon during his soundcheck He was very sweet and very encouraging. I’ll never forget how my biggest giant was so kind. Bless his soul.

Saw Jack Bruce play with John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham on drums at the Rainbow in London in 1979 ...phenomenal musicians...

Love both of them and for me, Clapton was at his best when backed by those two. They bourght out his best playing

I got to see Jack Bruce live with Ringo's All Starr Band. He sang the Cream songs just like the recordings and played the bass like a master.

I don't know how anyone can make the claim that either Eric or Ginger were the musician Jack Bruce was, Clapton himself call the classically trained Jack the "musician" of the band Cream. He claimed that Jack taught him how to sing properly and the structuring of song writing. You only have to look at the caliber of great players that Jack went on to collaborate with: John McLaughlin, Tony Williams, Allan Holdsworth, Gary Husband, Billy Cobham, to name a few. Clapton and Baker never played with musicians like that. He also had a totally original sound to his bass, he was a truly great musician.

I saw Cream in 1968, my second concert (Jimi Hendrix was my first).

It couldn’t have been true hatred. Otherwise they never would have worked together so many times. To this day, I believe that most thunderstorms are Ginger and Jack shouting at each other in the heavens.

Ginger was scary...I sold him two bikes for his kids and he demanded a massive discount... he got it!

Jack and Ginger loved each other. They had a lot of fights and certainly had their share of differences, but I’ve read multiple interviews from each of them where they’ve literally said they “love” each other. I think they just had trouble getting along and communicating in an effective way. That was the problem.

Great job "Guitar Historian"! When I first heard Cream back in '67, I was BLOWN AWAY!... So often I find myself still listening to Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, Wheels of Fire & Fresh Cream. Bruce, Baker & Clapton, gave me more than they ever knew. "White Room" still plays in my mind, every day...

White Room was not on Disraeli Gears, as stated in this video. It was the first song on their third album, Wheels Of Fire.

Jack Bruce was and is my bass Idol. Thank you for this. Edited for the purpose to mention. Jack Bruce Songs for a tailor "Never tell your mother she's out of tune" that had a groove that James Brown could of got down with. Another is the ferocity on "the clearout" they sound absolutely brilliant.

Bruce is one of the most underrated rock icons

40 years ago I saw Jack Bruce & friends playing in a bar in Perth, I stood 6" from him, the hairs stood on the back of my neck because out of all the bands & rock stars I had seen, & have since, Jack was the greatest (along with Rory Gallagher)

Pretty great !! Born in '57 with the good stuff nearly used to cut my teeth. First band i got albums from was The DC5 which i loved, Then i heard Cream. The first band i had to have every album from, starting with Wheels Of Fire. Bought BBM abit late but worked out OK,,,the RI had tracks from RAH. I like these offerings but this is the first i know i'll view more than once. Nice work !!

Great video. Brilliantly structured. Riveting from start to finish. Thanks a lot. It was only after the BBC documentary on Jack that I realised what a sense of humour he had.

Been waiting on this one! You can damn sure get your hands on some great pics I've never seen in my life! Well researched and delivered too! Very well done, sir! Very well done!

Minor correction: White Room was on Wheels of Fire, not Disraeli Gears.

I've never had any trouble separating an artist's work from their personality. John Bonham was violent and mean when he was drunk. But I sure enjoy his drumming. Ginger was bitching and criticizing everyone all the time . But he was a brilliant . Pete Townshend is a bitter , weird SoB but wrote great material. Clapton is insecure and not at all open minded musically. Ritchie Blackmore is an anti social , difficult guy. John Lennon was a cynical , self important weirdo. Jeff Beck is notoriously hard to work with. As far as I am concerned it's none of my business how they behave when they're not creating. I can enjoy their work

They were both great and payed the sound track to my life I still love Cream!!

You mentioned the song "White Room" as being on the album "Disraeli Gears", it was actually the first song on side 1 of their third record "Wheels Of Fire." An honest mistake as the song has the sound and feel of the "Disraeli Gears" era. BB

What a great way to start this video talking about Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce in the context of gravitational pull. Such a fantastic video and series!

Excellent channel…one of my favorites.

Ginger always blamed Jack for everything . " He's getting more money than me ! " , but Jack wrote most of the songs . Ginger was a terrible business man . He wasted most of his Cream money building a recording studio in Africa that hardly anyone used and later had a failed olive plantation in Italy . Jack bailed him out many times with gigs on U.S. tours and the gig in the band with Gary Moore . According to Ginger . everything was Jack's fault . There are two excellent biographies on Jack Bruce :- Jack by Steven Myatt and Composing Himself by Harry Shapiro . Ginger realeased a memoir called Hellraiser . Read them and make up your own mind . One last thing , Whiteroom is not on Disreali Gears but on Wheels of Fire .

Disraeli Gears...one of the most classic album covers of all time !

Hi, Your channel is one of my favourites on KZfaq - you really do your homework and I enjoy your comments that are insightful and intelligent. This had to be one of my favourites so far. Cream is one of my all time favourite groups and I loved the solo work of Jack Bruce especially his collaborations with Pete Brown. I had to watch this twice in a row - it was so interesting and will probably watch a few more times. Interesting that the tension between the three stars was what made Cream so great before the tension just imploded. They had so many timeless hits. Thanks so much !!

Ginger's dad wanted him to be a tough guy and that's what he turned into. He loved to tussle and fight and he would goad people into a fight. He was totally anti-social and screwed over his children, wives, brothers, sisters, everybody he came across. But he lived for the drums. He felt that was his true calling in life. I saw him in 1967 at the Whiskey and all 3 of them were at the height of their proficiency and talents. "Spoonful" was great and lasted like a half hour. Ginger was the best drummer I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of drummers over the years. I'll always remember Jack doing, "Theme From an Imaginary Western," and "On the Road to Dreams" which is called something else. Oh, and if your viewers have not watched the 2006 reunion concert at Prince Albert Hall they have to watch it. Fantastic four night concert.

They were an incredible rhythm section.

Wow, that was good! Have Ginger's book, saw the documentary and have been a fan of Cream since '68. Your very well done documentary includes a few things I didn't know. Thank you! My high school years were 68-71 and Cream never left my turntable. If I were forced to choose only one band to listen to during those magical times, Cream is it. Funny how turbulence creates absolute wonder and beauty. Just listen to Deserted Cities of the Heart. ❤

This great, I'm a huge fan of both of these guys. Thanks. We'll done!

There are some fantastic comments here. All I can add is that I was a little surprised hearing the knife story for the first time a few years ago. How these guys survived in career together is beyond me!

Wonderful vid. You should do one on Alexis Korner, by himself. I knew Alexis and spent a week with him recording an album in Bermuda, 1970. I was only 23, the learning experience of my young life. He was a sweetheart of a man and as complex as he was visionary. You hear so many people call John Mayall the father of British Blues, which he may have been. But Alexis was The Godfather of it all and, in fact, encouraged Mayall to continue in the blues at a time John was somewhat discouraged. Alexis was a beloved figure in The U.K. for not only his music, but his work in radio, as a voice over person for advertisements, and a narrator of documentary films-“A Film About Jimi Hendrix,” being one. At times he was his own worst enemy, certainly, but he and Cyril Davies were the engineers that started the The British Blues craze. Not enough people really know much about Alexis Korner and what he meant to British music history and pop culture. Alexis was … The Man.

Thanks The Guitar Historian. ... The short history of Cream, they present a paradox insofar that even though comprising this great fusion of three-man talent, I suppose it was inevitable because of the animosity between Ginger and Jack, that the 'cream would curdle'. But not before leaving an indelible mark in music history for us to look back on with appreciation of the music they made and indeed, Cream were the 'supergroup' pioneers of a sort. Moving on in time, being UK resident in London, I was fortunate enough to attend one of the reunion concert evenings at the RAH and when the three members came out at the end to hold hands/acknowledge the delighted audience, I perceived a reticence of Ginger Baker/Jack Bruce making even very brief physical contact. ... I would also add, that in the happy anticipation before the performance started, we got chatting with various others seated immediately to the side, behind and in front of us. All said they had flown over from the USA just to see them! Actually, consider myself really lucky to have got two tickets. Seats were sold-out very early-on when I tried, but having checked the RAH list for late cancellations/returned seat tickets just a few days prior, the stars then aligned for me. Certainly consider it money well spent, although like perhaps a number of others, I would have liked to have seen Eric play using a Gibson and Marshall which would have been the icing on the cake 'soundwise'. ... Nevertheless, in typing this I recall there was one of those mini Marshall battery home-practice amps sitting on Eric's gear!

Don't overlook BBM - its great! Bruce's and Trower's SEVEN MOONS should not be missed! ( "Lives of clay" sounds like 68 all over again. )

After writing my other entry here, and reading a few others, I've had an epiphany - Baker had Borderline Personality Disorder, that's clear. It's main dynamic is the sufferer's fear of abandonment. A relationship with a Borderline usually involves esteem which alternates between idealization and devaluation, but develops otherwise uneventfully. As it approaches greater intimacy, a seemingly trivial event will arouse the latent fear of abandonment, and an inappropriately explosive response. This recurring violent instability becomes the norm for the relationship. The fact that Baker and Bruce achieved an immediate, deep synergy while playing could easily account for Baker's early acceptance of Bruce as an emotional confidant, setting the relationship up for violent collapse at the first implication of abandonment, e.g. Jack's "playing too loud." The same dynamic is evident in Baker's deteriorating rapport with the filmmaker Jay Bulger in his 2012 documentary "Beware of Mr. Baker."

Great material. Lots of detail. I have been a Cream fan and the fan of the individual players since they debuted. Glad you corrected the "White Room" thing, but "Disraeli Gears" contained other highly memorable Cream pieces such as "Tales of Brave Ulysses". One of the first intentionally psychedelic songs. "And when your fingers find her She drowns you in her body Carving deep blue ripples In the tissues of your mind The tiny purple fishes Run laughing through your fingers And you want to take her with you To the hard land of the winter"

Jack Bruce and Paul McCartney are the two most influential bassists in rock history, imho. There are other great, great rock bass players but those two were the head turners. They are quite different as players, of course. But both alerted a generation of bass players to the melodic and creative possibilities of the electric bass. I don’t include the soul and R&B greats of the ‘50s and ‘60s for two reasons: 1) Both Bruce and McCartney began their careers under the influence of those bass masters and learned from their recordings as young musicians. And, (2) the early blues/soul pioneers were not playing rock and roll, at rock and roll volume and intensity. They were still in the soul groove, all of them having had studio and live experience not only as soul players, but themselves being influenced by the great jazz bassists of the era.

Another marvelously executed drop. Thank you sir!

Very cool! I never knew this part of their history, thank you!!

I think their intense touring schedule and how loud they played was a significant factor in their demise. They really needed some time away from each other, but I think Stigwood said we gotta get it while we can.

Really, Great job on this, I watched it twice since you provided so much information that I never knew before. 😀

Here in Oakland, we had this un cluttered blues trio instrumental formula all through world war II , and in my mind i continue to imagine immortal heavy wieght pioneers formulating heavy power trios -line ups -the likes of Robert Nighthawk on guitar , with Joe Comfort on bass , and Jo Jones on drums. Earl Hooker on guitar , with Dave Myers on bass , and Fred Bellows on drums. God have mercy on us Don't get me wrong It's impossible to listen to Cream without marveling at the immortal resound that they have on us, it's a remarkable odessey , and a remarkable journey for them [and us] from their begining , and will resound forever Forever and Forever

Cool. White Room, Tales Of Brave Ulysses, Spoonful,etc. Great stuff in another great video.

I learned from this video. I love Cream and the players. Thanks for posting🎸🎸🎸

Great piece. Thank you.

Thanks man. Your videos are appointment viewing.

Thank you for this. You are creating quite a compendium of music history, and it is great that you are covering so many British players. Just a few things: - Jack wasn't the first bassist with Alexis Korner, nor Graham Bond. He apparently got the Bond gig by approaching the band whilst they were on stage and telling them he was better than their bassist. They relented and said he could do a tune. Ginger recalled how little Bruce exited the club and returned with a big upright, forcing his way through the crowd to the stage. Intent on embarrassing him, the band played a difficult tune at an exceptionally fast tempo. Baker said they were all surprised when Jack not only followed the changes but played with great ease. So they fired their bass man and gave the gig to Jack. When Jack joined Manfred Mann (which he did after a short stint with John Mayall, who said Manfred, a neighbour of Mayall's, offered more money) the lads were surprised that he didn't need to rehearse. Whatever they played, he nailed it first time. BTW, Jack took over the bass spot when the band's guitarist left to do soundtrack work and bassist Tom McGuiness switched to guitar. When Bruce quit to form Cream, Klaus Voorman, best known at the time for playing an 8-string with Paddy, Klaus & Gibson and doing the artwork for the Beatles' 'Revolver' and the Bee Gees debut album, took over. - For the Powerhouse project - just a one-off for the album - Ginger was apparently supposed to play drums but backed out thus the excellent Pete York of the Spencer Davis Group doing the session (along with SDG singer/keyboardist Stevie Winwood). The Roosters, Clapton's pre-Yardbirds band, included Tom McGuiness, later a founding member of Manfred Mann. McGuiness and Manfred Mann singer (and Powerhouse harmonica player) Paul Jones are still together in the Manfreds, which is Manfred Mann minus Manfred, who has Manfred Mann's Earth Band. McGuiness and Jones are also in the Blues Band. - 'White Room' is on 'Wheels of Fire', not 'Disraeli Gears. - 'Band On the Run' was NOT recorded at Baker's studio in Lagos. According the Ginger is was supposed to be done there but was recorded at EMI's studio in that city. Though that ENU studio was under-equipped and antiquated, record company politics - McCartney was signed to EMI - came into play. - When Ginger quit BB&M, Gary Husband (Level 42, John McLaughlin...) took his place. There is video on KZfaq. I have a board CD of a gig and the band is ripping. Moore's aggressive approach was, IMO, more conducive to achieving the Cream-like sound that trio was chasing. With his Les Paul - the one previously owned by Peter Green and now with Metallica's Kirk Hammett - Moore was more the guitarist Clapton once was and had a much more relevant sound than EC had at the 2005 Cream reunion gigs. - In the photo of Jack in the blue shirt, where you mention his illness, the chap to the right of the photo is drummer Ted McKenna. He was originally with the Sensational Alex Harvey Band (who were sensational), then the likes of Greg Lake, Rory Gallagher, and...Gary Moore. Sadly, Ted died a few years back during a routine hernia operation. - And on a pedantic point, it's 'Neasden' where Ginger lived when he first summoned Clapton for a meeting, not 'Neesden'. Like I said, pedantic. Thank you again. A fine job and plenty of insight for those unfamiliar with the history.

Enjoyed The Stories & the pics... They both were very strong willed individuals BUT certainly made a great team 👍

Well done. Thank you.

Great job on this - TY. It took the combination of those firey Egos to make such great, high-energy "Wheels of Fire" music. No, we didn't.

Thank you. The love shined through.

This is great contemporal musical history told in an evenly great and ripping way; I thank you very much for that, sir! Been' enjoying mysel greatly over here with it and of course I subscribed right away after stumbling over your channel, keep up the good work please.

Great Video, little correction though - 10:33 White Room was featured on the next Cream Album "Wheels Of Fire" one Year later and not on Disraeli Gears

Ginger was critical of everything! ….. and everyone - except for a lifelong devotion to Eric Clapton. He hated Bonham and Moon, and never spoke well of ANY Rock drummer, other than Charlie Watts. GB was supremely talented drummer - but a pretty unpleasant man. Jack was spot on with the “bitter old man” comment. I am fairly confident that Jack was probably no picnic either - being creatively obsessive and correspondingly grumpy at times when he felt things weren’t quite right. But his epic partnership with co-writer Pete Brown, and the lasting quality of his vocal power were huge factors in the Cream success - and his characteristic, busy bass virtuosity was the very heart of their sound. Artistically, and directionally Cream were every bit as important and influential as either the Beatles or Zeppelin, albeit that effectively they crashed and burned after just over 2 meteoric years. The reason they split was the very same dynamic that created their stunning success - the combination of creative genius and inter-personal frailty. On stage, nearly all the personal antipathy SEEMED to fade away, and the music just took over - toweringly. It was the talking part they could never make work. Throughout long and hugely distinguished playing careers, none of the three EVER achieved a lasting bond with any other performer (although Clapton’s frequent collaborations with Mark Knopfler came closest). In a way, we were all incredibly lucky that Cream held together for 30 months - long enough to produce some of the most timeless and iconic music ever. And to set the benchmark for Live improvisational Blues/Rock which has IMHO never been bettered. A great and insightful piece, with plenty of new material and fotos - thanks fella !!

Thanks!!!! Good Comments and many important facts!!!! I Think, Cream was the best time for Jack. So he tried to make something like CREAM with the MOUNTAIN-musicians to found the Formation WEST, BRUCE AND LAING.They made music like Cream AND from CREAM. And Ginger could play in his own way. And Eric was at his BEST!!! They pushed him to Play like the devil. Eric was never better .Thank You!!! A.🤩😇

Thank you for another great video! It’s a shame those guys couldn’t resolve their differences, and yet, despite or perhaps because of their differences they were awesome.

The first rock super group and the first jam band. Hard to deny the massive impact and influence made by Cream in just 30 months.

I have seen Cream live twice and always thought that their studio recordings never quite captured their sound, except for Goodbye Cream, which was recorded live.

Great video. I'm sure you know this and simply misspoke, but 'White Room' was not on Disraeli Grears; it was on Wheels of Fire.

Your wall of albums is awesome those are my favorite albums too .

Hope you know that "White Room " was on the album "Wheels Of Fire".

Yes, they didn't always get along on the personal level...but they certainly respected each other as musicians.

THANK YOU--MOST INFORMATIVE.

Jack and Ginger are beating the crap out of each other in rock and roll heaven in between jams with Hendrix and Gary Moore. I always thought Jack Bruce was the main instigator and troublemaker in Cream until I saw Beware Mr. Baker. Easy to understand how Ginger had a hard time finding people to play with.

I just found this channel after seeing the great video on Paul Kossof. Liked and subbed.

Sounds like we have another fan of astronomy out there. Love it. Another great story, too. Thanks

Hey guys, quick error correction: I said that “White Room” was on Disraeli Gears when it appeared on Wheels of Fire instead. Oops. Muh bad.

This is wonderful!

The end comment made me realize that I need to watch these vids to the end. Thanks for this one mang!!!!🤩😎

This was really good!

It could not have been that bad.....Ginger toured with Jack in 1989.....recorded with BBM in the late 90's and of course the 2005 Cream reunion..

Good job Bro. I really enjoyed this. Absolutely, These Three Magnificent Musicians produced some of the great music of the 20th century

Wow.. BLT, that brings back memories of being in a band in the early 80s n playing life on earth and into money... good times

Very interesting, Thanks.

Greetings from Nashville north, Louisville Ky. Fantastic video!!!! Keep up the good work!!

Try to imagine Cream with the addition of Steve Winwood on keyboards vocals and second guitar. Or, imagine Blind Faith with multi-instumentalist Jack Bruce on bass & vocals instead of Ric G. Is it too hard to imagine that Eric Clapton was overwhelmed by Jack's talent, training and experience? Listen to Jack Bruce on "As You Said" from Wheels of Fire. Probably the only Cream song ever recorded without Clapton on guitar. Eric's inferiority complex was on full display. I'm tired of people blaming the end of Cream on Bruce-Baker hijinx.

LOL, nice vid man. I love when I think i know it all but watch a vid like this & learn something new. well done.

There may be 3 or 4 Cream fans who haven't seen the documentary "Beware of Mr. Baker". Before forming a final impression of the Cream/Baker/Bruce furball, one should see the film. The film makes it clear that, regardless of any other factors, the elephant in the room was Baker's mental illness - Borderline Personality Disorder. If you're unfamiliar with the condition, read Wikipedia's entry on it, then watch the film.

Great work Man!!

THANK YOU!

"Speak" is what guitars do best. In their right hands

Great content. Thank you

how many aspiring musicians turned a blind eye to professionalism because of these 2

Great doc. Good job man. New sub right here!

White Room was not on Disraeli Gears. It was rather prominently featured on the studio disc of Wheels of Fire.

This is great music history!

I think the BBM album is up there with Disraeli Gears as a “complete” album. But Wheels of Fire has to be the best. For nostalgia the Albert Hall performance which I attended on the Thursday…….brilliant. What a band……..

Loved Cream, Blind Fath, Traffic, Peter Green, John Mayall and etc....

Disraeli Gears does not contain White Room. It is featured on the Wheels of Fire album

Somehow I always thought Eric would be gone first, here he is, still today, fighting on, you may agree or disagree on EC's bent on vaccination, Eric will always be Eric!!! Saw him in the 70s, amazed he could play after giving up heroin!!! 😊🎸 I listen to all of Jack Bruce's solo albums, Ginger both in Baker Gurvitz Army and his many collaborations including Hawkwind, the best song he wrote outside of Cream was Master Of Reality - Sunrise On The Sufferbus simply titled T.U.S.A and you guys in America still can't make tea!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👍🥁🎸

Nicely done.