As a kid I remember going into a " head shop " and hearing White Room being played through the speakers . Stoned on pot , black lights and psychedelic posters all around , it was a altering experience for me . The music was just better back then . Everything from Motown , to some great blues and Rock n Roll . Man do I ever wish we could turn back time to the 1960's .

In Sept., 1967, Cream played at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. I was there. (I was a 15-yr-old budding guitarist at the time, and already a fan of Cream.) The band had released 'Fresh Cream' earlier in the year, which only reached #39 in the charts in the U.S., and so the band wasn't that well-known in the U.S. This was reflected by the attendance at the Brandeis concert: I remembering looking out over the small crowd, which I estimated to be, at most, a few hundred people. Also, rock concerts in the 60s tended to be slapdash events. I arrived slightly early at the venue -- the university gymnasium -- where I witnessed a roadie pounding nails into the gymnasium floor to anchor down Ginger Baker's drums! The band wasn't even going to play on a stage, just on the open gymnasium floor. The concert itself was terrific, if a little short, and I didn't know most of the songs which were from the yet-to-be-released 'Disraeli Gears' album. (The exception being the opener, "Tales of Brave Ulysses", which I'd heard on the radio.) Yes, they were loud, but because they were not playing on a stage, I was able to stand next the band (rather than in front), which saved my eardrums, and enabled me to get a closer look at Clapton's playing. (At the time, that kind of virtuoso guitar playing was something new in rock music.) This was my first rock concert and, I think, my favorite. Never again was I able to get up so close-and-personal to rock stars while they were playing!

Besides all his other awesome skills, Jack Bruce was the most incredible singer, His exquisite voice, clear pronunciation and ability to sing poetry, throwing mad sentences into cramped spaces of musical notation was mind blowing. I don't have the language skills or musical technical terms to describe what I mean. Jack Bruce's voice has always given me goose bumps. I love Cream

John Mayall's Blues Breakers is what got me hooked on blues as a kid.

Cream was monster. Onstage chemistry, particular when they wound up, was amazing. The BEST live shows I ever attended. Everybody copied Clapton Everybody copied Bruce Everybody copied Baker.

I remember an interview with Ginger Baker and loved his facial expressions and smile while he recounted the moment Slowhand asked him: “What about Jack?” not knowing their past history. So funny.

What a treat! No bs, no hype, no filler. Informative and sincere. Well done!

I became a teenager early in 1976, and got into Cream about the same time. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would see them perform together...but in 2005, I did, four times in total. Some of the most memorable gigs of my life!

If you're a musician, the live recordings were what really stood out on their albums. Jack Bruce was pure creative fire, and everyone at the time wanted to play like him, bass player or not. Clapton was, well, Clapton. Everything he played was a guitar lesson in timing and expression. Every drummer I ever knew (and I've been playing for over 50 years) was in awe of Baker's use of double bass drums during the period when no one was doing that. He was a mad genius, and everyone knew it. Without the live recordings, those who didn't get a chance to see them live would have missed out on what made these incredible players tick. I'm still grateful they exist, and you should be too.

My older sister took me to see Cream at Fillmore East in the fall of '67, before college. I had not experienced the San Francisco psychedelic scene until then and Ginger Baker amazed me. When I got to Stanford, "Sunshine of Your Love" was blasting out of multiple speakers in dorm windows.

The Cream song" Tales of brave Ulysses" painted such a vivid picture in my mind. It was really unforgettable for a teenage boy. I've come to appreciate Creams music even more over the years.

My favorite band, while growing up listening and playing music. Wheels of Fire live album was among the greatest ever. How anyone could say they didn't really prefer it or that it was a trend where Cream was going didn't appreciate it for the absolute brilliant performances. What these guys did was incredible and still blows my mind today. They owned the name Cream.

Jack Bruce. One of the absolute best voices of the real classic rock era.

Wheels of fire... my favourite LP ever. I wore out my copy in the '60s and drove my parents crazy!

Three incredible musicians , created incredible music that will live forever ❤

I was 14 yrs old when Wheels of Fire was released in the US & my Aunt purchased it for my birthday costing $9.88 which was a lot back then. I was a drum student at the time & Ginger Baker had such an influence.... What a unique drummer he was. That was my 1st heavy rock album & remains to this day #1 on my list of truly great works.

First band to give me goosebumps, i was shook when i first listened to NSU live, after the intro when that insane energy is building up, it literally made me freeze and gave me goosebumps like no music ever did The funny thing is that my father was similarly shook when he first listened to it when it came out, it shook his understanding of music and opened his mind to progressive rock much like me, about 30 years later 😅 I got to take my father to the last gig Baker ever did, some years ago in Berlin and it was beautiful. He was already weakened by his heart condition and because he played the night before in Hamburg After not even half an hour he had to leave the stage and it was already announced that it would be over..but then he came back, on his own and just had to bless us and himself with one last number, he played a beautiful version of Passing the Time and i was in tears. This unique maniac has a very special place in my heart and his energy remains unmatched to this day. (Not even by his fanboy Bonzo;)) Clapton is God, Baker the Devil. 🤟👹❤

I thoroughly enjoyed Jack Bruce's solo work, and still do today. I saw Cream live in 1970, Vancouver Canada, and was impressed with Jack's vocals and stage presence. BB King "warmed up" for the Cream that night.

I worked on the live sound for Cream when they played in Miami. During soundcheck, I had to go up and pay homage to my favorite group. I vividly recall Clapton being very gracious, as was Baker, who looked much older than his actual years. I assume this was from significant drug use/abuse. None-the-less, he was very nice to his teenaged assistant sound engineer. Bruce, on the other hand, was very dismissive, totally lacking in graciousness and came across fairly arrogant, like I would experience with Neil Young a few years later. No wonder Baker didn't like him!

Cream is a great classic band with historical roots,a great band of all time,they have influence to other bands,even today.

Goodbye was fabulous. Their studio songs were great but the three live songs were simply outstanding, in the same flavor as Wheels of Fire. Awesome. Another treasure.

I was in high school when Cream hit the big time and they were my first “band crush.” Thanks for this history!

Well here I go again! I saw Cream's last USA performance in Providence, R. I. in 1969 or 1970. Jack Bruce and EC each had four, count em, double stack Marshall amps. They were so loud they overpowered the PA. They finally gave up trying to sing and just jammed out on Crossroads and Spoonful. Ginger Baker was a fantastic drummer and btw was the thinnest person I ever saw outside of a war zone. I think he may have had a amphetamine problem at that time. Anyway it was a great show. Nice work as usual Matt.

Don't know where or how you dug up those old videos, but they were great as were all the images. All connected by great, well-researched content...as always. Best thirty minutes of my day...

Cream have been among my favorite bands since I was a young lad, Beatles, Jethro Tull and Cream were my music education, I still love their music at the age of 65, it is creative, gutsy and filled with imagery and imagination, this is a decent biography of the band, well done sir. George Harrison co-wrote 'Badge' with Clapton, in fact I suspect he wrote most of it, with Eric adding some tasty guitar parts.

Funny story about Badge which has been well documented: While George Harrison was co-writing the song, Eric saw what he thought was "badge" which was actually "bridge", but Clapton read it upside down. They decided to keep it as Badge. Great video and lots of very insightful information. Can't wait for the next one! Cheers to Pabst Blue Ribbon!

I loved Cream's live recordings. It was hearing Spoonful from Live At The Fillmore that made me want to learn how to play guitar, which I did. It was a big influence on me.

Excellent take on Cream ! Matt ,the dynamics of Baker and Bruce were complicated as they played together off and on throughout their lives. Clapton was a man in the middle but survived and thrived , he became a great singer and of course a virtuoso player. Cream was a shooting star of talent that couldn't do anything but burn out. They were in that respect kinda of like the Beatles,talent wise!

Great compilation on one of the best, if not the best, rock bands of all time. They don't make them like this anymore - Baker, Bruce and Clapton were all icons.

I've just listened to Fresh Cream. One thing that gets overlooked when talking about Bruce's talent is what a great harpist he was.

Cream was basically the third or fourth band I was really into once I started my foray into 60's music. It all started with The Beatles then The Stones, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. When I heard Cream It all just kind of fit perfectly like a crisp newly wrapped package with a shiny bow. Only the lack of material made me move on from them quickly. Over the years and as I matured I would always go back and appreciate the musicianship. The 16 year old me just thought this was a heavy stoner band that I could introduce to my friends who loved Metallica and Snoop Dogg 😆 Great video Matt!

Tales of Brave Ulysses, Badge, White Room, such great songs. Cool lyrics, great riffs, awesome solos by Clapton. Bruce's bass was excellent and the same for Ginger's drumming. Too bad they couldn't hold it together for a little longer.

I've always found it funny that Clapton supposedly left the Yardbirds because he didn't like the pop sound of For Your Love, but Cream's first song was an even sillier, poppier song.

I remember I got into 60s rock/pop around 2019 and Cream was one of the bands I really got into. Disraeli Gears was one of the first vinyl albums I got when I started collecting vinyl. Great band. All three outstanding musicians, and I have to say, Jack Bruce has one of the best vocal tones in rock music. It's a shame their output was so limited - it would've been interesting to see what they would've done in the 70s once the psychedelic era ended. Or maybe it's better they broke up and ensured their legacy was untarnished by middling material.

The Fool seemed to be everywhere in 1967. Of course, they designed the Apple Boutique, along with clothes for the Hollies, Procol Harem, and Cream as you mentioned. I always felt Steve Winwood was underrated. Never crazy about his later "Pop" rebirth, but Spencer David and Blind Faith had wonderful potential it seemed. On more note, the documentary on Clapton that played more than once, did present a rather troubling childhood, and made it seem impossible for him to stick with anyone or group for a decent length of time.

Great video. I especially remember from my high school days Disraeli Gears. I had a friend who loved Tales Of Brave Ulysses. I used to live with these memories of the great old days before other influences corrupted the purity. They were the best times.

The live tracks on Wheels of Fire are definitive Cream for me. Crossroads has the best blues guitar ever played.

Very well done. One of my earliest favorite groups. Should mention the TV documentary "Cream's Farewell Concert," which intersperses idiotic, portentous narration and hilarious interviews with blazing footage of them playing. Favorite line, when the interviewer asks Baker to demonstrate some drum techniques, Baker says: "Wot, at this time of day?"

Not a huge fan of Cream but learning the detailed history is always interesting on this channel. I think my favorite Cream album is Live Cream. I LOVE the later Blind Faith album, one of my all time favorite albums.

A truly wonderful band - and their story very well told - Thank you!! I also * really liked the great collection of pictures you sourced and shared … they were a very photogenic bunch of musicians 😊

Sincere thanks for this man love the cream thank u

Great job on my favorite group ever! Thanks and cheers!

Cream moved me through my youth. Love their sound

Eric Clapton fitted more into the 5 years between 1965 and 1970 than most achieve in their entire lives.

The Cream is the GOAT!

Whatever their history they never shouldve broken up so soon.

What a treat! I love Cream and related bands, such as Blind Faith. These portraits of great bands of the 60's are my favorites, and happily, there are many more of them to look forward to!

The pregrinations of Eric Clapton (and Steve Winwood) are fascinating to me. So many bands in such a short time. And so many great recordings.

Thanks for another incredible episode! In the early 1960s the sound of the twangy/jangly Fender electric guitar (into American Fender ampifiers) was king. For example Clapton, Beck and Page all played Fender Telecasters in the Yardbirds. Gibson discontinued the unpopular Les Paul single-cutaway electric guitar in 1962. However, Clapton began playing a 1959 Les Paul in Mayall's Bluesbreakers popularizing a new sound. Then he played a 1961 LP in The Cream and was one of several guitarist that made the Les Paul sound (into English Marshall amplifiers) a core ingredient in rock music as it remains today. This caused Gibson to re-release the single-cutaway LP guitar in 1968 and it remains one of the most popular guitars today.

Cream was a fantastic band and had a good stage presence. I had the pleasure of seeing them many times in live concerts. Your history presentation was excellent and your choice of beer was perfect.

I kept telling people that the clean cover of Blind Faith was simply the back cover moved to the front, everyone was going “No, it’s an alternate shot.” Thanks for confirming that. (But, the US also - albeit briefly in the late 60’s - also got the child cover….most stores refused to stock it.)

Very good ! Next up ? Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac !

Your videos are seriously super informative and entertaining.

Great job giving the history of one of the most influential groups of all-time, The Cream were short lived, but left an enormous impact on Rock n Roll. Clapton, Baker, & Bruce were each in the top 3 of each instruments that they played.....THANK you!

the excitement of rock performance that Cream brought live to the stage was groundbreaking. listen to the soundtrack for the Woodstock movie and you'll get a sense that from that day on great players wanted to unleash the spontaneous sonic nIrvanna that was Cream. listen to Crossroads on the greatest hits album and you'll hear the band explode with British blues which becomes solidly rock and then back again. it was a godly sound that mesmorized everyone. Eric Clapton reinvented rock and blues simultaneously with his two sidemen Jack and Ginger. Cream is the cornerstone of everything we love about live rock performance on a scale that is at the zenith of musical creation. this is what happens when 3 master musicians share a vision that perfectly matches where the audience wants to go sonically. long live Cream

Great video which really highlights how important and great this band were. Certainly no Zeppelin without them. I would have liked to see you go a bit more in depth as you have in some of your other videos, but still quite excellent. Thanks for all you do!

Never heard that story about Bruce and Baker. I'm So Glad they worked it out.

Definitely the best documented history since I bought Disraeli Gears when it came out.

Legendary solo careers of each member Jack Bruce Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker.

Thanks Matt. The best music channel on youtube! Jack Bruce was sure courageous or crazy to join a band with a guy who pulled a knife on him. Others have mentioned it but "Beware Mr. Baker " is the name of the doc on the life of Ginger Baker. Fascinating and horrifying in equal measure.

The 1st live performance I attended. At Winterland 1969, still vivid in the memory bank.

Totally loved this video. Great history lesson. God I love the 60's. Okay, and the 70's. The 80's and after were & have been tough, but the music of the 60's and 70's have been the light and the energy to make it to now.

Nice work 👍👍! I'm an old fart Vietnam Veteran and we loved Cream... Thank you. 💪✌️❤️‍🩹🤠🍻 Rock & Roll!

I never understood how the 'Goodbye version of 'I'm so glad' did not get any serious recognition as one of if not ' thre greatest guitar solos

I have everything cream has put out you name it. I have it. I even saw Eric Clapton at the Monterey blues festival back in 2011 and that’s the first time I saw Eric Clapton!! I had an awesome time seeing that dude playing his heart out during that time in Monterey!

Really good. Learnt a lot about one of my favourite groups of my youth. They are still great to me and I listen to them often (at 72!).

Exellent. Really enjoyed the pictures and history. White Room is quite an advanced tune. Nice orchestra and falsetto harmonies and all guitars. That might be my favorite. I don't really like all the other stuff really. Of course there is power in all those legendary riffs and they paved the way. Thank you Matt! Nice video Edit: Actually there is no orchestra at all except Cream ! What an amazement. Just guitars and is there singing voices there..

You cannot complete a history of Cream without mentioning the reunion concerts, especially the 2005 ones in the Albert Hall in London which were videoed and are available on KZfaq. White Room and We're Going Wrong are the standout tracks for me. Amazing how good they still sounded.

As a cream a cream fan I really appreciated the video. Subscribed. Man those were crazy days back then.

Thanks for being one of the few people to mention John Mayall’s importance in the early British blues scene.

I know that 'The greatest group ever ' is subjective but I don't think that any other three musicians have ever produced such musical magic !

One of the absolute best bands of all time without a doubt. The apex of the trio in my opinion…In the short time they were together the music the created is immortal in Rock history, still their songs are “standards” of Rock! Thanks. Ps: Jon Landau from Rolling Fraud is full of shit…He went on to ruin Bruce Springsteen ….

1973 as a 13 year old, I owned The Best Of Cream which was my early "deep dive" into the band. It was much later when I enjoyed their heavier psychedelic sound. I always appreciated Jack Bruce's vocals.❤ Some excellent history here. Thanks for assembling Cream's saga.👍🏼

Your vid just popped up in YT's algorithm. Excellent history. Boomer here, early Cream fan. Also well-steeped in 60s music. I already knew a fair bit about Clapton & Cream but learned some new stuff. Off to check some of your other vids.

Surprised to see that 'Clapton' is credited as the writer of, 'Badge,' on the US single you showed us. I bought the UK single, at the time of release, and it credits both Eric Clapton and George Harrison as the writers.

Well done history of the ups and downs of Cream....one important thing left out was Ginger's heroin issues and rampant drug use within the band...which exacerbated their demise.

Love ❤ Cream.

The interpersonal problem that overshadowed all others in Cream was the fact that Baker had Borderline Personality Disorder. It's an explosive anger disorder which erupts when the sufferer senses that he (usually she, though) is at risk of being abandoned (you have to consider "abandon" somewhat symbolically). Sometimes the primary victim of this anger will get revenge by fanning the flames a bit, setting the sufferer up for explosions. Reading between the lines, I suspect that Bruce was complicit in the dysfunction in this way. If you haven't seen the film "Beware Mr. Baker", you need to find it. It is essential for understanding the complex, brilliant mess that was Giinger Baker.

Saw Cream at Olympia Stadium in Detroit 1968. They had so much energy it sounded like the songs were gonna blow apart, but they would always recover and bring it back together admirably. Anybody see them at the Detroit Grande Ballroom out there?

I occasionally peruse KZfaq for those marvelous live bootlegs of Cream throughout their whole career. Apparently there are hundreds, I myself smuggled a mini-reel-to-reel into Cream's farewell concert in 68 and the tape ran out during Toad. I learned to play guitar copying Clapton's beautiful and l-o-n-g solos. I love the long solos from the right people. Baker and Jack played excellent solos as well.

Hi Matt very interesting video on history of cream your knowledge of the group is exceptional I was listening to goodbye cream recently and really enjoyed it different variations of songs at venues across the u.s.a. Crossroads and sitting on top of the world solos still blows me away.

Your presentations of #167 and #168 are a great narrative. Groovy work. I agree about the pushing of their live sound in America in the late sixties, pursuing it in 1970 and 1972. They were popular to buy, but I rarely played them, then or now. Their studio sound was much more interesting.

The 1st time I heard 'Fresh Cream' was at Allen Wood's house in Ridgeview Estates, Franconia, Virginia played on his parent's 'entertainment console' in January '67. Great, terrific still photographs in this recollection of Cream. Shout out to Felix as the producer; he made the difference. And that Gibson Les Paul Eric is playing? Wow. It was stolen too. Outstanding review of their history. Well Done~!

These guys are, hands down, the best! Thanks for posting!👍

Thank you Matt!!! In my opinion this was the first super group heavy rock (not metal) band. Perfect mix of blues and heavy rock. Wish Clapton would have played with Cream longer instead going into adult contemporary in the 80s. Thanks for this!

I went to the same High school as Jack Bruce , Jack was classically trained on cello ..I had the same music teacher many years later , singing lessons helped me though it was all very formal .

A superb follow-up to your superb history lesson on the GBO.

Nice work Matt. Disraeli Gears was the first LP I ever bought, IIRC it cost $2.50 (in 1968 dollars). I literally wore it out and got another. Imagine, being a record company and taking Cream as a throw-in with the Bee Gees rather than the other way 'round. Hard to believe.

Thanks a hell of a lot, dude. Phenomenal history with interesting storytelling- this channel is a must.

Love them...from Cream and onward. Used to play a lot of them in our 'Battle of the Bands' in our gymnasium.... Played them at the school dances.. it was always a gas..!! Thanks for the journey. !

Thanks for that. Very interesting. Always loved Cream. To me they truly were the cream of the crop. I was lucky enough to see them twice at the Student's Union in Bristol. Great days. We could stand just a few feet from the stage, none of your stadium stuff.

Crossroads , Clapton's solo will never be forgotten. Clapton has proven over 40 years that his talent and care have made him the ultimate. a talent and determination rarely equalled.

Yes their sound was so pure

Intersting, thanks a lot Pop Goes the 60s!

Absolutely amazing segment Matt. Great deep dive on this most important band that led the transition from pop to rock. You are our resident historian and curator. Thanks for all you do. One piece I have always wondered about, and you have attacked it many times from many angles, is the absolutely amazing transition in Pop Music and Culture between Rubber Soul and Sgt. Peppers. Like 12 months apart when you consider Strawberry Fields was in the can by end of 66 or very early 67....A before, after and during of that 12 month period in music history. Just a crazy idea that, in many ways, you have covered. Peace Brother! Great work.

My introduction to the blues, plus rock, and a little psychedelic. Bought my first harp, and jammed along with the music. Cream changed the trajectory of music for me!

Aah god... the best, the most, the traces linger in my heart and belly and will never go away. Pure joy. NB

We saw Creme at The Filmore in Aug? 1967. and P Butterfield. I was 17, she 16. Whata show. I recall standing in a balcony, looking down, Ginger Baker.... has that look....... And here we are, 55 yrs later, still reminecsing ... Saw Hendrix 2x and almost everyone mentioned here. We tlked about but Didn't go to Monterey Pops and that is a big regret. Recently was saw Roger Waters...

My favorite band from that era I think Erics best work was with Cream Jack and Gingers work was outstanding as welland thanks for posting this really interesting

Per Powerhouse producer Joe Boyd in his autobiography White Bicycles, the Powerhouse/Cream arrangement of "Crossroads" is actually a hybrid of "Crossroads" and "Travelling Riverside Blues" (musically; lyrically it's all "Crossroads"). That's why Clapton's post-Cream versions-which are 100% "Crossroads"-sound so different. They're not just slower in tempo; they're different musically as well. Boyd also says he tried to sign Cream to Elektra (whose UK office he headed)-presumably with a view to producing them-but Cream manager Robert Stigwood hadn't even heard of the label.