Live in Europe
CD1 (62 min)
England October/November, 1967
Remaster Quality: The tracks from the Fresh Live Cream video were typical film soundtrack quality with "We're Going Wrong" being the worst. Digital filtering and modest digital equalisation has made them excellent (from 3+ to 4+ in quality). The Concert bootleg is from a record of an audience recording but still reasonable quality, however it was sped up. Digital speed correction extended the recording by just over 2 minutes. Bass has been boosted to lift the drums but they remain distant as does the vocals- it was a poor PA. Remastering has reduced the tape noise so from 2 to 3 in quality. The added tracks give an accurate representation of a typical set on this tour - all in all it is a pretty good performance with "Stepping Out" to "I'm So Glad" excellent.
1. Tales of Brave Ulysses (Clapton/Sharp) 3.41
2. Sunshine of Your Love (Bruce/Brown/Clapton) 4.55
3. We're Going Wrong (Bruce) 3.53
4. Spoonful (Dixon) 14.34
5. Stepping Out (Bracken) 9.58
6. Traintime (Bruce) 4.53
7. Toad (Baker) 10.54
8. I'm So Glad (James) (Incomplete) 7.19
Tracks 1 & 2 recorded at "The Revolution Club", London, Dec 1967
Track 3 recorded for BBC TV Nov 26 1967
Tracks 4-8, Unknown Venue, Oct - Nov 1967
Tracks 1-3 remastered from "Fresh Live Cream" video
CD2 (65 min)
Stockholm, Sweden, "Konserthusert", 14th November 1967
Remaster Quality: This was very poor quality - all versions I have got. I really didn't think it will be worth the trouble until I listened to it one more time and realised that it was actually an interesting performance. After three tries it started to come together - the main problem was that it was massively and variably slow from 5-16%! Once it was speed corrected the sound and concert came to life!
Some rebalancing and filtering made it quite listenable except for making very obvious some patches of frequency modulation, which on investigation is present on all my copies but masked by tape noise etc. It was an audience tape of reasonable quality as they had a good PA. The concert is great - one of there best if relatively short. They are in great humour, Ginger in particular. Quality from 2- to 3+ - a very successful remaster.
Note: I have recently had it confirmed (Jan 2000) that this performance was radio broadcast and the original tape may still exist as it was re-broadcasted around 20 years ago. This does make it confusing why this audience boot is the only version around.
1. Introduction .57
2. Tales of Brave Ulysses (Clapton/Sharp) 4.08
3. Sunshine of Your Love (Bruce/Brown/Clapton) 7.53
4. Sleepy Time Time (Bruce/Godfrey) 6.14
5. Stepping Out (Bracken) 11.48
6. Traintime (Bruce) 7.03
7. Toad (Baker) 11.47
8. I'm So Glad (James) 7.10
9. Spoonful (Dixon) 8.31
Track 9 recorded at "The Revolution Club", London, Dec 1967, remastered from "Fresh Live Cream" video
Touring Europe - reviewed
October-December 1967
Cream returned from the USA in Mid October. After a short break they were on the road again through U.K. and Europe. This tour must have held some trepidation's for them.
When they left for the US in August, they were essentially a song based band but now they were into extended improvisation. While this had been wildly accepted in the USA, England was still oriented towards the pop song approach. It has to be said that many of their fans didn't like the change.
There are two bootlegs documenting this period. One is from an unknown UK venue and the other from Stockholm's Konserthusert. Both are audience recordings of only reasonable quality.
Unknown, UK, Oct-Nov? 1967
While the precise dating/location is unknown the general dating is correct. There are venues that could be guessed at but it is really not possible to say. Their UK touring in this period was not intensive as England lacked the large venues that were needed to pay the performance fee. The Ricky Tick clubs were simply too small.
This is the end of their set with the typical song list. Eric introduces "Spoonful" with a bit of hesitancy - reflecting the concern of how the audience was going to react to the upcoming 15 minute jam. This implies a conservative set list opening with the shorter songs, probably - "Tales of Brave Ulysses", "Sunshine of Your Love", "Sitting on Top of the World" and/or possibly "We're Going Wrong".
Sound Quality: Guitar and Bass are clear but vocals and drums distant. This indicates that the PA was not up to the mark (the mikes picked up and helped boost the drums). The bootleg recording is overspeed. Tape noise is quite high with some 'breathing' effects from the use of a volume limiter at the start of "Spoonful" and tape stretching.
To my knowledge this performance has never been on a bootleg CD and is also rare in collector circles.
Spoonful (14.34)
A strong but not outstanding rendition. There are the familiar reference points ("Cats Squirrel" riff) and a different variation in the ending. Eric makes extensive use of the woman tone. In style it is not as rampant as we hear on the Grande Ballroom but approaching the architectural style of the Winterland recordings. However this really warmed them up.
Stepping Out (9.58)
"We'd like to do a long number"
laughter
"longer than that one"
A performance of typical length and Eric really lets fly. It clearly breaks into 4 sections, the trio then Eric unaccompanied for a while and he pauses on two occasions, deciding where he was going next! Each section is distinctive as he goes down another path including a high volume sustained woman tone - one of the best available performances.
Traintime (4.53)
A short version and better for it - compact, tight and strong and probably my favourite.
Toad (10.54)
Ginger has been lambasted for the long Toads but those ones appear to be the exceptions rather then the rule - typically they were around the 10 minute mark. A brief group intro and then he's powering it out. A good one, showing continuing evolution after the US tour.
I'm So Glad (7.19) - incomplete
Eric asks "Do you have any requests" but Ginger signals on the drums that its 'Glad'. They launch into the typically frenetic performance, unfortunately it is just incomplete. Once again they really rip into this song.
A very interesting performance, not great by their standards, but very satisfying. By other standards its a knockout - one analyses Cream at their standard which is a very demanding one.
Konserthusert, 14th November 1967
Visit Bengt's site and see more pictures from this concert.
(Stepping Out & Jack is getting a great action photo)
On 10th November Cream went on tour of Scandinavia. There early '67 tour had been a great success in establishing their reputation. On this tour they packed out the large venues.
This boot is an audience tape not a broadcast as sometimes claimed. However it may have been broadcast live on AM radio and some tapes of that source could be in circulation.
Sound Quality: Sound quality is poor and is substantially underspeed (on all copies I have with some worse than others!). However with speed correction sound quality improves substantially. I believe this speed variation was deliberate to stretch the boot as it varies from song to song. Quoted times are for speed corrected - 65 minutes total corrected to 58. Unfortunately frequency modulation is present from tape oxide shedding - present on all versions so it is the source tape.
The band is introduced and there is a pause and then a very stoned Ginger says "I've just had an argument with a fireman".
Tales of Brave Ulysses (4.08)
A great warm up number and they sound like they're pretty hot by the time they've finished.
Sunshine of Your Love (7.33)
"And, the next number is umm no. 27 from the song book and its called "Sunshine from Your Love", no it's not, it's called "Sunshine of Your Love" - "bom bom". The Ginger man was in top form this night!
A compact version with intense playing from Eric including the "Blue Moon" quote. Jack and Ginger power it along especially on the final jam where Baker really rips. A great version very much superior to the official release.
Sleepy Time Time (6.14)
Without speed correction this sounded like they were on tranquilisers (and tuned very flat) EC burns like only he can on a slow blues, Jack in shouting blues mode and takes a solo. Another song that always seemed to come out very well.
"Eric Clapton on 5 string guitar and Jack Bruce on his first 6 string bass". They were in good humour.
Stepping Out (11.48)
EC quickly restrings, tunes up and launches. Fast and intense group section then Eric on his own for a passage before Ginger joins in. Eric drops back a notch doing some quiet blues lick variations, then turns on the picking power, sustained notes, feedback. Volume goes up, Baker powers up building to a great ending climax on which Eric almost fades out before the last crashing chords. This 'architectural' version contrasts with the fractured one from the UK.
Traintime (7.03)
There's not much more one can say about Traintime that I haven't said before. Jack is an good harmonica player but he ain't a virtuoso to be able to pull this off for repeated recordings. Still it's one of the better ones.
Toad (11.07)
He's in top form, what more needs to be said? Near the climax Ginger stops and apologises because his feet are sticking to the floor - doesn't seem to make any real difference!
I'm So Glad (9.10)
I haven't reviewed a bad version, yet. And this is another great one - no more to say.
In conclusion a great performance despite escalating tensions.
© Graeme Pattingale, 1999