Disraeli Gears (studio album) by Cream

From OldToad 08/30/2024 18:00

What keeps this album in my rotation is the heavy darkness laced through it. There's a myth that the psychedelic music of the summer of love was about "flower power" and empty-headed happiness. But psychedelic music has always reveled in topics of death and darkness, the shadow side, as much as the other. One of my favorite examples of dark psychedelia from that time is We're Going Wrong, my favorite of Jack Bruce's funereal dirges that he liked to write. Kids in dorm rooms dropping windowpane and listening to bad-trip songs like World Of Pain, Strange Brew and We're Going Wrong...ah memories, that's the psychedelia that I love.

Amazing psychedelic sleeve art housing a classic psychedelic masterpiece. Tales of Strange Ulysses, Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love are all excellent.

Classic rock, shame about that last track which really drags my rating down. And actually the last 4 tracks are quite weak. The first 7 though are really good. My favourites are Sunshine Of Your Love, SWLABR and World Of Pain.

A solid record but there are too many filler tracks on here for it to be ranked amongst the elite. There shouldn't be as many skippable songs on a record as short as this as well as most of these tracks completely take you out of the music. The 3 worst offenders of this are Blue Condition, Dance The Night Away and We're Going Wrong. Despite this, there are some great moments on here and some outstanding performances on guitar (lead, rhythm and bass), percussion and piano. This is best evidenced on the elite songs such as Strange Brew, Sunshine Of Your Love and Tales Of Brave Ulysses. Overall, this record isn't consistent enough to be one of the greatest of all time but it is still hugely influential and quite enjoyable.

A classic ~ that more than 45 years later, still stands up to the test of time & technology!

The best Cream album, sounds very influential and a lot of songs are great and catchy at the same time.

Although everything isn't excellent for me - the guitar work must have been such a standout at the time with a real modern guitar sound. Some excellent and timeless classic riffs

This is a really solid album. The problem with grading the album itself though lies in the gap between the best and worst tracks. The top tracks are remarkable, but there are several true skips.

really good. excellent early guitar work Eric Clapton. decent songs. bluesy stuff

The fact that this is ranked as the 11th album of 1967 speaks volumes about what a year that was.