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Fresh Cream

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Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
BBC Music(favourable) [2]
Robert ChristgauA–[3]

Fresh Cream is the debut studio album by the British rock band Cream. It was the first LP release of producer Robert Stigwood's new "Independent" Reaction Records label, released in the United Kingdom as both a mono and stereo version on 9 December 1966, the same time as the single release of "I Feel Free".[4] The album was released a month later, in January 1967, in the United States by Atco Records in both mono and stereo versions.[5] For many years, only the UK and U.S. stereo mixes were available in CD. The UK mono album was reissued on CD for the first time in late 2013, as part of a deluxe SHM-CD and SHM-SACD sets (both editions also contain the UK stereo counterpart) sold only in Japan.[6]

The album peaked at No. 6 on the UK album chart and No. 39 on the U.S. album chart.[7]

In 2003, the album was ranked number 101 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[8]

Track listing

Original UK release

All lead vocals by Jack Bruce except as indicated.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."N.S.U."Jack Bruce2:43
2."Sleepy Time Time"Bruce, Janet Godfrey4:20
3."Dreaming"Bruce1:58
4."Sweet Wine"Ginger Baker, Godfrey3:17
5."Spoonful"Willie Dixon6:30
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cat's Squirrel" (Instrumental)Traditional, arr. by Baker, Bruce, Eric Clapton3:03
2."Four Until Late" (Lead vocals: Eric Clapton)Robert Johnson, arr. Clapton2:07
3."Rollin' and Tumblin'"McKinley Morganfield4:42
4."I'm So Glad"Skip James3:57
5."Toad" (Instrumental)Baker5:11

Original U.S. version

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Feel Free"Bruce, Pete Brown2:52
2."N.S.U."Bruce2:44
3."Sleepy Time Time"Bruce, Godfrey4:20
4."Dreaming"Bruce2:00
5."Sweet Wine"Baker, Godfrey3:18
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cat's Squirrel" (Instrumental)Traditional, arr. by Baker, Bruce, Clapton3:03
2."Four Until Late" (Lead vocals: Clapton)Johnson, arr. Clapton2:07
3."Rollin' and Tumblin'"Morganfield4:42
4."I'm So Glad"James3:57
5."Toad" (Instrumental)Baker5:11

Later U.S. release

A later release in the U.S. on RSO/Polydor uses the same track listing as the original UK edition given above, with the addition of the song "I Feel Free" as track 1. Polydor's CD release from the 1980s included the same track list but added "The Coffee Song" and "Wrapping Paper," which were removed from a second CD release in the 90's.[9][10]

Swedish edition

An edition released only in Sweden in 1966 was a 11-track release like that in the UK which also added two tracks: "Wrapping Paper", written by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown, and "The Coffee Song", written by Tony Colton and Ray Smith. Both vinyl and cover were made in Germany and exported for the Swedish market only - the German original had the same 10 tracks as UK. The group didn't want "Coffee Song" to be issued at all, but a mono version was mixed and coupled with "Wrapping Paper" as a single. There were no plans at this stage to release it in stereo, so for the Swedish issue a crude stereo mix was used. This was made during the sessions in early August 1966 for instructive purpose - the whole track as basic mono is mixed far right and a solo guitar overdub far left. Never intended for release this mix was soon lost and for later stereo issues a new one was made.

The front cover and record no. (623 031) are the same as the German issue, but three different back covers exist. The first listed the correct 12 tracks, the second listed 10 tracks, and a third where the 12 track listing has been "glued" over the 10 track listing.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."N.S.U."Bruce2:43
2."Sleepy Time Time"Bruce, Godfrey4:20
3."Dreaming"Bruce1:58
4."Sweet Wine"Baker, Godfrey3:17
5."Spoonful"Willie Dixon6:30
6."Wrapping Paper"Bruce, Brown2:24
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cat's Squirrel" (Instrumental)Traditional, arr. by Baker, Bruce, Clapton3:03
2."Four Until Late" (Lead vocals: Clapton)Johnson, arr. Clapton2:07
3."The Coffee Song"Ray Smith, Tony Colton2:45
4."Rollin' and Tumblin'"Morganfield4:42
5."I'm So Glad"James3:57
6."Toad" (Instrumental)Baker5:11

Personnel

Cream

Production

  • Robert Stigwood - Producer
  • John Timperly - Engineer[11]

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[12] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Cream: Fresh Cream > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  2. ^ Smith, Sid (17 April 2007). "Cream Fresh Cream Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  3. ^ "Robert Christgau: Online Exchange, part 3". RockCritics.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Clapton, Eric (2007). "Cream". Clapton: The Autobiography (1st ed.). United States: Broadway Books. pp. 73–79. ISBN 978-0-385-51851-2.
  5. ^ Eyries, Patrice; Edwards, Dave; Callahan, Mike (22 January 2007). "RSO Album Discography, Part 1: The RSO Story & Pre-RSO Releases". bsnpubs.com. Retrieved 27 September 2100. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "Fresh Cream (Stereo & Mono) +12 [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)] [Platinum SHM-CD] [Limited Release] Cream CD Album". CDJapan. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  7. ^ "The Illustrated Cream Discography". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  8. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone (Special Issue). 101 | Fresh Cream - Cream. November 2003. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved 27 September 2100. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ "Fresh Cream (1980's Polydor CD release)". discogs.com. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  10. ^ "Fresh Cream (Remastered 1998 CD release)". discogs.com. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Fresh Cream (1966)". JackBruce.com. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  12. ^ "Australian Fun Countdowns: Accreditation Awards". Warner Music Sales International. BMI Music International. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Best-selling Rock LPs". Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 28 September 1968. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  14. ^ "American album certifications – Cream". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 17 September 2015.