AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Cream

Artist:Cream
Song:Sunshine Of Your Love
Album:The Very Best Of Cream





The British trio Cream were only around for two years but were very influential by mixing blues and rock. They also gave birth to the term "supergroup". Sunshine Of Your Love was their biggest hit. By 1966, Eric Clapton was already the top guitarist in England mostly through his work with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. But he got the itch to form a new band. He met Graham Bond Organisation drummer Ginger Baker. Baker was unhappy because Bond was addicted to drugs. Jack Bruce was bassist for that band. Clapton and Baker started jamming and agreed to form a band on the condition that Bruce was hired as bassist and lead singer. Clapton liked Bruce's singing voice. The problem was Bruce and Baker were notorious for constantly quarreling. But they put aside their differences and formed Cream which meant they were the cream of the crop of British musicians. They signed with Polydor in England and Atco in the US. Clapton was already a star in England but was still unknown in the US. Cream played some shows in the US and then they recorded their second album Disraeli Gears in New York produced by Felix Pappalardi who would later form Mountain and Atlantic Records producer Tom Dowd who would work with Clapton for many years. They recorded it in three days and then their visas ran out and had to return to England. Disraeli Gears was released in 1967. It was a mix of blues and psychedelia and it was certified Platinum. Sunshine Of Your Love reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would turn out to be their biggest hit. The song was written mostly by Bruce and poet Pete Brown after Bruce and Clapton went to a Jimi Hendrix show. Brown frequently wrote lyrics for Cream. Bruce wrote the famous guitar riff and Clapton wrote the refrain. Atlantic didn't like the song at first but changed their mind when Booker T. Jones of Booker T & The MG's liked the song. Cream's other top ten hit was White Room in 1968. You can get all their hits on this comp. Cream was successful but Clapton was getting restless and was tired of being a ref for Baker and Bruce's fights. Their final album Goodbye was released in 1969. Clapton immediately formed the short lived group Blind Faith with Steve Winwood. Bruce recorded jazz fusion and later formed West, Bruce & Laing with Leslie West and Corky Laing of Mountain. Baker has led Ginger Baker's Air Force for many years. Cream reunited when they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993 and they reunited for a few 2005 shows. Since then there have been rumours about Cream reuniting that were not true. Bruce wanted to reunite but Baker and Clapton did not. They were certainly a great band in the 60s. Here's Cream performing Sunshine Of Your Love at their farewell concert at Royal Albert Hall in London Nov. 26, 1968.