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Re: Cream Reunion 2005 wadya think of it???

12/7/2005 9:01 AM
Steve Dallman	Re: Cream Reunion 2005 wadya think of it??? Good points all. I was expecting more, but I'm glad I have the DVD's. I've watched quite a few "aging rockstars" and it is always interesting to see how musicians age. The Who...or at least whoever's left, still manages a good concert. I've seen several fairly recent Stones' concerts and they still manage to keep up a great level of energy and excitement, although it's usually beefed up with backup singers and musicians. One that surprised me was Nazareth. I never saw any old band footage, but those guys are pretty amazing. It made a fan out of me. There are a lot of musicians who haven't reached Stones or Cream's age but are still holding it together...like Iron Maiden. You can see the years on their faces. How about Kiss, on their endless farewell tour? I have footage of them in the mid 70's, and it's clear they have lost some energy, but personal trainers, big wigs and lighter platform shoes and they do a pretty good tribute to what they were 30 years ago. Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc. God bless them...they still are more interesting than most of the newest crop of popular musicians and bands. There aren't a whole lot of songs being written and performed these days that will end up on the classic rock stations in the years to come. Cream showed how the sum of it's parts exceeded the talents of each individual member. There was a magic there that wasn't evident in the reunion concerts. Clapton played the right notes, but it didn't even seem like they were enjoying playing together again. I'm in my early 50's. In the mid 70's I sat in with a country band as a joke. The leader of the group was in his mid 50's and the lead guitar player was a 50 year old Indian/Native American. I was in my early 20's and thought it would be a hoot as well as an easy gig. Well, those guys put me in my place. I learned I could enjoy playing music I didn't care to listen to, as long as it was played well. I also saw aging musicians fire up a crowd, play better than most musicians I knew that were half their age, and I saw how a group could be more than just the sum of their parts. But now I'm the geezer. I love seeing older musicians still playing well. Perhaps if Cream toured (which won't happen) and they had more time to click together again. Who knows? It's just amazing to see some musicans still alive, much less still able to play. For some, their worst enemy was their own behavior, including serious drug habits. Bruce's heroin habit...Baker's meth use...I had friends who saw Cream in concert back in the day and they described Baker holding his arms across his chest, just rocking back and forth between songs, writhing from his speed use. I remember Bruce's puffy ex-addict's face after he cleaned up. God bless 'em all.

12/7/2005 9:01 AM

Steve Dallman

Re: Cream Reunion 2005 wadya think of it???

Good points all. I was expecting more, but I'm glad I have the DVD's. I've watched quite a few "aging rockstars" and it is always interesting to see how musicians age. The Who...or at least whoever's left, still manages a good concert. I've seen several fairly recent Stones' concerts and they still manage to keep up a great level of energy and excitement, although it's usually beefed up with backup singers and musicians.

One that surprised me was Nazareth. I never saw any old band footage, but those guys are pretty amazing. It made a fan out of me.

There are a lot of musicians who haven't reached Stones or Cream's age but are still holding it together...like Iron Maiden. You can see the years on their faces. How about Kiss, on their endless farewell tour? I have footage of them in the mid 70's, and it's clear they have lost some energy, but personal trainers, big wigs and lighter platform shoes and they do a pretty good tribute to what they were 30 years ago.

Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc. God bless them...they still are more interesting than most of the newest crop of popular musicians and bands. There aren't a whole lot of songs being written and performed these days that will end up on the classic rock stations in the years to come.

Cream showed how the sum of it's parts exceeded the talents of each individual member. There was a magic there that wasn't evident in the reunion concerts. Clapton played the right notes, but it didn't even seem like they were enjoying playing together again.

I'm in my early 50's. In the mid 70's I sat in with a country band as a joke. The leader of the group was in his mid 50's and the lead guitar player was a 50 year old Indian/Native American. I was in my early 20's and thought it would be a hoot as well as an easy gig. Well, those guys put me in my place. I learned I could enjoy playing music I didn't care to listen to, as long as it was played well. I also saw aging musicians fire up a crowd, play better than most musicians I knew that were half their age, and I saw how a group could be more than just the sum of their parts.

But now I'm the geezer. I love seeing older musicians still playing well. Perhaps if Cream toured (which won't happen) and they had more time to click together again. Who knows?

It's just amazing to see some musicans still alive, much less still able to play. For some, their worst enemy was their own behavior, including serious drug habits. Bruce's heroin habit...Baker's meth use...I had friends who saw Cream in concert back in the day and they described Baker holding his arms across his chest, just rocking back and forth between songs, writhing from his speed use. I remember Bruce's puffy ex-addict's face after he cleaned up.

God bless 'em all.

12/7/2005 10:29 AM

EC Fan

quote:
"It's just amazing to see some musicans still alive, much less still able to play. For some, their worst enemy was their own behavior, including serious drug habits. Bruce's heroin habit...Baker's meth use..."

It's nice to see Baker without those wild bug eyes.

I'm happy with the DVD, though the bass mix is vapor if you don't have a 5.1 system going. That's just wrong. Bruce looked like he was overly concerned with pulling it off, hence less free to create. It's hard to be an angry young man at 60+.

12/7/2005 7:06 PM
Steve B.	I liked the concert. I thought they did well for not being together for so long. Steve

12/8/2005 9:02 AM
Steve Dallman	The bass mix was disappointing. Any interplay between Clapton and Bruce was nearly inaudible. However, when Bruce switched to his fretless Warwick, at least he could be heard. Judging by the graphic EQ settings on his Hartke bass amps, the bass should have been easy to hear in the mix. More than likely, his signal was taken from a DI box before his amps, and as is too often the case, the bass gets lost. Bruce's bass tone was as much an integral part of the band's identity as John Entwistle's was in the Who. Don't get me wrong. I liked the concert, but my comments were comparing the reunion concert to what Cream was like in the late 60's. But as the old saying says, "If you remember the 60's...you weren't there."

12/8/2005 9:02 AM

Steve Dallman

The bass mix was disappointing. Any interplay between Clapton and Bruce was nearly inaudible. However, when Bruce switched to his fretless Warwick, at least he could be heard.

Judging by the graphic EQ settings on his Hartke bass amps, the bass should have been easy to hear in the mix. More than likely, his signal was taken from a DI box before his amps, and as is too often the case, the bass gets lost.

Bruce's bass tone was as much an integral part of the band's identity as John Entwistle's was in the Who.

Don't get me wrong. I liked the concert, but my comments were comparing the reunion concert to what Cream was like in the late 60's.

But as the old saying says, "If you remember the 60's...you weren't there."

12/9/2005 11:56 AM
MBSetzer	Well, I liked it a lot better than the non-reunion of the '90's Mike

12/9/2005 1:03 PM
David Warren	I have always been a big fan of Cream, and Clapton, for that matter. I really like the band after Cream, Blind Faith. I bought the DVD of the concert. I some ways I really enjoyed it (the nostalgia factor) and in other ways I have been disappointed. I'm a guitarist myself, and 50-ish, so I'm really into the music of that era. I still think that Jack Bruce has a fantastic voice; I still that Ginger Baker is a great drummer (although I also agree that I expected much more fire in his playing); and Clapton is a fine guitarist. But I'm puzzled by Clapton's lead guitar performances. If you bought this DVD to hear re-creations of Clapton's signature leads on the songs like Crossroads or Sunshine of Your Love, etc., then you were surely disappointed. The original leads made those songs. The lead performance for Crossroads, in particular, is not really all that inspiring. (My wife pointed out that maybe he can't play it the same way anymore.) There's alot of guitar leads on the DVD that are not too inspiring (or inspired). After watching and listening to the performances I concluded, "If you've heard one Clapton guitar lead on this DVD, then you've heard them all." There was not much tonal variation, except for the song Badge on which he used a Leslie cabinet for part of the song. I know these guys are older, and they may not play exactly how they played in the 1960's. I don't play the same way either (I actually play much better). These guys were my musical influences then, and I tried to emulate them. I don't want to emulate them now as I think that will put me another step closer to the nursing home. Hah!

12/9/2005 1:03 PM

David Warren

I have always been a big fan of Cream, and Clapton, for that matter. I really like the band after Cream, Blind Faith.

I bought the DVD of the concert. I some ways I really enjoyed it (the nostalgia factor) and in other ways I have been disappointed. I'm a guitarist myself, and 50-ish, so I'm really into the music of that era. I still think that Jack Bruce has a fantastic voice; I still that Ginger Baker is a great drummer (although I also agree that I expected much more fire in his playing); and Clapton is a fine guitarist. But I'm puzzled by Clapton's lead guitar performances. If you bought this DVD to hear re-creations of Clapton's signature leads on the songs like Crossroads or Sunshine of Your Love, etc., then you were surely disappointed. The original leads made those songs. The lead performance for Crossroads, in particular, is not really all that inspiring. (My wife pointed out that maybe he can't play it the same way anymore.) There's alot of guitar leads on the DVD that are not too inspiring (or inspired). After watching and listening to the performances I concluded, "If you've heard one Clapton guitar lead on this DVD, then you've heard them all." There was not much tonal variation, except for the song Badge on which he used a Leslie cabinet for part of the song. I know these guys are older, and they may not play exactly how they played in the 1960's. I don't play the same way either (I actually play much better). These guys were my musical influences then, and I tried to emulate them. I don't want to emulate them now as I think that will put me another step closer to the nursing home. Hah!

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