Cream: ‘We call it sweet and sour rock’n’roll’ (1966)

From theguardian.com April 2015

It’s 10 years since Cream’s reunion gig, so Rock’s Backpages this week digs out a Melody Maker piece published just before Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton’s first gig in the summer of 1966

Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton at their farewell performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, 26 November 1968. Photograph: Susie Macdonald/Redferns

Athunder of blues in a church hall complete with Brownies and caretakers was the bizarre setting for the first tentative creations of the Cream – Britain’s most exciting new group, featuring star instrumentalists Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton. The group are feverishly rehearsing for their debut this weekend at the sixth national jazz and blues festival at Windsor.

Fans all over the country are excitedly looking forward to their first chance to hear the fiery three, who built up tremendous reputations when they were sidemen with other groups: Eric with the Yardbirds and John Mayall, Ginger with Graham Bond, and Jack with Bond and Manfred Mann.

With the eyes of thousands of fans and rival groups upon them, and the burning of boats behind them, how does the Cream feel now? “Nervous, very nervous,” said Eric Clapton, sideboards bristling, guitar slung at the hip.

For rehearsal, the trio were using the minimum of equipment, but still managed to produce enough sound to deafen Brownies and caretakers and rock the church hall to its foundations. “I’m only using snare and bass drums,” said Ginger. “But with the full kit I’ll have seven drums, including two bass drums.”

“We’ve only got about a sixth of the gear here,” added Eric. “So you can imagine what it’s going to sound like with full amplification and Ginger’s tom-toms as well.”

The boys stood around in a sea of cigarette ends and prepared to run through a few numbers. Ginger, sporting a villainous-looking beard, crouched over his drum stool in its lowest possible position and right-hand top cymbal sloping like a 1-in-2 hill. Jack, wearing brown lace-up boots and a harmonica harness, gripped his bass guitar for Eric to count them in. Eric, wearing white bell-bottomed trousers, paused to shout a few coarse cries at some girl fans hanging about outside – not Brownies – then counted in the first explosion.

Eric and Jack sang in harmony, Ginger rocked, and Jack blew unison harmonica with Eric’s guitar riff. It was a frightening sound. They only played a few choruses of each number, with breaks to work out bass drum and bass guitar patterns, sort out tempos and guitar and drum breaks.

Ginger, wielding a pair of enormous sticks – “Phil Seamen calls ’em Irish navvy poles” – suggested doing their “comedy number”. This proved to be a jug-band tune called Take Your Finger Off It with very traditional “Ja-Da” type chords. At the end, Eric looked at Jack and grinned: “You mucked up the end.” “Yes, I did, didn’t I,” said Jack coolly. It was rather like a confrontation between Rommel and Montgomery, with the mutual respect of two generals.

Deciding on a tea break, the trio drove off in their hired van, Jack at the wheel, managing to block main-road traffic in both directions, while attempting a U-turn. In a nearby cafe we talked about the group’s musical policy. Enthusiasm was high. Everyone wanted to talk at once. “It’s blues ancient and modern,” said Eric. “We call it sweet and sour rock’n’roll,” said Jack.

“Yes, that’s a good headline,” said Eric. “What we want to do is anything that people haven’t done before. Pete Townshend is enthusiastic and he may write a number for us.”

Cream … Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. Photograph: Dezo Hoffmann/Rex Features

“At the moment we’re trying to get a repertoire up for all the gigs we’ve got to do,” said Ginger. “We’re digging back as far as we can, even 1927.”

“And we’ve got a lot of originals we want to do,” said Jack. “Some are very strange. And there’s numbers like Long-Hair Unsquare Dude Called Jack, which Paul used to sing with Manfred.”

Will there be any jazz feel to the music?

“I’d say jazz was definitely out,” said Eric, “and sweet and sour rock’n’oll is in. Actually, promoters are predicting that Sinatra will be the biggest draw in 67, ever since his sensational appearance at Ealing blues club.”

How ready are they for the public?

“We’re half-ready,”’ said Jack. “We’ve only been rehearsing for three days, and we could have 50 numbers if we wanted, but we want to choose them carefully.”

“Most people have formed the impression of us as three solo musicians clashing with each other,” said Eric. “We want to cancel that idea and be a group that plays together.”

What sort of presentation will the group have?

“We want a turkey on stage while we’re playing,” said Eric. I made a choking noise through a mouthful of tea that meant: “Would you repeat that?”

“Yeah, we just want a turkey on stage while we’re playing. We all like turkeys and its nice to have them around. Another dada thing – I was going to have this hat made of a brim with a cage on top and a live frog inside. It would be very nice to have stuffed bears on stage. We’d ignore them – not acknowledge their presence at all.”

© Chris Welch, 1966