The BBC Sessions

I'd listened to parts of this collection through streaming sources, and the sound quality kept me from buying this for years. In comparison to many other "BBC Sessions" collections from other musicians, the sound quality is nowhere near as good. The sound quality varies from song to song, and the mix is uneven in frequency levels, especially in the mid-bass area - the very low bass is present but there seems to be a gap in sound levels up to the mid frequencies on multiple selections. Overall volume level seems low in the mix too, making it sound distant and tinny, more so on some songs than others. With the negatives out of the way... The "live in studio" song versions here are generally good-to-great performances. No extended jams that Cream are known for live. The songs are all short and tight, but not strict repetitions of the album versions. One thing I noticed while playing this is that the music sounds so much better if this is played through full-sized stereo speakers, as is always the case, and (importantly) it sounds a lot better with the volume turned up. The volume level on the interview sections is too high relative to what it needs to be for the music portions. Maybe it's just my imagination, but some of the mix imperfections seem a lot less noticeable, and even disappear at higher volume. I can live with the mix imperfections. The interview sections add period piece historic character to it. I would classify this as a "must have" for Cream fans.

This release is the "missing link" in Cream's career. For those of you who wondered how they got from short numbers such as I'm So Glad and Sweet Wine to the 10 - 15 minute live jams, this release is a document of that progress. The performances are simply incredible - very aggressive, biting, and surprisingly raw. Bruce's vocals are superb and Baker drives each song with the force of a runaway train. My favorites include I'm So Glad (Clapton does very well with the extended improv here), Rollin and Tumblin (better than the version on Live Cream), Tales of Brave Ulysses (better than the original), and on and on. I took a point off for inconsistent sound quality and those occassional overdubs, which were mostly disconcerting in this context. Also - check out Clapton's god-awful vocal rendition of Strange Brew, in contrast to his terrific vocals on everything else. These guys just couldn't really play the "pop" role, fortunately for us. And the intensity shown here puts just about every other band, past or present, to shame. And it's that intensity, more than the material itself, that links Cream so closely with their blues idols. Add to it their instrumental mastery, amply demonstrated here, and it makes for hours and hours of re-visited pleasure. This release makes me realize, all over again, why I've loved this group. It'll do the same for you. And this particular recording also makes me realize that in a way they were the world's greatest garage band - and that's a high compliment.

I had the pleasure of seeing Cream live in San Diego while they were on their farewell tour and have always enjoyed their music, so I was delighted when I saw this CD appear in amazon's listings and ordered it immediately.OK, these are not the best recordings ever, but they are still good when you consider the circumstances under which they were made. There is a lot of "sound" that you hear on a studio recording that's just not here, but that's what happens when its live. Besides, the technology at that time was primitive compared with what's available today.Since my favorite Cream albums are Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire, my favorite songs here come from those albums. The best of those are a driving rendition of Tales of Brave Ulysses, and stand-out performances of Born Under A Bad Sign, Outside Woman Blues, Politician, and SWALBR.Eric Clapton does the talking on the short interview clips, but it is really Ginger Baker who stands out most here as he punishes his drum kit mercilessly and provides the thundering beat that is a Cream trademark.If you were and are a fan of Cream, you should own this CD and hear Clapton, Bruce and Baker as they are rising to the top of the late 60s musical world.

If you love Cream and/or Clapton, this is absolutely worth having. These are BBC live not lip sync recordings made with excellent equipment over several years from just before Fresh Cream came out to post Disraeli Gears, a few of which have video via Youtube. Almost every cut provides a different take or at least different solos for many of the bands greatest hits. Among my favorites are Bruce's Traintime, the Skip James song I'm So Glad, and NSU. Great Stuff!PS: Shocking that I fell in love with Cream within days of their first album, Fresh Cream, coming out--and that I'm still lovin' this stuff and finding it engaging. Used to sit in my semi-sound-proofed closet in my university dorm blasting away in the spring of 1967. After a few draws and a nice double IPA, I still do it! Only now my equipment is Audioengineering rather than Radio Shack, which is part of why the music can still sound so new.

i saw cream many times in leicester .a club called IL RONDO and the GRANBY HALLS .never will we see such times again and ginger has gone too ,with jack .blessings to them both .bless you eric for what you gave with the yardbirds ,john mayall too .influenced countless people .memories of terrific times .like when eric came strolling across the dance floor with duffle bag over his shoulder they didnt play that night because the kit didnt turn up .so we sat talking to him .so timeless history ,so important .highly recomended thankyou best wishes tony

Great tracks bringing back memories of a quality band. For some reason each track is introduced by a now sounding dated DJ.

Love Cream, hate this CD, appalling quality, and why did they included Alan Freeman introducing the tracks? FFS! Another BBC cash-in that is best avoided. Buy Fresh Cream and Disraeli Gears instead, you won't go wrong.

I had never heard some of the track on this before. Anyone who likes Cream will love this set

Cream are yes the cream of the blues scence 3 impressive musicians best album heard in years