Blind Faith by Blind Faith (Album, Blues Rock): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music
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Blind Faith
By Blind Faith
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ArtistBlind Faith
TypeAlbum
ReleasedAugust 1969
Recorded18 February 1969 - 28 June 1969
RYM Rating 3.70 / 5.00.5 from 4,762 ratings
Ranked#103 for 1969, #5,100 overall
Genres
Descriptors
melodic, male vocalist, psychedelic, lonely, improvisation, rhythmic, sentimental, serious, spiritual, bittersweet, introspective, hypnotic
Language English

Track listing

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Presence of the Lord / Sea of Joy
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Issues

66 Issues

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66 Issues

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Credits

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120 Reviews

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oldguywithsticks92 Mar 21 2010 5.00 stars
'Supergroups' are often hit or miss, some implode before they even get off the ground (like XYZ, an attempted project of former Yes and Led Zeppelin members), some are a one off act (do one show/single before quickly disbanding, like Automatic Baby, comprised of R.E.M. and U2 members), and some actually do some work and even thrive before it all comes tumbling down due to the egos involved. Ok, so they're mostly miss. Blind Faith is an example of the 'do work and thrive, but tumble down' brand of supergroup. The members of the band need no introduction, well maybe bassist Ric Grech, formerly of Family, does, but Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, and Ginger Baker most certainly do not.

Not long after Cream broke up late in 1968, Clapton had started to jam frequently with Winwood, formerly of Traffic (who disbanded shortly after Cream), and soon the thought of forming their very own band was tempting. Somehow former Cream drummer Baker caught notice of this and was eager to be involved. In short, he joins the band, they invite Grech to become the bassist, and the group is officially formed. Rumors of this 'supergroup' start to spread like wildfire (to the point of them actually being called a 'Super Cream'), and thus this group of lads (unnamed at first, the name Blind Faith allegedly comes from the cautious optimism Clapton felt about the band) are now usually recognized as the first act to be christened with the tag of 'supergroup'.

An album is quickly written and recorded (these guys liked to jam more than actually make crafted songs, even though the songs on the album are quite good), and they make their debut at Hyde Park in June 1969 (well received). A quick tour of Scandinavia follows, as a 'warm up' for the bigger gigs to come in the US. By the time their US tour finished up in August 1969, Blind Faith as a band were no more. Like any normal supergroup, they simply collapsed under the pressure that most supergroups succumb to. Now, what about that album they released?

Well, Blind Faith (the album) was a commercial success. A perfect example of what hype can do for sales, the album topped the charts in the US for 2 weeks in 1969 (with no single being commercially released beforehand or after either). The music of the album is at times in the vein of Winwood, Clapton and Baker's former bands Traffic and Cream, though it also has its own unique sound. It is actually quite diverse too! From the hard rock riffing of the opener "Had to Cry Today" (my personal favorite), the mystic folk of "Can't Find My Way Home" (with a wonderful vocal from Winwood), and even a Buddy Holly cover in "Well All Right" (one of the band's original intentions was to make an album of ALL Buddy Holly covers). Then there is Clapton's first major composition as a songwriter, "Presence of the Lord". With a great organ line, powerful vocal delivery from Winwood, and a fantastic (if sudden) middle Clapton guitar solo, it is one of the obvious highlights of the album.

Side 2 opens with "Sea of Joy", perhaps a lesser track compared to the ones on the first side, but still solid nonetheless. Grech's fiddlework is quite noticeable, and is the standout moment of the song. Now comes the album's most controversial moment, the one that separates the diehard Blind Faith fans from the casual ones, the closing 15 minute jam "Do What You Like". Composed by Baker, the guys 'do what they like' indeed; each member gets their own moment in the sun to solo. Though there is an actual song section, it moves onto a jam shortly thereafter. While many hate it, I love it, the guys get to show off how talented they are at their instruments. Winwood's organ solo is freaky, Clapton gives the usual stellar performance, Grech shows us how great and overlooked he is at bass, and lastly, there is Ginger. It seems everybody but me hates drum solos, particularly the ones that go on for a long time, but I like them, and Baker's solo is his usual incredible. Once the jam ends, it goes back to the song section before ending on a weird note with a bunch of strange noises.

So maybe not an absolute perfect album (again, "Sea of Joy"), but it is close enough, and it certainly lives up to the talent of the musicians involved. We can only wonder what they would've done next, but we'll just have to settle for this one incredible album.
Published
ColoursOfTheSun Dec 15 2007 4.50 stars
When I first downloaded this about a year ago, I wasn't too sure, and I wasn't too sure what it was all about at all. I gave it a listen after a few months and it (at first) seemed ok at the time, then after getting into Clapton later, I gave this album another listen after I found out that it was a band that he had with Steve Winwood and others. I gave it a more in depth listen and the following results left me staggering. I fell in love with the album, and it's one of my favorite "one band, one album" albums. Many of the songs are just too great, and I personally think "Do What You Like" is one of the greatest songs ever. I just love how it has a keyboard solo by Winwood, guitar solo by Clapton, amazing bass solo by Ric Grech, and the usual drum solo with Ginger (but it was too good!) and it's just a conundrum of greatness, I say.
Published
314 531 818-2 CD (2001)
 streetmouse Dec 03 2007 5.00 stars
I was in Boot Camp when a friend sent me a full two page spread from the Philadelphia Inquire announcing the tour of Blind Faith ... that was in the fall of 1969, and there was no place I would rather have been, needless to say, attending the concert would be all but impossible.

Blind Faith has been hailed as the first “Super Group,” and we were being asked to accept their talents and musical abilities on “blind faith,” which is how members of Cream, Traffic, and Family, came by the group’s name. Accepting them didn’t require any faith at all, just remembering the groups from with this band was composed was all that was necessary ... Eric Clapton [from Cream], the legendary and very young Steve Winwood [from Traffic], Ginger Baker [from Cream], and Rick Grech [from Family]. All of these men had come from progressive bands, heavily influenced by the blues, had become bored or disillusioned with their previous outings, and had decided to shake things up ... incorporated their styles and influences, to take the world by storm.

From the fledgling sessions came the remake of the Buddy Holly song “Well All Right.” Jimi Hendrix had had huge success with his slowed down, and deeply dark cover of “Hey Joe,” and being newly formed, it seemed / felt only natural to begin this journey with music all of the members highly respected ... hence came “Well All Right,” which was barely reminiscent of the Buddy Holly original. But that was all right, because what Blind Faith laid down sounded fresh and original to our waiting ears.

The rest, as you know, is musical history ... all of the information regarding the group, its genesis, and songs can be found within the pages of the insightful booklet that comes with the deluxe edition of this album. On the front jacket of the booklet is the original album cover as it was released in America. On the disc jacket, you will find the album cover as it was presented in Europe, with a very young naked girl / lady ... this cover, because of its concept and depiction was banded in America, and would not see these shores for many years. The package has a double gate fold with some fine images of the band, and contains two discs. And to keep it all safe and sound, there is a plastic slip case.

The first disc contains the original album, though here that body of work has been cleaned and reprocessed for compact disc, and a wonderful job was done in that respect. You will also be presented with five bonus tracks of unreleased material, including and electric version of “Can’t Find My Way Home,” that is breath taking. On disc two you will find four unreleased songs, though jams might be a better description, which are a great deal of fun, and each is about fifteen minutes in length.

Often albums are rereleased and remastered, sadly all too often the care and time was not taken to present and package this material in a meaningful manner ... happily, in the case of the this Deluxe Edition, there was much care and effort, making this one of those discs you just “must have” for a complete musical catalog.

*** The fun facts: The release of the album provoked controversy because the cover featured a topless pubescent girl, holding what appears to be the hood ornament of a Chevrolet Bel Air, which some perceived as phallic. The US record company issued it with an alternative cover showing a photograph of the band on the front as well as the original cover.

The cover art was created by photographer Bob Seidemann, a personal friend and former flatmate of Clapton's who is primarily known for his photos of Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. In the mid 1990s, in an advertising circular intended to help sell lithographic reprints of the famous album cover, he explained his thinking behind the image.

I could not get my hands on the image until out of the mist a concept began to emerge. To symbolize the achievement of human creativity and its expression through technology a space ship was the material object. To carry this new spore into the universe, innocence would be the ideal bearer, a young girl, a girl as young as Shakespeare's Juliet. The space ship would be the fruit of the tree of knowledge and the girl, the fruit of the tree of life.

The space ship could be made by Mick Milligan, a jeweller at the Royal College of Art. The girl was another matter. If she were too old it would be cheesecake, too young and it would be nothing. The beginning of the transition from girl to woman, that is what I was after. That temporal point, that singular flare of radiant innocence. Where is that girl?

Seidemann wrote that he approached a girl reported to be 14 years old on the London Tube about modelling for the cover, and eventually met with her parents, but that she proved too old for the effect he wanted. Instead, the model he used was her younger sister Mariora Goschen, who was reported to be 11 years old. Mariora initially requested a horse as a fee but was instead paid £40.

Bizarre rumours both contributed to and were fuelled by the controversy, including that the girl was Baker's daughter or was a groupie kept as a slave by the band. The image, titled "Blind Faith" by Seidemann, became the inspiration for the name of the band itself, which had been unnamed when the artwork was commissioned. According to Seidemann: "It was Eric who elected to not print the name of the band on the cover. The name was instead printed on the wrapper, when the wrapper came off, so did the type." This had been done previously for The Rolling Stones' 1964 debut album, The Beatles' albums Rubber Soul in 1965 and Revolver in 1966, and Traffic's self-titled 1968 debut album.

In America, ATCO records made a cover based on elements from a flyer for the band's Hyde Park concert of 7 June 1969 in London.
Published
314 549 529-2 CD (2001)
 SchuleDonavitch Mar 25 2024 2.50 stars
Clapton loses his way
Not that his way was one to follow.

This record is comprised of jam after jam. Granted, the band is pretty tight, being comprised of Clapton, Steve Winwood (of Traffic), our old pal Ginger Baker, and Ric Grech (also of Traffic), but after about track three, I find myself rather fatigued. Noodling can only be so interesting for so long.

All together, this release is pretty overrated, and pales to almost anything else released after by each of the members.

And what the fuck is going on with the cover art?
Published
geldofpunk Jan 06 2024 2.50 stars
While I like some of the players, this lone supergroup effort falls flat. Clapton, Baker and Grech are all good. I hate Steve Winwood as a vocalist, he is truly awful. And his horrible caterwauling is all over this record. The music is lots of aimless jamming and the last song has an awful, LONG drum solo that makes me want to rip my eardrums out. I'm being harsh but I really disliked this. The music is strong in places which helps a bit but there is no denying how utterly overrated this is.
Published
rupert_X Jun 20 2023 ▼ 3.50 stars
  • 3.50 stars A1 Had to Cry Today
  • 3.50 stars A2 Can't Find My Way Home
  • 3.50 stars A3 Well All Right
  • 5.00 stars A4 Presence of the Lord
  • 4.00 stars B1 Sea of Joy
  • 2.50 stars B2 Do What You Like
One of the biggest burning wastes of combo-talent in all of rock history. Maybe burning is not quite the correct choice of wording because none of the material here ever really sets alight even if sometimes it is well enough all right. Blind Faith were of course the momentary meeting of Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and one other guy. Steve on keys and as main lead vocalist shines relatively brightest and Clapton n Baker fill out the background fairly solidly but groupwise they just don’t go the extra mile to make Blind Faith as an essential experience as it could be. The playing is nearly always rootsy but rarely ever truly exciting. For example, the eight minute opener Had To Cry Today is a bit like a potential Top Gear theme tune that never gets past 50mph despite a nice full swamp of bluesy, 1% psychedelic riffage. There is one esteemed touch of songwriting class with the searingly soulful Clapton-penned Presence Of The Lord where all aspects of the group become particularly alive. Sea Of Joy which begins the second side is actually a fairly ok oasis of goodness populated by really sweet violin from until now unnamed fourth member and bassist Ric Grech who would again feature with Steve Winwood on at least one more later Traffic album. Closer and 40% album filler Do What You Like is basically bookends of a good Santana-esque song that devolves into lengthy Light My Fire-lite jams and then the truest and lengthiest of drum solo doldrums with vague blurts of slack chanting. As well as the trickiest and most troublesome of album covers, the biggest tragedy of Blind Faith is that it’s just not as good as it could have been.
Published
Rocky_Sullivan Jan 20 2023 4.00 stars
As one of rock's well-known supergroups (although I feel Blind Faith's 'well-known' status has largely evaporated with younger generations), Blind Faith brings star power and a few hit tracks before quickly dissolving in late 1969. Riding the coattails of the British Blues wave, Clapton, Winwood, Baker, and Grech formed Blind Faith in early 1969, following the break ups of Cream and Traffic. Blind Faith is the groups' only studio album to come from their marriage and although blues forms the backbone of many tracks, the group followed the general shift away from blues rock of the mid-Sixties (John Mayall, Paul Butterfield, etc.) and into emerging psychedelic and rock spaces. For all band members, this was not a new shift - Cream, Traffic, and Family (Ric Grech) all were experimenting in these genres prior but Blind Faith gave the four space to continue developing new tracks and styles. Winwood (in his early 20s at the time) had already found notoriety with Traffic while Clapton (in his mid 20s) was one the most well-known guitarist at the time not named Jimi Hendrix and was coming off of successful tenures with Cream and John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.

Many of the popular tracks from Blind Faith still hold up more than 50 years later. "Can't Find My Way Home," "Had to Cry Today," and "Sea of Joy," all Winwood creations, sound fantastic. They strike a great musical balance on all three tracks, pairing Clapton guitar chops with Baker's drums and extraordinarily rehearsed Winwood vocals. "Had to Cry Today" is a bit heavy by modern standards clocking in at nearly nine minutes but much of this is Clapton ripping out bluesy solos. "Presence of the Lord," Clapton's sole contribution is also a gem, even in the totality of the Clapton catalogue. Winwood especially sounds fantastic here with a touch of echo on top of Clapton's slow chord transitions, moving abruptly into a crunchy solo, and then back again. "Well All Right" is a personal favorite of mine as well. This leaves only the disposable "Do What You Like." I could do without the long drum solo (or the track altogether). The deluxe edition of this album comes with a few other good, but not great cuts and a few lengthy jams.

The groups' tenure was bright but short-lived. Blind Faith was released in 1969, the group put on a famous Hyde Park concert to some 100,000 listeners in early June of that year, and when on a short tour before disbanding following their final live concert. Despite the groups' fast shelf life, their contribution to blues music exceeded expectations. This one-and-done debut album from Blind Faith is the best contribution to their musical legacy. Their live material is worth a listen, especially the Hyde Park concert but it is here, in the studio, where the group sounds the most connected. Winwood especially struggles outside the studio to hit the aggressively high vocal notes throughout their material but no such struggles here. Unfortunate that they were only able to produce one album before moving on but what they did record has held up well and certainly worth a listen.
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Catalog

Ratings: 4,762
Cataloged: 3,787
Track rating sets:Track ratings: 301
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2 Jun 2024
blocodeapontamentos CD5.00 stars
1 Jun 2024
Vitalii_Valetov  3.50 stars Необходимое звено
1 Jun 2024
CorporalClegg03  ▼4.00 stars
  • 4.00 stars A1 Had to Cry Today
  • 4.50 stars A2 Can't Find My Way Home
  • 4.00 stars A3 Well All Right
  • 4.00 stars A4 Presence of the Lord
  • 4.00 stars B1 Sea of Joy
  • 4.50 stars B2 Do What You Like
1 Jun 2024
babsfanatic87  ▼3.50 stars
  •   A1 Had to Cry Today
  • 4.00 stars A2 Can't Find My Way Home
  •   A3 Well All Right
  •   A4 Presence of the Lord
  •   B1 Sea of Joy
  •   B2 Do What You Like
31 May 2024
paradeinsidemycity  4.00 stars
30 May 2024
MengPo  0.50 stars
30 May 2024
tapio Owned4.00 stars
29 May 2024
Aotoarylide  3.00 stars
28 May 2024
foxee  ▼4.00 stars great
  • 3.50 stars A1 Had to Cry Today
  • 3.50 stars A2 Can't Find My Way Home
  • 3.50 stars A3 Well All Right
  • 4.50 stars A4 Presence of the Lord
  • 5.00 stars B1 Sea of Joy
  • 5.00 stars B2 Do What You Like
26 May 2024
Night_wing  4.00 stars Very good
25 May 2024
Macbeth1950  2.00 stars
24 May 2024
Flammenengel CD4.00 stars
24 May 2024
leox2099  3.00 stars Good
22 May 2024
ZerialyRealy  ▼4.00 stars
  •   A1 Had to Cry Today
  •   A2 Can't Find My Way Home
  •   A3 Well All Right
  • 4.50 stars A4 Presence of the Lord
  • 4.50 stars B1 Sea of Joy
  •   B2 Do What You Like
22 May 2024
hroedbert  4.00 stars
Cover art for Blind Faith by Blind Faith
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Presence of the Lord / Sea of Joy
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Contributors to this release: maui, drzoze, jonnydeluxe, Egbert1971, dist, Alenko, ridder, Joci, blueberry, quixote, Prkl, Derek_Evans, snellius, Dog_Man_Star
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