Cream (2) – Strange Brew - The Very Best Of Cream

Anyone on here seen the French (I believe) CD version with NSU in the tracklisting. Only ever seen it once. Any info?

"Strange Brew: The Very Best Of Cream" is the only Cream compendium thoroughly deserving of its title. Since there are so many compilations of the original power trio on the market, it is imperative to select only that which is of value to avoid the possibility of encumbering a neophyte with a surfeit of unfamiliar music they will be unable to process. Consisting of three individual stars in their field, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce, Cream were a supergroup with an eclectic, fastidious approach to musicianship - they took themselves seriously and respected each other's playing abilities. In retrospect, it is strange to imagine how an adept, artistic and baroque group could achieve legendary status in such a short time, but the emergence of rock meant that the musical landscape became increasingly liberated, incorporating and sagacious, championing the kind of spasmodic lyricism, pulverising riffs and disorderly pounding that Cream were renowned for. Even though their free-form playing style and revolutionary amplified virtuosity spanned two years and four albums, they drew greatly on jazz and other genres, which saw them take rock in new directions. Owing to their diverse musical backgrounds, the collective's heavily praised albums were distillations of each member's wide-ranging influences and inclinations. "Disraeli Gears" and "Wheels of Fire" are considered classics, though neither are as sublimely satisfying and cohesive as this remarkably aphoristic overview, which supplies newcomers with the most immediate tracks from those records, even if that does mean they miss out on the melodic yet eerie quality those aforementioned albums wield.

It may not offer an exhaustive summary of their career, but as an infinitely replayable single disc collection of the usual suspects - "Badge," "Sunshine of Your Love," "Crossroads," "I Feel Free," and "Tales of Brave Ulysses" - as well as several overlooked gems also worthy of inclusion, it is in a league of its own. "Strange Brew" consciously arranges all the essential cuts from the trio's albums to capacitate an utterly splendid, consistently great listen. For that reason, this skimpy selection isn't going to fulfil the greater needs of card-carrying Cream enthusiasts, but the indispensability of the material herein ensures that what you do get flows so well and is so effective, congruent and artful, it evolves as the definitive introductory profile of an act named due to their status as the "cream of the crop" of the exploding British music scene.

If you are unaccustomed to the British music scene of the '60s, or even American blues and psychedelic rock, then enlighten yourself forthwith and prepare to wrestle the continual urge to put this anthology on repeat for the foreseeable future.

Rating: 4.5/5