SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HEAVENLY CREAM – AN ACOUSTIC TRIBUTE TO CREAM

HEAVENLY CREAM
AN ACOUSTIC TRIBUTE TO CREAM
QUARTO VALLEY RECORDS

Cream was a supergroup without intending to be one. Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Pete Brown came together in 1966 and released their debut album that year, Fresh Cream. All of them came from other bands that had varying successes, but when they came together, they took off. They went on to record three more albums before imploding and splintering into other supergroups during the 1970s and 1980s, but they had a huge impact with their heavy blues and extended musical jams. Their musicianship was top notch and their songwriting was incredible.

Malcolm Bruce, Jack Bruce’s son, has teamed up with a number of artists and producer Rob Cass to produce an acoustic tribute to the band. It isn’t entirely acoustic, but the foundation of the songs is. However, they work with some incredible musicians and have produced a very suitable and complimentary tribute to this great band.

Heavenly Cream: An Acoustic Tribute To Cream has interpretations of all their hits, but the musicians, quite wisely, dip into the deep catalogue and come up with some very interesting renditions. “Spoonful” is an excellent example. Bobby Rush, Bernie Marsden, and Bruce have come up with a gritty blues version of the song. The harmonica adds so much and the end result is a brilliant version. Of course Willie Dixon wrote the song, but Cream certainly made it their own. Here Rush taps into Dixon’s version while keeping one foot in with Cream.

There are surprises, such as “Theme for An Imaginary Western”, which was originally on Jack Bruce’s solo album, Songs For A Tailor (1969). Included here it makes one wonder how Cream would have dealt with the beautiful song. Deborah Bonham, John Bonham’s sister, turns in an interesting take of “Badge”, a song co-written by George Harrison, which appeared on the last Cream album, Goodbye (1969).  But perhaps the greatest thing about this album is that Ginger Baker was able to record some tracks, which makes the tribute all that more special. His drumming on “Sunshine Of Your Love” which features Joe Bonamassa is phenomenal and the song rivals Cream’s own version.

There are a lot of superstar guests on the album, and it is nice to hear Maggie Bell, who is in fine form, on a couple of songs. Paying tribute to any band is very difficult and many compilations fail because they either do too much with the songs, or not enough. There is a beautiful balance on Heavenly Cream. The songs take on new shapes and sizes but the overall sound and feel of the song is still there. It also serves as a nice reminder that Cream made some damn fine music. Beyond the obvious hits, there were four albums worth of brilliant material that may not get the exposure today as it should. Clapton, Baker, and Bruce were a small but mighty band and for three guys they made a glorious noise and influenced generations of musicians. Heavenly Cream: An Acoustic Tribute To Cream points to the importance of Cream, and why after all these years they still matter a great deal.

Deborah Bonham Links

Malcolm Bruce Links

Bobby Rush Links

Pete Brown Link