mail: daniel_fjall@hotmail.com
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wheels of fire
Wheels of Fire Released: 1968 Rating: 8/10 Track listing: 1. White Room/ 2. Sitting On Top of The World/ 3. Passing The Time/ 4. As You Said/ 5. Pressed Rat And Warthog/ 6. Politician/ 7. Those Were The Days/ 8. Born Under A Bad Sign/ 9. Deserted Cities of The Heart/ 10. Crossroads/ 11. Spoonful/ 12. Train Time/ 13. Toad 1967 year’s Disraeli Gears is today regarded as Cream’s finest album and often also their only album worth the “classic”-tag. I do, however, slightly fancy the sequel, the double album Wheels of Fire, better, despite its more obvious flaws. Whilst Disraeli Gears was drained with acid-influenced blues rock, Wheels of Fire reveals a far more experimental and artsy side of the band. They still pay their dues to old blues heroes like Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy by doing a couple of straight blues covers. Excellent takes on “Sitting On Top of The World” and “Born Under A Bad Sign” are tied together with folk tales and semi-acoustic, middle-east-influenced arrangements in “Passing The Time” and “As You Said”. However, it is when the pure blues meets the artful side the band reach their peak. Opening “White Room”, the sarcastic “Politician” and “Deserted Cities of The Heart” are exactly what made Cream so great to begin with. And the fact that the band is on fire when letting loose, doesn’t exactly make things worse. The songwriting of Jack Bruce and the precise drumming of Ginger Baker are amplified to spectacular when Clapton’s inspired and stinging guitar takes its place in the spotlight. No matter if it is fierceful blues in “Sitting On Top of The World” or wah-wah driven runs in “White Room”, Clapton’s playing remains tasteful and melodic. This album might be less distinct than either Disraeli Gears and Fresh Cream, but it is just that which makes it special and such an intriguing listen. And it is good. Perhaps it could be called Cream’s White Album. Just to make the schizophrenia even more evident, the second disc of the album shows another side of Cream. On stage Cream was almost a completely different band. In the studio the group may have rocked hard and wailed away on blues tracks, but they always kept things short and to the point. Live, they drifted off into lengthy jams turning a 3 minute song into a 30 minutes showcase of technical ability on their instruments. I’m sure it was a thrill to actually see it happen and be a part of the audience, but on record it can be tiring. That’s why their remake of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” is by far the best song on the live-side (and arguably the best track on the entire album, or even the finest effort in their career). It is relatively short and the band is tight and plays hard. Clapton’s vocal delivery may be not very impressive, but it’s good enough. Who cares about vocals, anyway, when the guitar playing is sent from heaven (or hell, considering it’s a Johnson-number)? “Spoonful” is very good as well, but the album closes on a disappointing note with two lesser songs. The 16 minute long drum-solo called “Toad” isn’t exactly my idea of a good time. Yet, despite the flaws and sometimes weary atmosphere, there is something appealing about Wheels of Fire. It ensembles most of the music scene of the late 60’s (if not always in the actual music, at least conceptual and in its mood) and solidifies Cream as one of the most important bands of the era.
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