First album review in the books for Blasphemuse! How exciting! I really sat and contemplated what I wanted to sit down and listen through for a review, feeling as though if I reviewed artists like Led Zeppelin or Nirvana for the first entry would be overdone, or alternatively reviewing artists super new to the scene would've been risky.
Then, it hit me! What's a band that has some controversy around it (ahem ERIC CLAPTON ahem), yet their music is objectively an easy-listen? Cream of course! And what better album to review than the speedy 34 minute piece that is Disraeli Gears.
This album has guided me through various study sessions, though oddly enough, isn't quite a favorite. It could be a tainted taste from the actions of a certain member, or just my ear constantly evolving, it's not objectively bad either.
Featured Track: Sunshine of Your Love
Blasphemuse! Picks: Tales of Brave Ulysses, World of Pain, Dance the Night Away
Tracklist Review
1. Strange Brew: 7/10
The first track to Cream's sophomore album, this track immediately transports you back in time. It is the essence of the hippie counterculture at its roots. This smooth, easy listening song is quick, but ultimately really simple. It's a strong start to the rest of the album, which ultimately feels as though mismatched puzzle pieces were glued together.
2. Sunshine of Your Love: 9/10
This second track is a featured track for a reason. One of my personal favorites as well, this song is one that anyone can recognize, even if they've been living under a rock their entire life. Clapton's vocals are unmatched, you can almost picture the facial expressions and body movements that went into singing this. Not to mention, the dynamic between Baker and Bruce between verse-chorus is one that will put you in your groove for sure.
3. World of Pain: 8/10
The melancholic lyrics will put you in your Sunday Blues in the matter of seconds. The shift in rhythm between verse and chorus is almost like an auditory representation of what it's like to sit in the sun for too long and feel nauseous. It's as if vertigo itself was put into those guitar chords. This is a unique top pick mostly because of its ability to exude these emotions and feelings in a way that is non-physical to the listener.
4. Dance the Night Away: 9/10
This is the feeling of getting incredibly inebriated on whatever once and only one time. This is an auditory experience that is to be chased after and relived. Dance the Night Away is a tune that lifts your soul up and twirls it around as you lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. The vocals are unlike any other; smooth, connected, concise, and hypnotic. It's a solid number that is almost perfect.
5. Blue Condition: 3/10
This rating may seem extremely harsh, but bare with me. Hearing this song gives me the frustration that you get after a really long day of doing absolutely nothing all day. This is painfully slow, greasy, and just objectively not something you should intentionally put yourself through listening. Considering that this is coming from Cream, it's incredibly underwhelming and just sounds too reminiscent of a bootleg Grateful Dead track stuck on loop. End of story.
6. Tales of Brave Ulysses: 10/10
This song trumps all others on this album and is the only time that something of its sort would get a full rating. It gives listeners a sense of power and raw-cut grooviness that you would expect from an album of this time. As much as I am hesitant to give such a rating to a group that I have mixed feelings about, it is indeed a masterpiece. The connection of listener to mythology is one that is mystical, prolific almost, but it fits to who or what Cream is.
7. SWLABR: 8/10
A pretty solid chaser from the previous track, SWLABR is one that has the sound, but not quite the lyricism. Who has a beard? Why are we talking about a mustache? Is this not about a lover of some sort? Though the intent to draw on the surface-level superficial-ness, it was executed very strangely and ultimately, pretty weakly. It feels as though this song was meant to lead the album in a different direction, though that wasn't the case at the end. It's just kind of there.
8. We're Going Wrong: 2/10
Indeed you are going wrong. This is painful to listen to and is a shame that it comes right after two strong pieces. Clapton's vocals are drawn on for an incredibly long time that it just feels like both him and Bruce rushed a song out (as you can tell by the lyrics). The unsure time signature, as well as the mismatched nature of trying to combine psychedelia with blues was just a mess in it of itself. It goes back to the start of the album, it's melancholic and nauseous. It doesn't even sound like Cream. Again, lost in the path of where this album was supposed to go, this track just drags the attempt at genre-mixing down.
9. Outside Woman Blues: 7/10
This track is ALRIGHT. It's OK. The riffs are pretty generic and the vocals aren't terrible. I feel as though this is the kind of song that you put on when you don't want to drive in silence, but don't want to actually listen to music. This is the kind of song that you hand to someone to prove that you know some tunes from the past, just out of obscurity instead of quality. Not bad, but not stellar.
10. Take It Back: 6/10
Where the hell did this album end up going? We start off with psychedelia and we're almost finishing on the epitome of blues. It makes no sense. Typically when an artist is executing a genre shift, it happens with the whole album or the interweaving of genres is consistent with most of the songs. It's only comparable to finding an uber-energetic, unirionic pop song in an obscurely alternative album. While the song itself isn't terrible, it loses points on where and how it is incorporated into the album. Just smacking a track to fill up space isn't masterful or genius, it's lazy. This song had potential, but ultimately was muddled but the sheer mediocrity and unfitness of its place.
11. Mother's Lament: 1/10
This one doesn't even need an explanation. Just listen to it and you'll see why.
Overall Rating: 6/10
This album had some serious potential, but was ultimately wasted on an uncertainty on which direction the album was going to take. It was somehow overwhelming, yet underwhelming at the same time and strangely enough, not horrible (but DEFINITELY not the greatest). It's a little sad to see, but I just wish this album was taken more seriously.
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