DVD Review: Cream Royal Albert Hall 2005
London Reunion Of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker
Nov 28, 2008
Cream was rock music's first "supergroup." The power trio of Jack Bruce on Bass, Ginger Baker on drums and Eric Clapton on guitar (with Clapton and Bruce sharing vocals) was only in existence from 1966 to 1968, but in those two years they released 4 studio and 2 live albums.
Highly respected for their edge-pushing, jazz-influenced blues rock and the fact that their three instruments could fill a room (or arena) with an all-together new sound, Cream built a loyal audience and the respect of peers. They've influenced countless musicians ever since.
Clapton, Bruce, Baker Reunite Cream After 4 Decades
So when it was announced in early 2005 that Bruce, Baker and Clapton would reunite as Cream for a four-night gig in May of that year at London's revered Royal Albert Hall, it was big news in the rock world. While all three of the musicians had continued their careers since the band's 1968 breakup, they hadn't played as much as a full set together in nearly 40 years (only having jammed on 3 songs during their 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame).
For those not lucky enough to be in attendance at these now-famous gigs, Cream: Royal Albert Hall: (May 2-3-5-6, 2005) is the best seat in the house. The 2-disk DVD release documents a little piece of rock history.
Musicians Bring Maturity To Old Cream Songs
Director Martyn Atkins has taken the best performances of each song and put them together into a single show, beginning to end. Besides 2 hours of music, the only other feature on this DVD is a 17 minute interview with the musicians. But nothing else is necessary here, it's the music that matters. This show will lay to rest the doubts of those who might have wondered if these old codgers could still rock.
As Jack Bruce comments in the interview, in an almost surprised tone: "It sounded fresh, like us now, not us then. After all, you don't want to be a tribute band to yourself." It's true that the songs, while maintaining their Cream-ness, also benefit from these guys' musical maturity.
Each one of the them is considered among the best at their respective instruments, and each brings something new to the old sound. It's not as if Cream needed improving upon, either. But it works.
Reunited Cream Rocks London's Royal Albert Hall
Before the first note is played the viewer cannot help but notice how Bruce, Clapton and especially Ginger Baker have aged. Clapton has remained in the limelight for the past 40 years, so we are accustomed to seeing him, but Bruce and Baker wear their rock~n~roll lives on their faces.
One wonders if Baker can make it through an entire set behind the drum kit. Until the opening "I'm So Glad", that is, when it becomes clear that they've lost little, and gained much more. 90 minutes into the set, Baker unleashes a controlled but marvelous 10 minute drum solo on "Toad."
Like any show, some songs come off better than others, but overall, these shows were probably better than Cream in its heyday. Included as well are a few that the band never performed live, including "Pressed Rat and Wart Hog" and "Badge". While it is clear that the necessary weeks of rehearsal benefits the outcome, it is just as apparent in Cream: Royal Albert Hall, that musicianship carries the night here.
The Cream: Royal Albert Hall DVD set offers both stereo or 5.1 DTS Surround sound for a fuller experience. The multi-camera work is superb, often catching the musicians in moments of facial communication betraying the fact that they are having as much fun, and are seemingly just as amazed to be experiencing the moment, as the audience.
Taken together with Cream's powerfully unique sound, it makes for joyous viewing/listening. As Ginger Baker relates with a wry grin, "I didn't think it would ever happen, and I'm surely glad it did!"
