YouTube link to Cream's Sunshine of Your Love for IPad readers who cannot see embedded video
Peter Keenews of the New York times brings us the sad news of the death of Jack Bruce, the bass player and lead vocalist for Cream, and Blind Faith who died in his home at 71 from a liver disease. In Cream he teamed up with Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker to form on the the first and most famous of the "power trios," who did songs link Crossroads, and Spoonful.
“Those original blues records had been done so well, which meant you could only ever be second best,” Mr. Bruce was quoted in the booklet for a 1997 Cream compilation CD. “But if you treated those songs with a great deal of love and respect, you could remake them into your own.”
There were also many original compositions in Cream’s repertoire, most of them — including the hits “Sunshine of Your Love,” “I Feel Free” and “White Room” — written by Mr. Bruce, usually with lyrics by the poet Pete Brown. (“Sunshine,” the group’s biggest hit, was a rare Bruce-Brown-Clapton collaboration.)
Mr. Bruce did most of the singing, in a polished tenor that could be both powerful and plaintive, and his fluid playing provided a solid counterpoint to Mr. Baker’s explosive drumming and Mr. Clapton’s guitar pyrotechnics. His inventive introductions to songs like “Badge” were an essential part of Cream’s sound. Roger Waters of Pink Floyd recently called Mr. Bruce “probably the most musically gifted bass player who’s ever been.”
Sunshine of Your Love, Youtube link
How sad to see an era passing. My era, most of our era. I grew up heavily influence by the music and culture of the 60s and 70s and it hard to believe those days are becoming ancient history so fast.
I recommend this excellent article for a moving history of Jack Bruce's life.
May he rest in peace.