The Vinyl of the Day is ‘Wheels of Fire’ by Cream, 1968. ‘Disraeli Gears’, the third release (directly before this album) by the Holy Trilogy of Rock Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton, is pretty universally regarded as the trio’s masterpiece - but ‘Wheels of Fire’ really isn’t far behind. What elevates it is it’s format; Disc 1 is all studio recordings, while Disc 2 is all concert performances - which is really valuable to hear and understand just how powerful they were live.
However, despite the incredible success of ‘Disraeli’ and the universal acclaim they were receiving, rock’s first super group was on the verge of imploding as ‘Wheels of Fire’ was released in the summer of 1968. Cream was at best a short term proposition anyway with the volatile relationship between Bruce and Baker being held together by Clapton. One of the biggest bands in the world at the time of their self imposed demise, this album proved that success doesn’t buy happiness as it immediately hit the top of the charts in the US. “Wheels’ was one of the first successful double albums, predating the Beatles’ ‘White Album’ by a few short months - and was actually the FIRST Platinum selling double LP in rock history! The studio side is worthy of comparison to the other great Cream discs though Clapton doesn’t have a composition or lead vocal credit, but there is no doubt he was the driving force behind blues adaptations “Sitting on Top of the World” and “Born Under a Bad Sign”. His guitar is as majestic as ever and his solos on “White Room” added to the legend as this became, for many, Cream’s signature tune.
“White Room” also saw the apogee of Jack Bruce’s songwriting partnership with Pete Brown along with “Politician” and “Deserted Cities of the Heart”. Ginger Baker contributed a true psychedelic curiosity in “Pressed Rat and Warthog”, as each member made lasting and memorable contributions on the studio LP. The live LP featured Cream in all their improvisational glory and must have contributed to thousands of young virtuoso wannabe’s practicing day and night in the hope that they could one day emulate their heroes. “Crossroads” remains one of rock’s greatest tracks and one of the definitive Eric Clapton jams, absolutely stunning! Cream may not have created the extended guitar or drum solo, but it is hard to argue that they didn’t have a major influence in how heavy rock concerts would be performed in the coming decades. ‘Wheels of Fire’ would not be official last album by the band but it was a true flexing of the muscles as Cream put their personal turmoil aside and delivered a performance for the ages.
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
If Disraeli Gears was the album where Cream came into their own, its successor, Wheels of Fire, finds the trio in full fight, capturing every side of their multi-faceted personality, even hinting at the internal pressures that soon would tear the band asunder. A dense, unwieldy double album split into an LP of new studio material and an LP of live material, it’s sprawling and scattered, at once awesome in its achievement and maddening in how it falls just short of greatness. It misses its goal not because one LP works and the other doesn’t, but because both the live and studio sets suffer from strikingly similar flaws, deriving from the constant power struggle between the trio. Of the three, Ginger Baker comes up short, contributing the passable “Passing the Time” and “Those Were the Days,” which are overshadowed by how he extends his solo drum showcase “Toad” to a numbing quarter of an hour and trips upon the Wind & the Willows whimsy of “Pressed Rat and Warthog,” whose studied eccentricity pales next to Eric Clapton’s nimble, eerily cheerful “Anyone for Tennis.” In almost every regard, Wheels of Fire is a terrific showcase for Clapton as a guitarist, especially on the first side of the live album with “Crossroads,” a mighty encapsulation of all of his strengths. Some of that is studio trickery, as producer Felix Pappalardi cut together the best bits of a winding improvisation to a tight four minutes, giving this track a relentless momentum that’s exceptionally exciting, but there’s no denying that Clapton is at a peak here, whether he’s tearing off solos on a 17-minute “Spoonful” or goosing “White Room” toward the heights of madness. But it’s the architect of “White Room,” bassist Jack Bruce, who, along with his collaborator Peter Brown, reaches a peak as a songwriter. Aside from the monumental “White Room,” he has the lovely, wistful “As You Said,” the cinematic “Deserted Cities of the Heart,” and the slow, cynical blues “Politician,” all among Cream’s very best work. And in many ways Wheels of Fireis indeed filled with Cream’s very best work, since it also captures the fury and invention (and indulgence) of the band at its peak on the stage and in the studio, but as it tries to find a delicate balance between these three titanic egos, it doesn’t quite add up to something greater than the sum of its parts. But taken alone, those individual parts are often quite tremendous.