Just been listening to his early stuff, I'd forgotten how good it was. Thanks for the reminder.

I wonder if his lowly public position in the scheme of things (because he clearly should have a higher profile) was due to his unwillingness to play the showbiz game?
Anyone who can channel 'Telstar', Hank Marvin on speed and the Amboy Dukes version of 'Baby Please Don't Go' (not to be recorded until 5 years later and obviously influenced by it) in 'Wham' deserves far better treatment by history.

Glad nobody's pointed out he wasn't a bass player but you're absolutely right, Bruce attacked it in the same way.

Lonnie Mack was a lead guitarist. Jack Bruce was a bass guitarist, so I'm not sure why you are comparing the two. I wasn't talking about individuals anyway. I suggested that Cream were the first blues rock band (ie long improvisations, loud volume and heavy sound generally). I don't know of another band here or in the US having that sound before them But pretty soon after they started loads of bands sprung up with that style, notably Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, Ten Years After, Taste etc. Before that lot arrived we didn't call them bands. They were called pop groups.

I spoke too soon
Watch any of the Cream footage and listen to the bass. That's no rhythm backing, that's a soloist (didn't Clapton say something about the problem with the band ultimately was it was three big egos on stage playing solos, and there's only so far you can go?)


The first Cream album wasn't anything like what happened later - and if you're being unpartisan is largely just another example of what other blues rock psych bands appearing at the same time were developing.
I'd throw in the Yardbirds as earlier (which gives you both Cream and Zeppelin), and quite a few contemporaneous bands in the US.

And John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Alexis Corner predate the Yardbirds. And it was the Kinks who came up with the "heavy" sound by slashing the speaker in the guitar amp.

Which is what John Entwhistle was doing in The Who even before Cream formed. But you didn't listen to or appreciate The Who because of Entwhistle's bass playing. With Cream, C;lapton was the star and the member that was talked about the most no matter how great JB's rhythmical bass playing was despite him being crucial to their sound.


Well that's not true. At least 4 tracks from that album. were played regularly in live performances right up to the end. To be honest the first album (Fresh Cream) was my favourite one. I never cared much for Disraeli Gears, and I remember it was seriously panned by the critics when it came out probably because some of the songs used psychedelic lyrics and a couple of iffy tracks. Cream were never a psychedelic band. But musically it wasn't that great either, compared to their debut, with Clapton doing less soloing. Melody Maker who were big Cream fans were particularly scathing about it.

I deliberately left out Mayall and Korner as they were more purist and a little further back in the evolutionary process. Although 'John Mayall plays John Mayall' and 'Bluesbreakers' point the way, they're not really rock albums, and only occasionally go stepping out into something new, new instead of just 'British blues'.
I'll own up to forgetting The Kinks bit though. Shame on me.


I wouldn't like to call it between Entwhistle and Bruce - they were both doing it at the same time in the early Marquee days.
As to the live performances, they really bore little resembance to the originals by the time they'd been reriffed by the Three Solos. That in itself doesn't make the originals exceptional (though they were pretty well ).

the bluesbreakers were contemporary with the yardbirds, 63-67.
members of korners blues incorporated included bruce.

Jack Bruce playing lead bass on Apostrophe' by Frank Zappa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXP_pr7np-o

Jack Bruce playing proper old-school upright bass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrmAqHL6Rh8 (Warning - contains free jazz, but is brilliant)

The other great story about Cream is that Bruce and Baker formed the band to recreate the sound of free jazz saxophonist Ornate Coleman, with Eric Clapton playing the role of Ornette. Although, said Baker, "neither of us told Eric this".

Sometimes spelling autocorrects are just perfect ... this is a brilliant one

Just as an add on it was lovely to see in todays press Ginger Baker paying a wholesome tribute to Jack Bruce Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker have both paid tribute to their former Cream bandmate Jack Bruce, who died yesterday aged 71.

Read more at http://www.uncut.co.uk/node/20981#LObEocE7HtjGL1TL.99

Cream were one of the most important bands in Rock history and Jack Bruce is up there with the very best bass players. RIP

Thanks for that catch, I haven't had time to root around today.

Your welcome it really warmed my heart when Ginger Baker paid a handsome tribute.

Whlist they may not have been great friends off stage, it shows great respect.

Eric Clapton was always going to give a heartfelt tribute.