Cream! Damn! The HEAVIEST, gainiest fuzz EC tone I've heard!!

[55hz]

Wow! So heavy and nuts! The "Tales" wah makes me me want to break shit!

gQNUmup_32s

Nobody ever tries/asks for this EC tone! It's raging.

[55hz]

@ 20:45....an out of hand Sittin' on top of The World...

[Seafoam Green]

The "Tales" wah makes me me want to break shit!

:rotflmao

Well put, I've never thought of it like that!

[DGDGBD]

Sounds like maybe he didn't set his guitar knobs to woman tone settings!

[HHB]

Im on an old EC kick myself. This is awesome thanks for posting

[SlyStrat]

Live Cream is one of my favorite tones. And I love Claptons jamming.

[Etosser]

There was some discussion of this period EC tone over at the LPF, and the consensus was that EC ran everything wide open on his marshalls to get this.

[Bluedano1]

@ 20:45....an out of hand Sittin' on top of The World...

This is great, thanks!- these guys were just on fire! :bow

[Fireball XL5]

Wow! So heavy and nuts! The "Tales" wah makes me me want to break shit!

gQNUmup_32s

Nobody ever tries/asks for this EC tone! It's raging.

I agree - GREAT tone, though I tend to disagree that nobody tries for or asks about Clapton's live tone during this period. Lot's of players (benchmark tone for me) - LOVE it! I agree about this tone being the result of raging Marshalls & strained Celestions. No fuzz box employed.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=953017&highlight=clapton+whisky

[gtrnstuff]

I agree - GREAT tone, though I tend to disagree that nobody tries for or asks about Clapton's live tone during this period. Lot's of players (benchmark tone for me) - LOVE it! I agree about this tone being the result of raging Marshalls & strained Celestions. No fuzz box employed.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=953017&highlight=clapton+whisky

Yeah, he never mentions anything but Marshall wide open when interviewed about his sound in those days. And trying it myself, there it is. Fuzz box just gets in the way, makes it muddy or worse.

[Darkburst]

Sounds so epic!

[55hz]

This sound makes pretty much all official Cream recordings sound tame in comparison.

[JDW3]

I have a Cream boot from the same era or possibly '68, when they opened with this also. The recording is from the back of the room. Claptons guitar sounds like explosions with each chord. Brutal and amazing.

Some trivia from this show; the MC5 had just opened and were laughing at Cream for only having one guitarist. After their set, Fred Smith told Jack Bruce to "Top that", or something to that effect. I think possibly I read that at this show, Mike Bruce from Alice Cooper stole Erics wah pedal.

[Lotis]

I overheard the Alice Cooper boys plotting to steal my '59 Les Paul Custom at a studio in LA, around 1970 or so. Doesn't surprise me at all.

[55hz]

I agree - GREAT tone, though I tend to disagree that nobody tries for or asks about Clapton's live tone during this period. Lot's of players (benchmark tone for me) - LOVE it! I agree about this tone being the result of raging Marshalls & strained Celestions. No fuzz box employed.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=953017&highlight=clapton+whisky

This tone is WAY more aggressive than the link. I think much more so...

[lhallam]

Indeed he just turned everything up to 11 and went for it. He said he probably messed his ears up in the process.

Got to wonder why you don't hear a lot of buzz during the quiet sections.

Never was knocked out by the tone on the live side on the "Goodbye" release, since I thought it was too trebly.

Nice version of "Sittin On Top Of The World". Sounds like the speakers are about to blow.

[Dave2512]

Cream, what a great band.

[Etosser]

I overheard the Alice Cooper boys plotting to steal my '59 Les Paul Custom at a studio in LA, around 1970 or so. Doesn't surprise me at all.

Do tell:munch

[Fireball XL5]

This tone is WAY more aggressive than the link. I think much more so...

Sorry, but I don't quite get your point? So are you suggesting Clapton is playing different equipment or in a different style at the Grande Ballroom show than he did at other live shows during that period? He was always on fire back then (perhaps moreso at some shows than others) and playing his Marshall amps wide open. Granted, he's really 'On' at that Detroit show, but I highly doubt he's doing anything different from a tonal or equipment standpoint.

The show at the Whisky was in Sept. '67 and the Grande Ballroom was in Oct. '67 (only a month apart), so I think it's pretty safe to say that Clapton was using the exact same gear and playing it in the exact same fashion at both shows (dimed Marshalls - no fuzz). The biggest differences tonally (IMHO) are more than likely due to Clapton's mood at that time and it's effect on his playing as well as the recordings themselves and the manner in which they were recorded moreso than anything.

[55hz]

I guess that's my point, how he felt...maybe the power, maybe mic placement....This clip struck me, that's all. The ferocity of it. He's so mellow now and has been...but also, in the official Cream releases the tone is so "conservative" in comparison. Everyone talks about "Politician". No one really references this kind of stuff. MOST of the time.

[dangayle]

The biggest influence on his tone was Jack Bruce. Specifically, Jack Bruce playing so loud that Clapton HAD to dime his amp.

[dangerine49]

I saw Cream at the Cafe au Go Go in NYC toward the end of 1967. They were great and they were LOUD!!

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/oldtimers/TourPics.html

[GerryJ]

The sound in Detroit sounds different. It might just be the recording transistors being overloaded by the volume. Less likely is a gain booster like a rangemaster (germanium), no real evidence that he used it much, if at all.
Another possible source of the sound is simply the tubes going bad but still dimed; these guys were not geeky about the gear, or caring for it.

btw, site for Cream fanatics - http://gpatt.customer.netspace.net.au/cream/

[paulscape]

I saw Cream at the Cafe au Go Go in NYC toward the end of 1967. They were great and they were LOUD!!

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/oldtimers/TourPics.html

Cool photos, thanks for posting!!

[g-fry195]

I was going to ask if anyone knew where to get/download this, but I found it myself:

http://soundaboard.blogspot.com/

They seem to have a ton of great stuff there.


Always wonder why Polygram (or whomever owns Cream's catalogue at this point) hasn't put this and other concert recordings out themselves. Doesn't seem the bootleggers could sue them for stealing something they didn't "own" themselves.

[thejrace]

I have a Cream boot from the same era or possibly '68, when they opened with this also. The recording is from the back of the room. Claptons guitar sounds like explosions with each chord. Brutal and amazing.

Some trivia from this show; the MC5 had just opened and were laughing at Cream for only having one guitarist. After their set, Fred Smith told Jack Bruce to "Top that", or something to that effect. I think possibly I read that at this show, Mike Bruce from Alice Cooper stole Erics wah pedal.

I thought the Stooges opened this show for them? Regardless, this cream recording sounds amazing.

[Marcfordsfuzz513]

Wow...

great, now you've got me onto a Cream kick. That's one amazing tone, just the beginning of Tales of Brave Ulysses gives me goosebumps.

[rh]

Got to wonder why you don't hear a lot of buzz during the quiet sections.

1) The hall was probably wired by a labor force that took pride in what it was doing, and so did the job right ;

2) There was less stuff generating ubiquitious electrical fields in 1967.

[GerryJ]

The gain is also pretty high on this live boot from 1966, 'Meet me in the bottom'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmx5lGIJIa4

It sounds like, again, it could be just the recording equipment overdriving-

but check out the pic of EC at 2:03, he's definitely got a little box sitting on the amp that looks like the little boosters that were prevalent in the late 60s, at least in UK.

The other possibility in Detroit could be if he played thru MC5s Marshalls, as their guitarists used them from late '68 onward, and used fuzz pedals as well- but sharing gear was rare back then.

[Nielsnielsniels]

Don't you just love it when there's a guitar solo and the cameraman pans to the drummer and shoots a close up of his face? Still, nice to see Clapton with a Les Paul in his hands. Too bad there is barely any footage of Clapton seen playing his guitar with Cream. Don't get me started on the Royal Albert Hall footage :mad:

9ovGlKdwXKQ

[DrSax]

can't play loud like that anymore :(

[cubistguitar]

This kind of playful searching soulful fuzzy big rock is what I aspire to. Eric was simply incredible in these days, an innovator and psychedlic genius with the blues chops to make it swirl and grind and actually catch you listening to a jam band and hanging on every bend and breakdown. Really awesome stuff for my ears, love the first live record, it really is quite a lot like this.

[Kalalau Hiker]

LOVE THIS! saw Blind Faith, Jimi, Beck circa 68 - 70, but missed Cream live.
THANKS so much for posting.
what would TGPers recommend for the best pedal to get there tones at lower vols? Wampler Plexidrive? what better or else?

[Blingdogg]

Don't you just love it when there's a guitar solo and the cameraman pans to the drummer and shoots a close up of his face? Still, nice to see Clapton with a Les Paul in his hands. Too bad there is barely any footage of Clapton seen playing his guitar with Cream. Don't get me started on the Royal Albert Hall footage :mad:

9ovGlKdwXKQ
lol yeah I hate it too when cameramen ruin a good performance by not showing the guitarist during a solo. The guy's ripping it up on the guitar, pulling off some amazing stuff, but the cameraman thinks we'd rather see the drummer's face or the people in the audience. :huh

And I hate it too how there's so little footage of live Clapton back in the 60s. It's a shame that at the peak (IMHO) of his career is when there's the least footage of him, compared to now (still good now but not my cup of tea).

[inca_roads]

what would TGPers recommend for the best pedal to get there tones at lower vols? Wampler Plexidrive? what better or else?

The Jetter Gain Stage Blue does this rather well... among others I'm sure.

[Fireball XL5]

LOVE THIS! What would TGPers recommend for the best pedal to get these tones at lower vols?

That tone Clapton is getting comes from pushing his amps and speakers to their absolute limits, so volume and the resulting feedback and power that accompany it are critical. It's physics. No pedal is going to do that with any authenticity at lower volumes.

[Marcfordsfuzz513]

Not that I'm as good or ever will be as good as Clapton, but I never noticed how much I've stolen from him for my own playing until now. You put me on a Clapton kick and I hear Clapton in my playing. I don't even belong in the same sentence as Clapton, or book.

[Gas-man]

Eric sounds like he was tripping, no?

[Blanket Jackson]

I think that FZ said it best ...
"Shut up and play yer guitar"

[GulfportBound]

Some trivia from this show; the MC5 had just opened and were laughing at Cream for only having one guitarist. After their set, Fred Smith told Jack Bruce to "Top that", or something to that effect.

Nothing against the MC5, but that's like a Chicago Cub pitcher struggling to a complete-game win one day and saying "Top that!" to Sandy Koufax the next day . . .

[alguit]

Wow, that just woke the 17-year old version of me; I just want to leave my office, go home and crank up my amps and have a blast!

[shg]

That's some hellacious tone there. Much as I love his later Stratty tones and playing, his Gibson-into-dimed-Marshalls tones are a thing of beauty.