CREAM “WHEELS OF FIRE” ON ATCO ORIGINAL LABEL. GREAT!

CREAM “WHEELS OF FIRE” (U.S. ATCO PURPLE GOLD 2 LPS) 1968 THE GATFOLD IS VG+ SOME WEAR NAME ON BACK COVER…minor wear, seams are intact, outer seam (spine) has a split in the center but is readable. DISCS ARE VG+ W LITE WEAR AND MARKS
Eric Clapton’s, Jack Bruce’s and Ginger Baker’s blues/psych rock supergroup Cream with their third album. Wheels of Fire is a massive double LP which has a studio album as the first disc and a live album as the second disc. Both are impressive in my opinion. Wheels of Fire reminds me a lot about Pink Floyd’s Ummagumma because it has both studio disc and live disc too. These kind of double albums are more effective if you listen to them as two separate albums.

The first disc includes some well-known Cream classics like the opener “White Room” and “Politician”. There are also some cover songs which are all just unbelievably great and made with that special Cream touch. I don’t have anything bad to say about any of these studio songs on Wheels of Fire.

Disc number two has only four songs performed live but two of them are very long. “Crossroads” is Clapton’s arrangement of Robert Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” and it’s also one of the best known Cream tracks. “Spoonful” is just fantastic live cover too. “Traintime” and “Toad” are once again Cream’s own material. “Traintime” might be the weakest part of this whole double LP. Not very convincing at all. “Toad” is a lot better with it’s jam band feeling and awesome drumming by Ginger Baker.

Track listing
A1
White Room4:56
A2
Sitting on Top of the World4:56
A3
Passing the Time4:31
A4
As You Said4:19
B1
Pressed Rat and Warthog3:13
B2
Politician4:11
B3
Those Were the Days2:52
B4
Born Under a Bad Sign3:08
B5
Deserted Cities of the Heart4:36
C1
Crossroads (Live at Winterland)4:13
C2
Spoonful (Live at Winterland)16:44
D1
Traintime (Live at Winterland)6:52
D2
Toad (Live at Fillmore West)15:53
Total length: 80:24