Cream Remasters 01 - Renovating the Blues

Cream Remasters (01) Renovating the Blues

flac.cue.covers

CD1 (57 min)
Live at Klook's Kleek, London (15th Nov. 1966)

Klook's Kleek remastered quality: Klooks is dubbed from an LP record (that includes all bootleg versions on CD or tape). Original quality was reasonable but heavily clipped. The remaster needed only a modest rebalance, raising the bass slightly, but successfully reduced noise without loss of musical detail. Recording volume variations are corrected. Vocals are somewhat distant but clear , bass clear and present, drums clear and present but the guitar is dominant, which I feel is a realistic representation of their sound at the time. Sound quality is now good but naturally nothing could be done about the clipped sound.

• Stepping Out (Bracken) 5.13
• Sweet Wine (Baker/Godfrey) 4.19
• Meet Me in the Bottom (McGhee) 4.25
• N.S.U. (Bruce) 4.33
• Hey Lawdy Mama (Wells) 3.03
• Sleepy Time Time (Bruce/Godfrey) 6.41
• Crossroads (Johnson/arr. Clapton) 3.28

Live at the Konserthusert, Stockholm ( 7th March 1967)

Konserthusert remastered quality: This was a real enigma as it is widely touted as being of "excellent quality". It's problem is that all the versions I obtained were sped up. The best was a consistent 7%, the worse ranging from 7-15% ("I'm So Glad" was outrageously hyperactive!). I at last obtained a very good one which is a copy of a Swedish rebroadcast of 1972. Only a slight speed adjustment was required (typically) - bass and drums are quite clear with the guitar still somewhat recessed.

• N.S.U. (Bruce) 4.06
• Stepping Out (Bracken) 4.09
• Traintime (Bruce) 5.55
• Toad (Baker) 6.52
• I'm So Glad (James) 4.58

CD2 (41 min)
Live at the Ricky Tick, Hounslow, W. London. (22nd April. 1967)

Ricky Tick remastered quality: Ricky starts as the best quality recording (though not rated that highly by collectors) and the remaster has made it excellent quality - better than I had anticipated. No rebalancing was required (balance does vary but that is a product of amp volume variation) as the digital noise filtering cleared up the sound marvelously. The bass sound is among the best available and the drums quite clear even though the guitar drowns them on occasions. Eric is playing extremely loud at times! Vocals are also clear - a professional audience bootleg recording (mikes left and right of stage with a quality recorder). Its a short boot remaster but magnificent - the possible additions would have degraded the brilliance of this recording.

• Sunshine of Your Love (Bruce/Brown/Clapton) 4.36
• Hey Lawdy Mama (Wells) 3.31
• Sweet Wine (Baker/Godfrey) 5.24
• Rollin' & Tumblin' (Morganfield) 5.41
• Spoonful (Dixon) - Incomplete 7.40
• Sitting on Top of the World (Burnett) - Incomplete 4.20
• Toad (baker) - Incomplete 9.36