Disraeli Gears
Released 2 November 1967
Recorded May 1967
Studio Atlantic Studios, New York City
Genre
Psychedelic rock
Length 33:37
Disraeli Gears is the second studio album by the British rock band Cream. It was released in November 1967 and went on to reach No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also the group’s American breakthrough, becoming a massive seller in 1968, and reaching No. 4 on the American charts. The album was No. 1 for two weeks on the Australian album chart and was listed as the No. 1 album of 1968 by Cash Box in the year-end album chart in the United States. The album features the two singles “Strange Brew” and “Sunshine of Your Love”.
The original 11-track album was remastered in 1998, and then subsequently released as a two-disc Deluxe Edition in 2004.
In 1999, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In 2003 the album was ranked No. 114 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. VH1 also named it their 87th greatest album of all time in 2001. In 2008, the album won a Classic Rock Roll of Honours Award for Classic Album.
The album was recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York during May 1967, following the band’s nine shows as part of Murray the K’s “Music in the 5th Dimension” concert series. Cream’s American label, ATCO, was a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlantic Records.
The sessions were produced by future Mountain bassist Felix Pappalardi – who co-wrote the tracks “Strange Brew” and “World of Pain” with wife Gail Collins – and were engineered by Tom Dowd – who would later work with Clapton on projects such as Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and 461 Ocean Boulevard. The owner of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun, was also present during the sessions.
According to Dowd the recording sessions took only three and a half days, a feat considering the length of the album. The band’s visas expired on the very last day of recording.
The original 11-track album was remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio at PolyGram Studios for a 1998 release, including bonus photographs accompanying the original album artwork.
Deluxe Edition
The “Disraeli Gears Deluxe Edition” includes the complete album in both mono and stereo, demos, alternate takes and tracks taken from the band’s live sessions on BBC radio. Included is an outtake of “Blue Condition” with Eric Clapton on lead vocals and demos of the songs “Weird of Hermiston” and “The Clearout” which were not released until Jack Bruce’s first solo album “Songs for a Tailor”.
Track listing
Original album
Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Lead vocals Length
1. “Strange Brew”
Eric Clapton Felix Pappalardi Gail Collins
Eric Clapton 2:46
2. “Sunshine of Your Love”
Jack Bruce Clapton Pete Brown
Jack Bruce with Clapton 4:10
3. “World of Pain”
Pappalardi Collins
Bruce and Clapton 3:03
4. “Dance the Night Away”
Bruce Brown
Bruce and Clapton 3:34
5. “Blue Condition” Ginger Baker Ginger Baker 3:29
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Lead vocals Length
1. “Tales of Brave Ulysses”
Clapton Martin Sharp
Bruce 2:46
2. “SWLABR”
Bruce Brown
Bruce 2:32
3. “We’re Going Wrong” Bruce Bruce 3:26
4. “Outside Woman Blues” Arthur Reynolds, arr. Clapton Clapton 2:24
5. “Take It Back”
Bruce Brown
Bruce 3:05
6. “Mother’s Lament” Traditional, arr. Bruce, Clapton, Baker Bruce, Clapton, and Baker 1:47
Disraeli Gears – deluxe edition (2004)
Disc one (stereo)
Original album
Tracks 1–11
Out-takes
“Lawdy Mama” – version 1 3 (Traditional, arr. Clapton) – 2:00
Recorded 3 April 1967 at Atlantic Studios
Recorded by Ahmet Ertegun
“Blue Condition” – alternate version (Baker) – 3:13
Eric Clapton vocal, previously unreleased
Demos 3
“We’re Going Wrong” (Bruce) – 3:49
“Hey Now, Princess” (Bruce, Brown) – 3:31
“SWLABR” (Bruce, Brown) – 4:30
“Weird of Hermiston” (Bruce, Brown) – 3:12
“The Clearout” (Bruce, Brown) – 3:58
Recorded 15 March 1967 at Ryemuse Studios, London
Disc two (mono)
Original album and out-takes
Tracks 1–13
BBC recordings 4
“Strange Brew” (Clapton, Pappalardi, Collins) – 3:00
“Tales of Brave Ulysses” (Clapton, Sharp) – 2:55
“We’re Going Wrong” (Bruce) – 3:25
Recorded 30 May 1967, broadcast 3 June on BBC Light Programme
“Born Under a Bad Sign” (Booker T. Jones, William Bell) – 3:03
“Outside Woman Blues” (Reynolds) – 3:18
“Take It Back” (Bruce, Brown) – 2:17
Recorded 24 October 1967, broadcast 29 October on BBC Radio 1
“Politician” (Bruce, Brown) – 3:59
“SWLABR” (Bruce, Brown) – 2:32
“Steppin’ Out” (James Bracken) – 3:37
Recorded 9 January 1968, broadcast 14 January on BBC Radio 1
^ Tracks previously released on the Those Were the Days box set.
^ Tracks previously released on the BBC Sessions compilation album.
Personnel
Cream
Ginger Baker – drums, percussion, vocals
Jack Bruce – bass, piano, vocals, harmonica
Eric Clapton – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, 12-string guitar, vocals
Production
Felix Pappalardi – producer
Tom Dowd – recording engineer
Bob Whitaker – cover photography
Martin Sharp – cover art
Jim Marshall – additional photography
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