Cream - Sitting On Top Of The World live 23 march 1968

Cream
Shapiro Athletic Center
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA
March 23, 1968
Mono Cassette Master/Source Tape Transfer via JEMS
1644 Mastered Edition
JEMS is pleased to present a fresh transfer direct from the original master/source cassettes of another historic Cream performance. Brandeis University is the companion to our recent release from Boston's Back Bay Theatre. It was recorded by the same taper and despite being captured on one of the earliest portable cassette recorders and how loud the band was presumably playing, Brandeis, like Back Bay, delivers remarkably good quality for such an early audie.
This important recording now sounds even that much better, thanks to an azimuth-adjusted transfer made from the original 3M and Mercury Records cassette tapes on which the performance was recorded, the condition of which was remarkable for being more than 53 years old.
JEMS received the Brandeis show about a month ago from a trusted east coast collector we've known for many years. Our anonymous pal told us the actual cassette came into his possession over 30 years ago, handed off to him for "safekeeping and distribution." The Brandeis tape was then copied and traded "numerous times" in the analog era.
The physical tapes themselves have all the hallmarks of circa 1968 blank cassette stock. 3M was one of the first magnetic tape manufacturers in the US, while the Mercury Records brand was an offshoot of Philips, the originator of the cassette format in the mid '60s. The hiss levels on the recording are also commensurate with what one would expect from a master tape.
For recordings that have been widely available on various audio mediums for decades it can be challenging to establish provenance. Given the details above, we believe this to be the Brandeis master tapes and/or the source from which all known copies of the show originate. Prior to our transfer, the tapes were copied to DAT then CD-R sometime in the 1990s, the likely source of the versions currently found on torrent sites and extant bootlegs.
As with Back Bay, this new transfer of Brandeis materially enhances the clarity and fidelity of previous incarnations, as simple as the lows are lower, the highs are higher and the instrument separation in particular is markedly improved. It sounds more musical, too, like a layer of dust has been wiped off. Samples provided.
Given the historic nature of this Cream master recording, we are presenting it in two versions:
2496 Flat Transfer to which no mastering has been applied, only pitch and channel alignment/adjustment.
1644 Mastered Edition, which we believe polishes this gem to sound its best.
The Brandeis performance is the more famous of the two in part because it was reviewed by both Downbeat magazine (a rave) and Rolling Stone (a pan) from none other than Jon Landau, who found Cream's set cliche, boring and repetitive.
The show was originally scheduled to start at 8:30pm but a storm delayed Cream's plane and they didn't start playing until 2:30 am. Nonetheless the crowd waited (approximately 2500 of the 3000 according to Downbeat) and Cream returned their faith with an excellent performance. Wrote Downbeat, "If anything was worth the five-hour wait, [Cream's] set was. [Their] sound is just this side of physically tangible. It assaults, drowns, lifts, transports, and when it stops, one feels alone, insufficient somehow."
The review concluded with the following: "Cream owes its repertoire to a number of sources. It does Skip James, Muddy waters and Robert Johnson songs. Some of its instrumentalism comes from contemporary R&B players like Muddy Waters and BB King. It probably would not have been able to assimilate the blues concept without the pioneer imitative work of the Rolling Stones and Beatles. But the resulting amalgam is all Cream, and it is a moving, powerful and original sound."
JEMS is grateful to our anonymous collector friend for sending us the Brandeis and Back Bay master tapes and placing his trust in us to make final and hopefully definitive transfers of these precious documents of Cream at their peak. Thanks as well to Professor Goody who did his trademark tune-up of the recording including pitch adjustment. Last but not least, JEMS thanks our post-production leader mjk5510 for managing our queue in this busy time of year.
We hope Cream fans appreciate it as much as we do.
BK for JEMS

[@stinkboneorien1270]

This was just less than a month before I saw Clapton blast my ears into sonic euphoria at Philadelphia's Electric Factory on Friday, April 19, 1968, where he used his SG "Fool" and dual Marshall stack. One stack was driven by a Marshall head and the other by a Fender Dual Showman (I assume the other Marshall was out for repairs). That performance was the most visceral, spine-tingling guitar experience I ever had and that includes seeing Hendrix, Beck, Allman, Lee, B.B. King, and many others in the late 60s and early 70s. It is worth noting, that the next day, Saturday, April 20, Clapton purchased his Gibson Firebird at Philly's 8h Street Music. Friends of mine who saw Cream on the 20th, tell me he debuted that guitar that night for the first time. Only the Mahavishnu Orchestra with McLaughlin, Hammer and company equaled the power of Cream when I saw them in late 1972. For anyone who wants to see my photos of Cream from that night, you can contact me via KZbin:-)

[@micktaylor7200]

Thank you for sharing Your incredible experience. Cheers mate

[@jeffreymalack3723]

I saw Clapton play that Firebird with Blind Faith, Delaney, Bonnie & Friends & Taste at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on July 16, 1969. They played on a revolving circular stage in the middle of the 20,000 seat arena. Promoted by WFIL-AM 56 and hosted by DJ Long John Wade. The sight of Ginger Baker pounding out his solo on Do What You Like changed my life.

[@terencedoherty1006]

Wow. So many people have such a similar visceral reaction to seeing Cream play for the first time. I never saw Cream (I sure wanted to), but I DID see Blind Faith the next year after their breakup. I had that same reaction. I just stared in awe. I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. I had just turned 16. I clearly remember that night, Friday August 15, 1969. I remember Ginger Baker, tall and thin, and Clapton, just playing dazzling guitar (but I could also tell he was not really trying most of the time). They played Sunshine of Your Love for the final encore. I remember riding home and not being able to speak, my ears still ringing from the volume. After that, I decided I REALLY wanted to play guitar, not just fooling around like before.

[@stinkboneorien1270]

​@@jeffreymalack3723 Hi, glad you saw that show too, but the only problem is, Clapton played his Gibson ES-335 that night *not* his Firebird, Winwood played the Firebird. They opened just as you said with Taste and D&B&Friends who I also saw in Feb.70 with Clapton at the Electric Factory. I took photos of the Blind Faith gig at the Spectrum that night & after they finished, we walked up to the stage and I took more photos capturing Clapton's ES-335 that the roadies had not removed yet. It turned out that none of my photos came out that I shot from the seats, they were just black with that overhead structure above them where they were billed as the "New Cream" which Clapton objected to. Unfortunately, as compared to being blasted by Clapton's incendiary Gibson SG with Cream at the E. Factory back in April 68, I could barely hear Clapton during Blind Faith on his 335 with that lousy revolving stage at the Spectrum and he used a Fender Dual Showman instead of his usual dual Marshall stack which strangely, he *did* use later during the Blind Faith tour. The only highlight of that show where I recall a great, extended solo by Eric, was during a blues song called "Sleeping on the Ground", a tune that did not appear on Blind' Faith's original LP. Here's the link to see my photos with a bit of background music😃 kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2nCZ6qNqZatmJY

[@jeffreymalack3723]

@@stinkboneorien1270 Thanks for the correction on Clapton's guitar. I was sitting high up in the third level. Yes, you are correct about the volume. I remember thinking that they were under-powered. Rory Gallagher's Taste was the loudest band of the night. Are you sure about seeing Clapton with Delaney & Bonnie in Feb 69? My research from all my years of reading say he was in England recording the Blind Faith album.

[@bobryan8793]

This was the best trio ever....

[@stinkboneorien1270]

Here are my cream photos from April 19, 1968 using a cheap Kodak Brownie camera but being only 15' away, at least you can clearly see Eric's SG and Marshall stack setup. It was a traumatic experience for a budding, 15 yr old guitarist to see Clapton at his zenith with Cream up close. They played, in order, Rolling & Tumblin, Sunshine of Your Love, NSU, Sitting on Top of the Word (which we had never heard before), and the big shocker was STEPPIN OUT where we only knew it from the Mayall, Blues Breakers Beano LP. We never expected EC to play a Blues Breaker tune and he poured out transcendent notes that reached the ionosphere for what we estimate, must have been 25-30 minutes, FAR longer than any boot of Steppin Out I've heard to date. EC was in pure virtuosic form that night, I find out decades later why, due to re-scheduling the Electric Factory gigs in Philly from earlier April, Cream had their FIRST week off in months and flew back to England where by the time I saw them on Friday night, April 19, Eric was well-rested and in absolutely stunning, prime, Samurai form. Here are the three best photos from the night I saw them with a soundtrack form an early, 1967 Fillmore performance. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6W9ZZaoa6aAa80

[@johnsturdivant5618]

He’s playing a Gibson SG most likely. As a kid in the 80s when I first cream, I had no idea that was Clapton. I loved those British blues rock bands of the late 60s . Free, Cream, Led Zeppelin

[@stanislawdebowski6486]

Adoro cream

[@theesbband]

I’m really surprised that this has so few views: it’s spectacularly good. It’s easy to forget just what an incredible rhythm section is on show here, never mind Jack’s extraordinary and brilliant voice: his bass is subdued here, but just doing the support work…..in spades. I saw Cream many times and was amazed by the band. Items like this remind me that hitching 200 miles in the rain to see them was not foolhardy but the right thing. I’m proud of my contribution to two books on this magnificent band too. Sublime.

[@micktaylor7200]

Thanks for your comment! Interesting to know that you have written two books! Can you tell me the references 😀?

[@theesbband]

@@micktaylor7200 no: I said that I have “contributed to two books,”‘not that I have “written two books.” Huge difference by any measure. See above. The first is “Cream,” by Chris Welch: the second is “Cream - a people’s history,” edited and compiled by Richard Houghton. “Written” and “contributed to” are pretty incompatible statements, Mick….😳😳Best wishes Tom T 😁🎸

[@micktaylor7200]

@@theesbband Thanks for your interesting reply :)

[@mariagugliotta780]

MY Lord, 50 years ago.exellent downnload

[@pabloperez4063]

Still 22 here

[@toulminbrown9166]

Greatly overlooked. T a l e n t

[@robertellison4691]

How was Clapton overlooked? They were calling him God.😊

[@stella3265]

Thank you Mick for the pinning this. Been a long fan of your playing. Thanks for the person who posted this. The audio is fair. Be nice if Eric would clean up these great performances. This solo is sensational. Eric is truly inspired here.

[@bnastali]

Tone to the bone! Wailing with a passion.

[@stanislawdebowski6486]

Le trio que Jimi aimait aussi

[@finneguitarplayer9825]

Mick Taylor , what a Great Name 🎸. Mick Taylor - he Show me My First Blues Licks… 🎸🎸🎸

[@finneguitarplayer9825]

Super Band.

[@JD-vx8gr]

Beautiful version. Jack's vocals were very clear!

[@jaysylvester1710]

Caught Blind Faith MSG in NYC, July 12? 1969. Believe he had the ES-335. Think Winwood had the Firebird? Religious experience-can still hear Ginger beating that tiny crash cymbal like he wanted to kill it. Ironically, John Mayall was recording the Room to Move show that same night at the Fillmore. Was it really 54 years ago?

[@jayturner3397]

Marvellous thanks 😊

[@carlobabbini6343]

So fricken great - no matter the "Q"

[@Cream1968]

Hey, this group is pretty good! 😉🇬🇧

[@jameskennedy721]

good quality . rare show .

[@peterdillon4027]

I never understood why he went for the FB 1. Surely more versatility with two or three pickups.

[@SlowRide723]

Just experimenting. I'm guessing with a single pick up Firebird the lack of a second pickup route would give a little more bite to it and cut through a little better.

[@stanislawdebowski6486]

Foi Antes de amar Jimi Hendrix