Ginger Baker (1991) on 'Strange Brew' & Felix Pappalardi

[@billeberline9744]

When I delivered a Mellotron to Felix, the first thing he did after greeting me was paying me before the Mellotron was even unloaded. This is very rare in my 60+ years working with musicians. Pay??? Lesley certainly didn't! It's was always an interesting time with all of the guys including working with Corky and Haymen Drums. We made his sticks too.

[@rodentcafeteria]

One of the few nice things I've ever heard Ginger Baker say about anybody.

[@nkmcfrln]

So what you’re saying is you haven’t heard Ginger say much about anybody.

[@CannibalWHORE22]

He did actually nice stuff about Fela and his group too. He was actually jealous of the drummers from that scene too.

[@ThomasWBaldwin]

Felix. We backed Mountain as the opening band; and Leslie West never showed up. We ate his buffet and played all night at the Living Room in Providence, back in the 80's.

[@sullyb23511]

Not even Ginger Baker had a bad thing to say about Felix.

[@josephesposito3499]

Actually he did say that he felt Felix ripped him off

[@vinnycc06]

@@josephesposito3499way to kill the buz

[@Cream1968]

That’s so Ginger….🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@fasteddie4145]

right????

[@AmericasChoice]

Felix was musically educated and had impeccable taste. Cream owed him, and Gail, a lot for their success.

[@jamesfeldman4234]

Ginger Baker was the real genius behind Cream. It was his vision to create a supergroup featuring his unique and powerful drumming with Eric Clapton on lead and rhythm guitar playing his equally powerful electric blues. The only player that wasn't Ginger's idea was Jack Bruce on bass and vocals, whom Eric suggested. But, to show you what a genius Ginger was, even though there was bad blood between Ginger and Jack that Eric didn't originally know about, Ginger put his personal differences aside, realizing that the Ginger-Eric-Jack combo would make great music with an entirely new, unique sound. But Ginger's genius didn't end there. He also had the vision to bring in a great contemporary poet, Pete Brown, based on readings by Pete that he heard. Interestly, though, Pete Brown and Jack Bruce hit if off better as a writing team than Pete and Ginger did. So, genius that he was, Ginger stepped aside for Jack and Pete to create their enduring rock masterpieces. As mentioned here, Felix Papalardi came into the picture later, as they were working on their second album, Disraeli Gears, and Ginger let Felix do his thing with the lyrics, with Felix working with wife Gail Collins. Eric was delighted with the result because he created a pop song that was still really a blues song, and Eric was first and foremost a bluesman. Strange Brew became one of the first blues records of that era to became a big hit. Back then, there were two forms of radio, AM and FM. The big, mainstream pop hits were played on AM and the emerging progressive rock songs were played on FM radio. There were two versions of Strange Brew: an edited version that omitted the solo on AM and the full album version on FM. For some reason, the producers didn't think the mainstream public would want to hear Eric's blues solo, or maybe they just wanted to stick by the unspoken rule that a song last about 3 minutes.

[@mykelc205]

Amazing

[@peterm3964]

The sixties would not have happened without Ginger.

[@VinceBearinger]

felix was a great producer also

[@ericfrantzen2516]

Felix was a very talented fellow! Ginger is, as well! Not many recordings at the quality of "Wheels of Fire"!!!!!!

[@christopherjames9843]

:15. Felix holding a spinning rod upside down. Lol!

[@seanmurphy26]

Dude! I have to act like I did not see that! My dad will be so disappointed

[@oldbatwit5102]

It's a beach-caster and lots of people use them like that.

[@seanmurphy26]

​@@oldbatwit5102from the grainy footage, definitely looks like a spinning reel! If it was a baitCaster, the handle would be on the other side.

[@christopherjames9843]

No, it is a plain old spinning rod and reel and nobody who knows what they are doing holds it like that.@@oldbatwit5102

[@oldbatwit5102]

@@seanmurphy26 Perhaps he is left-handed.

[@llongdong]

This can NOT be Ginger Baker talking.

[@jcsolomon6470]

Being a Producer of a Cream Record!Say no More!Lots of of it on the Top,nah!For more Than the Pops!

[@jwardcomo]

OK. Now listen to "Get Out of My Life, Woman" by Lee Dorsey.

[@Leo-uc8zv]

It’s a shame how Eric didn’t play with Leslie maybe he was scared

[@Niktheman74478]

Leslie and Eric met once, but Eric brushed him off. It’s kinda sad, but Leslie found it funny.

[@shanemcconnell1736]

What do coffee and Ginger Baker have in common? They both suck without cream!😊

[@plasticweapon]

that joke has been made about everybody in cream, and it's bullshit no matter what.

[@promark5317]

That doesn't even make sense. Youve never heard of Blind Faith or Airforce?

[@shanemcconnell1736]

@@promark5317 it’s a joke about a grouchy old man, did you hear how he got in blind faith? He showed up uninvited to a rehearsal with his drums, and everybody was afraid of him, so they just let him stay, and he became the drummer, through fear and intimidation, it’s actually a very funny, but that’s who he is, the joke really isn’t about his drumming per se more about what kind of person he was, that’s it

[@WeezelSnouts]

​@@shanemcconnell1736he's a real bad person that was selfish AF

[@thecandyman9308]

AIDS.

[@MichaelBoyce-tm2vw]

From Beware of Mr. Baker.

[@plasticweapon]

no.

[@threeofakindbygeneraldean3007]

Great drummer but obviously not very bright. Jack bruce might've been right although like EC was usually stuck up. However, together in the 1960s just awesome together! Reunions disappointed; glad the beatles didn't attempt what cream did (1993 hof + especially 2000s failure). In baker's defense, many well-known drummers idolize him and blind faith was great because of all four members; Rick grech is the only replaceable one. Cream definitely were untouchable. JHE, led zeppelin, others? Close but still not as great, studio/live. Rolling stone were biased + probably wanted a break-up due to influence or enormous popularity. The band were simpletons in comparison. Finally, baker surprised fans introducing songs and even contributing on most cream albums. RIP ginger.

[@TheCapedWanderer]

What are you on about? The 2005 reunion shows were fantastic. Sweet Wine, Spoonful, Crossroads, all excellent randitiond, and we got to hear Outside Woman Blues and Badge, both phenomenal. The chemistry is still active and electric. Sound is still titanic for three players. No 20 min jams unfortunately but what do you expect? They are mature and regret their indulgent egos. But the shows are fun and musically on point. Ginger and Jack clearly having a blast seeing how far Eric’s come, and playing at that level again. I fail to see or hear the failure.

[@threeofakindbygeneraldean3007]

@@TheCapedWanderer Thanks for caring enough to respond, slowhand! A cash-grab if ever was one. They were superb before initial break-up, phoning in live attempts from '93 on. Even the rolling stones of today are better.

[@TheCapedWanderer]

@@threeofakindbygeneraldean3007 ok so no argument, then. “Phoning it in” jeez how could I have missed that? Eric sweat through his shirt playing in ‘05, Jack is rocking out of his old man support stool, Ginger has a grin from ear to ear. None of which is necessary to appreciate the music. But you missed it all, evidently. Pity!

[@threeofakindbygeneraldean3007]

@@TheCapedWanderer Heard it on radio back then without being impressed. Gonna watch legendary trio doing a hack-job? Didn't miss anything if they were not gonna be at least up to 2007 police standard. They were pretty good!

[@TheCapedWanderer]

@@threeofakindbygeneraldean3007 Well you got the wrong impression the one time you heard it, I don’t know what to tell you. I’m very familiar with the album; it’s not a hack-job in any way. I listen to a lot of Cream bootlegs from the 60s, the fiery root of hard rock, next to which the 2005 shows stand tall as a perfect elder incarnation of the same tree-Exactly what one would wish for from a 40-years-later return to neverland. I suggest you go watch a video or two on this very platform (try headphones this time;) I already gave you five songs that, I promise you, are as good as this music gets. Cream was always an incredible combo that play brilliantly off each other in a dazzling fusion of musical impulses. Blues at its most tubular. Rock ‘n’ roll, pure and hot!