Those Were the Days is an ambitious four-disc, 63-track box set that divides Cream's career into two halves. The first two discs feature every studio track the group ever released, plus a handful of unreleased cuts, alternate takes, and rarities. The other two discs are devoted to live material, which is segued together in an attempt to recreate the "ideal" Cream concert. It's a remarkably comprehensive collection, complete with an extensive booklet and remastered sound, yet it doesn't reveal any new insights about Cream, nor does it offer any invaluable rarities. Therefore, it's only for die-hard collectors or listeners wanting to acquire the entire Cream catalog at once; casual fans will be satisfied with individual albums or greatest-hits collections.
Although Cream were only together for a little more than two years, their influence was immense, both during their late-'60s peak and in the years following their breakup. Cream were the first top group to truly exploit the power trio format, in the process laying the foundation for much blues-rock and hard rock of the 1960s and 1970s…
Following the acclaimed release of Cream’s 10 UK and US 7” singles’ boxed-set package towards the end of last year comes this superb 4 album/5CD set celebrating the 50th anniversary of Cream’s inception in 1966. The Classic Album Selection features the band’s complete studio albums – Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, Wheels Of Fire and Goodbye; four incredible albums, which left an indelible mark in rock history. With Cream, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton, set the template for a whole new generation of rock music with their innate muscial virtuosity. Although they were only together for just over two years, Cream blazed an indelible trail through the latter half of the 1960s with their challenging and exquisite mélange of blues, pop and psychedelia; their influence at their peak, and in the years following their break-up, was immense.
Cream was a band born to the stage, a fact that the band and their record label realized the public fully understood by the number one U.S. chart placement for Wheels of Fire, with its entire live disc, and the number two chart peak for Goodbye, the posthumous release that was dominated by concert recordings…
Although Cream were only together for a little more than two years, their influence was immense, both during their late-'60s peak and in the years following their breakup.