Wheels of Fire
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| Wheels of Fire | |||||
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| Studio album by Cream | |||||
| Released | July 1968 | ||||
| Recorded | July 1967 – April 1968 at Atlantic Studios, New York City | ||||
| Genre | Blues-rock, psychedelic rock | ||||
| Length | 84:23 | ||||
| Label | Polydor (UK) Atco (US) |
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| Producer | Felix Pappalardi | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Cream chronology | |||||
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Wheels of Fire is the name of the double album recorded by Cream. The release was largely successful, scoring the band a #3 peak in the UK and a #1 in the US, and became the world's first platinum-selling album.[1]
The album was also released as Wheels of Fire (In the Studio) and Wheels of Fire (Live at the Fillmore) as two single albums, released together, with similar cover art except: In the UK, the studio album was black print on aluminium foil, while the Live at the Fillmore album was a negative image of the sudio cover. In Japan, the studio album was black on gold foil, while the live album was black on aluminium foil. In Australia, both covers were laminated copies of the Japanese releases (it was never released as a double album in Australia). In 2003, the album was ranked number 203 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[2]
The sleeve was designed by Australian pop artist and cartoonist Martin Sharp, and it won the New York Art Directors Prize for Best Album Design in 1969.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Disc one: In the Studio
- "White Room" (Jack Bruce, Pete Brown) – 4:58
- "Sitting on Top of the World" (Howlin' Wolf) – 4:58
- "Passing the Time" (Ginger Baker, Mike Taylor) – 4:37
- "As You Said" (Bruce, Brown) – 4:20
- "Pressed Rat and Warthog" (Baker, Taylor) – 3:13
- "Politician" (Bruce, Brown) – 4:12
- "Those Were the Days" (Baker, Taylor) – 2:53
- "Born Under a Bad Sign" (Booker T. Jones, William Bell) – 3:09
- "Deserted Cities of the Heart" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:38
- "Anyone for Tennis" (Eric Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 2:39
Performers are "the Cream quartet" consisting of Clapton, Baker, and Bruce together with Felix Pappalardi, who plays many different instruments and is also credited with production.
^Note 1: Some pressings of this album contain an alternative version of "Passing the Time". This "long version" is extended by 67 seconds, but also differs from the "extended version" included on Those Were the Days, which is longer by a further 8 seconds.
^Note 2: "Anyone for Tennis" is a bonus track on the CD release.
[edit] Disc two: Live at the Fillmore
- "Crossroads" (Robert Johnson, arr. Clapton) – 4:14
- "Spoonful" (Willie Dixon) – 16:48
- "Traintime" (Bruce) – 6:52
- "Toad" (Baker) – 16:16
Although listed as four tracks and pressed with a track separation between the songs, this album consists of only two recordings, with the audio signal continuing intact between the tracks as the band segues between the songs.
While the disc is labeled Live at the Fillmore, only "Toad" was recorded at Fillmore West. The other tracks were recorded live at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.[3]
[edit] Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Billboard Pop Albums (Billboard 200) | 1 |
[edit] Personnel
- Jack Bruce – lead vocals, bass, cello, harmonica, calliope, acoustic guitar, recorder
- Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals
- Ginger Baker – drums, percussion, bells, glockenspiel, vocals
[edit] Additional personnel
- Felix Pappalardi – viola, brass instruments, bells, organ
[edit] Notes
- ^ Cream - the Band, The BBC.
- ^ Wheels of Fire, The Rolling Stone.
- ^ The Very Best of Cream (liner notes).
[edit] External links
| Preceded by The Beat of the Brass by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass |
Billboard 200 number-one album August 10 - September 6, 1968 |
Succeeded by Waiting for the Sun by The Doors |
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