Cream - Disraeli Gears

Disraeli Gears is the second studio album by British blues jazz rock group Cream, originally released in November 1967 via Reaction Records, Polydor Records and ATCO Records.

Cream were a British jazz blues rock "supergroup" formed in 1966 with Eric Clapton (guitars, vocals), Jack Bruce (bass, vocals) and Ginger Baker (drums) that had a turbulent existence until they broke up in 1968. Their musical style is influenced heavily by jazz, blues and rock music, and they produced four studio albums and a number of classic songs in their short existence.

Their debut single “Wrapping Paper” was a comparatively strange pop song that made a dent in the singles charts on the strength of its instant appeal. This was a paradox to the band members individual mastery of their instruments and their ability to jam and improvise using their blues and jazz backgrounds.

Their second single “I Feel Free”, released in parallel with their debut album was a song that unleashed such energy that it could only be matched by Jimi Hendrix.

Their debut album Fresh Cream confirmed their promise that they were not what they seemed, another colourful pop group singing songs of tangerine bicycles. With a mixture of blues standards and exciting original compositions, the album became a record that every credible music fan should own.

Their second studio album Disraeli Gears was released the following year in 1967 with a distinctive psychedelic dayglo cover art, created by Australian artist Martin Sharp. This superb album showed a distinctive progression from their first album, particularly with the high standard of songwriting from Jack Bruce with his lyricist partner Pete Brown.

Landmark songs such as “Sunshine of Your Love”, “Strange Brew” and “SWLABR” were melodic and performed with precision. The album also showed a progression from their blues and jazz roots to experimenting with psychedelic rock on many of the tracks, proving the band’s capable musicianship and calibre.

Disraeli Gears became the second Cream album that every music fan should own, an amazing feat, as most musicians struggle to match the calibre of their first release on the second “difficult” album.

Disraeli Gears firmly established the band in the USA, where the album climbed to #4 on the US Billboard 200 Albums chart. The album was also a huge success in Australia, reaching #1 on the Albums charts, and also reached #5 in the UK.

In 1999, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2003 the album was ranked #114 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

This album is a 2024 repress on 180 gram black vinyl housed in a single pocket sleeve, pressed in France via Polydor Records.