For this week I decided to go with Disraeli Gears, a psychedelic rock album by the British band Cream. Cream was considered to be a supergroup, which means each of its 3 members had a successful solo career or had a successful part in a band before the formation of Cream. This supergroup consisted of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Disraeli Gears was released in November of 1967.

“Strange Brew” opens the album incredibly well, and it sets you up for whats to come in the tracklist. The song features Eric Clapton on lead vocals rather than the usual Jack Bruce. It draws you in with riveting guitar and with brilliant psychedelic lyrics.

The second song, “Sunshine Of Your Love,” has one of the most iconic bass riffs in rock history. Jack Bruce came up with the riff after attending a Jimi Hendrix concert in 1967. The track propelled Cream into the spotlight, and would go on to become their most popular single by a long-shot. “Sunshine Of Your Love” has an electrifying guitar solo by Clapton in the middle as well. Everything in this song just melds together beautifully to create an epic psychedelic rock track.

Another of my favorite songs on Disraeli Gears is “Tales of Brave Ulysses.” The song’s lyrics were inspired by the classic literary work The Odyssey by Homer. Eric Clapton collaborated with a man named Martin Sharp to write the lyrics. The phrasing of the lyrics, as well as the whaling guitar, paints a beautiful picture as you travel through the track.

My favorite song on the album is probably “We’re Going Wrong.” The song overall has a slower pace, and the lyrics are beautifully stretched out to match the instrumentation. Ginger Baker’s drums have a distinct tone to them, as he used drum mallets instead of regular drumsticks. Bruce plays a slow but beautiful bass line throughout, and, of course, Clapton plays great guitar as well.

Overall, if you are looking for a classic psychedelic rock album, or are looking to get into the genre itself, this is a great place to start. It has excellent instrumentation all around. I would give this album an 8/10.