Cream - a progressive band?

For me Cream is only the best Prog Blues band (with Led Zeppelin) if you speak in Prog terms.

I wouldn't call them a prog band, or even particularly progressive. Yes, they did improvise but that's not that hard in a 3 piece.

Cream is one of those 'in between' bands.  Certainly progressive for the time, but firmly grounded in the blues.  I've lamely argued for the inclusion of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, in the proto-prog space, based on their East-West album.  I think we could make similar arguments for Cream.  Hey, they both covered Born Under A Bad Sign   If that doesn't give a band prog credentials I don't know what does

Really a great band, as EM says they were progressive to a certain extent, but i wouldn't add to PA

I've always supported Cream for Proto-Prog at this site (I think it fits all of the criteria well) and I consider music of Cream to be progressive rock (not as part of a genre but as an approach an according to my definition that involves a fusion of styles into a rock framework and expanding on the rock lexicon.  Furthermore, it has the whimsy that can be found in many bands -- for instance, in Canterbury bands.  Cream can be quirky and the albums have diversity).  The resistance has always surprised me.  Being blues-based is not uncommon for bands in the archives (heck, I'd say the excellent Khan's Space Shanties is blues-based).  If my memory serves me right, Clapton was upset that that the band was moving farther from blues which is one reason why they split.

I'm going to copy a bit of my post from a former discussion http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46247

While blues was important to Cream (and how many blues covers did they do?), and some of the band's best work was sort of blues/ psychedelic fusion, the band was considerably more than just a bluesy jam rock band.   Not only do I understand the band to have been influential to the progressive rock and jam scenes, but to my ear quite a bit of the music has compositional/ structural and instrumental similarities to Prog.  I'd also say that they deviated from bluesy songs, but many such songs were not typical rock -- though had mainstream success.  Can find songs with unusual time signatures (helps that they had a jazzy drummer), jazzy elements, and use of various non-typically rock instrumentation.

Personally, I think Wheels of Fire is a pretty progressive album of 1968, and while there is the typical blues-based music, music like "Pressed Rat and Warthog", "Anyone for Tennis", and "Passing the Time" which opens in a bluesy fashion show something of the whimsy quite commonly found in Prog (and Proto-Prog).  Rather bombastic songs like "Tales of Brave Ulysses" (off Disreali Gears - 1967) and "White Room" have something of an early Prog pedigree too.

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Of course Cream is commonly describes as jam band and the long pieces (such as excellent live ones) are kind of more extended jams than the tightly structured pieces one would often expect from Prog (as a loose genre).  And I wouldn't stop there with song examples.  Listening to releases such as Wheels of Fire and Disraeli Gears I find a definite progressive approach to music.  Even in shorter songs such as "Those Were the Days" (one of my particular favourites) I hear the similarities to Prog.  I'm not posting this as the best example of the band's pedigree, but because I just love it ("Those Were the Days" plus "Deserted Cities"):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHtCEGO-Yow

In sum, I think Cream can be described as progressive rock (progressive rock does not need to equal Progressive Rock in the generic sense) and is suitable for Proto-Prog.


Edited by Logan - December 22 2009 at 11:44

- Cream! Yes! Cream! Yes!!
- Cream! No! Cream! No!!

Hi,

^ While Jack Bruce I would consider the most progressive of them. I wouldn't say that Ginger Baker is devoid of progressiveness (I wouldn't even say that of Clapton who was the one who really wanted to stick with blues-based music).  Ginger Baker has worked with Hawkind and I can't see how someone could say there is no progressiveness about his projects (Ginger Baker's Air Force and Army and albums just under his own name).  I find his jazz-fusion work interesting.

As far as Ginger Baker's Air Force in JR, Martin and I both voted no. The reason being, at least on my part, was that Baker's band was being given consideration over more progressive African bands such as King Sunny Ade only because Baker was a 'rock star'. I have been meaning to talk to my team about adding King Sunny Ade, but there are a couple of bands ahead of him right now. Basically I didn't think Air Force was a particularly good band, their music can be tired and turgid. Baker's percussionist, Rebop, did some albums in a similar style to Air Force, but much better. I'm also familiar with the album Baker did with Laswell, it's OK, but it didn't strike me as a priority.

OK, but main question wasn't about Ginger Baker or even Jack Bruce ( he is in yet), but about band. I think if we analize music works of band members ( solo works or side projects) it is some good additional information, but main reason is BAND's (Cream) music itself. So, I believe we should speak about is CREAM's music progressive enough or not.