[Slowhand] Cream article in Time mag 10-27-67

[Greg Wenker]

Heres the article from TIME 10-27-67 (note the
attempts to sound 'hip'):

Title: Forget the message, Just play

The British rock trio called Cream has poured into the
US for its American debut and the faithful are
flipping out. The underground circuit in the pop world
of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Manhattan and Detroit
is still vibrating from what may be the biggest single
musical jolt out of England since the Beatles and the
Rolling Stones.
'Woman Tone'- Formed a year ago because each member
was the others favorite performer (as their rather
haughty name implies). Cream comprise three prickly
egos, each with solid claims of his own to individual
distinction:
Eric Clapton, 22, the rangy,intense, spokesman for the
group is a superbly soulful and compelling guitarist.
His voicelike 'woman tone' moans, shouts or sends out
sudden, stabbing cries, the vibrato quivering like a
spear that has found its mark. Such top US rock
guitarists as Mike Bloomfield and Jerry Garcia rank
him the best in the world.
Jack Bruce, 24, a quiet Scotsman who plays bass guitar
and is the groups chief songwriter, sings with the
same tremulous passion that Clapton brings to guitar
playing. When he huffs into a harmonica and wails the
blues in his slightly blurred accent. Chicago's South
side takes on a Glasgow glow.
Ginger Baker, 28, is a dazzling drummer perhaps the
only one in the rock field who can sustain long,
inventive solos. His crackling stickwork and and
splintered rythms give Cream a complex yet driving
beat that few rock groups can equal. An antic cockney
he drums on other things besides drums; on tours he
leaves behind a trail of hotel bills for damage to
furniture and other property.
Too Long for Radio- Together Cream are 'neo
contrapuntal' according to Bruce. 'We're all playing
melody against each other'. Each melody is largely
improvised and the object says Clapton 'is to get so
far away from the original line that you're playing
something that's never been heard before.' This
approach usually creates pulsating waves of excitement
in live performances but it often also produces
recordings that are too long for disk jockeys to
sandwich between commercials. Consequently Cream have
so far been idols only of the hip insiders, their one
US album Fresh Cream has been little played on radio
and as a result has mssed the mass market
(sales:100,00 copies). But now that this country has
been Creamed all that may be changed.

g.w.