Cream were a 1960s British rock band consisting of bassist/lead vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. Their sound was characterised by a hybrid of blues, hard rock and psychedelic rock. Retrospectively determined to be “the first supergroup”, Cream combined Clapton’s blues guitar playing with the powerful voice and intense basslines of Jack Bruce and the jazz-influenced drumming of Ginger Baker.
Cream’s music included songs based on traditional blues such as “Crossroads” and “Spoonful”, and modern blues such as “Born Under a Bad Sign”, as well as more eccentric songs such as “Strange Brew”, “Tales of Brave Ulysses” and “Toad”. Cream’s biggest hits were “I Feel Free”, “Sunshine of Your Love”, “White Room”, “Crossroads”, and “Badge”.
Cream, together with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, made a significant impact upon the popular music of the time, providing a heavy yet technically proficient musical theme that foreshadowed the emergence of bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and The Jeff Beck Group in the late 1960s. The band’s live performances influenced progressive rock acts such as Rush, and jam bands such as The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and Phish, and heavy metal bands such as Black Sabbath.
Born Under a Bad Sign
Originally a song wrote and recorded by Albert King, in 1966, King asked Cream to cover the song in 1968 making it one of the most popular tracks of their third album, Wheels of Fire.
http://djallyn.org/media/cream-born-under-a-bad-sign.flvBorn under a bad sign.
I’ve been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn’t for bad luck,
I wouldn’t have no luck at all.Bad luck and trouble’s my only friend.
I’ve been down ever since I was ten.Born under a bad sign.
I’ve been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn’t for bad luck,
I wouldn’t have no luck at all.You know, wine and women is all I crave.
A big bad woman’s gonna carry me to my grave.Born under a bad sign.
I’ve been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn’t for bad luck,
I wouldn’t have no luck at all.Bad luck and trouble’s my only friend.
I’ve been down ever since I was ten.Born under a bad sign.
I’ve been down since I began to crawl.
If it wasn’t for bad luck,
I wouldn’t have no luck.
If it wasn’t for real bad luck,
I wouldn’t have no luck at all.Born under a bad sign.
Born under a bad sign.
- Audio from the 1968 album, Wheels of Fire:
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