News

UMe will release on March 6th, 2020 a 4 CD live box set containing on 4 CDs 4 complete UK and US 1968 Cream concerts, including 19 previously unreleased tracks that include the final ever Royal Albert Hall concert—all recorded during Cream's "Farewell Tour".

The 36 track box included 10 tracks from the Royal Albert Hall concert that previously only appeared on a DVD. The original 1969 Goodbye Cream vinyl release contained the group's final studio recordings (including the memorable "Badge" featuring George Harrison a/k/a "L'Angelo Misterioso, with Felix Pappalardi on mellotron, filled out with "I'm So Glad", "Politician" and "Sitting on Top of the World" grabbed from a live concert recorded October 19th, 1968 at the Los Angeles Forum.

This box is clearly for Cream fanatics and they know who they are. The set contains the October 4, 1968 Oakland Coliseum concert, the October 19th, 1968 L.A. Forum concert, the October 20th San Diego Sports Arena concert and the Royal Albert Hall Farewell Concert November 26th, 1968.

According to the press blurb, the first three concerts were mastered from the original analog tapes by Kevin Reeves at Universal Mastering, Nashville, TN, while the Royal Albert Hall concert was mastered from the original analog tapes by Jason NeSmith at Chase Park Transduction, Athens, GA., which begs the question "Why not a deluxe vinyl box set cut from those tapes?". Meanwhile there's this CD resolution box set for fans of Eric Clapton and the late Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.