Wheels Of Fire – CREAM*****

White Room/Sitting On Top Of The World/Passing The Time/As You Said/Pressed Rat & Warthog/Politician/ Those Were The Days/Born Under A Bad Sign/Deserted Cities Of The Heart/Crossroads/Spoonful/Traintime/ Toad

Wheels Of Fire was a half studio, half live double album from blues rock legends Cream. The studio tracks are as astounding as the live tracks are self indulgent. Contains the US No. 6 hit single White Room. (US:1 UK:3)

"The strongest track is the first White Room, with the falsetto chorus, the slight change in tempo and mood with Ginger Baker taking on timpani, and the car-music riffs that picture a 1960s world. Indeed, the whole album is pure sixties material, it bleeds sixties, because it's so psychedelic."

"Jack Bruce writes some of the best songs in recorded music history and Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker stampede behind him. White Room is obviously one of the best songs ever, but the album is full of interesting compositions such as Pressed Rat And Warthog and Politician. Cream are at their finest here."

"A logical progression from Disraeli Gears. Taking blues rock into a more 'art rock' direction, it uses strings, woodwinds, pianos and organs to add to the production. Clapton plays at his best, fire powered leads and great riffs are all about. Bruce and Baker prove to be one of rock's greatest rhythm sections, even playing jazzier and faster. Studio side is classic psychedelic, with excellent songwriting, though a little short."

"Less dated and more psychedelic than Disraeli Gears. There's not a bad song on here. In fact they're almost all brilliant on the first disc. The mood established and carried through never waves as the songs stray from heavy to light, from serious to classical, all the while staying rocking and grooving."

"Cream's last really deliberate effort in the studio, Wheels Of Fire stands out as one of the all-time greatest rock albums, and one of the top ten albums of the sixties. Driven by the singles, White Room and Crossroads, this was Cream's first and only number one album and the first album to be certified platinum, ever."

"Of course, Wheels Of Fire is a double LP, the second disc being that notoriously pompous four-track collection of live recordings that nobody is too fond of."