Politician by Cream

[crazycharleydALA]

This is the real deal people. I bought this album when it came out, and it blew me away, changed my life.

[Akorps666]

great!



[jassbo]

I listened the other versions, but this is the best, because the guitar scales are superb, maybe Clapton was in a "twilight zone", he doesn't need faster runnings to build rock blues. He gained his moniker "Slowhand"

[VelvetElk]

Dig it.

[gbh001]

Clapton's solo in this is extraordinary. I've listened to it on and off over the years since I bought the original album and it still mesmerizes. Its not that flashy and has little in the way of pyrotechnics but it has a smooth inevitability to it. Every note just follows on in some perfect way.. To me its the esssence of blues solo guitar. But only Clapton could have come up with it - live in '68. Nothing in blues-rock has since come close to Cream live.

[gbh001]

Clapton's solo in this is extraordinary. I've listened to it on and off over the years since I bought the original album and it still mesmerizes. Its not that flashy and has little in the way of pyrotechnics but it has a smooth inevitability to it. Every note just follows on in some perfect way.. To me its the esssence of blues solo guitar. But only Clapton could have come up with it - live in '68. Nothing in blues-rock has since come close to Cream live.

[oeyeyea]

@gbh001 yo dude, regarding nothing in blues rock has come close to cream live,that maybe the case they really were great,but checkout the stairs "skin up",im a bit young to of seen them live but if they got anywere near to the studio version they surely would of challenged cream for the title!

[ItLiesInTheProles]

Songs like 'Politician' by Cream have a great musical progression that always reminds me of elephants' butts. All I can picture is elephant butts swinging back and forth - Josh Homme

[toti4]

@mrmushbrain not the citizen's fault? then whose fault can it be?

[Bastard471]

im not touching you!

[dogcat1953]

I was 16 in 1970 and if I wasn't listening to Zeppelin, it was because i was listening to Clapton and I still am!

[mrbloodytit]

It's songs like these that make me want to spank women.

[XeDro98754]

I wanna play this on guitar,But I cant find tabs :(

[weldkatom1]

@XeDro98754 pick it out ..not that hard..

[ClaptonSG]

@XeDro98754 C# D, F F#, C# D C# D G# A this is just the main riff, hope i could help :)

[mikuz007]

the riff makes me move

[StoneyMcJuicyBuds]

Jack Bruce weighing in on politics through an opium haze.

[slapjax28]

Pizuzuzimmer remember people never went broke betting on the intellgece of the american people

[LedZeppelin420x]

fuckin dirty ass bass

[ehuloko]

LOL. He was good (Lyons)--but have you ever heard Victor Wooten? BTW Cream was my favorite power trio in the daze of yore-and I heard Hendrix live 4 times! Bruce was/is a monster.

[dorsetsteve]

The nearest bass player to Jack Bruce was Leo Lyons of Ten Years After.

[AbsoluteZeroMusic]

if u like this song? then you'll like my songs...truth be told

[bazmitch]

Jack`s bass is soooo dirty. I adore it.

A gibson, what else.

[bazmitch]

Jack`s bass is soooo dirty. I adore it.

[Alithecomedian]

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU­UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU­UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU­UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU­UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU­UUU

[zorman1875]

This was writen and sung by the one and only Mr Jack Bruce.

God was just backing him.

[Grensinlos]

@zorman1875

LOL i hope you mean Clapton (Clapton=God)

[MrBrooke66]

written about hypocrtical politicians like Jack Profumo 'and I practice what I preach'

[mcainiac]

Clapton is God

[OurLordLennon]

CREAM is the greatest....this IS music. this IS musical talent. NO MATTER HOW OLD THEY OR WE ARE OR WHATS POPPIN' OUTTA THEIR NECK!!!! this comes from the soul.....NOT SOME """"PRE-RECORDED""""mixed crap.....

[Screamingdk]

This the international anthem to all politico clowns and assorted fascist whores both left or right,fuckm all!

[JosiahBass]

God damnn this has to be one of my favourite songs to just improvise on my bass to. Jack Bruce is very under-rated.

[comicerrant1]

@JosiahBass how? everybody knows who he is....

[JosiahBass]

@comicerrant1

Not in my generation and peer group.

[pcazman]

love this

[spam6669]

CLUTCH covers this song amazing!!!!

[TheOneTrimmer]

Extremely boring.

[kenman]

slapjaxx is right.... politicians are all about MONEY not PEOPLE.

[centrifuge1789]

i actually think they performed this better at their reunion in 2005! :D

[MrFarcry1966]

@centrifuge1789

Your thought is incorrect. That 2005 show in its entirety was a pale shadow of the beast they were in the '60s. Both Bruce and Baker were basically in the grave already at the 2005 show, and Clapton long ago tamed himself. This has crazy muscles popping out all over the fucking place.

[pliskenlee]

@MrFarcry1966

mate they are old bastards give them some grace squire

[bazmitch]

@MrFarcry1966  How right you are my friend.

[Trencomtrink]

This song has to lead gutairs one of them bass and a superb drummer

[MrRicfrick]

This song is unreal; Clapton sounds like he's a spider weaving a continuous web from beginning to end- smooth as silk. Jack's bass lines bring to mind the Hulk, doing a drunken walk. Ginger ties it all together. Makes the studio version sound amatuerish.

[bluefen]

@MrRicfrick ...great comment....the solo oozes out...the melody, timing and architecture is otherworldly, especially considering the stage volume...one of several clapton solos that hypnotised me as a teenager/budding guitarist....baker and bruce are also uniquely fabulous as always..the band were incredible at this stage of the 68 tour cycle...all 3 live tracks are insane... guitar tone courtesy of Eric's Gibson Firebird I with the treble backed off a bit... blessings to all cream fans..:)

[ljkm02]

The version on Live Cream vol 2 is nicer, Jack sings better. on this version, he seems tired and sleepy : /

Great instrumental performance though!! :D CREAM ROCKS

[imasspeons]

Fuck Robben Ford, this version is way better.

[TumbrelJockey]

PS..FYI when i say Eric's overdubbed lead -i'm referring to the studio recording from WOF .that's all.:)

[TumbrelJockey]

the first thing that got my attention back in the summer of 68 was Jack's menacing,slithering bass line ,then Eric's weaving atmospherics w/ the overdubbed lead & Ginger keeping time like he was the drummer in a strip club .Then the lyrics hit you.The first & imo best ,summation of the hypocrisy / corrupt behavior as practiced by the scoundrels we elect (fill in the blank) I never get tired of this song.

[TheLoganlover10]

i saw this song on the video "What Else Could Go Wrong" by the user monkeynuts1069...logan lerman and dean collins...there awesome

[TheSomeone100001]

@TheLoganlover10 i love that video

[IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO]

This riff is the definition of badass

[kensmdad]

Regarding post-Cream: Blind Faith(1969), and Derack? and the Dominoes(1970) were cool albums. Both one album bands...

[DeltaGaryGordon]

Jack Bruce is quite possibly the best Rock vocalist ever, as well as a Bass Virtuoso.

[MOBRUL3S666]

Fuckin awesome. Ginger is the shit ! Favorite Cream Track hands down...

[MrFujicat]

I was driving across breathtaking Tampa Bay last night, marveling at the moonlight on the water, while listening to this song on Pandora. The irony of the song against the backdrop of looming devastation and disaster and mass destruction in the Gulf of Mexico shook me to the core.

[1251alexRR]

I cant believe Cream broke up. im only 18 but i fucking love them and theyre my favorite band. I was the only one at my high school who would listen to them.

[Screamingdk]

This is the true national athem all over this fucked up world!

[68beano]

i still can't let go of this cassette tape i know obsoleat  oh we'll let's feel what a unit is on all 8 cylinders plantpow

[otnasnod]

its really great to hear some of these comments.i agree with most of the posts.clapton was never the same after derick and the dominoes. i never liked his solo career much. i remember hearing in an interviewwith him saying he left the yardbirds because he didn't want to be in a pop mand travelling up the m1. ironically that is what he is now having travelled full circle. the guitar master shp277 you tube

[MrJayadeva108]

Zappa makes all these guys look like amateurs.. but as Frank himself once said: "I'm not a guitarist, I'm a composer who plays guitar." and so his music was not all about the fucking guitar, but when he wanted to he could soar to heights that these other guys could not even dream of because he was a music maestro and could create and recreate on the spot.. ask Steve Vai.. he'll tell ya.

[mfish618]

@MrJayadeva108 I can't disagree. Zappa was the best guitarist I ever heard. I saw him every time he was in San Diego. He's still my favorite composer.

[newkdawg3000]

in addition to that last comment, i gotta quote Dylan- "politics are bullshit"

[newkdawg3000]

heheh, i totally dig what these guys are sayin'. especially after all of the b.s. here in the states about "health-care" and all of these crooked, corrupt, cowards we call politicians that we have in charge of our country.

[cydonianman]

Leslie West said in an interview he wanted to sound like Clapton durring his Cream days. i'd say Leslie succeeded in a way, but a different way. Leslie changed it to a more hard or heavier blues rock sound. and established a tone thats still considered a standard in rock and roll.

[Shadowconscious]

Clapton's solo career is a pile of shit. The man should of retired after Cream disbanded.

[NicktheBarber31]

THANK YOU! finally someone agrees with me! he was cool when he was with the yardbirds, mayall's bluesbreakers and cream...after 1968 he turned lamer than larry flynt

[SamuBolado]

you guys giv some credit to layla

[mfish618]

@Shadowconscious Truer words were never spoken. His ''vision'' of being this blues god is total crap. Love the Yardbirds and Cream, Blindfaith was great. He lost me from Derrick and the Dominos on.

If you want real British Blues check out Robin Trower. He's everything Clapton aspired to be.

[ApexBozo]

@mfish61 trower was great but you have to admit he heavily borrowed hendrix's sound.. peter green and mick taylor are the two genuine british blues guitar gods, imho

[mfish618]

@ApexBozo Yep, by his own admission. I don't see that as a negative.I also believe he evolved much further than Hendrix and plays with far more passion. Who can say what Hendrix might have done.

[carlfia56]

@mfish618 Right, he advanced much further than Hendrix. That's brilliant!!! considering Hendrix was dead in 1970. Any more nuggets of your genius?

[mfish618]

@carlfia56 Try reading my entire post before jumping on the troll wagon.

[pepper2840]

@mfish618 I was 17 when this came out. and god was not on my mind. Eric,s vision was american blues homage to our black greats of the south r&b era. I,m white fyi. His development spanned many influences and opened a lot of minds to the music of other greats like him. He was moved by others and so am i. Judge not lest ye be judged my man. He alone was one of the greats who woke up a generation of us looking for a voice,his!

[mfish618]

@pepper2840 Ok, maybe I was a bit harsh. Actually ,here in the states, many fans started refering to him as god. Like I mentioned, his early work was sensational, I just feel he peaked during his tenure with the Cream/Blind Faith. Then again, maybe I just wasn't partial to his work after that.

There's no doubt he introduced many people to a whiter version of Mississippi Delta Blues.

[olddavid4]

Sorry, but I think Clapton is overrated. I saw Carlos Santana blow him off the stage in 1978. They literally had to have Carlos come out for another encore, because no one was shutting up. Clapton as God. Right. When hell freezes over.

[Blink182plus44equ226]

Clapton was addicted to heroin in 1978...

[jpdidit]

@olddavid4

I disagree completely.

It's a matter of opinion.

I think they're both underrated in a world where pop "musicians" get all the attention.

[ljkm02]

@olddavid4 Sorry, but can Carlos santana play Crossroads the way EC played it on wheels of fire? Can C.santana play a 16minute long blues jam (Spoonful)? No. face it, santana's latino shit is nothing in front of Clapton's blues.

[Asymmatrix]

Love that progressive-funk beat G Baker lays down. And one of the best rock riffs ever.

[talpajam]

I think this is the Firebird I kids...still JTM Super Leads though.

[welten17]

Total agreement Mega Tronn. Excellent music is owing to the talents of the artist!

[MegaTronn]

It's really funny how people love to debate and compare guitar gods when the fact is that they're on levels of their own. None of them above or below one another. Let's all just enjoy the music.

[welten17]

Total agreement with you. Rock on!!!

[blackelk7373]

@MegaTronn agreed, once you get as good as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Clapton, Albert King, Hendrix, exc... You are part of a very small, elite group. Nobody can give it to you and nobody can take it away.

[dlm9293]

@MegaTronn truest statement I've ever read on youtube.

[jasionowicz99]

@MegaTronn well said sir

[harkrum]

@MegaTronn Best thing said yet...

[CWF142]

Clapton's solos are sick no doubt, But Jimmy Page is a far more innovative and interesting guitarist to me. Anyone who doubts Page can solo with the best of them should go back and listen to "Since I've Been Loving You".

[mrpowderfinger]

Its hard to compare Clapton and Page. Where as Clapton is kind of Canned from times and a little repetative, Page is inconsitant. If hes on prepared to be blown away. If he isn't (I've seen him four times and twice he was a big wad of fail stapped behind a Les Paul) prepare to have one's faith tested. Neither of em thrill me as much as Jeff Beck though these days. And yes the opening on Since I've been loving you from the Song Remains the Same is awesome. Reason I play guit in fact.

[devilxking2]

Badge > Since I've Been Loving You

Thanks.

[Birkebine]

I tend to agree that Page was more a riffer. Clapton's solo on Sweet Wine is the best short guitar solo I've ever heard: a mini-masterpiece, an epic story condensed into 65 seconds. Still sends shivers up my spine.

[ibnkhaldun821]

wow, spine-tingling

[shatnerthegreat]

i don't know why but jimmy page just never sounded this good. like he could write good riffs (duh) but his live solos just weren't up to this.

when you hear a clapton solo, you understand immediately why he was so influential. the phrasing is superb. all through out his solos you can hear the same phrases used but they are always in reused in a different way, making them feel like they are new.

[stovenwonder]

dude ur truly genius i feel the same way but couldent articulate my words like you :P jimmy page did have good riffs "dazed and confused and black dog" to name a few but clapton always has this thing that makes him sound different every solo

[gamegyro56]

@stovenwonder: I agree but it's funny that you mentioned those 2 songs, because those are 2 that jimmy page didn't write the riffs for. JPJ wrote the riff to Black Dog, and Jake Holmes wrote the riff to Dazed and Confused.

[itarethetroll]

That's because Jimmy Page is just plain over-rated. Happens all the time in music.

[Keither9]

"the song of the 60.s" thankx'ya sir.

[MrMetalsoul666]

i like how you describe some one like a politician as fucking awesome i wish we in england could do the same

[voter100]

nice and really nice riff!

[bluesedout]

one of the greatest live performances ever, all three were buzzing and what tasty stuff from Eric on the 335. Magic, thanks for posting!!

[slapjaxx]

politicans of today are neither to the left or the right. they are all mo-fo scumbags.

[Slavestorms]

True, I like Jarvis Cocker - Cunts are still running the world or Lily Allen - Fuck you very much for how I feel about politicians.

[Steve1861]

@slapjaxx You got that right!!!!!!!! Cocksuccckers!!!! ALL of THEM!!!!

[hobbified]

@slapjaxx scumbags is the definition of both the left and the right.

[intuantu]

@slapjaxx Yep. Wish everyone realized that.

[munnybunny666]

@slapjaxx if you into politks stay outa politiks

[Pizuzuzimmer]

@slapjaxx

And who elects them? The fuckwit citizenry. As George Carlin once said, it's not just the politicians who suck. People suck. This is the best we can do. We richly deserve the place in the dustbin of history that we'll inevitably come to occupy, probably relatively soon.

[mrmushbrain]

@Pizuzuzimmer it's not the citizen's fault if they have 2 crappy politicians 2 choose from, which is almost alawys the case

[Pizuzuzimmer]

@mrmushbrain

It's always an option to boycott the election. If enough Americans just refused to vote, it would become impossible to avoid noticing how illegitimate the American political system is.

And that's not all. When political systems decay, citizens have the option of getting their swords out and going to Congress looking for heads to collect. How many Americans can be pulled away from their tv sets and Doritos for that? We're a fat, stupid, lazy people.

[weldkatom1]

@Pizuzuzimmer well that is the image that is put across,nice to hear an honest american,who is realistic...and with a brain.....sorry but the tourists we get in ireland are all looking for leprechauns...think some of them are suprised we have motorways..ie freeways

[musicfiend49]

@Pizuzuzimmer

Come on, man. You'd never get both Republicans and Democrats to boycott an election. It would be mostly one party or another, and if that happened then you'd get one party saying 'well, obviously the _____ don't have enough faith in their candidate, so ours is the right choice'.

Nothing will change until Republicans and Democrats drop their labels.

[spacepatrolman]

@slapjaxx david amram had a song called a message for the politicians of the world which had a similar message to this but this came first

[riff88m]

this riff is fucking cool !

[TREYOLDHIPPIE]

they played a Chicago club in 67.. unbelievable great band

[Geoffreyg41]

The vesion with rory gallagher in the 90's is better !

[parafleet]

thanks, mc.

[villisol]

heavy nice song :)Cream is one of my favorite's well i think doors are better:Ð

[theredkatana]

two entirely different styles of music.

[Kynatics]

I feel the same way. Cream is super awesome, but The Doors have more variety what with Manzarek the keyboard monster, the subtle but powerful Robbie Krieger, and of course the crawling king snake: Mr. Mojo Risin.

Timeless bands, both of em

[janeythebrit]

one of Jack's awesome songs....LOVE his singin' and that bass-playin'.....funkeeeeeeeee­eeeeeee

[VELMOUS]

this was recorded at Candle Stick Park in San Francisco. Clapton was using a Gibson Firebird...great performance. The Albert Hall version was not as fluid. Eric,can you still do this note for note?

[ciavattiella]

Great!!!

[javiceres]

just give a shot to Deserted cities... of the Cream reunion shows:fluid

[leadguitarman9]

Cream never played Candlestick. this was from the L.A. Forum in Los Angeles on Oct. 19, 1968. All the live tracks from "Goodbye" were from the same performance.