Four star

A WELCOME addition for any purveyor of sixties music and long overdue.

Cream were on the cusp of the decade's movement from light-hearted jangly rock 'n' roll aping to something altogether more 'rock', albeit with a strong blues vein.

The band's albums were always meticulously produced whereas their live stuff could, at times, be jaw-droppingly intense, not to mention loud.

What this collection provides is 22 songs, mostly album tracks from Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears and Wheels of Fire, re-recorded in a 'semi-live' environment in the studios of the BBC.

Clapton, Bruce and Baker are heard between November 1966 and January 1968 in fine fettle and what is served up is a refreshing middle ground between some of that studio restraint and live earbashing.

It's a superbly enjoyable package with the likes of rare and powerful renditions of We're Going Wrong, Outside Woman Blues, I Feel Free and SWLABR.

Clapton's guitar work is stinging, though it's Baker on drums and the alarmingly talented Bruce with his rubber band bass lines who really come through on most of the material.

It's essential listening for any Cream/Clapton fan but also quite accessible for those who want to dip their toe into the band's legendary legacy.

JS