10 Best Hard Rock Albums Of The 1960's

By the time Cream had formed, Eric Clapton was already known as a guitar god. After playing with the blues outfit the Yardbirds and blowing away his contemporaries during his sessions with John Mayall, Clapton was quickly garnering a reputation as the best to ever pick up a six-string. Once he started to gel with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker though, the results were absolutely mesmerizing.

Though Cream's debut has some great tracks like the blues standard "Spoonful," Disraeli Gears is where they really started coming into their own, with psychedelic takes on the blues rock they had perfected. Instead of just trading licks back and forth, this record features carefully composed tunes such as "Sunshine of Your Love," whose solo might be one of the tastiest Clapton has ever played.

That's not to discount any of the other members, with Ginger Baker providing some of the most raucous backbeats that had ever been laid down in the 60's shy of Keith Moon. Jack Bruce's unique approach to the bass as well as his off-kilter vocal style also brought a certain level of gravitas to the band's sound. For blues purists, this may have looked like a psychedelic cash-in, but the result was amazing rock tunes that didn't have to sacrifice heaviness or technique.