10 Perfect 1960s Rock Albums With No Bad Songs
9. Disraeli Gears - Cream
Even though the Kinks may have been getting a little more tame around 1967, Cream were progressing by leaps and bounds ever since they started. Being the first real supergroup, Eric Clapton's guitar combined with Jack Bruce's bluesy wail could have made for one of the greatest blues rock outfits that the world had ever seen. After their first album though, they wanted to flex their muscles beyond just the blues pastiches.
From the opening notes of Strange Brew, Disraeli Gears is what the British Invasion bands would have sounded like if they had had their songs dipped in acid, especially when you listen to Clapton's guitar. While you can hear him tearing up his Muddy Waters style licks, there's a certain warmth on this album that feels almost welcoming, like the pop groove of Dance the Night Away or World of Pain.
That doesn't mean that this is a pivot towards the mainstream though, with most of the heavy hitters off of this album becoming the defining moments for rock going forward like the lick in Sunshine of Your Love. Even the more experimental songs like Tales of Brave Ulysses seem to foreshadow the acid rock genres that would come just a few years later. Rather than just kick back with another bluesy jam, this is where Clapton ascended from one of the greatest guitarists in town to the first guitar god.