Cream: Farewell Concert

Rating:
Summary: The only good document of Cream there is.
Review: First , I have to agree with the crfiticisms of this production on face value. Yes I ,too , hate the no value added film and echo effects that the Brit twits of docu-cinematograhpy of the time simply *had* to include to make it oh so much more *psychedelic*. ELP's performance of " Pictures at an Exhibition" was forever defaced to a far ,far, worse and probably *irrepairable* degree since what remians are the master cuts. ( The only true shining example from the time on how it *could* be done *right* remains " Yessongs" .)
That said one still can *not* forget *when* this BBC documentary was made ( and yes, it is a documentary done in the clinical style that Monty Python often mercilessly lampooned to within an inch of its life ) and filmmaking itself was becoming a kind of perfromance art all until itself.
Now, with all of this very deserved criticism , I still must offer a protest to make the case that ,even with the short comings of the cinema-documnetarian's bad choices of the time , it is still *the* best surviving document of Cream LIVE. It more than captures the sheer energy of improvization and never-before seen levels of musician mastery arising from the Brit Rock era that grew out of the post Brit Pop invasion ( the Beatles & the Stones who were *NEVER* the level of musicians that this 2nd wave of Brit virtuosos produced ). Not much else survives.
Please remmeber to blame the Pop Celebrity Culture , that we oh so suffer with to this very day , for all of the over-indulgent tight close-ups on the faces of Cream. This was before " Woodstock" challenegd the Pop Rock music marketing machinery whose rabid uber-spawn is "still braindead-after-all-these-year-MTV today"( " Unplugged" was still MTV's *only* good idea and look where it's gone ).
Meanwhile this is Cream at their most totally *plugged-in* LIVE and one should tke pause that even this meager document exists at all. The sheer musicanship & on-the-spot creative white heat fever ( unfortunately heroin-fed ) is all there writ large. It's a glimpse of just what virtuoso musicinaship "was" ; something that hasn't existed in what passes for music for atleast 20 years.
Suffice it to say that when someone really young who shows some genuine appreciation for musicianship , and admits that their utter starvation for it led them off the seemingly endless Post-punk/Grunge/Tharsh-Rap dead-end reservation , is a guest at our house I pull out just 4 DVD's and " Cream's Farfewell Concert" is usually the first that I play on our 61" hitachi HD screen. It gives me the greatest thrill to see how DVD-crystalized performances such as this never fails to fire their imagination and satiate that hunger for something resembling quality done by truly master musicians. ( The other choices are Steve Howe's solo accoustic performance from " Yessongs" , Kieth Emerson's solo piano performance of " Creole dance" and then perhaps " Lucky Man " from "Live at Albert Hall" , and then sometimes I throw in some Live concert footage of Pat Metheny Group ; usually " Song for Bilbao".)

So criticize the obvious if you must , but a flawed gem is still a one-of-a-kind rare gem of rare beauty nonetheless and " Cream's Farewell Concert" is just such a gem ;like captured lightening in bottle that's a crytaline time capsule of when a truly new era of rock electric virtuosity shook the world like never before.
Considering the absoute braindead and sloppy insipidness of 99% of what passes for musicianship today one veiwing of this makes one continue to wonder out loud where all of this inspired fire went when it was first begun to be snuffed out by London Punk. ( Yeah , that's right UK. You all killed you're own brilliant era .Thanks all round ).
One can only hope that Generation Y is sick of the music of the Gen Xer's and is hungry enough for something that includes the mastery of musicianship again....and this time without the damn drugs.

Rating:
Summary: Shame it wasn't filmed better.
Review: According to Ginger Baker this was not one of the band's better performances. Eric Clapton was angry that the film makers didn't get the best parts of the concert. Even so, the concert was a success and there were second thoughts about breaking up the band after getting such a warm reception back in England. Too bad it was filmed so poorly. Lots of excessive zooming, close-ups and sound is muddied with added echo effects. Some great music (only partial songs), interesting interviews and historical interest make it worth while. Considering how important this band was, there is surprisingly little film of the Cream. A few great moments of one of the most influential bands of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Idiotic cinematography
Review: I love Cream, but I was very disappointed with the silly cinematography. The camera operator decided to simulate the psychedelic experience by rapidly cycling the zoom lens all the way in and all the way out. Give me a break! This just looks cheesy and dumb. Unfortunately there is so much of this kind of foolishness that I have only watched the show once, and then I put it on the shelf where it has stayed. Not recommended. If you are a guitar player and wanted to see Clapton play, don't waste your time.

Rating:
Summary: Not Quite What I Expected
Review: I love Cream,so I was really looking forward to seeing this DVD.I was disappointed by both the extemely poor sound and video quality. The sound was particularly bad. I couldn't even hear Jack Bruce's vocals becase of the distortion. My favorite part of this DVD was interview part, where each band member spoke about the music and even gave a lesson on their instrument. That was really cool. I recommend that you rent this just for that part alone. This is not worth the purchase price.

Rating:
Summary: Cream soured
Review: I love Cream. One would think that for one of rock's all time concerts, they could put together a competent video. Sorry, I like many Cream fans were disappointed here. Songs are cut in half by cheesy narrative that really has no place, and the interviews are bad to say the least. They need to put out the whole concert; it's billed as a concert isn't it? Narrative is horrible, just show the band play.

Rating:
Summary: Farewell Concert -- NOT!
Review: I was bummed to find that not one number is shown in its entirety, only segments. The list of features is misleading. You get pumped figuring this is the film of the album, but it's not, it totally craters. The interviews, from it seems a year or so prior, are amusing. Sample some pics from it with your Snappy and send it along, or donate it to the library (if you can itemize.)

Rating:
Summary: Farewell Concert -- NOT!
Review: I was bummed to find that not one number is shown in its entirety, only segments. The list of features is misleading. You get pumped figuring this is the film of the album, but it's not, it totally craters. The interviews, from it seems a year or so prior, are amusing. Sample some pics from it with your Snappy and send it along, or donate it to the library (if you can itemize.)

Rating:
Summary: It's an OK video
Review: I wish the show was more of a concert instead of a documentary. I would like to have seen complete songs instead of how to play drums and guitar. Buy Cream's Strange Brew video instead. It has more complete versions from the same concert plus killer interviews with the band and other luminaries like Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Alex Van Halen and John Mayall.

Rating:
Summary: In the face
Review: I'm not going to comment so much on this DVD as all the previous writers have covered all the bases. I would like to comment on the whole Cream package, movies, records, cd's etc. Cream was one of the best bands ever, I love them, but I haven't heard one recording that ever did them justice. I think the whole RSO organization used them as a money machine and then cast them aside. None of the recordings or moveis had any real technical know how behind them. One typical feature that has irritated me on a lot of British films are why in the world do they focus on the guitar players face during a solo (Clapton, Hendrix et al) and forget that they ain't singin' man they are playin' that thing they are holding. Anyway I have bought all of the Cream videos I could and just suffer through it all.

Rating:
Summary: Cream Farewell Concert 1968
Review: If you are a die hard cream fan then this video isint for you. Buy starnge brew. It inly has clips of each song and not the complete backsatge interviews. Also it has vocie overs. Being a huge fan of them this video was the worst. Fresh cream is better and strange brew. Those may be hard to find since i think therye out of print. Settle for this or fresh live cream its good.