Why So Blu?

Cream: Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2005 (Blu-ray Review)

I have a confession. Up until today when I got my first official Blu-ray to review from the people at WSB, I had no recollection of who or what Cream was. About a quarter through the movie, a song called “Sleepy Time Time” came up and I thought to myself “wait… I know this song!” Throughout the rest of the film, I recognized so many great songs I heard throughout my childhood, and really enjoyed viewing this wonderful Blu-ray. The picture is very sharp, and the audio is flawless, especially when you pump your speakers up to max volume. This is ultimately a fail feature-wise, and the running time may be too long for some to handle in a single viewing, but there is too much great music and talent to scrap that aside  

 

Film 

Cream: Live at the Royal Albert Hall is a concert for the band Cream that took place in London on May 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in 2005 at the Royal Albert Hall. The band members are Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and master guitarist Eric Clapton. What was supposed to end in 1968, reunited for four final farewell concerts to say a final goodbye to their new and old fans.

Now I’m not one to like concert movies, but I can’t resist it if the music is THIS good. I mean, c’mon, they sang songs such as “Sleepy Time Time” and “Sunshine of Your Love”. Great songs, administered by great musicians, and the whole package, making this a pretty fun time that is best to be watched in bits and pieces, as the running time lasts almost three hours!

The only reason my grade was dummed down to a three was solely due to it’s lack of replay value. It’s certainly good for a one time watch, but don’t expect it in the Blu-ray player again. It’s pretty crazy to imagine myself watching this whole film again. Of course if I were a bigger fan of this band I would have a much more positive recommendation for you, but it’s essentially for die-hard fans. However, if you have a killer surround sound system, or are at all interested in this band, check out Eagle Rock’s Cream: Live at the Royal Albert Hall.

This definitely ranks up with the greats such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Cream features plenty of catchy, memorable, and well performed songs administered perfectly from the three leads, who are still able to shine which is quite a surprise considering their ages. Overall, I’d only recommend this to Cream fans.

There is a wide array of songs from the band, and they go as follows:

I’m So Glad
Spoonful
Outside Woman Blues
Pressed Rat and Warthog
Sleepy Time Time (The best song by Cream)
N.S.U.
Badge
Politician
Sweet Wine
Rollin’ and Tumblin’
Stormy Monday
Deserted Cities of the Heart
Born Under a Bad Sign
We’re Going Wrong
Crossroads
Sitting on the Top of the World
White Room
Toad
Sunshine of Your Love

Video 

Cream: Live at the Royal Albert Hall is presented in 1080i, (1.78:1), and looks pretty good. The fact that there isn’t a wide array of shots, as it’s mainly focused on the stage and the band. It looks great, but the constant strobe lights and flash lighting get in the way of what could have been a great looking concert film. That’s the bad part; the good part is that there are some pretty wonderful tones and the saturated colors are great. Additionally, the [brief] backstage moments are perfect and look fantastic in the definition it was meant for.

Audio

Man, we’ve had some average scores so far, good to see a perfect one. Cream is presented in DTS-HD MA 5.1. It sounds outstanding. After I popped the disc in, I pumped up the volume to 50, and hoped for the best. Trust me, it is worth it. All of the songs are perfectly clear and sharp, and the guitar solos from Clapton sound great and mixed well with the way the audio was arranged.

Special Features

This part didn’t come as a surprise to me. Concert movies don’t usually contain a supply of special features, and this is no exception. The special features on here are useless; 3 IDENTICAL songs performed from different nights, and an incredibly boring interviewing session.

• Alternate Takes: Alternative performances from different nights of the SAME songs – Sleepy Time Time, We’re Going Wrong, Sunshine of Your Love.

• Interviews: Very uninteresting (unless you are a die-hard Cream fan) interviews with band members Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton.

Final Thoughts 

I wouldn’t classify myself as a “fan” of Cream, but I am definitely impressed by their unique style that is still maintained with millions of fans, over 40 years later. The Blu-ray doesn’t have much to offer except a killer sound, and some great music. I guess what I’m trying to say is that this is for Cream fans only.

 

 

Order Cream: Live at the Royal Albert Hall 2005 on Blu-ray!