Cream Wrap Up The Charts With Their First Single
Released by Reaction Records, Cream’s first single was a piece of whimsical jazz-influenced pop.
While it never made it to their debut album, Cream’s very first single was a jazz-influenced song called “Wrapping Paper” that caught the music world off guard. The band that became the model for just about every heavy rock band that followed in the immediate wake sounded like anything but a rock band.
Released by Reaction Records in the UK on October 22, 1966, this piece of whimsical pop was written by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown (Pete co-wrote “I Feel Free,” “White Room,” and “SWLABR” with Jack and “Sunshine of Your Love” with Eric Clapton). “Wrapping Paper” does feature a guitar solo, but it’s far from a trademark blistering blues outing. According to Ginger Baker, “I was totally against it, right from the start… Eric and I didn’t like it.”
“Wrapping Paper” made the UK singles chart on October 22, 1966, and eventually staggered to No. 34 but no higher. The B-side is “Cat’s Squirrel,” a song made popular by bluesman Doctor Ross, that was also the opening track on Side Two of Fresh Cream, the band’s debut album that was released in early December of 1966. Unsurprisingly, given Ginger’s views, the album did not include “Wrapping Paper”… except for the version issued in Sweden.
James
January 16, 2016 at 11:09 pm
Wrapping Paper was on the first Cream record I ever bought, an EP with I Feel Free, Strange Brew and NSU. I still have it and I find it have to believe that it’s almost 50 years old. Yes, i still play it!
Hym
January 18, 2016 at 9:53 am
J’aime le rock, blues, pop, folk des années 60 à 70 (de John Mayall, Beatles, Yardbirds, Kinks. à Dire Straits.
Peter Allen
February 7, 2016 at 7:15 pm
Ginger was spot on!
Rod
February 8, 2016 at 4:06 pm
spot on! It was crap, and that is from a life long Cream fan!!
Mark
May 30, 2016 at 9:50 pm
Ginger is fkn. Wrong,( my opinion as well as was his) Why didn’t he mention JB’s opinion? Cause he was always at odds w/ Jack. Every song Cream played had meaning, or else (I believe) it would have been trashed. They WERE Cream meaning The Cream of the crop(muscians). They never plated ” filler materail”, in my 50yrs. of uncessant listening to them, still “Early Cream – his hopefully, latest not last LP, I Still Do, evey article could lay my hands on, seeind each of them at least 40xs combined inc. Their re-union at MSG in 2005, one of the top 3 Highlights of my life, thats why I find it hard to believe this especially with this historical info. I could think of at least 3/4 45’s more distasteful than Wrapping Paper one of which GB was a big part of. I just dispise having to do this to Cream over 1 midiocre song. THEIR DEAD, leave their one of a kind music alone, move on & bash some other worthy band I.e. Led Zepplin, the band who stole the most songs of past (40-60’s) & made them hits w/o paying!