''Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

, recorded at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in 2005 during the band's reunion tour. As the title implies, the recording includes songs from their four reunion shows on 2, 3, 5, and 6 May 2005. Within five months of these performances, this collection of recordings was released as separate double

Compact Disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...

and double

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

sets. Two months later in December, a triple LP set was also released, containing tracks identical to the CD set. A Blu-ray version also exists. The album reached No. 59 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart on 22 October 2005.

Reception

Critical

In his review for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

said that the shows at the Royal Albert Hall did not live up to Cream's concerts in the past, including their 1993 induction performance for the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

, not necessarily all because of their age, but primarily having not played together for quite some time.

J. D. Considine J. D. Considine (born 1957) is a music critic who has been writing about music professionally since 1977. Background J. D. Considine's work has been published in numerous newspapers and music magazines, and he has contributed to several books. ...

spoke much more highly of the shows because Cream were not as fixated with psychedelic

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without exte ...

s and sounded better than before.

Compact Disc track listing

;Disc one #"

I'm So Glad "I'm So Glad" is a Delta blues-style song originally recorded by American musician Skip James in 1931. Blues historian Gerard Herzhaft notes "This spiritual probably dates back to the beginning of the blues". Blues writer Stephen Calt describes ...

" (

Skip James Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James (June 9, 1902October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. AllMusic stated: "This emotional, lyrical performer was a talented blues guitarist and arranger with an impressive ...

) – 6:18 #"

Spoonful "Spoonful" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon and first recorded in 1960 by Howlin' Wolf. Called "a stark and haunting work", it is one of Dixon's best known and most interpreted songs. Etta James and Harvey Fuqua had a pop and R&B record ...

" (

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

) – 7:29 #" Outside Woman Blues" (

Blind Joe Reynolds "Blind Joe" Reynolds (1900 or 1904 – March 10, 1968), was an American singer-songwriter and blues guitarist. Reynolds is thought to have been born in Tallulah, Louisiana in 1904, although his death certificate states his birthplace as Arkansa ...

, arr. Clapton) – 4:33 #"Pressed Rat and Warthog" ( Ginger Baker, Mike Taylor) – 3:21 #"Sleepy Time Time" ( Jack Bruce,

Janet Godfrey Janet Godfrey is a British songwriter, known for being the first wife and occasional writing partner of bassist Jack Bruce. Early career Godfrey was the secretary of the fan club for the Graham Bond Organisation, a band that had started in 1963, ...

) – 6:08 #"N.S.U." (Bruce) – 6:02 #" Badge" (

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

) – 3:59 #"Politician" (Bruce,

Pete Brown Peter Ronald Brown (born 25 December 1940) is an English performance poet, lyricist, and singer best known for his collaborations with Cream and Jack Bruce.Colin Larkin, ''Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music'', (Muze UK Ltd, 1997), , p. 80 Bro ...

) – 5:08 #"Sweet Wine" (Baker, Godfrey) – 6:28 #"

Rollin' and Tumblin' "Rollin' and Tumblin'" (or "Roll and Tumble Blues") is a blues standard first recorded by American singer-guitarist Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929. Called a "great Delta blues classic", it has been interpreted by hundreds of Delta and Chicago b ...

" ( Hambone Willie Newbern) – 5:02 #" Stormy Monday" (

T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''Roll ...

) – 8:09 #"Deserted Cities of the Heart" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:56 ;Disc two #" Born Under a Bad Sign" ( William Bell, Booker T. Jones) – 5:31 #"

We're Going Wrong "We're Going Wrong" is a song by British supergroup Cream from the album ''Disraeli Gears''. The song was written by bassist Jack Bruce and was the only song on ''Gears'' that Jack wrote without lyricist Pete Brown. Song structure With the song ...

" (Bruce) – 8:26 #"

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

" ( Robert Johnson, arr. Clapton) – 4:25 #" White Room" (Bruce, Brown) – 5:39 #"

Toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...

" (drum solo) (Baker) – 10:07 #"

Sunshine of Your Love "Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British rock band Cream. With elements of hard rock, psychedelia, and pop, it is one of Cream's best known and most popular songs. Cream bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce based it on a distinctive b ...

" (Bruce, Clapton, Brown) – 8:46 #"Sleepy Time Time" (Alternate) (Bruce, Godfrey) – 6:07

DVD track listing

;Disc one #"I'm So Glad" (James) #"Spoonful" (Dixon) #"Outside Woman Blues" (Reynolds; arr. Clapton) #"Pressed Rat and Warthog" (Baker, Taylor) #"Sleepy Time Time" (Bruce, Godfrey) #"N.S.U." (Bruce) #"Badge" (Clapton, Harrison) #"Politician" (Bruce, Brown) #"Sweet Wine" (Baker, Godfrey) #"Rollin' and Tumblin'" (Newbern) #"Stormy Monday" (Walker) #"Deserted Cities of the Heart" (Bruce, Brown) #"Born Under a Bad Sign" (Bell, Jones) #"We're Going Wrong" (Bruce) *"Sleepy Time Time" (Alternate Take) (Bruce, Godfrey) (Extra feature) *"We're Going Wrong" (Alternate Take) (Bruce) (Extra feature) ;Disc two #

"Crossroads" (Johnson; arr. Clapton) #" Sitting on Top of the World" ( Walter Vinson, Lonnie Chatmon; arr.

Chester Burnett Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

) #"White Room" (Bruce, Brown) #"Toad" (Baker) #"Sunshine of Your Love" (Bruce, Clapton, Brown) *"Sunshine of Your Love" (Alternate Take) (Bruce, Clapton, Brown) (Extra feature) *Interviews with

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

Bruce The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been a ...

and Clapton (Extra feature)

Notes

*Although the title mentions all four dates Cream played in May 2005, these releases contain no performances recorded 2 May. However, there is a brief clip shown on the DVD of Clapton speaking to the crowd recorded on the first night. * These tracks recorded 3 May. * These tracks recorded 5 May. *All other tracks recorded 6 May. The recording of "Sitting on Top of the World", the alternate takes of "We're Going Wrong" and "Sunshine of Your Love" and the interviews are exclusive to the DVD set. All other tracks are identical to the CD release.

Credits

;Cream * Jack Bruce –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, vocals * Ginger Baker –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, cowbells, vocals ;Production *

Simon Climie Simon Climie (born 7 April 1957) is an English songwriter/producer and the former lead singer of the UK duo Climie Fisher. Biography Climie was born in London. Beginning his career primarily as a songwriter/session musician, Climie found him ...

–

audio production Sound design is the art and practice of creating sound tracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including ...

Mick Guzauski Nathan "Mick" Guzauski is an American multi-platinum mixing engineer and sound engineer. His work spans a wide range of styles, including jazz, R&B, Latin, rock, pop, easy listening, funk and hip hop. He won a 2002 Latin Grammy for Thalía's ...

–

audio mixer Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum *Digital audio, representation of sound ...

*Alan Douglas – Recording Engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

Album

Video

References

External links

Official site – Cream2005.com
(broken link) {{Authority control Cream (band) live albums Live albums recorded at the Royal Albert Hall 2005 live albums Reprise Records live albums