''Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005'' is a live album 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 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 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 released in Oc ...

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 kind ...

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 databa ...

, Stephen Thomas Erlewine 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, not necessarily all because of their age, but primarily having not played together for quite some time. J. D. Considine spoke much more highly of the shows because Cream were not as fixated with psychedelic jam sessions 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 reco ...

" ( Willie Dixon) – 7:29 #"

Outside Woman Blues "Outside Woman Blues" is a blues song originally recorded by Blind Joe Reynolds in 1929. It is one of few known recordings made by Reynolds, who used "Woman Blues" in several song titles, including "Cold Woman Blues", "Goose Hill Woman Blues", and ...

" ( Blind Joe Reynolds, arr. Clapton) – 4:33 #"Pressed Rat and Warthog" (

Ginger Baker Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker (19 August 1939 – 6 October 2019) was an English drummer. His work in the 1960s and 1970s earned him the reputation of "rock's first superstar drummer", for a style that melded jazz and African rhythms and pi ...

, Mike Taylor) – 3:21 #"Sleepy Time Time" (

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...

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 196 ...

) – 6:08 #"N.S.U." (Bruce) – 6:02 #"

Badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and ...

" ( Eric Clapton, George Harrison) – 3:59 #"Politician" (Bruce, Pete Brown) – 5:08 #"Sweet Wine" (Baker, Godfrey) – 6:28 #" Rollin' and Tumblin'" (

Hambone Willie Newbern William "Hambone Willie" Newbern (probably 1901 – April 15, 1965) was an American guitar-playing country blues musician. Life and career Few details are known of his life. He is believed to have been born in Haywood County, Tennessee, clos ...

) – 5:02 #"

Stormy Monday "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)" (commonly referred to as "Stormy Monday") is a song written and recorded by American blues electric guitar pioneer T-Bone Walker. It is a slow twelve-bar blues performed in the West Coast blu ...

" (

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 ''R ...

) – 8:09 #"Deserted Cities of the Heart" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:56 ;Disc two #"

Born Under a Bad Sign ''Born Under a Bad Sign'' is the second compilation album by American blues musician Albert King, released in August 1967 by Stax Records. It features eleven electric blues songs that were recorded from March 1966 to June 1967, throughout fiv ...

" ( William Bell,

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known art ...

) – 5:31 #" We're Going Wrong" (Bruce) – 8:26 #" Crossroads" (

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

, 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 scient ...

" (drum solo) (Baker) – 10:07 #" Sunshine of Your Love" (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 "Sitting on Top of the World" (also "Sittin' on Top of the World") is a country blues song written by Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon. They were core members of the Mississippi Sheiks, who first recorded it in 1930. Vinson claimed to have c ...

" (

Walter Vinson Walter Vinson (February 2, 1901 – April 22, 1975) was an American Memphis blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks, worked with Bo Chatmon and his brothers, and co-wrote the blues standard "Sitting o ...

, 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 car ...

) #"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,

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 ...

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 *

–

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 withou ...

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 * Eric Clapton –

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 strin ...

, vocals *

– drums,

cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

s, vocals ;Production * Simon Climie –

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 –

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