psag---I feel the same way about Cream live. I saw them twice, and they played the recorded opening version of many of their songs, then went into really extended improvisational take-offs. The problem was that, unlike really good Jazz ensembles, wherein when one player is soloing the rest of the ensemble (particularly the rhythm section) plays in a supportive fashion, with Cream Eric, Jack, and Ginger would often all be "soloing" at the same time, walking all over each other. What a mess! Eric realized the error of his musical direction, he says, when he heard Music From Big Pink by The Band (which contains the finest ensemble playing I have yet to hear, in ANY genre). Eric told Jack and Ginger Cream was over.
