Various – Cream Live

Some serious reviews for what is essentially a frothy, nicely packaged commercial mix compilation.

Released in 1995 this comp was marginally ahead of the curve preempting the tidal bore of dross which followed in its wake: celeb DJ mixes spilled out into every aisle of every local HMV. Everyone from Jon Pleased to LuvDup routinely shuffling the same ubiquitous deck of chart anthems.

Cream began in Liverpool 1992 and this was their first release of many; a facet of a brand which evolved into one of the ‘super clubs’ of the ‘90’s era (alongside Ministry of Sound, Renaissance etc etc) - global reach, high profile, high capacity/multi-roomed/multi-storied venues, festivals, celebs and celeb DJs…

Looking back it plays like a greatest hits of (mostly) mid ‘90s house music - and what a decade. The selection is a little cheesy, but very endearing and nothing too challenging. Justin Robertson’s mix harder and edgier.

Great tunes, well packaged, with each mix in and out quicker than you can say 123

It does exactly what it says on the tin

…

And if you want a Cream comp with a bit more teeth…

https://www.discogs.com/release/161518-Paul-Oakenfold-Nick-Warren-James-Lavelle-Cream-Live-Two

A real mixed bag. If you're into vocal house stuff then the first half of the first and second CD will be more up your street. The second half of the first CD feels more early hard house, tony de vit style tougher stuff. I don't mind it but it got a bit dull after a while. CD2s first half is my favourite, but sadly it doesn't last long. Theres a great selection of house/trance there.
The second half is techier, more tribal house, stuff that feels like you're listening to the same loop for 15 years. I couldn't get into it....it just wasn't possible.
I suppose overall theres a fairly good selection of house music styles from the time...but there just wasn't enough in there to keep me happy.
my ratings system:
(263 out of 500) it's a wonky 3 star. If the first mix on each CD had been extended over the tops of the other two CDs I reckon it'd be a 3 star.
But they ain't so 3 it is.

It was this Mix CD that got me in to House music and away from the hardcore / rave stuff that was big at the time in Scotland. Fav mix is Oakenfolds which introduced me to a lot of records i now consider classics and I own every single one of them now.

I have a copy with 17 tracks on CD 2, I believe as follows, but I could be wrong:
14 = ?
15 = Voodoo Ray
16 = Let's Get Ready to Rumble
17 = So Get Up
If anyone knows what this mysterious track is, could you please advise? Sample: "But it is not possible" runs through it. TIA.

First off... Fantazia House Collection? A studio mix cd.
Cream was mixed and recorded live at the club. I hate studio mix cd's. Its all about the DJ talent.
Not about pre selecting tunes in the studio then making a mix fitting 74minutes.
For a live mix all the DJs did a good job.
Park does his usual stylish high class vocal stuff with harder edge vocal tunes, however the last 3 tunes are a bit too sugary.
Tong plays the usual tunes that he gets 6 months before they entered the charts and become comercial. Its his taste, but I aint complaining.
Robertson plays some real aggressive dark mind bending basic raw twisted warped tribal stuff.
Oakey brings the new age 90s progressive beats that begun to emerge in the mid 90's which most folks found pleasant.

These four mixes, which were recorded live by the way, and showed off the DJs talent, stood the test of time and represented the club culture sounds of the 90s - 16 - 26 year olds.
The times of the 90s were the best decade for music since the 60s.

This was a decent introduction to dance music back in the day. Whether that's the case now is debatable.

Park's mix is certainly not at his best and is on the wrongside of Handbag (For excellent Park compilations try Up Yer Ronson Vol 1 and Fantazia House Collection Vol. 1).

His remix of Loni Clark is pretty good but his take on Maria Rowe - Sexual sounds very similar to many other remixes he did back in the day. On the whole, his 6 track mix leaves a lot to be desired.

Tong's mix is commercially minded, cheesy but isn't actually that bad. Oakenfold's mix is trancey and as a result not something I enjoy. Furthermore, it is rather haphazardly mixed which is something we come to expect from him.

Justin Robertson's mix is the bravest but the only track I really like is Voodoo Ray. I note that there is a DJ Pierre production (The Original Creators) in the mix but this was certainly not Pierre's best.

Overall this mix is passable. Nevertheless, as one can imagine, it hasn't stood the test of time well at all.

When Liverpool superclub Cream added their first contribution to the deluge of big-name-club-plus-big-name-DJ mix CDs, the idea was starting to lose its sheen. In itself, I suppose, there's nothing THAT special. Graeme Park spins some commercial vocal house, which are good sweet-toothed fun; Tong concentrates on...everything popular at the time, as Tong always did, with a bit of euro-trance and very mainstream house; Oakey finds himself on the cusp of trance proper, with some great and important tracks from Sven Väth and Jam & Spoon; and Justin Robertson is a total square peg, with some fantastically skewiff acid and tribal stuff.

That said, it's very close to my heart - as an impressionable nine year-old, it was Tong's mix on this that turned me into a dance evangelist. While many will bite their fists at the cheese-tastic keys on Escrima's "Train of Thought", I just get a huge grin on my face and start bouncing around the room.

Top stuff.

Sort of.