RIP Jack Bruce, 1943-2014

October 25, 2014 10:35 AM

Jack Bruce, best known as bass player and vocalist for 60s supergroup Cream has died of liver disease at the age of 71.

Jack Bruce's music career spanned over 5 decades. He began his professional career 1962 as a member of Blues Incorporated with Alexis Korner, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Graham Bond and Ginger Baker. He continued on with Graham Bond in The Graham Bond Organisation. Subsequently, Bruce had brief sojourns in Manfred Mann and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

In 1966, Bruce joined fellow Bluesbreaker Eric Clapton, and frequent former bandmate (and nemesis) Ginger Baker to form the primal blues-rock power trio, Cream -- so named because they believed themselves to be the "cream" of the British music crop. Cream lasted a little over 2 years but left behind a highly influential body of work, including the classic singles Sunshine of Your Love, White Room and Tales of Brave Ulysses. They were particularly known for their live performances which featured long solos by all three members and songs often exceeding ten minutes.

Some post-Cream career highlights:
Songs For a Tailor, his first solo album.
Things We Like, a collaboration with John McLaughlin, Dick Heckstall-Smith, and Jon Hiseman.
Tony Williams Lifetime, again with John McLaughlin, as well as Larry Young and of course Tony Williams.
West Bruce and Laing.
Collaborations with Mick Taylor,
Robin Trower, Gary Moore and Ginger Baker, and Rory Gallagher.
Cream Reunion Concerts in 2005

posted by wabbittwax (72 comments total)

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posted by enamon at 10:41 AM on October 25, 2014

Damn.
posted by TDavis at 10:41 AM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

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can't favorite this. And wow, that Tales Of Brave Ulysses link is as I remembered. A killer.
posted by philip-random at 10:42 AM on October 25, 2014

NOOOOOOOOOO! Fuck. He's why I'm a bass player.

Words fail me. I didn't even know he was ill.

I hope he's remembered most of all as a formidable songwriter. His legacy should speak for itself in that regard.

Fuck.
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:49 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

FUCK!
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:50 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

:( .
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 10:54 AM on October 25, 2014

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I just found out about The Graham Bond Organisation a couple weeks ago through this clip from 1965 - that band was amazing, and the connections from that band to so many others has blown my mind.
posted by chambers at 10:55 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

I don't see a link to their 1968 Farewell Concert. Talk about a band going out at their peak.

I remember seeing it for the first time back in the 90s sometime. Somebody had it on VHS. The thing that clobbered me was Jack Bruce, the scuttlebutt on Cream always being Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and that other guy. Which that concert exposed as utter bullshit. He owns White Room here, the song I've always considered their most essential, ever since a friend's older brother cranked the volume on it one sunny day in around 1971, cruising around suburban Vancouver in his beater of a Ford Rambler. Some moments last forever.
posted by philip-random at 10:57 AM on October 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

I think my favorite vocal of his was the understated & overlooked little gem from BLT, Won't Let You Down .

This is a tough one. He literally changed my life more than any other musician, in the early days, at least. No one really eclipsed him in my regard until Colin Moulding picked up a fretless in '81. Thank you so much, Mr. Bruce. Wish I could have thanked you in person some day.

Great here come the onions. fuck
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:02 AM on October 25, 2014 [5 favorites]

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posted by blob at 11:17 AM on October 25, 2014

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Farewell to the only rock cellist that ever mattered.
posted by charlie don't surf at 11:24 AM on October 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

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posted by oceanjesse at 11:26 AM on October 25, 2014

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One of my favorites.
posted by doctor_negative at 11:29 AM on October 25, 2014

Go and feel free in the sunshine with some sweet wine and rest.
posted by Freedomboy at 11:29 AM on October 25, 2014

I saw him do a Beatles tribute concert with Christopher Cross, Alan Parsons, and that guy from Grand Funk. He did an awesome job and had a great attitude.

Kind of ironic that he outlived every Beatle except Ringo.

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posted by RobotVoodooPower at 11:30 AM on October 25, 2014

Paul, still a Beatle, as there are no new ones, is not dead.
posted by Freedomboy at 11:32 AM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

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One of my favorites
posted by hal9k at 11:35 AM on October 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

What's crazy is that we was outlived by Ginger Baker
posted by wabbittwax at 11:36 AM on October 25, 2014 [7 favorites]

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posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 11:46 AM on October 25, 2014

I see what you did there hal9k.

For those who didn't, here's the crux of the biscuit:
Apostrophe
posted by wabbittwax at 11:46 AM on October 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

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posted by riverlife at 11:53 AM on October 25, 2014

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posted by tommasz at 11:58 AM on October 25, 2014

And, of course, there was his work with the Golden Palominos, which I vividly recall from my mid-80s college years.

RIP.
posted by skybluepink at 12:01 PM on October 25, 2014 [4 favorites]

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posted by mondo dentro at 12:03 PM on October 25, 2014

Paul...is not dead.
posted by howfar at 12:06 PM on October 25, 2014

One of the true greats. RIP, Jack.
posted by jonmc at 12:17 PM on October 25, 2014

well, someone's got to post theme for an imaginary western
posted by pyramid termite at 12:26 PM on October 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

Jack Bruce's instructional video from the 90s, The Cream of Cream.

Also, the 1969 documentary Rope Ladder to the Moon, taking Jack Bruce back to some of his old haunts.

He was so, so good at both bass and singing.
posted by grounded at 12:32 PM on October 25, 2014 [5 favorites]

Sad news.

skybluepink, I was going to post the very same Golden Palominos song.
posted by safetyfork at 12:53 PM on October 25, 2014

Proof there's no god: the two assholes in Cream still live.

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posted by notsnot at 1:16 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

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posted by Woodroar at 1:17 PM on October 25, 2014

Proof there's no god: the two assholes in Cream still live.

assumes mortal life is not punishment
posted by philip-random at 1:17 PM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

Even if he wasn't the greatest rock bassist of all time, he's definitely in the top five.

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posted by Renoroc at 1:34 PM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

Goddamnit. What a master.
posted by Palindromedary at 1:50 PM on October 25, 2014

Farewell to the only rock cellist yt that ever mattered.

'As You Said' is my favourite Cream song. It's something else.
posted by ovvl at 1:56 PM on October 25, 2014

Vivid memories of teaching myself to play "Sunshine of Your Love" on the piano and of the cover of "Disraeli Gears," which glowed under my college freshman dorm room's black light. Yes.

I can't believe he's gone.

Old age/illness is breaking up that old gang of mine. Sniff.
posted by Lynsey at 2:07 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

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posted by the sobsister at 2:13 PM on October 25, 2014

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Bruce was responsible for most of the psychedelic elements of Cream's sound and was crucial element in making sure Cream functioned as a "power trio." I always liked him more than Clapton, who just strikes me as a guy who gets more boring the more technically proficient he gets.
posted by jonp72 at 2:34 PM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

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posted by Slithy_Tove at 2:35 PM on October 25, 2014

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posted by MeanwhileBackAtTheRanch at 2:44 PM on October 25, 2014

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posted by readery at 3:04 PM on October 25, 2014

We will lose this war of attrition friends. Eventually, in our lifetimes, there will be no more rock stars.
posted by SafetyPirate at 3:11 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

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posted by MrBadExample at 3:26 PM on October 25, 2014

'As You Said' is my favourite Cream song. It's something else.

I went 15 years without a copy of Wheels of Fire between the demise of my turntable & finally getting around to the CD. I had forgotten that song existed, & got stuck on it for an entire afternoon & then the entire drive to work again the next morning. I'm not going to call it my favorite Cream song because there's a few contenders, but it's the most unusual & adventurous thing they did. Unique in many aspects at that time.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:41 PM on October 25, 2014

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posted by drezdn at 3:44 PM on October 25, 2014

White Room was the first tune line I learned to play when I started on bass. Not sure why...it's not the most prominent bass line, but Jack was always one of my biggest influences.
A huge loss to the music world.
posted by rocket88 at 3:51 PM on October 25, 2014

"Those were the days, yes they were, miracles everywhere were everyday, now they're gone, they're gone..."
posted by Oyéah at 3:57 PM on October 25, 2014

♪
posted by Smart Dalek at 4:12 PM on October 25, 2014

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posted by Cookiebastard at 4:20 PM on October 25, 2014

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posted by sydnius at 4:50 PM on October 25, 2014

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posted by homunculus at 6:12 PM on October 25, 2014

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posted by ahimsakid at 6:50 PM on October 25, 2014

Here's Jack Bruce with Robin Trower and Bill Lordan (BLT) with a funky number called "What it Is".

I was sure I'd seen BLT play it on SNL around 1980, but all I can find is a Jack Bruce and Friends appearance in 1981. Maybe it was another show like Fridays or Old Grey Whistle Test or something. Whereever it was, it was a more exciting live performance than the one on the album.

Another stand out Jack Bruce vocal performance for me is "We're Going Wrong", which could be about a relationship, or many other things. Here's the original from Disraeli Gears, and from the Albert Hall show in 2005.

well, someone's got to post theme for an imaginary western

One of my favourite Jack Bruce tracks! That's the Jack Bruce & Leslie West "Tribute to Felix" version, of course. The original very different arrangement is on the Songs For A Taylor album cited above. There are lots of good covers of "Theme. . . ", including Mountain and Colloseum.

But here's Jack Bruce playing "Theme for an Imaginary Western" live, just vocals and piano.

Here's Jack at the Cream's Rock Hall induction:

I'd like to thank Ginger for showing me some mad African rhythms that I can't get over; and Eric for clearing my mind and teaching me the purity of the blues and the honesty of it.

One of rock's finest singing voices, a composer from the edges of free jazz to pure pop, influential exploratory electric bassist as well as string bass, cello, piano, guitar, harmonica . . . thanks, Jack, sure gonna miss you.

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posted by Herodios at 7:13 PM on October 25, 2014 [4 favorites]

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posted by madamjujujive at 7:18 PM on October 25, 2014

You know, thinking about it, As You Said would have fit on Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti perfectly well. I'd guess there was some Clapton/Page cross-polinization, though I sure can't hear it. Bruce/Page (you gotta admit Page stole from the best) makes more sense.

White Room was the first tune line I learned to play when I started on bass.

Their version of Born Under a Bad Sign might have been the first song I actually learned to play note-for-note correctly, beginning to end. I knew bits & pieces of some Stones & Beatles, the lick to Smoke on the Water, etc. but that was a breakthrough moment were I really learned a song. Then it was off to the races -- I was pretty damn proud of myself when I'd memorized their live version of Crossroads a year or so later. I built endurance just trying to hang in there through Spoonful, but I also began to learn to improvise right there.

Sorry, just rambling. There's so much of my life tied up in his music.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:38 PM on October 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

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posted by Wolof at 7:46 PM on October 25, 2014

it's getting near dawn, when lights close their tired eyes.

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posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 8:45 PM on October 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

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posted by dougzilla at 9:00 PM on October 25, 2014

I'm very fond of his work with Kip Hanrahan, especially Desire Develops an Edge, and especially All Us Working Class Boys.
posted by Jasper Fnorde at 9:01 PM on October 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

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posted by buzzman at 9:03 PM on October 25, 2014

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posted by spinifex23 at 10:35 PM on October 25, 2014

. . . and appeared on key tracks on Carla Bley's epic Escalator Over The Hill:

Rawalpindi Blues
Businessmen
Detective Writer Daughter
And It's Again
 
posted by Herodios at 11:26 PM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

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posted by El Brendano at 3:23 AM on October 26, 2014

When I was a young guitarist, I listened to Cream for Clapton's guitar. Then I came to appreciate the intricacies Baker's drumming. But the older and more aware I became, the more I realized the brilliance of what Jack was doing.

Fallen faces, by the wayside, look as if they might have known
posted by Enron Hubbard at 8:35 AM on October 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

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posted by thelonius at 9:22 AM on October 26, 2014

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posted by Bron at 8:24 PM on October 26, 2014

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posted by lester at 9:28 PM on October 26, 2014

Simply a wonderful musician -- RIP.
posted by On the Corner at 1:45 AM on October 27, 2014

♪
posted by Gelatin at 7:10 AM on October 27, 2014

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posted by GrapeApiary at 7:18 AM on October 27, 2014

My favorite Bruce track is also a Golden Pals one, the ominous (Something else is) Working Harder, written by Peter Blegvad. I used to love to pair it with Blow at High Dough by the Hip.

Bruce had the best and most interesting post-Cream career, and it's a shame to see him go. Hopefully his memory will get the other two to rededicate themselves to doing interesting work with their talent.
posted by klangklangston at 11:54 AM on October 27, 2014 [1 favorite]

Probably been over 40 years since I first heard it, but I still get chills whenever "Tales of Brave Ulysses" comes on. Pure freaking magic....
posted by e1c at 9:09 AM on October 28, 2014 [1 favorite]