"SWLABR" is a song recorded by the British rock 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 ...
in 1967. It first appeared on the album ''
Disraeli Gears
''Disraeli Gears'' is the second studio album by the British rock band Cream. It was released in November 1967 and reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart. Search "Cream" in ''Name of Artist'', and No. 1 on the Swedish and Finnish charts. The alb ...
'' (1967). Later, the song was the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
to Cream's "
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 ...
" single.
Background
The poet
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 ...
wrote the words and Cream's bassist
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 disban ...
wrote the music. Bruce sings and plays bass guitar, with
Eric Clapton on guitars and
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 pio ...
on drums. The title is an
initialism
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
for "She Walks Like a Bearded Rainbow".
[
] Bruce later said the W stood for "was" rather than "walks".
["Cream: Disraeli Gears", ''Classic Albums on VH1'', 3 November 2006]
A live version of "SWLABR" was released on ''
BBC Sessions'' and the Deluxe Edition of ''Disraeli Gears'', which also includes a four-minute demo version. Several Cream compilation albums include the song, such as ''
Best of Cream
''Best of Cream'' is a compilation album of material recorded from 1966 to 1968 by the rock band Cream, and released shortly after their disbanding. The album was originally released by Cream's U.S. label Atco (Atlantic) Records (catalog no. SD ...
'', ''
Heavy 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 ...
'', ''
Strange Brew: The Very Best of Cream'', ''
The Very Best of Cream
''The Very Best of Cream'' is a 1995 compilation album by the British rock band Cream.
Track listing
Personnel
*Ginger Baker – drums, percussion, vocals
*Jack Bruce – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, organ, harmonica, cello, vocals
...
'', ''
Those Were the Days Those Were the Days may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Those Were the Days'' (Johnny Mathis album) (1968)
* ''Those Were the Days'' (Cream album) (1997)
* ''Those Were the Days'' (Dolly Parton album) (2005)
* '' Those Were the Days – The Best of L ...
'' and ''
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...
''.
Notes
References
Sources
*Clapton, Eric (2007). Clapton: The Autobiography. New York, United States: Broadway Books. pp. g. 74. .
*Hjort, Christopher (2007). Strange Brew: Eric Clapton & the British Blues Boom, 1965–1970. London, UK: Jawbone Press. pp. g. 29. .
*Ertegün, Ahmet (2006). Classic Albums: Cream – Disraeli Gears (DVD). Eagle Rock Entertainment.
{{Authority control
1968 singles
Cream (band) songs
Song recordings produced by Felix Pappalardi
Atco Records singles
Polydor Records singles
Songs written by Jack Bruce
1967 songs
Songs with lyrics by Pete Brown