Why was Gingare Baker so underated as a drummer

[agentorange]

The dude was by far a superior drummer to Jon Bonham....damn, Ginger Baker rocked...whats the deal

[babylinux]

Here we go

Toad live

[babylinux]

BTW who said he was underrated? he's certainly in the top 3.

[Steveg85321]

In his heyday, with Cream, he was certainly regarded as about tops. After Blind Faith, though, he kind of disappeared as far as playing in any big time bands as far as I can remember. Maybe he was hard to get along with; I don't know. I remember hearing he lived in Italy and made his living as a drum teacher. He certainly didn't lose his chops. If you haven't seen the DVD of the Cream 2005 at the Albert Hall check it out (link above). The guy is a monster.

[ursusdave]

Ever since I bought the Cream's first album - right after it hit the shelves of Baltimore area record stores - and a long time before any Balto radio played a Cream song (Sunshine of Your Love on WCAO in the summer of '68) - Ginger Baker has been my favorite drummer.

I saw Cream in concert at the Baltimore Civic Center. It was Nov 3, 1968 - two weeks before I began Army Basic Training. An unknown but real cool kid named Terry Reid opened the concert. We audience members dug him righteously. THEN! The Moody Blues played a beautifully flowing set. Cream came on and played on and on and on, and us kids there could hardly believe the concert was that fantastic from Terry Reid through the Moody Blues and on.

I hold dear to my soul how Cream played their full, long, Wheels of Fire album length 16-17 minute version of a drum solo -=- Toad, and the entire audience we stood up in one swift wave of cheer as the last note of Toad was played. Back in the '60s, at the Civic Center, the Stones, Animals, Yardbirds, and all did like about a 35 minute set without an encore or any long extended songs. Consequentially, us audience members figured Toad was all there was left in Ginger Baker's arms, legs, body and head, and he weren't about to pound out another drum beat.

THEN!!

Didult-dun-didult-dun-didult-dun-dun - the first few guitar twangs of Spoonful filled that humongous room full of mighty awfully happy young folk standing there clapping and cheering whistling and wahoo-ing, all thinking the concert was over and way more of a great experience than we had ever hoped for. We all sat back down together as one living soul - a delighted mass of youthful Rock and Roll kids loving life. And Cream did their 16-17 minute version of Spoonful.

After Spoonful, we never had any ideas of there being an encore to the concert, as it was stupendously perfect as had been delivered. We dang near floated out of there. The sweet and attractive a girl I had taken there and I walked out of the Civic Center surrounded by the most satisfied and happiest concert audience as ever was. Everyone was smiling all over.

[Hexexis]

"Gingare Baker so underated "

Newt Gingare Baker, right? Drummer for "Wilsonian Sheep in Reaganite clothing." Te-tssshh.

[Steveg85321]

Ever since I bought the Cream's first album - right after it hit the shelves of Baltimore area record stores - and a long time before any Balto radio played a Cream song (Sunshine of Your Love on WCAO in the summer of '68) - Ginger Baker has been my favorite drummer.

I saw Cream in concert at the Baltimore Civic Center... Everyone was smiling all over.

Dave, thanks so much for that very evocative description of what it was like to be at a rock concert back in the day when heart and soul and the joy of high energy music carried the day, before it was all about money and fame and security, etc. I never got to hear Cream, but I can remember as if it was now the feelings at shows like The Who, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, even Elton John rocked like a monster back then. (Heavy sigh) Those were the days.

[bullmikey]

I remember when every wannabe guitar jockey in the world was running around playing the opening riff of Sunshine of Your Love (either that or Smoke on the Water). Even I could do it and I was pretty sucky with aguitar.

I saw Cream twice, once in Philly and once when I was out in California. Baker was good but some of those long solos he did (you know, where Bruce and Clapton went off stage to smoke and joke until they were needed again) could be kind of boring if you weren’t stoned. I’m sure he only did 12 or 15 minutes worth but one time it felt like hours.

I saw the Who twice, both times in Berlin. The first time was when they were on their Tommy tour and the second time they were back to doing their regular show. I still remember them being one of the best bands I ever heard.

Yes, those were the days. I don’t know if it was because the music was so much better or just that I was so much younger.

[EL-FLIPPO]

I remember when every wannabe guitar jockey in the world was running around playing the opening riff of Sunshine of Your Love (either that or Smoke on the Water)...

Don't forget one of the tunes that started it all: Iron Butterfly - Inna Gadda Da Vida

[bullmikey]

Don't forget one of the tunes that started it all: Iron Butterfly - Inna Gadda Da Vida

Yeah, that was another heavy riff, but for some reason that and Sunshine of Your Love haven't held up as well as Smoke on the Water has. I heard my son playing it the other day and I bet if you asked him how much he knew about Deep Purple (a pretty decent band, all in all, IMHO) those immortal four notes (actually the plucked tops and bototms of four chords they way it wa soriginally played, I think) would be all.

[EL-FLIPPO]

No doubt. Smoke On The Water was "killer"!

Iron Butterfly is more of an historical reference that paved the way, similar to the lineage from Vanilla Fudge to Pink Floyd.