Wheels of Fire is the name of the double album recorded by Cream. It was a big success, scoring the band a #3 peak in the UK and a #1 in the US.
The album was also released as Wheels of Fire (in the studio) and Wheels of Fire (live at the Fillmore) as two single albums, released together, with similar cover art except one was gold in color and the other silver, and completely different track lists and slightly different personnel.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 203 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [1]
The cartoonist Martin Sharp who designed the sleeve won the New York Art Directors Prize for Best Album Design in 1969.
In the Studio
Performers are "the Cream quartet" consisting of Clapton, Baker, and Bruce together with Felix Pappalardi, who plays many different instruments and is also credited with production.
Note 1: Some pressings of this album contain an alternative version of "Passing the Time". This "long version" is extended by 67 seconds, but also differs from the "extended version" included on Those Were the Days, which is longer by a further 8 seconds.
Live at the Fillmore
Although listed as four tracks and pressed with a track separation between the songs, this album consists of only two recordings, with the audio signal continuing intact between the tracks as the band segues between the songs.
While the disc is labeled "Live at the Fillmore," only "Toad" was recorded there. The other tracks were recorded live at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.[1]
Personnel
• Jack Bruce – lead vocals, bass guitar, cello, harmonica, calliope, acoustic guitar, recorder
• Eric Clapton – electric guitar, vocals (lead vocals on "Crossroads")
• Ginger Baker – drums, percussion, bells, glockenspiel, vocals (lead vocals on "Pressed Rat and Warthog")
Additional Personnel
Felix Pappalardi-Viola, Brass Instruments, Bells, Organ