Blind Faith

If Cream was the first Super Group then Blind Faith was it's slightly younger brother who followed it around, and waited to be there in the wings. Blind Faith was quite easy to get into when I was young because, I had the Eric Clapton Box Set called Crossroads. That box set was my introduction to so much Eric Clapton I really had no idea what to do with it. I listened to just about everything on that box set and I decided to pick and choose what I wanted to hear. I started with the early stuff in Clapton's career. It was easy for me to pick that because my father and my uncle would play that stuff all the time in their cars. But I did not hear the early stuff from The Yardbirds, Cream or Blind Faith. It's those first 2CD's that got me into the music I am into now. 

When I got to Blind Faith on disc two I was told by my uncle that the Blind Faith is just the tip of the iceberg. The only two songs represented on the box set were good, but not the ones I should be hearing. My uncle handed me the Blind Faith LP and told me to listen to the record. He told me it was no Cream, but it was great anyway. I heard the first song and was in awe. My Blind Faith liking was increased even more.

I continued my Blind Faith listening and noticed that it was more and more what I wanted to hear. Yes, it now felt like a Cream, but then again some of it did not. "Had To Cry Today" was great with it's sense of two guitars and the voice of Steve Winwood. A fresh new sound to me from hearing Jack Bruce. Even the Buddy Holly cover was a welcome addition then hearing the Blues covers Cream would do. I liked what I was hearing more and more. I also wanted more and more.

Then came the last two songs on the record. They took up side two of the record. I was unaware that this was the only album they put out. As a young kid listening to this for the first time I had no idea that this all they put out. I was sad because like the Cream albums you can listen to other albums, but with Blind Faith you had no other to listen to. The last two songs sounded great. "Sea of Joy" was the song that topped it for me. I thought that was the best song on the album. The song had every element of what the band could do. There was great guitars, bass, violin, drums and that wonderful organ from Steve Winwood.

By the end of the last song I wanted to hear more. I asked my uncle and I asked the record store guys. There was no more Blind Faith. Over the years I went to record conventions looking for bootlegs of their stuff. I guess they were a mystery because I could not find anything. It was not till the winter of 2000 is when I went to the record store and found this deluxe edition of Blind Faith. It was so cool, I wanted to hear more and I got to hear more. The first disc with wonderful extras and the second disc with jams. It was a dream come true. What I needed was some live stuff. It was not till two years ago that I got a handful of bootlegs. Those captured the moment that I was looking for and was now at peace.

If you have both the album and the Deluxe Edition then you should be all set, if you can find the DVD get that too. But if you have any bootlegs, please share because this should be a very important document of a great band. Enjoy this great one of Eric Clapton's side projects that we may never see again.