Cream - Tales of Brave Ulysses

Cream switched to a more psychedelic sound for their second album Disraeli Gears, which was helmed by producer Felix Pappalardi, who pushed them in this direction. Their first album, Fresh Cream, was produced by Robert Stigwood and was filled with Blues material. "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" is one of the trippiest songs on the album, thanks in part to the wah-wah pedal Eric Clapton used on his guitar. According to Pappalardi, their first attempts to record the song fell flat. Taking a break, he and Clapton went to Manny's Music store, where they found some wah-wah pedals - Clapton only agreed to use them because he heard Jimi Hendrix was experimenting with one (he was - Hendrix used one on his song "The Burning Of The Midnight Lamp"). This guitar effect became a distinguishing feature of the song. An Australian painter named Martin Sharp helped Clapton write this. Sharp painted the album cover of Disraeli Gears. Clapton was in his phase where he was experimenting with distortion devices on his guitar. He used a fuzz-box and wah-wah pedal on this, as well as some echo. This was Eric Clapton's first use of the wah-wah pedal. He used it again for background effects and an extended solo on "White Room."  From: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/cream/tales-of-brave-ulysses

Cream - Dance the Night Away

Cream’s second album, Disraeli Gears, remains a psych-blues masterpiece that ensures Clapton and co.’s place in the history books. The album was recorded over three and a half days between May 8-16, 1967 at Atlantic Studios in New York City. It was produced by Felix Pappalardi who would later form the Cream-alike band Mountain with guitarist Leslie West, and engineered by Tom Dowd. Released on November 2, 1967, the album made the UK charts and eventually climbed to number 5. Those are the facts, but what about the record’s unusual name? In the 1960s the “must-own” racing bike was equipped with “derailleur gears.” Eric Clapton seems to have had a yearning for such a bicycle and while driving around London, discussing the matter with Ginger Baker one day, up piped Mick Turner, the band’s roadie, to say, “Has it got them Disraeli gears?” Everyone fell about laughing and the band decided to name their album just that (Benjamin Disraeli served as prime minister of the UK in the late nineteenth century and was the only prime minister of Jewish origin ever). Of all the band’s albums, this one is the least blues-influenced record and definitely reflected the prevailing mood of the “Summer of Love.” The album’s distinctive cover was designed by Australian artist Martin Sharp who worked for OZ magazine and lived in Chelsea, where Clapton also lived. Sharp also did the cover for Wheels of Fire as well as writing some of the lyrics for “Tales of Brave Ulysses.”  From: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/rediscover-disraeli-gears/