Notes

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Blind Faith's first and last album, more than 30 years old and counting, remains one of the jewels of the Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and Ginger Baker catalogs, despite the crash-and-burn history of the band itself, which scarcely lasted six months. As much a follow-up to Traffic's self-titled second album as it is to Cream's final output, it merges the soulful blues of the former with the heavy riffing and outsized song lengths of the latter for a very compelling sound unique to this band. Not all of it works — between the virtuoso electric blues of "Had to Cry Today," the acoustic-textured "Can't Find My Way Home," the soaring "Presence of the Lord" (Eric Clapton's one contribution here as a songwriter, and the first great song he ever authored) and "Sea of Joy," the band doesn't do much with the Buddy Holly song "Well All Right"; and Ginger Baker's "Do What You Like" was a little weak to take up 15 minutes of space on an LP that might have been better used for a shorter drum solo and more songs. Unfortunately, the group was never that together as a band and evidently had just the 42 minutes of new music here ready to tour behind.

Blind Faith's lone album is often considered vivid proof as to why superstar collaborations simply don't work but, in retrospect, it does have something to offer. For a number of years, partisans have trumpeted that the album was "not all that bad," and though they may overcompensate with their affection for this messy affair, it does have two songs that are classics of classic rock: "Can't Find My Way Home" and "Presence of the Lord." "Had to Cry Today" is also pretty effective, as is the Buddy Holly cover "Well All Right." Still, for those who subscribe to conventional rock critic doctrine, it may seem a little strange that an album as muddied as Blind Faith was given this lavish 2001 Deluxe Edition, containing basically everything capable of release that the group cut during these sessions. This expanded edition will not change any minds; just on principle, it may even sour some open-minded listeners who have a distaste for meandering, endless jams. They may be right, since the four jams that comprise the nearly hourlong second disc just aren't that interesting, even if fleeting moments work well. The bonus tracks on the first disc are interesting (apart from the winding 15-minute "Acoustic Jam"), including two previously unreleased versions of "Sleeping in the Ground" (the one on Crossroads is missing), an electric version of "Can't Find My Way Home," and "Time Winds." The fact remains that — even with these new tracks and the lavish presentation — this is a muddled album, but it's still a hell of a set for the dedicated, filled with unheard music, good liners, and beautiful packaging. Those who do love the album will not be disappointed by this. [The two bonus tracks that appeared on the initial CD release of Blind Faith are not here, since they apparently were not recordings of the group.]