BADGEES? WE DON'T WANT NO STINKIN' BADGEES

again another album bought when it came out . . . I think I did that for all the Cream albums but this was them saying 'Good-Bye' and we were gutted!

On this day in music history: February 5, 1969 - “Goodbye”, the fourth album by Cream is released. Produced by Felix Pappalardi, it is recorded at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA on October 19, 1968 and IBC Studios in London in October 1968. After barely two and a half years together and recording three successful and highly influential albums, the members of the British blues/rock super group decide to call it quits. Marred from the beginning by interpersonal tensions and egos, mainly between bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker, leads guitarist Eric Clapton, weary of being in the middle of the conflict wanting to move on to other musical horizons. The band announce that they are breaking up in July 1968 after performing a farewell tour of the US, topped off by the now legendary “farewell” concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Before embarking on the tour, the band record three new songs in a London recording studio. The tour kicks off at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA on October 4, 1968, performing a total of twenty-two shows in the US in nineteen cities. The original plan for their final album is to release a double album similar to their previous release “Wheels Of Fire”, with half of the material being live performances from the tour, and the other half studio recordings. The idea is scrapped when Cream are unable to come up with more new material to fill out two sides of a full album. Also, much of the live material is scrapped when the band feel that it is not up to par with the new studio recordings. The decision is made to take three songs from their concert at The Forum in Los Angeles on October 19, 1968 (“I’m So Glad”, “Politician” and “Sitting On Top Of The World”), along with the new studio songs filling it out. Though it receives mixed reviews from critics upon its release, the album is very well received by fans and is a major success. It spins off the single “Badge” (#60 Pop) which is co-written by Clapton and his close friend George Harrison. Originally packaged in a gatefold sleeve, original pressings of the album come with a poster featuring a blow up of the back cover photo, with the legend “Goodbye From The Cream” printed on the bottom. 80’s re-pressings on RSO Records change the LP jacket to a single pocket sleeve and dispense with the poster. First issued on CD in the mid 80’s, the 1991 release of the album includes the stand alone single “Anyone For Tennis” added as an additional bonus track. When it is remastered again in 1997, it reverts back to the original six song track listing. Out of print on vinyl since 1989, it is remastered and reissued as a 180 gram LP in 2015. “Goodbye” peaks at number two on the Billboard Top 200, and is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.