"Strange Brew" | ||||||||
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German picture sleeve
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Single by Cream | ||||||||
from the album Disraeli Gears | ||||||||
B-side | "Tales of Brave Ulysses" | |||||||
Released | June 1967 | |||||||
Format | 7-inch 45 rpm | |||||||
Recorded | Atlantic Studios, New York City, May 1967 | |||||||
Genre | ||||||||
Length | 2:46 | |||||||
Label | Reaction | |||||||
Writer(s) | ||||||||
Producer(s) | Felix Pappalardi | |||||||
ISWC | T-070.140.409-2 | |||||||
Cream American singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Strange Brew" is a song released by the British rock band Cream in June 1967, from their second studio album Disraeli Gears. The song features Eric Clapton on lead vocals rather than the usual lead by Jack Bruce. The single peaked at number 17 on the UK charts in July of that same year. The UK single release was the last Cream single to be released by Reaction Records.
After the Murray "the K" Show Cream recorded a song called "Lawdy Mama" with Ahmet Ertegun at Atlantic Studios in New York. When Cream was working on the sessions for Disraeli Gears, producer Felix Pappalardi took the tape of "Lawdy Mama" and with help from his wife Gail Collins transformed the song into "Strange Brew" which according to Eric Clapton "created a pop song without completely destroying the original groove."
The song "Strange Brew" first appeared on the UK Singles Chart on 10 June 1967 at #43. It hit its highest position on 15 July at #17, and then left the charts on 5 August at #35 having spent a total of 9 weeks on the chart. The song later appeared on the soundtrack of the 1979 feature film, More American Graffiti.