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if you don't like this, you probably don't like ice cream either!
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this is a very rare album primarily because it brought together rare talents for a very short period of time.
clapton and baker were from cream. steve winwood from traffic. and rich grech was from the family.
the music in the album is distinguished by steve winwood's superb vocals (soulful black voice trapped in a white body!), rare melodic fretwork by clapton and very artful drumming by the great ginger baker.
the opening track, 'had to cry today' with its bass/lead/percussion (with baker you better believe it!) riff is a long song - with some extended very melodic interplayed/overdubbed guitar work by clapton. clapton's guitar sounds very different here from his work with mayall or cream. on mtv i've seen a rare and brief footage of a blind faith concert where clapton is shown using a fender telecaster (it is possible that the use of the tele gave him that tone).
'cant find my way home' is a very popular track where winwood uses his vocal prowess to the max backed by some artful acoustic fretwork by clapton.
'well allright' is a rousing number where baker pounds the hides with abandon!
'in the presence of the lord' showcases one of the most memorable wah wah lead intros in rock'n'roll followed by some fiery yet melodic fretwork.
'sea of joy' follows and finally the closing track 'do what you like' where every band member shows off his instrumental prowess. where winwood winds up his keyboard solo and where clapton starts off his guitar solo is a sonic moment par excellence. rick grech provides an adequate bass solo (which makes ones wonder how the band would have shaped up had the great jack bruce taken up bass duties!) and baker comes out with a fantastic lyrical drum solo (or as lyrical as a drum solo can get)!
as noted before this is a very rare album and only a band of this calibre could have produced such music.
pity - good things never last!
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The short lived band known as Blind Faith crafted the best minds of classic and psychadelic rock. Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker, and Rick Grech blow everyone away in this very moving musical journey, in which every band member wrote a song.
First is "Had to Cry Today," a normal-paced opener that is excellent. Winwood shows how his vocals have enhanced since his days of Traffic. There is also Eric Clapton's international hit "Presence of the Lord," which may be one of the most moving pieces of music I have ever heard. Winwood's vocals, Clapton's guitar and lyrics, and the powerful organ make this an instant classic. Also, Winwood's own "Sea of Joy" is slow but cheerful, a sign of things to come from the Traffic veteran.
Although the group only survived to make one album, it is one that needs to be purchased from any rock buff, and any fan of Baker, Clapton, or Winwood. This debut and farewell CD is unbelievable, and makes one wonder what else this group could have made.
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Whenever I hear this album, I become somewhat dismayed that this group could not have stayed together longer. The chemistry between its members is fabulous, and this was probably the last time in his career that Eric Clapton is heard playing a screaming Gibson guitar just as he did with Cream, especially on "Had to Cry Today". And yet the acoustic "Can't Find My Way Home" also hits the mark, albeit in a much more subtle fashion. This song is actually a forerunner of MTV's "Unplugged", obviously unbeknownst to anyone back in 1969. This is one of those albums that is absolutely timeless-and nearly flawless, as well.
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'Blind Faith' is one of the finest albums of the 1960's, perhaps the most progressive decade in music. That should be no surprise as the band combined elements of two of the most talented and inventive bands of the era, lead guitarist Eric Clapton and drummer Ginger Baker, two-thirds of 'Cream', together with keyboardist/lead singer Steve Winwood and bassist Rick Grech, two-fifths of 'Traffic'. The band only managed to stick together for one album and one tour, which also shouldn't have been a surprise given that Winwood's continued indulgence in psychedelic rock and flirtations with jazz fusion were a poor match for Clapton's foray into more traditional pop sounds and life-long side-interest in blues rock.
Ignoring their flimsy bonds, Clapton, Winwood, and Baker brought five stunning compositions into the studio. For the most part, this album became a Steve Winwood dominated production, with the artist penning fully half of the songs and singing all of the lead vocals, even on Clapton's only entry, his epic 'Presence of the Lord'. Although the set does allow all of the musicians ample room to move, Winwood's characteristic sound, together with Baker's avant garde, jazz influenced contribution ('Do What You Like'), is what gives the disc its overall feel. The bands cover of Buddy Holly's 'Well All Right' along with Clapton's 'Presence...' are clearly the odd tracks out.
That being said, there is not a bad performance on this disc. All of Winwood's contributions are classics, from the plaintive 'Had To Cry Today', to the tender 1960s's "looking for myself" nostalgia of 'Can't Find My Way Home', to the rapturous 'Sea of Joy'. Each feature distinctive melodies, endearing lyrics, and elite musicianship. The studio rendition of Clapton's 'Presence of the Lord' probably isn't the definitive version to most people, as numerous live covers have appeared on other releases, in particular with Eric masquerading as 'Derek and the Dominos'. The song evolved and eclipsed its original form. And despite the relative simplicity of 'Well All Right', this band certainly manages to make this song sound like anything but a boppin' 1950's Buddy Holly track. If this was the first song you heard off this album and were told it was the weakest track, you'd surely buy the album without even asking to hear the rest of it.
The album closes with Ginger Baker literally laying claim to his fifteen minutes of fame, penning the 15 minute-plus 'Do What You Like', another period piece that gave all four musicians an opportunity to solo and, in the end, do what they like. It's probably the most critiqued song in the lot, but a lot of the criticsm comes from people who were expecting too much. 'Blind Faith' is solid, forceful, meaningful, and possesses a personality all its own, and plenty of other 'supergroups' have produced far less. This is a "must-own" for any collector of rock classics.
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