Blind Faith
	Produced by Jimmy Miller
	Released on July 1969
	UK CHART POSITION #1 . . . US CHART POSITION #1
	Find it at GEMM
SD 33-304B cover

Blind Faith was a one-shot supergroup that brought half of Cream (itself a supergroup) together with Steve Winwood (recently of Traffic) and bassist Rick Grech (of Family). As Cream had only recently disbanded, their legion of fans quickly found comfort in Blind Faith, pushing the album to the top of the charts in both the UK and US. While this new band’s psychedelic blues rock was reassuringly similar to Cream in many regards -- the masterful guitar work of Eric Clapton, the agile rhythms of Ginger Baker -- Winwood’s delicate presence is almost antithetical to Bruce’s forceful persona. The singer/multi-instrumentalist writes much of the material (including the lyrics, which aren’t half bad), yet only “Can’t Find My Way Home” resembles the work of Traffic. The rest of the album succeeds in blending the band’s strengths into a new sound, with Clapton and Winwood in particular complementing one another nicely on “Had to Cry Today” and “Presence of the Lord.” The album ends with an experimental epic from Baker, “Do What You Like,” which gives the rhythm section of Baker and Grech its chance to shine, although the music probably works best in the context of a drug-addled orgy. While it was immensely popular at the time, little of Blind Faith has made it into the contemporary lexicon of music. This is music made by legends, but not the music by which legends are made. The original album cover was perhaps legendary, originally featuring Ginger Baker’s then-eleven-year-old daughter topless and holding an airplane. Prudish interests prevailed, and the cover was soon replaced with a simple photo of the band and some (presumably) hastily conceived artwork.

SD 33-304A cover

TRACK LISTING

1. HAD TO CRY TODAY    (Steve Winwood)    8:49
2. CAN'T FIND MY WAY HOME    (Steve Winwood)    3:17
3. WELL ALL RIGHT    (Petty/Holly/Allison/Mauldin)    4:28
4. PRESENCE OF THE LORD    (Eric Clapton)    4:50
5. SEA OF JOY    (Steve Winwood)    5:22
6. DO WHAT YOU LIKE    (Ginger Baker)    15:20
   
   CD reissue bonus track
   
7. EXCHANGE AND MART

CREDITS

GINGER BAKER --
ERIC CLAPTON --
RICK GRECH --
STEVE WINWOOD --
Bob Seiderman -- cover photo (33-304B)
Stanley Miller -- cover art (33-304B)

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