Track Listing

1. Had to Cry Today
2. Can't Find My Way Home
3. Well...All Right
4. Presence of the Lord
5. Sea of Joy
6. Do What You Like

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1936 in Music
• Released on: 2001-02-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .18 pounds

Amazon.com
The short-lived classic-rock supergroup Blind Faith's sole album has aged remarkably well. In 1969, Blind Faith fused the psychedelic blues of Eric Clapton and the soulful vocals and keyboards of Steve Winwood with the polyrhythmic, Afrocentric leanings of drummer Ginger Baker. "Can't Find My Way Home" is one of the hippie era's most lyrically poignant, sonically subtle tunes. The record has a lot of surprises; "Presence of the Lord" is rousing and melancholy at the same time, while the way the bass and guitar double-team on the introductory melodic line to "Had to Cry Today" makes a hard-rock cliché fresh again. The 10-minute drum solo on "Do What You Like" is pretty good as 10-minute drum solos go. This 2000 reissue of the album omits the unreleased jams and mixes that fill the second disc of the deluxe reissue that appeared earlier in the year. --Mike McGonigal

Customer Reviews

God's Helpers Shine
The Cult of Clapton tends to state that EC is the ultimate rock don who makes everything he touches, from the sheer power of his greatness. How is it, then, that all the great things he did were with other great people? Want EC w/out a great supporting cast? Go buy "Lay Down Sally." Not to knock him, he is one of the great guitarists of all time. But come on, most people say Cream broke up because Clapton was sick of Jack Bruce acting like the front man, and then he ended up in two groups that he only lasted one album with (this and Derek and the Dominoes). Of course, they are two of the greatest rock albums of all time. To his credit, Clapton clearly brings out the best in others, though this album testifies to the fact that they often bring out the best in him as well. For instance, to me, "Do What You Like" is one of the greatest songs in the history of rock and roll. It's written by Ginger Baker? Amazing. (And to his credit, EC has repeatedly acknowledged the fact that Ginger Baker is the most amazing drummer of all time.) Clapton's solo in "Do What You Like" is one of my favorites of his: fantastic playing and a beautiful tone with a haunting dose of reverb that really works.

Steve Winwood is an great vocalist, and it is truly hard to figure out why if you use the "American Idol" metrics. But on this album, the fusion of his bluesy style and the material, which is haunting and hypnotic, is just plain magic. From the opening bars of "Had to Cry Today," this album reverberates in a way that few other albums do and Winwood's vocals are a big part of that.

It continues to astound me how many people out there have not heard this record. Searing, unique, incredibly powerful album.

LANDMARK MUSIC
I was one of the lucky ones to get the original issue of this CD without the two bonus tracks. The reason that this is Four Stars is because you can't get this now without the two bonus tracks. The two bonus tracks threw this off when it was reissued. Everything about this is great. What a lineup too Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Rick Grech and Ginger Baker. One of Winwood's best songs is included here "Can't Find My Way Home". Also the Eric Clapton penned "Presence Of The Lord" is very good. Not everyday do you get four talented musicians like this together. Unfortunately, there probably won't be a Blind Faith Part Two because of the passing of Rick Grech. That is why many people consider this a Landmark recording. A one time thing gone right. By the way, they just reissued this as a double CD with more extra tracks. Do yourself a favor, pass it up. It's not as good as the original. Damn those bonus tracks.

meeting of the blinds
'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.