Disraeli Gears
Encyclopedia
Disraeli Gears is the second album by British
supergroup
Cream
. It was released in November 1967 and went on to reach #5 on the UK Albums Chart
. It was also their American breakthrough, becoming a massive seller there in 1968, reaching #4 on the American charts. The album features the two singles "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love
".
The title of the album is a mondegreen
based on an inside joke. Eric Clapton
had been thinking of buying a racing bicycle and was discussing it with Ginger Baker
, when a roadie named Mick Turner commented, "it's got them Disraeli Gears", meaning to say "derailleur gears
," but instead alluding to 19th Century British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. The band thought this was hilarious, and decided that it should be the title of their next album. Had it not been for Mick's turn of phrase, the album would simply have been titled "Cream."
The original 11-track album was remastered in 1998, and then subsequently released as a two-disc Deluxe Edition in 2004.
In 2003 the album was ranked number 112 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. VH1
also named it their 87th greatest album of all time in 2001.
in New York
during May 1967, following the band's nine shows as part of Murray the K
's "Music in the 5th Dimension" concert series. Cream's American label, ATCO
, was a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlantic Records
.
The sessions were produced by future Mountain
bassist Felix Pappalardi
- who co-wrote the tracks "Strange Brew" and "World of Pain" with wife Gail Collins
- and were engineered by Tom Dowd
- who would later work with Clapton on projects such as Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
and 461 Ocean Boulevard
. The owner of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun
, was also present during the sessions.
The original 11-track album was remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio
at PolyGram Studios
for a 1998 release, including bonus photographs accompanying the original album artwork.
and stereo
, demos, alternate takes and tracks taken from the band's live sessions on BBC radio
. Included an outtake of "Blue Condition" with Eric Clapton on lead vocals and demos of the songs "Weird of Hermiston" and "The Clearout" which were not released until Jack Bruce's first solo album "Songs for a Tailor
".
n artist Martin Sharp
, who lived in the same building as Clapton at the time of the Chelsea
artists colony The Pheasantry. Sharp would go on to create the artwork to Cream's next album Wheels of Fire
and co-wrote the songs "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and the Savage Seven Theme "Anyone for Tennis" with Eric Clapton.
The back-cover photography was taken by Bob Whitaker
who did the photography for several works by The Beatles
including the controversial Yesterday and Today
.
The cover art was also used for the compilation album Those Were the Days
.
sounds. The most blues-like tunes on the album are the remake of "Outside Woman Blues", the Bruce/Brown Composition "Take it Back" which had been inspired by the contemporary media images of American students burning their draft cards
which featured harmonica
work by Jack Bruce, and the opening track "Strange Brew" which was based on a 12-bar blues song called "Lawdy Mama" and featured an Albert King
-style guitar solo.
Out-takes
Demos
| valign=bottom |
BBC recordings
|}
Production
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
. It was released in November 1967 and went on to reach #5 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. It was also their American breakthrough, becoming a massive seller there in 1968, reaching #4 on the American charts. The album features the two singles "Strange Brew" and "Sunshine of Your Love
Sunshine of Your Love
"Sunshine of Your Love" is a 1967 song by the British supergroup Cream. The song was originally released on the album Disraeli Gears in November 1967, and was later released as a single in January 1968. It is Cream's only gold-selling single in the United States. It features a distinctive...
".
The title of the album is a mondegreen
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
based on an inside joke. Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
had been thinking of buying a racing bicycle and was discussing it with Ginger Baker
Ginger Baker
Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
, when a roadie named Mick Turner commented, "it's got them Disraeli Gears", meaning to say "derailleur gears
Derailleur gears
Derailleur gears are a variable-ratio transmission system commonly used on bicycles, consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another...
," but instead alluding to 19th Century British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. The band thought this was hilarious, and decided that it should be the title of their next album. Had it not been for Mick's turn of phrase, the album would simply have been titled "Cream."
The original 11-track album was remastered in 1998, and then subsequently released as a two-disc Deluxe Edition in 2004.
In 2003 the album was ranked number 112 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
also named it their 87th greatest album of all time in 2001.
Original album
The album was recorded at Atlantic StudiosAtlantic Studios
Atlantic Studios was the recording studio of Atlantic Records. It was located at 1841 Broadway , in New York City. According to the address written in the original liner notes of Charles Mingus' The Clown, it was initially located at 157 W 57th Street. The American record label first recorded in...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
during May 1967, following the band's nine shows as part of Murray the K
Murray the K
Murray Kaufman , professionally known as Murray the K, was an influential rock and roll impresario and disc jockey of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s...
's "Music in the 5th Dimension" concert series. Cream's American label, ATCO
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
, was a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
.
The sessions were produced by future Mountain
Mountain (band)
Mountain is an American hard rock band that formed in Long Island, New York in 1969. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Leslie West, bassist Felix Pappalardi and drummer N. D. Smart, the band broke up in 1972 before reuniting in 1974 and remaining active until today...
bassist Felix Pappalardi
Felix Pappalardi
Felix A. Pappalardi Jr. was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bass guitarist.- Early life :Pappalardi was born in the Bronx, New York...
- who co-wrote the tracks "Strange Brew" and "World of Pain" with wife Gail Collins
Gail Collins Pappalardi
-Biography:She was wife of the late Felix Pappalardi. She contributed lyrics to many Mountain songs and co-wrote Cream's "World of Pain" with Pappalardi and "Strange Brew" with Pappalardi and Eric Clapton...
- and were engineered by Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multi-track recording method. Dowd worked on a virtual "who's who" of recordings that encompassed blues, jazz, pop, rock and soul records.- Early years :Born in Manhattan, Dowd grew...
- who would later work with Clapton on projects such as Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is a blues-rock album by Derek and the Dominos, released in November 1970, best known for its eponymous title track, "Layla"...
and 461 Ocean Boulevard
461 Ocean Boulevard
461 Ocean Boulevard is the second studio album by blues-rock musician Eric Clapton, released in July 1974 on the RSO label after the success of "I Shot the Sheriff"....
. The owner of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
, was also present during the sessions.
The original 11-track album was remastered by Joseph M. Palmaccio
Joseph M. Palmaccio
Joseph M. Palmaccio is an American mastering engineer born in rural South Carolina.Palmaccio has been nominated for five Grammy Awards and has won 3 in the Best Historical Album category for mastering...
at PolyGram Studios
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
for a 1998 release, including bonus photographs accompanying the original album artwork.
Disraeli Gears Deluxe Edition
The "Disraeli Gears Deluxe Edition" includes the complete album in both monoMonaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
and stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
, demos, alternate takes and tracks taken from the band's live sessions on BBC radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
. Included an outtake of "Blue Condition" with Eric Clapton on lead vocals and demos of the songs "Weird of Hermiston" and "The Clearout" which were not released until Jack Bruce's first solo album "Songs for a Tailor
Songs for a Tailor
Songs for a Tailor is the 1969 solo studio album debut of musician, composer and singer Jack Bruce, who was already famous at the time of its release for his work with the supergroup Cream...
".
Artwork
The psychedelic cover art was created by AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n artist Martin Sharp
Martin Sharp
Martin Sharp is an Australian artist, underground cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker. Sharp has made contributions to Australian and international culture since the early 60s, and is hailed as Australia's foremost pop artist...
, who lived in the same building as Clapton at the time of the Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
artists colony The Pheasantry. Sharp would go on to create the artwork to Cream's next album Wheels of Fire
Wheels of Fire
Wheels of Fire is the name of a double album recorded by Cream. The release was largely successful, scoring the band a #3 peak in the United Kingdom and a #1 in the United States, and became the world's first platinum-selling double album....
and co-wrote the songs "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and the Savage Seven Theme "Anyone for Tennis" with Eric Clapton.
The back-cover photography was taken by Bob Whitaker
Robert Whitaker (photographer)
Robert Whitaker was a renowned British photographer, best known internationally for his many photographs of The Beatles, taken between 1964 and 1966, and for his photographs of the rock group Cream, which were used in the Martin Sharp-designed collage on the cover of their 1967 LP Disraeli...
who did the photography for several works by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
including the controversial Yesterday and Today
Yesterday and Today
Yesterday and Today is the ninth Capitol release by The Beatles and the eleventh overall American release. It was issued only in the United States and Canada...
.
The cover art was also used for the compilation album Those Were the Days
Those Were the Days (Cream album)
Those Were the Days is a retrospective compilation of the music of Cream, released on September 23, 1997.It comprises four CDs and catalogues every track from their four studio albums, plus live material recorded in 1968....
.
Song styles
"Disraeli Gears" features the group veering away, quite heavily, from their blues roots and indulging in more psychedelicPsychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
sounds. The most blues-like tunes on the album are the remake of "Outside Woman Blues", the Bruce/Brown Composition "Take it Back" which had been inspired by the contemporary media images of American students burning their draft cards
United States v. O'Brien
United States v. O'Brien, 391 U.S. 367 , was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled that a criminal prohibition against burning a draft card did not violate the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech...
which featured harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
work by Jack Bruce, and the opening track "Strange Brew" which was based on a 12-bar blues song called "Lawdy Mama" and featured an Albert King
Albert King
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
-style guitar solo.
Original album
- Sung as a two-part harmony.
- Sung as a three-part harmony.
Disc one (stereo)
Original album- Tracks 1-11
Out-takes
- "Lawdy MamaHey Lawdy Mama (blues song)"Hey Lawdy Mama" is a Piedmont blues song recorded by Buddy Moss in 1934. The song became popular among jazz musicians with early recordings by Count Basie and Louis Armstrong. In 1943, a version recorded by Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy, with vocals by June Richmond, was a hit,...
" - version 1 (Traditional, arr. Clapton) – 2:00
-
- Recorded 3 April 1967 at Atlantic StudiosAtlantic StudiosAtlantic Studios was the recording studio of Atlantic Records. It was located at 1841 Broadway , in New York City. According to the address written in the original liner notes of Charles Mingus' The Clown, it was initially located at 157 W 57th Street. The American record label first recorded in...
- Recorded by Ahmet ErtegunAhmet ErtegunAhmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
- "Blue Condition" - alternate version (Baker) - 3:13
- Eric Clapton vocal, previously unreleased
- Recorded 3 April 1967 at Atlantic Studios
Demos
- "We're Going Wrong" (Bruce) – 3:49
- "Hey Now, Princess" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:31
- "SWLABR" (Bruce, Brown) – 4:30
- "Weird of Hermiston" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:12
- "The Clearout" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:58
-
- Recorded 15 March 1967 at Ryemuse Studios, London
| valign=bottom |
Disc two (mono)
Original album and out-takes- Tracks 1-13
BBC recordings
- "Strange Brew" (Clapton, Pappalardi, Collins) – 3:00
- "Tales of Brave Ulysses" (Clapton, Sharp) – 2:55
- "We're Going Wrong" (Bruce) – 3:25
-
- Recorded 30 May 1967, broadcast 3 June on BBC Light ProgrammeBBC Light ProgrammeThe Light Programme was a BBC radio station which broadcast mainstream light entertainment and music from 1945 until 1967, when it was rebranded as BBC Radio 2...
- "Born Under a Bad SignBorn Under a Bad Sign (song)"Born Under a Bad Sign" is a song written by Booker T. Jones and William Bell originally recorded by Albert King as the title track for the album Born Under a Bad Sign released in 1967...
" (Booker T. JonesBooker T. JonesBooker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
, William BellWilliam Bell (singer)William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter, and one of the architects of the Stax-Volt sound. As a performer, he is probably best known for 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water" ; 1968's "Private Number" ; and 1976's "Tryin' To Love Two", Bell's only US top 40 hit, which also hit #1 on the...
) – 3:03 - "Outside Woman Blues" (Reynolds) – 3:18
- "Take It Back" (Bruce, Brown) – 2:17
- "Born Under a Bad Sign
- Recorded 24 October 1967, broadcast 29 October on BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
- "Politician" (Bruce, Brown) – 3:59
- "SWLABR" (Bruce, Brown) – 2:32
- "Steppin' OutSteppin' Out (James Bracken song)"Steppin' Out" is a blues instrumental written by James Bracken. It opens with a guitar riff based on the blues-scale, and continues with improvisation. It is an up-tempo 12-bar blues in the key of G....
" (James BrackenJames BrackenJames C. Bracken was an African American songwriter and the co-founder and co-owner of Vee-Jay Records with his wife Vivian and her brother, Calvin Carter.-Life:...
) – 3:37
- Recorded 9 January 1968, broadcast 14 January on BBC Radio 1
- Recorded 30 May 1967, broadcast 3 June on BBC Light Programme
|}
- Tracks previously released on the Those Were the DaysThose Were the Days (Cream album)Those Were the Days is a retrospective compilation of the music of Cream, released on September 23, 1997.It comprises four CDs and catalogues every track from their four studio albums, plus live material recorded in 1968....
box set. - Tracks previously released on the BBC Sessions compilation album.
Personnel
Cream- Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocals - Jack BruceJack BruceJohn Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, vocals, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Ginger BakerGinger BakerPeter Edward "Ginger" Baker is an English drummer, best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. He is also known for his numerous associations with World music, mainly the use of African influences...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals
Production
- Felix PappalardiFelix PappalardiFelix A. Pappalardi Jr. was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bass guitarist.- Early life :Pappalardi was born in the Bronx, New York...
– producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Tom DowdTom DowdTom Dowd was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multi-track recording method. Dowd worked on a virtual "who's who" of recordings that encompassed blues, jazz, pop, rock and soul records.- Early years :Born in Manhattan, Dowd grew...
– recording engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - Bob WhitakerRobert Whitaker (photographer)Robert Whitaker was a renowned British photographer, best known internationally for his many photographs of The Beatles, taken between 1964 and 1966, and for his photographs of the rock group Cream, which were used in the Martin Sharp-designed collage on the cover of their 1967 LP Disraeli...
– cover photosPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - Martin SharpMartin SharpMartin Sharp is an Australian artist, underground cartoonist, songwriter and film-maker. Sharp has made contributions to Australian and international culture since the early 60s, and is hailed as Australia's foremost pop artist...
– artCover artCover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
Album
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK (Top 40 Albums UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... ) |
5 |
| Norway (Top 40 Albums VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... ) |
16 |
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
4 |
| Canada (Top 50 Albums RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
10 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Greece (Top 50 Albums) | 29 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | UK Top 40 | ||
| June 1967 | "Strange Brew"/"Tales of Brave Ulysses" | - | #17 |
| October 1967 | "Sunshine of Your Love"/"SWLABR" | #5 | #25 |
Certification
Certified by the RIAA| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – U.S.A. | Gold | 05/22/1968 |
| RIAA – U.S.A. | Platinum | 11/10/1993 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
November 1967 | Reaction Records Reaction Records Reaction Records was an independent British record label, run by music executive Robert Stigwood in 1966 and 1967. Although Reaction released only three albums, one EP and eighteen singles in its brief existence, its roster included two of the most popular British bands of the time, The Who and Cream... |
mono Monaural Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path... LP LP record The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... |
593 003 |
| stereo Stereophonic sound The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective... LP |
594 003 | |||
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
November 1967 | Atco Records Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who... |
mono LP | 33-232 |
| stereo LP | SD 33-232 | |||
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
November 1967 | Polydor Records Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
stereo LP | 184 105 |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
May 1968 | Polydor Records | stereo LP | MP-1390 |
| United States | 1977 | RSO Records RSO Records RSO Records was a record label, formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood in 1973. The "RSO" stands for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. The company's main headquarters were at 67 Brook Street, in London's Mayfair... |
LP | RS 1-3010 |
| United States | 1986 | Polydor Records | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
823 636-2 |
External links
- Disraeli Gears. Those Were the Days.
- Disraeli Gears. JackBruce.com.
- Disraeli Gears - Deluxe Edition JackBruce.com.
- Disraeli Gears - GB Signed Edition Gingerbaker.com.