Dunfermline: Kinema Ballroom show by Cream recalled in new book

The band, who many music fans rate as second only to The Beatles in terms of importance, featured guitarist Eric Clapton, drummer Ginger Baker and bass player Jack Bruce.

Formed in 1966 and highly acclaimed in America, playing to huge audiences in Los Angeles and New York, they split just two years later.

But before achieving trans-Atlantic fame the band, responsible for hits such as ‘White Room’ and ‘Sunshine of Your Love’, served their apprenticeship in Britain, playing small venues and performing for as little as £75 a night.

'Cream – A People’s History' brings together more than 500 fan memories of those shows, including their appearance in Dunfermline on July 9, 1967.

John Foster, then aged 19, said: "It’s one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had and I’ve been to many a gig since.

"When I started working, my six shillings and seven pence was spent every Friday night on a single at the local record shop.

"The first single I bought was ‘Wrapping Paper’ by Cream.

"When the Fresh Cream album came out, I played it to death.

"When I got the word that they were coming to Dunfermline I immediately snapped up a ticket. My brother and I went to the gig."

John continued: "The Kinema Ballroom had a capacity of 500. Tickets only cost four and six (23p).

"The ballroom had a large stage at one end of the dance floor for the bigger bands and a small stage at the other end.

"Cream appeared on the small stage so it was a very intimate and close up performance. We got a decent position near the front.

"Just next to the stage was a cafeteria area where the kids used to go for a coke and a burger.

"I glanced to the left and there was the three of them – Jack and Ginger and Eric – sitting round the table with a coke each and enjoying a smoke, five or 10 minutes before they were on stage.

"They must then have got the signal as I saw them quite nonchalantly and casually finish their cokes – Ginger still had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth – and it was like, ‘Well, let’s go up and do our thing,’ and they went up on stage.

"They were going through this psychedelic phase and were each wearing multi-coloured kaftan tops with coloured drainpipe jeans. Eric was wearing purple and Eric and Ginger both had afro hairstyles."

John remembered: "You’ve got to put yourself in the place of a youngster at that time to appreciate how revolutionary it was.

"I saw The Beatles and one or two other bands, all of which were good, but seeing Cream was the seminal moment for me.

"I thought, ‘This is more than pop music. It’s taking it to a whole new level.’ It was mesmerising to just stand there with your mouth open listening to this. The chemistry between the three members just beggared belief.

"At the very end, Jack and Eric took off their guitars and hung them up on the front of their respective amps and walked off. This created a feedback which built up in terms of volume.

"My memory is of the sound resonating, coming up through the wooden ballroom floor and the soles of your feet and right through your body. It was a very strange experience.’

Tom Porter was also at the Kinema Ballroom. He remembers: "The gig was absolutely jaw-dropping.

"Eric and Jack left the stage part way through a number, leaving Ginger to play this amazing drum solo on ‘Toad’. He was breathtaking and totally unique.

"I also remember Eric’s beautiful playing but also how Jack was almost competing with his own solo style on bass – what a man!’

Norman Taylor recalls that the Cream gig was not that well attended: "Most people stood in front of the small stage and others were dancing next to the main stage.

"When I got into work on the Monday, one of my work mates said he and his mates had been talking to three guys in a café in Glenrothes who said they were playing in Dunfermline in the evening.

"Sure enough, he’d met Cream. They had stopped off on the way to the gig for a coffee and something to eat."

The book, compiled by Manchester music historian Richard Houghton, tells the Cream story through previously unpublished eyewitness accounts.

He said: "Cream’s impact on modern music cannot be overstated. They took American blues, which bands like the Rolling Stones reintroduced to the world, and turned it into the progressive and heavier sounds which spawned progressive rock and bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden.

"Without Cream, music today would look and sound vastly different.

"What I love about the memories of the show in Dunfermline is how informal it all was. There were no backstage passes, no tour laminates and no fuss. Cream turned up and played just like a pub band would, even though they were three of the best musicians in the business."

Cream – A People’s History is available to order now from Spenwood Books at:

https://spenwoodbooks.com/forthcoming-attractions/