Blind Faith
|
|
BlindFaithBlindFaith.jpg
Blind Faith was a band formed in 1968 when Eric Clapton (ex-Cream) and Steve Winwood (ex-Traffic) were at a loose end following the demise of their former bands and began to spend time together again (they had previously collaborated on record as Powerhouse), jamming and working on new material at Clapton's house in Surrey. At Winwood's instigation, Cream's former drummer Ginger Baker was invited along and they subsequently spent some time recording in the studio. Rick Grech, bassist with Family was invited to join them (he left Family mid-tour). Record producer Jimmy Miller came in to bring some focus to the recording of further material.
News of the formation of the group created a buzz of excitement among the public and a free concert was scheduled for London's Hyde Park on June 7 1969. Their small repertoire was reported by the music press as having disappointed the crowd of 100,000 who were also expecting to hear songs from the days of Cream and Traffic. Recording of their album continued, followed by a short tour of Scandinavia, then a US tour from July 11 (Newport) to August 24 (Hawaii) supported by Free and Delaney and Bonnie & Friends.
Audience reaction in the USA was similar to that in the UK and the band were forced to appease them by playing a couple of Cream and Traffic songs. The management pressure to cash in on the hyperbole (the Press dubbed them a 'supergroup') and Baker's view that the group was a continuation of Cream soured feelings within the band and they disbanded immediately after completing the US tour.
They released only one album, Blind Faith (August 1969), with 6 tracks. There was controversy at the time because the cover showed a shirtless 14-year girl from the waist up. The model airplane in her hands was also alleged to have a vaguely phallic appearance. The US record company issued it in an alternative cover with a shot of the band on the front. An expanded de-luxe edition of the album was released in 2001 with previously unreleased tracks and 'jams' included. 2 live tracks from the Hyde Park concert are also available on Winwood's 4-CD retrospective The Finer Things.