Cream of the Crop: 10 Classic Jack Bruce Tracks

Singer, bassist and songwriter Jack Bruce passed away on October 25, aged 71. Here's some of the timeless music that he left behind...

Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love

A rock classic and one of Cream’s most iconic songs, its lynchpin is a killer riff that’s up there with rock’s greatest.

Jack Bruce - Theme For An Imaginary Western

Wonderfully melodic, this is one of the best songs – if not the best – of the many that Bruce co-wrote with lyricist Pete Brown.

Cream - White Room

Built on a simple descending chord sequence and bass line, like many of Bruce’s best songs it’s strong on melody, rhythmic and powerful.

West, Bruce & Laing - The Doctor

Thumping, heads-down rocker from Bruce’s post-Cream power trio along with the former Mountain pair, guitarist Leslie West and drummer Corky Laing.

BBM - Waiting In The Wings

A sort of low-fat Cream (Bruce, Ginger Baker and Gary Moore) playing Son Of White Room, which is effective despite being derivative.

Jack Bruce & Robin Trower - Come To Me

Smouldering mid-tempo blues on which Bruce lays down a groove and Trower channels his inner Hendrix.

Jack Bruce & Friends - Bird Alone

One of Bruce’s own favourite. Check out he and his Friends – including drummer Billy Cobham and guitarist Dave Clemson – getting stuck into the sprawling 12-minute version live at Rockpalast in 1980.

Jack Bruce - Tickets To Waterfalls

Beautifully constructed, elegant tune anchored by some typically lithe bass lines from Bruce. From his first solo album, Songs For A Tailor.

Jack Bruce - You Burned The Tables On Me

Energetic and athletic track from Bruce’s solo album Harmony Row, recorded with guitarist Chris Spedding and drummer John Marshall. (Starts at 4’21”)

Frank Zappa - Apostrophe!

Bruce takes centre stage for the first half of the track, which is a vehicle for a fuzzed, fluid, fiery bass solo. (Starts at 16’ 42’’)

Paul Henderson

Classic Rock’s production editor for the past 22 years, ‘resting’ bass player Paul has been writing for magazines and newspapers, mainly about music, since the mid-80s, contributing to titles including Q, The Times, Music Week, Prog, Billboard, Metal Hammer, Kerrang! and International Musician. He has also written questions for several BBC TV quiz shows. Of the many people he’s interviewed, his favourite interviewee is former Led Zep manager Peter Grant. If you ever want to talk the night away about Ginger Baker, in particular the sound of his drums (“That fourteen-inch Leedy snare, man!”, etc, etc), he’s your man.