For
information on today's festivals see eFestivals.co.uk
The Archive
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For
information on today's festivals see eFestivals.co.uk |
Updated Jan 2008
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Royal Windsor Racecourse. |
The
1966 Festival was notable for featuring the first major performance by Cream
and for the fact that it was the first year at the wonderfully named Balloon
Meadow site at Windsor. To
date my information about this festival is fairly limited- I'm looking for the
programme or the poster - help !
The pages so far include pictures
of Cream , limited programme details
and we hope, eventually some press accounts and any information about possible
recordings that exist of the festival performances.
If you have photos, recollections, set lists, newspaper reports
or tapes of the event then Contact
us and we'll add them to the site.
| The
National Jazz and Blues Festivals of
the middle to late sixties were important musical events because they showcased
the best of the British rock, jazz and pop bands of the time. Many bands
got their big breaks at these festivals, if you performed well, receiving
audience acclaim could lead to residencies at the prestigious Marquee
club . Some artists even got recording contracts out of their
appearances . The National Jazz and Blues Fests were often used as debuts for upcoming acts and the 1966 festival was notable as being the first major Uk debut of Cream, the band having only played one other warm -up show beforehand , in Manchester on the 29th. |
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Unfortunately, it rained like hell during their set and the festival turned into something of a mud bath, but it did not stop Cream being greeted rapturously. Fortunately it was the last night so the rain did not put too much of a damper on the proceedings.
| Dik Leatherdale remembers
His friend Austin Reeve recollects
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I remember the Cream set very clearly. I was there with my boyfriend who was a Clapton 'freak' & we sat in the pouring rain (with his black PVC mac over our heads) but it didn't matter! If 'Toad' is the number with the long drum solo then they definitely played it. When Ginger Baker finally stopped after about 20 minutes the crowd yelled for more! I also remember getting the coach back to Windsor & Eton station & on the train home sitting opposite 2 girls - one said to the other 'that Eric Clapton's quite good, isn't he', which made us fall about laughing - what an understatement! The only other band there who made a lasting impression on me were the Alan Bown Set. It was my first festival (at the age of 15) and I'm still a festival-goer at the ripe old age of ** (you can work it out!).
Pat ChaplinI was there and saw the Cream set - 3 songs as I recall and they did no more despite the cheering because that's all they knew or had rehearsed or some such. It was nonsense because they'd played a longer club set somewhere up north just before this.
Somewhere, I still have my 1966 handbill and I'm sure Cream were not called Cream and that it just listed the three as individuals.( this is correct -they are not even collected together as one entity in the program, its possible they had not decided on a name for the band when the program was printed -Ed )
Regards
Ian Woodward
1966
Festival performance information
NB : Underlined
entries have more details if you follow the link..
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The early festivals.
You can find out the complete
line ups of the first festivals if you follow the links below, but otherwise
information is fairly limited.
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Festivals 65-83
Most of these have fairly complete documentation .
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