Despite their extremely short existence, Cream created some of the most iconic songs in rock history.
Forbes magazine ranked Cream as the 22nd greatest rock band of all time, despite their short life together.
«"Between 1966 and 1968, Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, and Jack Bruce laid the groundwork for many of rock's most iconic subgenres, from blues rock to psychedelic rock and early heavy metal," Forbes wrote.
Each band member received recognition for various songs, such as Baker's work on Toad album .
Eric Clapton received critical acclaim for the song "Sunshine of Your Love".
Guitar World magazine praised Clapton's performance, putting the composition Sunshine of Your Love ranked 14th on the list of greatest guitar riffs of all time.
«"Actually, the riff Sunshine "The riff was invented by bassist Jack Bruce after seeing Jimi Hendrix in concert. Clapton simply doubled Bruce's part, adding repeated seventh chords. It's the perfect riff for learning the blues scale because each note plays almost in sequence," wrote Guitar World.
«"Clapton used his psychedelic SG, known as The Fool, with the neck pickup muted for the most famous example of his 'feminine tone.' Given the mythology surrounding Clapton, there's little reliable information about his amp choices, but at the time, he favored the Marshall JTM-100.".
Eric Clapton wanted to leave Cream for one band.
In 1967, while touring with Cream, Clapton first met the Crackers, who later became known as The Band.
«"I knew a guy in Los Angeles who was an entrepreneur, doing all sorts of things," Clapton recalled. "He had a tape of The Crackers, and he lent it to me, and I took it on tour. And it became my drug of choice.".
«"And for me, it was serious. It was serious, it was mature, it was grown-up, it was truly narrative, it had beautiful harmonies, fantastic singing, superb musicianship, without any virtuosity. Just, you know, simplicity and beauty.".
Clapton recalled how much he wanted to be in The Band that he "went and told Jack and Ginger I couldn't go on. Other things were happening.".
Song Sunshine of Your Love reached number 5 on the Billboard charts.
See also: 1966 rock hit named one of the greatest drum solos of all time
This article was originally published in Men's Journal on June 4, 2026, in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal to your list of preferred sources by clicking here.