Goodbye (also called Goodbye Cream) is the fourth and final original album by British supergroup Cream. The album was released in Europe by Polydor Records and by Atco Records in the United States, debuting in Billboard on February 15, 1969.^[2] A single, "Badge", was subsequently released from the album a month later (see 1969 in music). The album was released after Cream disbanded in November 1968.^[3]

Background and recording [link]

Just before Cream's third album, Wheels of Fire, was to be released, the group's manager Robert Stigwood announced that the group was going to disband after a farewell tour and a final concert at the Royal Albert Hall in November.^[4]

Just before the start of their farewell tour in October 1968, Cream recorded three songs at IBC Studios in London with producer Felix Pappalardi and engineer Damon Lyon-Shaw.^[1] The songs "Badge" and "Doing That Scrapyard Thing" featured Eric Clapton using a Leslie speaker,^[4] while all three recordings featured keyboard instruments played by either Jack Bruce or Felix Pappalardi.^[1]

The group started their farewell tour on 4 October 1968 in Oakland, California^[4] and 15 days later on the 19th of October the group performed at The Forum in Los Angeles where the three live recording on Goodbye were recorded with Felix Pappalardi and engineers Adrian Barber and Bill Halverson.^[1]

Compiling, artwork and packaging [link]

The original plan for Goodbye was to make it a double album, with one disc featuring studio recordings and the other with live performances much like Wheels of Fire, but with a lack of quality material on hand the album was only one disc with three live recordings and three studio recordings.^[4]

The original LP release of the album was packaged in a gatefold sleeve with art direction handled by Haig Adishian. The outer sleeve featured photography by Roger Phillips with a cover design by the Alan Aldridge ink Studios, while the inner sleeve featured an illustration of a cemetery by Roger Hane that had the song titles on tombstones.^[5] A Compact Disc reissue of the album for the Cream Remasters series in 1998 featured an inlay photograph and had the inner-sleeve illustration in the liner notes of the album.^[1]

Reception [link]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[6]
Rolling Stone	(Unfavorable)[7]

The reviews for Goodbye were somewhat unfavorable. Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that the live tracks on Goodbye were better than those on Wheels of Fire, and that the album was composed of "moments".^[6] Ray Rezos' review of the album for Rolling Stone was less favorable, feeling that the band deserved to go out with a better album.^[7]

Track listing [link]

Notes:

• [1-3] recorded live at The Forum, Los Angeles, 19 October 1968.
• Original pressings of the album (as well as the single) list composer credit on "Badge" to Clapton alone.
• "Anyone for Tennis" was originally released as a non-album single, as well as by Atco on the soundtrack album to the film The Savage Seven (catalog no. SD 33-245, 1968). The song was subsequently included on later pressings of Goodbye by Polydor.

Personnel [link]

• Jack Bruce – bass guitar, piano, organ, vocal
• Eric Clapton – guitars, vocal
• Ginger Baker – drums, percussion, vocal
• Felix Pappalardi – producer, bass on "What a Bringdown", piano, Mellotron
• George Harrison (credited as "L'Angelo Misterioso") – electric guitar on "Badge"
• Bill Halverson – engineer
• Adrian Barber – engineer
• Damon Lyon-Shaw – engineer

Charts [link]

References [link]

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Goodbye (CD liner). Cream. Polydor Records. 1969. 31453 1815-2. 
2. ^ Whitburn, Joel. "Joel Whitburn's Record Research: Online Music Vault" (in en). https://www.recordresearch.com. Retrieved September 15, 2011. 
3. ^ Welch, Chris (2005-08-04). "The Farewell" (in en). https://www.cream2005.com/theband_farewell.lasso. Retrieved 2008-06-28. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Schumacher, Michael (2005). "Chapter 5: Do What You Like (1968–69)". Crossroads: The Life and Times of Eric Clapton (First ed.). New York City, New York, United States: Hyperion Books. pp. 107, 111, 113, 114. ISBN 0-7868-6074-X. 
5. ^ Goodbye (Vinyl sleeve). Cream. New York City, New York, United States: Atco Records. 1969. SD 7001. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Cream: Goodbye > Review at Allmusic. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
7. ^ ^{a b} Rezos, Ray (6 April 1973). "Review: Goodbye by Cream". Rolling Stone (Jann S. Wenner). https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/goodbye-19730406. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 
8. ^ "Top 50 Albums" (PDF). RPM Vol. 11 (No. 8). 21 April 1969. ISSN 0315-5994. https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5957&type=2&interval=50&PHPSESSID=m89iq841abagb37ld9c0fdc1f3. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 
9. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" (in French) (PHP). InfoDisc. https://www.infodisc.fr/Album_C.php.  Find "CREAM" under the drop-down menu to see statistics.
10. ^ "Album – Cream, Goodbye" (in German) (ASP). Media Control Charts. https://www.charts.de/album.asp?artist=Cream&title=Goodbye&cat=a&country=de. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 
11. ^ "Cream – Goodbye (Album)" (ASP). Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Cream&titel=Goodbye&cat=a. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 
12. ^ "All the Number One Albums: 1969". The Official Charts Company. https://www.theofficialcharts.com/all-the-number-one-albums-list/_/1969/. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 
13. ^ "Cream: Charts & Awards – Billboard Albums". Allmusic. United States: Rovi Corporation. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3983/charts-awards/billboard-albums. Retrieved 19 July 2011.