108. Neal Barnard Discusses Cream, Wheels of Fire

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Dr. Neal Barnard is a clinical researcher who is the founding president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and he is also a multi-instrumentalist who founded the band CarbonWorks. Neal joins Al on this episode to discuss Cream’s third album, Wheels of Fire, and along the way, he talks about Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, the good and the bad of Cream’s collaboration and CarbonWorks’ upcoming album, Vanishing Act.

You can find Neal on Twitter and Instagram! @DrNealBarnard

There are also accounts for CarbonWorks on both platforms: @carbonworksband on Twitter, @carbonworksmusic on Instagram.

Neil also mentioned the CarbonWorks YouTube channel, where you can find their videos, including some for their new songs: https://www.youtube.com/@carbonworks1770

Also be sure to visit CarbonWorks’ website: www.carbonworksmusic.com

Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB, and this show has accounts on Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow @youmealbum to find out in advance about upcoming guests and featured albums for this podcast.

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1:22 Neal joins the show

2:18 Neal shares his thoughts on Jimi Hendrix’s discography

6:44 Neal explains why he wanted to discuss Wheels of Fire

11:54 Neal expands on some of his thoughts about The Beatles

14:23 Did Al misinterpret “Politician”?

16:27 Neal and Al continue a discussion of lyrics with “Pressed Rat and Warthog”

19:05 Cream took their time making this album

21:28 The various elements of Cream's music work well together

26:17 Neal talks about how he related to Cream’s music when he first listened to them

28:24 Neal and Al discuss their efforts to separate the artists from the art that Cream made

30:24 Neal finds a flaw in Eric Clapton’s “Crossroads” solo

32:56 Neal offers his perspective on criticisms of Clapton’s playing

36:16 Al’s first impression of “Traintime” didn’t last long

37:34 Is a 16-minute drum solo too much drum solo?

40:44 Neal delves into Cream’s dysfunctions

43:21 Can Neal and Al separate Clapton’s actions from his music?

47:15 Neal discusses the origins of his CarbonWorks project

50:17 Neal talks about how CarbonWorks’ music comes together

51:31 Neal’s experience as an exchange student in Belgium changed how he listened to music

53:19 Neal brings up a couple of songs on Vanishing Act that exemplify his approach to music

Outro is from “Tout Ira Bien” by CarbonWorks.

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