Blind Faith - Blind Faith (UK - Blues Rock - 1969)

What to speak of a band that, even before officially announcing its formation, it was idolized by fans and press, surrounded by so great an expectation that their members, making fun of themselves, chose the name "Blind Faith" to name it?
After being part of the Yardbirds and present the music of black Americans for white British boys, recording one of the most important albums of the decade alongside Bluesbrakers John Mayall and take the rock to its limits with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in Cream, Eric Clapton found himself at a crossroads: he could get in a band, form your own group or go solo. They were all possibilities.The Blind Faith came about almost by chance. In search of fun, Clapton invited his friend Steve Winwood, and together they began to take a few jams. Ginger Baker learned of the contract, and wanted to join the duo. The principle Clapton was against, it was of the opinion that the presence of Baker transformed what was to be a simple gathering of friends into something much bigger, but was overcome by the insistence of the drummer and Winwood. Tests drizzled long improvisations were emerging the first ideas for some original songs as well as the need for a bassist to complete the group. Rick Grech of Family, was offered and accepted immediately. Thus was born the Blind Faith, the first supergroup in rock history.

The news that the four were writing together soon leaked, causing a great expectation in the press and fans, who prophesied that soon Clapton, Winwood, Baker and Grech would record one of the best rock albums that would see the birth.Despite the hype, they were not wrong. The absolute belief that led the four to baptize the group as Blind Faith, materialized with the release of self-titled debut in July 1969. The album is spiked on two solid foundations: the beautiful "Can not Find My Way Home" and the anthology "Presence Of The Lord". The first is nothing less than the best record of Steve Winwood, one of the most beautiful voices that gave the world rock. About guitar Clapton, Winwood gives us a beautiful vocal line, alternating moments using your voice in a natural way the falsetto anthologies. The result is stupendous, justifying in its fullness the preconceptions about the group.

Already "Presence Of The Lord" is the talk of Clapton with one with which it was compared. Sung magnificently by Winwood, became one of the most iconic songs of guitarist, both for its beautiful letter and by soil filled with unforgettable wah-wah, where Clapton seems to show that, despite the advent of Jimi Hendrix, still possessed some tricks up his sleeve. 
In addition to "Can not Find My Way Home" and "Presence Of The Lord", four tracks complete the debut of Blind Faith. "Hard To Cry Today", the opening track, is a hard one as it was in the late sixties, and whose revenue is lost with time. "Well All Right" puts groove in the group's sound, with an end result that anticipated the ways that sunny trilharia Clapton on albums such as 461 Ocean Boulevard. The beautiful violin solo performed by Rick Grech on "Sea Of Joy" is another unforgettable moment, while the long "Do What You Like" brings individual solos of each member, especially Ginger Baker.

Besides music, Blind Faith brought another attraction. Its cover, where the daughter of Baker posed bare-chested and holding a plane beyond phallic, caused great controversy at the time, generating even banning the sale of the album in the United States, which led the label to release an exclusive version for the American market, with a photo of the group in place of the original cover.After the album's release, the group, surrounded by entrepreneurs, scheduled and held a U.S. tour. The pressure increased, commitments too, and when they saw the four were again living what he did not want to live when they met to play together. What a pleasure it was to be turned into endless obligations, and it took four to enact the end of the band.After almost forty years of its release, Blind Faith is still one of the highest points in the careers of Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ginger Baker and Rick Grech. An album that is worth (re) discovered, along with live London Hyde Park in 1969, which came out in video and shows the presentation of the guys at the legendary English park.Much more than recommended, historical.

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