Tales of Brave Ulysses

It was the first collaboration between Eric Clapton and Martin Sharp, the artist who lived in his building. Sharp told Clapton he had written a poem, and Clapton, who already had a musical idea inspired by the Lovin' Spoonful's Summer in the City, asked to see it. Sharp had written the words to the melody of Leonard Cohen's Suzanne, in the Judy Collins version, and Clapton came back two weeks later with a finished song on the B-side of a single. Clapton said the Greek subject matter came from Sharp's love of the Mediterranean islands and that he had written it the previous winter, wishing he were out in the sun.

Cream recorded it at Atlantic Studios in New York in May 1967. Clapton used a wah-wah pedal for the first time on a recording, and the song is cited as one of the earliest uses of the pedal. Bruce sings and plays bass, Baker is on drums. It was released on 26 May 1967 as the B-side of Strange Brew, five months before Disraeli Gears. Cash Box called it a visionary hard rock excursion, and White Room later borrowed much of its chord progression. Ultimate Classic Rock's Dave Swanson called it one of the most haunting rockers of all time. A version from Winterland on 10 March 1968 is on Live Cream Volume II.