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The recording career of the late Jack Bruce (1943-2014) spanned the 1960s through the 2010s, encompassing tenures in the Graham Bond Organisation, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Manfred Mann, West, Bruce and Laing, and, of course, Cream (among other bands).  Between 1969 and 2014, Bruce released fourteen solo studio albums as well as numerous live sets, videos, and compilations.  Now, Cherry Red’s Esoteric Recordings imprint has recently bundled two studio albums and two live sets from the turn of the (new) century as Halfway to the Stars: The Recordings 2001-2003.

The bassist/singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist was known for his versatility; over the years, he played with such talents as Alexis Korner, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Lou Reed, John McLaughlin, Robin Trower, Allan Holdsworth, Mose Allison, Leslie West, and Bill Ward.  As the 2000s began, Bruce was already a “grand old man” of classic rock, but still looking to incorporate new textures and sounds into his music.  His jazz and blues roots were expanded by an immersion into the sounds of Latin America which manifested itself on his first album of the new millennium.  2001’s Shadows in the Air opens Esoteric’s box set, a vibrant victory lap for Bruce including guest spots from Dr. John, Gary Moore, Vernon Reid, and Bruce’s old Cream bandmate, Eric Clapton.

Afro-Cuban rhythms propelled the album which was adorned with horns, strings, and woodwinds.  Bruce reunited with Clapton to successfully reinvent the Cream classics “White Room” and “Sunshine of Your Love,” and the album also featured remakes of past Bruce solo works “Boston Ball Game 1967” and “He the Richmond” along with West, Bruce and Laing’s “Why Don’tcha” as “Out Into the Fields.” (All were co-written with Bruce’s frequent lyrical collaborator, Pete Brown.)  A marriage of blues-rock, jazz, and Latin rhythms, Shadows in the Air inspired Bruce to take its songs out onto the road.

Halfway to the Stars includes the 2010 release Live at the Milky Way on two discs, preserving Bruce and the Cuicoland Express’ performance of October 20, 2001 in Amsterdam in which Bruce and the band reprised album tracks along with two additional Cream cuts, “Politician” and “We’re Going Wrong.”  The group’s 2002 concert Live at the Canterbury Fayre is also featured on the new box set in video form on region-free Blu-ray.  The collection is rounded out by Bruce’s 2003 album More Jack Than God.  Godfrey Townsend (later to join The Yardbirds) joined Bruce’s band on acoustic guitar.  Though working with a smaller group this time around, Bruce was comfortable enough to reimagine and reinterpret the songs of Cream, performing “Politician” and “We’re Going Wrong” in the studio along with “I Feel Free.”  In addition to his songs with Pete Brown, Bruce supplied melodies to Kip Hanrahan’s lyrics for compositions including “Cold Island,” a moving tribute to drummer Cozy Powell.

Jack Bruce would continue to write and record; his final studio album, Silver Rails, arrived on Esoteric in 2014.  Along the way, he reunited with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker as Cream for a remarkable string of shows in 2005 which were also captured on disc and video.  The albums contained in Halfway to the Stars represent an often-overlooked but still worthwhile period in his discography.  The set is housed in a clamshell case with a 24-page booklet boasting new liner notes by Paul Sexton drawing on his past interviews with Bruce.  Ben Wiseman has mastered the collection.

Halfway to the Stars: The Recordings 2001-2003 is out now from Cherry Red and Esoteric at the links below.  (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

Jack Bruce, Halfway to the Stars: The Recordings 2001-2003 (Cherry Red/Esoteric ECLEC52938, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Shadows in the Air (Sanctuary CD SANCD084, 2001)

1. Out Into the Fields
2. 52nd Street
3. Heart Quake
4. Boston Ball Game 1967
5. The Anger’s a Liar
6. Sunshine of Your Love
7. Directions Home (For Tony Williams and Larry Young)
8. Milonga
9. Dancing on Air
10. Windowless Rooms
11. Dark Heart
12. Flesh
13. He the Richmond
14. White Room
15. Surge

CD 2: More Jack Than God (Sanctuary SANCD211, 2003)

1. So They Invented Race
2. Follow the Fire
3. Kelly’s Blues
4. We’re Going Wrong
5. Bizniz
6. Progress
7. I Feel Free
8. Ricin (Daylight Gathering)
9. The Night That Once Was Mine
10. Milonga Too
11. Cold Island (For Cozy Powell)
12. Uh, Oh!
13. Politician
14. Lost in the City (Jam Mix)

CD 3: Live at the Milky Way 2001 (Part I) (Flaccid Parrot FPRCD1, 2010)

1. Surge
2. Out Into the Fields
3. 52nd Street
4. Heart Quake
5. This Anger’s a Liar
6. Sunshine of Your Love
7. Milonga

CD 4: Live at the Milky Way (Part II) (Flaccid Parrot FPRCD1, 2010)

1. Windowless Rooms
2. Dark Heart
3. White Room
4. We’re Going Wrong/Politician
5. 52nd Street (Encore)

Blu-ray Video Disc: Live at the Canterbury Fayre 24 August 2002 (Classic Rock Legends CRP1036, 2003)

1. Surge
2. Sunshine of Your Love
3. 52nd Street
4. This Anger’s a Liar
5. Theme for an Imaginary Western
6. Milonga
7. Windowless Rooms
8. Dark Heart
9. White Room
10. Politician