Eric Clapton’s first supergroup Cream released double set ‘Wheels Of Fire’ at the height of their heady days. It now reclaims its splendor with a feast of a re-release… says Reagan Gavin Rasquinha. 

Hot Diggity. It screams wheels of fire, No, really… It’s CREAM’s superb album ‘Wheels of Fire’ that was re-released 12^th June, 2026, UMR/Polydor released an expanded 3LP vinyl edition titled ‘Wheels of Fire: In The Studio’ (Expanded Edition) alongside a 5 CD Super Deluxe box set. But here, of course I taste the thunder on vinyl.

Track highlights include White Room and Deserted Cities of the Heart. The compositional centerpiece of the studio material remains White Room. The track highlights the phenomenal sonic equilibrium achieved between Jack Bruce’s soaring vocal delivery and Eric Clapton’s masterful, expressive wah-wah guitar execution. In its expanded form, the early mono mix provides a denser, harder-hitting rhythm section profile. The mix strips away the later, highly polished production layers to expose the raw mechanics of the tracking session. It places Ginger Baker’s dramatic 5/4 time signature opening timpani accents and Jack Bruce's iconic, descending bass line entirely upfront in the sonic field. Without the late-stage stereo spacing, Eric Clapton’s pioneering Vox wah-wah pedal work sounds noticeably more abrasive, aggressive, and immediate, showcasing the performance before it was tempered by final studio equalization.

Concurrently, the alternate rough mono mix of Deserted Cities of the Heart serves as a vital archival revelation; stripped of its familiar string overdubs, the track exposes the muscular, syncopated foundations of Ginger Baker’s drumming and the raw narrative urgency of the core trio performance. The standard 1968 studio version relies on a complex, baroque-psychedelic arrangement driven by Jack Bruce’s multi-tracked acoustic guitars and distinctive overdubbed cello parts (both plucked and bowed).

The rough mix selection removes the strings and cello tracks completely, compressing the song into a lean, hard-driving power-trio performance.

The absence of the orchestral elements isolates Ginger Baker's intricate, jazz-inflected syncopation on the drum kit. It also highlights the direct, unvarnished counterpoint between Bruce’s hyperactive bass lines and Clapton's sharp, biting rhythm guitar fills.

This reissue on the whole expands significantly on the original studio portion of the album with several key updates and additions.

Audio Restoration (De-CSG'd) first and foremost. The original 1968 release utilized Haeco-CSG processing, which altered the phase profile to make the stereo mix compatible with mono playback but inadvertently blurred the original stereo field. This 2026 reissue features a completely phase-corrected, remastered stereo version that removes the CSG encoding for a crisper, more detailed soundstage.

The Lost Mono Mixes: set includes a newly remastered mono version of the studio album sourced directly from late producer Felix Pappalardi's personal reference reels, which were previously thought to be lost.

Rarities and Alternate Tracks: The third LP adds an 11-track collection of rarities, outtakes, and alternate versions. Eight of these tracks are completely unreleased, including an early mono mix of White Room and a rough mono mix of Deserted Cities of the Heart without the string section.

And of course, that super packaging… The release is pressed on 180-gram black vinyl and housed in a gatefold sleeve featuring a metallic Pantone finish that honors the striking original artwork.

By Reagan Gavin Rasquinha

Reagan Gavin Rasquinha is a writer who moves between high culture and backroom blues, tracing the quiet revolutions that shape what we see, feel and hear. 

The writer can be contacted at reagangavin@gmail.com