Blind Faith was the original rock "supergroup" and, not coincidentally, easily the biggest hype in the genre's first couple of decades. Pieced together by mogul Robert Stigwood (RSO Records) from members of Traffic (Steve Winwood), Cream (Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker), and Family (Rick Grech), Blind Faith cut one self-titled album and slunk off to their respective solo careers - illustrious ones for Clapton and Winwood. That said, Blind Faith (1969) is certainly a good record - and a milestone on the road to progressive rock - but it's also indulgent in the worst 60's sort-of way. For me it boils down to three really, really great songs - Winwood's "Sea Of Joy" and "Can't Find My Way Home" and Clapton's "Presence Of The Lord." The remaining three tracks are mediocre filler, especially the stultifying 15-minute jam "Do What You Like."

If you buy a lot of Clapton or Winwood - including their respective boxed sets, Crossroads and The Finer Things - you'll probably end up with those three songs without buying Blind Faith; the Winwood box includes an arguably superior electric rendition of "Can't Find My Way Home" and the previously unreleased "Sleeping In The Ground."

For the faithful, the whole album was remastered in 2001. The single-disc version is a straight reissue with the censored American cover. The double-disc version, however, is a special edition adorned by the naughty English cover (pictured) that nearly triples (triples!) the running time of the original release. This embarrassment of bonus tracks includes the aforementioned tracks from the Winwood box plus four lengthy jams.