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20.7.11

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers



John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers - The 1982 Reunion Concert - 1994 - One Way Records

Legendary British blues artist John Mayall has always been an eclectic blues artist because of his tendency to incorporate jazz and folk elements into his music. This "reunion" set from 1982 recorded at the Wax Museum, Washington DC, on 17 June 1982, is a good attempt by John and his band to contemporize the electric Chicago blues style. John and his band, including Mick Taylor, John McVie, and Colin Allen cover 10 tracks, eight of which are solely composed by John, himself. "I Should Know Better" is a collaboration with Mick Taylor, and "My Time After Awhile" is a Robert Geddins & Ron Badger standard. Sound quality on this album could be better, but it won't stop your enjoyment of listening to "the father of the British blues movement" and his band in action. John Mayall has always retained his loyal fan base. Eric Clapton stated that "John Mayall has actually run an incredibly great school for musicians." Listen to the brilliant John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers 1967 "Crusade" album, his now classic 1968 "Blues from Laurel Canyon" album, JMB's brilliant Grammy-nominated "Wake Up Call" album featuring Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins, and it is also worth hearing John's 2001 release (under the banner "John Mayall and Friends"), "Along For The Ride", where John Mayall got together with a number of his former mates, including Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, as well as ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Jonny Lang, Steve Miller, Billy Preston, Steve Cropper, Otis Rush, Gary Moore, Jeff Healey, Reese Wynans of Steve Ray Vaughan's band and Shannon Curfman for an amazing display of blues power at its finest. British blues doesn't come much better than those albums. N.B: Tracks 2,3,4,6 and 8 appeared on the 1994 Australian release, "The Return of the Bluesbreakers" album, where eight tracks, from what was to became John Mayall's 1994 "Cross Country Blues" album, are also included. Some issues of this reunion album include the extra track, "Get Me Some Dollars" composed by John Mayall. Be careful of repetition with these albums

TRACKS

1 Hard Times Again (4:54)
2 You Never Can Be Trusted (3:57)
3 Howlin' Moon (4:15)
4 Ridin' on the Santa Fe (3:34)
5 I Should Know Better (5:25)
6 My Time After Awhile (5:28)
7 She Can Do It (3:50)
8 Lookin' for Willie (9:29)
9 Room to Move (6:58)
10 Have You Heard (7:34)

All songs composed by John Mayall, except "My Time After Awhile" by Robert Geddins & Ron Badger and "I Should Know Better" by John Mayall & Mick Taylor

BAND

John Mayall - Guitar, Piano, Organ, Harmonica, Vocals
Mick Taylor - Lead Guitar, Keyboards with John Mayall on "Room To Move"
John McVie - Bass Guitar
Colin Allen - Drums

BIO

As the elder statesman of British blues, it is John Mayall's lot to be more renowned as a bandleader and mentor than as a performer in his own right. Throughout the '60s, his band, the Bluesbreakers, acted as a finishing school for the leading British blues-rock musicians of the era. Guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor joined his band in a remarkable succession in the mid-'60s, honing their chops with Mayall before going on to join Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones, respectively. John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, Jack Bruce, Aynsley Dunbar, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Andy Fraser (of Free), John Almond, and Jon Mark also played and recorded with Mayall for varying lengths of times in the '60s. Mayall's personnel has tended to overshadow his own considerable abilities. Only an adequate singer, the multi-instrumentalist was adept in bringing out the best in his younger charges (Mayall himself was in his thirties by the time the Bluesbreakers began to make a name for themselves). Doing his best to provide a context in which they could play Chicago-style electric blues, Mayall was never complacent, writing most of his own material (which ranged from good to humdrum), revamping his lineup with unnerving regularity, and constantly experimenting within his basic blues format. Some of these experiments (with jazz-rock and an album on which he played all the instruments except drums) were forgettable; others, like his foray into acoustic music in the late '60s, were quite successful. Mayall's output has caught some flak from critics for paling next to the real African-American deal, but much of his vintage work — if weeded out selectively — is quite strong; especially his legendary 1966 LP with Eric Clapton, which both launched Clapton into stardom and kick-started the blues boom into full gear in England. When Clapton joined the Bluesbreakers in 1965, Mayall had already been recording for a year, and been performing professionally long before that. Originally based in Manchester, Mayall moved to London in 1963 on the advice of British blues godfather Alexis Korner, who thought a living could be made playing the blues in the bigger city. Tracing a path through his various lineups of the '60s is a daunting task. At least 15 different editions of the Bluesbreakers were in existence from January 1963 through mid-1970. Some notable musicians (like guitarist Davy Graham, Mick Fleetwood, and Jack Bruce) passed through for little more than a cup of coffee; Mayall's longest-running employee, bassist John McVie, lasted about four years. The Bluesbreakers, like Fairport Convention or the Fall, was more a concept than an ongoing core. Mayall, too, had the reputation of being a difficult and demanding employer, willing to give musicians their walking papers as his music evolved, although he also imparted invaluable schooling to them while the associations lasted. Mayall recorded his debut single in early 1964; he made his first album, a live affair, near the end of the year. At this point the Bluesbreakers had a more pronounced R&B influence than would be exhibited on their most famous recordings, somewhat in the mold of younger combos like the Animals and Rolling Stones, but the Bluesbreakers would take a turn for the purer with the recruitment of Eric Clapton in the spring of 1965. Clapton had left the Yardbirds in order to play straight blues, and the Bluesbreakers allowed him that freedom (or stuck to well-defined restrictions, depending upon your viewpoint). Clapton began to inspire reverent acclaim as one of Britain's top virtuosos, as reflected in the famous "Clapton is God" graffiti that appeared in London in the mid-'60s. In professional terms, though, 1965 wasn't the best of times for the group, which had been dropped by Decca. Clapton even left the group for a few months for an odd trip to Greece, leaving Mayall to straggle on with various fill-ins, including Peter Green. Clapton did return in late 1965, around the time an excellent blues-rock single, "I'm Your Witchdoctor" (with searing sustain-laden guitar riffs), was issued on Immediate. By early 1966, the band was back on Decca, and recorded its landmark Bluesbreakers LP. This was the album that, with its clean, loud, authoritative licks, firmly established Clapton as a guitar hero, on both reverent covers of tunes by the likes of Otis Rush and Freddie King and decent originals by Mayall himself. The record was also an unexpected commercial success, making the Top Ten in Britain. From that point on, in fact, Mayall became one of the first rock musicians to depend primarily upon the LP market; he recorded plenty of singles throughout the '60s, but none of them came close to becoming a hit. Clapton left the Bluesbreakers in mid-1966 to form Cream with Jack Bruce, who had played with Mayall briefly in late 1965. Mayall turned quickly to Peter Green, who managed the difficult feat of stepping into Clapton's shoes and gaining respect as a player of roughly equal imagination and virtuosity, although his style was quite distinctly his own. Green recorded one LP with Mayall, A Hard Road, and several singles, sometimes writing material and taking some respectable lead vocals. Green's talents, like those of Clapton, were too large to be confined by sideman status, and in mid-1967 he left to form a successful band of his own, Fleetwood Mac. Mayall then enlisted 19-year-old Mick Taylor; remarkably, despite the consecutive departures of two star guitarists, Mayall maintained a high level of popularity. The late '60s were also a time of considerable experimentation for the Bluesbreakers, which moved into a form of blues-jazz-rock fusion with the addition of a horn section, and then a retreat into mellower, acoustic-oriented music. Mick Taylor, the last of the famous triumvirate of Mayall-bred guitar heroes, left in mid-1969 to join the Rolling Stones. Yet in a way Mayall was thriving more than ever, as the U.S. market, which had been barely aware of him in the Clapton era, was beginning to open up for his music. In fact, at the end of the 1960s, Mayall moved to Los Angeles. Released in 1969, The Turning Point, a live, all-acoustic affair, was a commercial and artistic high point. In America at least, Mayall continued to be pretty popular in the early '70s. His band was no more stable than ever; at various points some American musicians flitted in and out of the Bluesbreakers, including Harvey Mandel, Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor, and Don "Sugarcane" Harris. Although he's released numerous albums since and remained a prodigiously busy and reasonably popular live act, his post-1970 output generally hasn't matched the quality of his '60s work. Following collaborations with an unholy number of guest celebrities, in the early '80s he re-teamed with a couple of his more renowned vets, John McVie and Mick Taylor, for a tour, which was chronicled by Great American Music's Blues Express, released in 2010. It's the '60s albums that you want, though there's little doubt that Mayall has over the past decades done a great deal to popularize the blues all over the globe, whether or not the music has meant much on record. [from http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/john-mayall/id44649?showBio=1]

15 comments:

A.O.O.F.C said...

LINK

p/w aoofc

guinea pig said...

Great blues man!
Thank you A.O.O.F.C.!

A.O.O.F.C said...

Hi,Numero Uno aka gp!! You're always welcome. Thanks a million!..P

Eric said...

Hey Paul, nice to see you back.
Hope those personal things have resolved in a good way.

I was @ this gig, Got Albert King's autograph that night after the show too. :D

McVie was really drunk and couldn't play the whole show.
Buddy Guy's bassist filled in.
There's a video of most of the show that was released legit.

A.O.O.F.C said...

Howzitgoin',Eric,my friend? My mother is on the mend now. She nearly died through blood loss caused by unsuitable medication given to her by a f***ing dickhead masquerading as a doctor. Oh,well. I guess that's why they call it the blues! You were at that gig? Man! You've been around! Thats gas about McVie! Great to get Mr.King's moniker, though! TTU soon...P

Eric said...

@ Paul, Jeez, I hate hearing those type of Dr. stories.
Went through that with my mom too.
Really makes you question the integrity & scruples of certain members of the profession.

Well glad she's doing better.
Yeah, I caught that show.
It was right around my birthday to if I remember.
On the blog I posted awhile back the Playbill,ticket stub and Albert's autograph.

He was unannounced (as all the special guests were) until Mayall hit the stage.
So sadly I didn't bring an album of his proper.
I had him sign a plain brown record bag.
He was very cool too, no one was around so I got a few minutes with him.
He & his wife were shuffling off to a beat up station wagon.
Albert actually was carrying his Flying V (in case of course).
He wanted to know where he could get some ribs matter of fact. lol

Late night, seedy alley way with this imagery will forever stay with me.
Caught Mayall and Taylor going into their limo, not one to make a scene of be pushy I didn't bother them.

What a thrill / treat!
I was hitting my buddie's arm "Albert King! Albert fucking King is HERE!!!".
I was in heaven.
Also on the bill was Sippie Wallace,Koko Taylor,Buddy Guy & Jr.Wells.

The video doesn't do full justice of the show,they omitted a lot of songs.

A.O.O.F.C said...

Hi,Eric. The medical quackery in my country is breathtaking in its incompetence. Yesterday I called to a local drugstore to collect Mam's medication. When I checked the drugs, I discovered that her normal, safe prescription had been changed and she was again, mistakenly prescribed a drug called Diklak which caused her internal bleeding in the first place! I could get no intelligent info into who had changed her script...Was it a doctor, a pharmacist? Seems that they were all new "staff", and no one could give me the proper info. I told them that euthanasia hadn't been legalised yet, where I live! I'll have to see Mam's GP to sort out this f***ing mess. I don't and will never trust these medical charlatans, and will check all Mam's medication myself, in future. Sorry, Eric. I'm drifting away from our musical theme! (LOL)! You got the great man's moniker on a paper bag? I wouldn't care if he scribbled it on toilet roll! I wonder did he get his ribs after? So he was human after all. I wonder who has that Flying V now? Man! That's a great story. Reminds me of "The Commitments" movie, at the end when Wilson Pickett arrives too late. The bar was closed. The band had broken up, and Jimmy was walking home when a limo pulled up next to him. The driver asked where the club was. When Jimmy informs him that it's closed, the driver asks "Mr Pickett" in the back seat what to do. They drive on, and Jimmy keeps walking. Real evocative stuff! And the limo drove down a wet, dark, seedy alley, like in yor story! Crazy stuff! Eric, my friend, we gotta keep these stories goin'!! TTU soon....P

Eric said...

@ Paul,*Sigh* I feel @ times I'm getting cynical about the medical profession. Then yet another friend relays their bad experiences to help support the case.

Well, It's good she has you looking out for her :D

That Mayall gig was a magical night.
Firstly as a kid I never thought I'd ever even see him or Taylor together.
Secondly getting Albert's signature.
It was only me and my buddy too that went up to him.
He wrote really large the full size of the record bag when he sized it.
I keep my copy of "Live Wire/Blues Power" in it with a reg plastic record sleeve over it.
Really should frame it I suppose.
The real clinker is that my friend asked him to sign something after he signed my record bag and Albert said "All this autograph signing has tired me (or words to that effect ,in a nice manner).
My friend was kind of bummed,but let it go.

Not to romanticize the story,but it really was like out of a movie for me.
I mean one of my heroes shows up announced on what was already a special occasion.
Then the ambiance of the scene I described in which I met him was just perfect.

I'm glad you enjoyed my experience.
And no doubt enjoy our convos through and through.

A.O.O.F.C said...

Hi, Eric. We've every right to be cynical. Everybody I speak to tell's me horror stories about these quacks. I have another mind numbing story about a young member of my family who died due to "misadventure" by one of these people. I'll mail it to you sometime. It's going legal at the moment, so I'll keep schtum, netwise. We won't talk about these stories anymore, or I'll be back on the "grape juice" which I gave up in 1989!! Hey! I would frame that album....coming from a master of organized confusion regarding musical memorabilia! (LOL)! I'd have mixed feelings about your friend not getting Albert's moniker. However, everybody get's tired, even musical geniuses! The situation could have been reversed!.....Would have saved you some "framing" work! A couple of years back I was with my 11 year old nephew (A Green Day fanatic, but a good guitarist!) at a big horse racing meeting. I saw this very famous guitarist who was at a betting stall with wads of notes in his hand. I gave him a few minutes, and caught his eye...told him how much I admired his brilliant guitar skills. My nephew was thrilled. I asked him for his autograph for my nephew. One of his two bodyguards/henchmen told me (not politely) that Mr.Guitar was off duty, didn't sign autographs, and wanted to see the next race. Mr.Guitar did absolutely nothing to contradict his private "bouncer". In fact, he said nothing at all to me! I had seen this "great guitar man" on a TV program a week earlier, where he was "charming the birds off the trees"! I didn't give a rats fandango about him, but I cared about my young nephew who was shocked and crying. He thought that all these "superstars" were people to be looked up to! What do you think about that, Eric? Would you still listen to that guy's music again? I haven't. TTU soon with more horror stories (NOT RELATED TO MEDICINE LOL!). Cheers, Eric!.....P

Eric said...

@ Paul,No doubt I agree about our being disillusioned with the quacks.
I totally understand about your keeping it private on the net pertaining your family member's passing etc.
One day I'll have to relay the malpractice with my mom (in private).
But like you pointed out when thinking of these things the anger tends to resurface.

Yeah, that's a tool in my book that didn't want to sign for your nephew.
I have met many artists throughout the yrs.
And it's funny several who had the rep. as being difficult were the total opposite = being very cool.
Arthur Lee for instance.

In the case of Albert,yeah it was kind of bittersweet for my buddy.
I mean it was just he and I there.
Not really a big scene.
But Albert was up in yrs. so maybe he just wanted to go.

One of my very first experiences with seeking an autograph was in the early 80's. it was at a Frank Zappa Rutgers University gig I attended.
My friend John came prepared with a stack of Zappa vinyl to be signed.
He was even a student there and had an in.
But when we approached to get near Zappa this "security" guard said "Oh you want to meet Zappa huh, well give me your albums and $50 and I'll take care of it".
I looked at my friend and said "No fucking way, don't trust this dick".

So we left. Now in my heart I don't think Zappa would of approved of this guy's practice.

Basically trying to take advantage of a couple of (then) teenagers.
Jeez,what did he ask of any of the female fans? lol

Besides I wasn't a groupie.

So I'm wondering exactly who you had that encounter with...

A.O.O.F.C said...

Hi,Eric. I would definitely review this medical crap with your loved ones. I used to assume these quacks knew what they were about but personal experience has proved otherwise. Going back to the autograph thing, I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Albert was tired. He was no "spring chicken" back then and maybe had other things on his mind. I would hope that Frank Zappa hadn't the same attitude as his bodyguards. I always loved the guys music. I never saw him live, but I did see a long TV documentary where he came across as a genuine, nice guy...even sensitive. I would give the benefit of the doubt in that case. Anyway, some of these "bouncers" are ignorant brutes, and "overprotective" in their care of celebrities. Many musicians are being kept in bubbles by these people. I'm probably being hypocritical, but I often think that John Lennon could have done with a few of them! (lol). As regards Mr. Guitar, he's an "edgy" kind of guy from England who's a friend of a guy who some people think had a relationship with a Ms.Sarkisian! Lets get back to the music quizzes! You got it in one! TTU soon, Eric, my friend

Eric said...

@ Paul,No doubt the days of the Marcus Welby type doctors are over.
Sure that example is from a fictional character,but our family Dr. was kind of like that.
Went that extra mile to try to help you out etc.

I don't think Zappa would deprive a fan of a sig.
He was cool,it was the security person flexing his muscle.
I always find it amusing too when there wasn't a lot of people around either and they pull that move.

Here's another example.
One time seeing Johnny Winter live (I've have been fortunate to meet Johnny several times,have an almost complete signed catalog of his on vinyl,a collector himself.)
Heck, one time he even signed my friend's Gibson Firebird guitar!
(Pre E-Bay and the internet which makes them sometimes nderstandably think fan's want a signature just for $ gain).

Not me, it all means a lot to me.
Anyway back to the Johnny story.
So Edgar came out for the encore unannounced.
Post gig backstage Edgar and his lady exist through the backstage door which led directly to the street (NYC).
My friend and I are standing there.
No one else, this big bodyguard starts yelling "Don't hassle him!". lol
Umm there was no one there @ all...
We didn't even say a word to him. I would of loved for him to sign something but like I prev. said.
I'm not one to make a scene etc.
If the vibe is right then that's the path to follow.

So it was pretty lame the way that guard behaved,perhaps he was hoping we'd get all worked up "Oh PLEASE let me get my things signed!".
Ya know so he could get his shit off.
Ain't gonna happen, I'm a musician myself, worked for several record companies. Have met many people.
If it's that big a deal to give a personal endorsement to a fan then fuck em.

Even Jeff Beck had Tina Turner scratch her name in one of his guitars yrs. ago.

A.O.O.F.C said...

Hi,Eric! I don't know if you ever heard of an old British TV program, "Dr.Finlay's Casebook". Set in Scotland, this ancient old doc. would traipse around the Scottish Highlands treating the poor. He never asked for money, and had a wonderful old fashioned bedside manner. I think this was set shortly after WW2. Anyway, the old boy never took a red cent for his services. He hadn't an arse in his own "troosers". Funny thing is, I never remember any of his patients dying!...More incredible than Harry Potter! But in reality, blokes like him and old Marcus did exist...Could do with a few of 'em now! You're so lucky to meet people like Johnny Winter....not sure about Edgar! Getting back to bodyguards, the power definitely goes to their heads. I remember during my "Amy Winehouse" days heading for a jazz nightclub with "she who must be obeyed". This was St.Patricks Night. Louis Stewart was playing. (Brilliant guitarist). Now, I was a regular in this establishment. So we get to the door where a retarded gorilla in an apt "monkey" suit blocked our access. Said we weren't members, blah blah blah. I crossed the road to a phone booth, and rang my friend who owned the club (hadn't got a mobile then). Next thing my friend appeared at door, gave the gorilla a proper "bollocking" and laid out the red carpet (maybe it was green!) for us. We got free drinks all night. Great gig. Only thing was that the gorilla occasionally dropped in to "check on our health"!! Still like the jazz, but not the "old gargle"! Good old Jeff! No shit there...sounds like a humble dude! Did you ever come across Rory Gallagher or that "edgy" guy in your travels? Rory was a gent. As for that other "*@&£!"...forget it! TTU soon, Eric, my friend with more musical reminiscences!....P

Eric said...

@ Paul "He hadn't an arse in his own "troosers"." Man, that's a funny quote, new to me too. lol

No doubt, in general people were much kinder in yrs. gone by in all aspects of life.
What I observe these days in our current culture is bad behavior is encouraged and then rewarded (sic)under the guise of celebrity and being a "star".
Thinking these asinine "reality" show people and the Paris Hilton's and their ilk of the world for example.

My Rory experience is bittersweet.
One night at an Eric Burdon & Brian Auger gig I ran into a casual friend who manged several acts including Jack Bruce,Mick Taylor,Savoy Brown more.

We chatted at the bar a bit and he mentioned Rory had an upcoming NYC gig and invited me as one of his guests.

A friend and I got there and it was full capacity.People were out on the street during the show and I didn't feel like hanging so we left.
That turned out to be a somewhat infamous show as it was Rory's last US appearance before his death.

"More incredible than Harry Potter"

You mean that's not a true story :(

A.O.O.F.C said...

Hi, Eric! I posted a reply to your last comment. It hasn't shown up! I had a few blog windows open, and mustn't have been logged in properly. What a plonker I am!! TTU soon...P (for plonker)