John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

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.

by Richie Unterberger, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

This was John Mayall's studio-recorded follow-up to the live The Turning Point, featuring the same drumless quartet of himself, guitarist Jon Mark, reed player Johnny Almond, and bassist Steve Thompson. Mayall was at a commercial and critical peak with this folk-jazz approach; the album's leadoff track, "Don't Waste My Time," had become his sole singles chart entry prior to the LP's release, and although his former label, London, confused matters by releasing the two-year-old Diary of a Band, Vol. 1 in the U.S. just before this new album appeared in early 1970, the new crop of fans he'd found with The Turning Point stuck with him on this gentle, reflective release. Empty Rooms hit Number 33 in the U.S.; in the U.K. it got to Number Nine.

by William Ruhlmann, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

his prophetically titled project represents yet another crossroad in John Mayall's ever evolving cast of prime British bluesmen. This album also signifies a distinct departure from the decibel drowning electrified offerings of his previous efforts, providing instead an exceedingly more folk and roots based confab. The 2001 "remastered & revisited" edition of The Turning Point boasts vastly improved audio – when compared to its previous CD counterparts – and a trio of three "bonus tracks" from the same July 12, 1969 performance at Bill Graham's fabulous Fillmore East in New York City. The specific lineup featured here is conspicuous in its absence of a lead guitarist, primarily due to Mayall recommending himself out of his most recent string man. After the passing of Brian Jones, the Rolling Stones decided to tour and at the behest of Mick Jagger, Mayall suggested Mick Taylor – who had been with him since Crusade (1967). Mayall gave this potentially negative situation a positive outcome by retooling the combo into an acoustic quartet featuring old friends as well as some vital new sonic textures. Mayall (vocals/harmonica/slide guitar/telecaster six-string/hand & mouth percussion) joined forces with former associates Steve Thompson (bass) and Johnny Almond (tenor & alto sax/flute/mouth percussion), then added the talents of Jon Mark (acoustic finger-style guitar). It becomes readily apparent that Mark's precision and tasteful improvisational skills place this incarnation into heady spaces. The taut interaction and wafting solos punctuating "So Hard to Share" exemplify the controlled intensity of Mayall's prior electrified outings. Likewise, Mark's intricate acoustics pierce through the growl of Mayall's haunting slide guitar solos on "Saw Mill Gulch Road." The Turning Point also examines a shift in Mayall's writing. The politically charged "Laws Must Change," the personal "I'm Gonna Fight for You J.B." and the incomparable "Room to Move" are tinged with Mayall's trademark sense of irony and aural imagery. As mentioned above, the supplementary sides "Sleeping by Her Side," "Don't Waste My Time," and "Can't Sleep This Night" – which were left off of the original disc owing to the restrictions imposed upon the vinyl medium – are sourced from the same mid-July 1969 Fillmore East set as the main program.

by Lindsay Planer, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

John Mayall's Turning Point band – Jon Mark, Johnny Almond, and Steve Thompson – broke up in June 1970 after a European tour. Mayall then assembled his first all-American band and recorded this album in July. It had more drive than the previous outfit, and Mayall turned to environmentalism on the leadoff track, "Nature's Disappearing." But much of his low-volume, reflective approach remained on an album that was still more of a jazz-pop outing than the blues sessions of his early career. USA Union had the highest U.S. chart peak of his career, hitting #22. But in the U.K., where its title confirmed Mayall's U.S. leanings, the album showed a big dropoff from his usual sales.

by William Ruhlmann, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

A grab bag of rare tracks from the '60s, some of which stand among Mayall's finest. His debut 1964 single "Crawling up a Hill" is one of his best originals; this comp also includes a couple of 1964-65 flipsides that were never otherwise issued in the U.S. The eight songs featuring Peter Green include some top-notch material that outpaces much of the only album recorded by the Green lineup (A Hard Road), particularly the Green originals "Missing You" and "Out of Reach," a great B-side with devastating, icy guitar lines and downbeat lyrics that ranks as one of the great lost blues-rock cuts of the '60s. The set is filled out with a few songs from the Mick Taylor era, the highlight being the vicious instrumental "Knockers Step Forward." Look for the CD reissue and not the early-'70s double U.S. album of the same name, which includes a lot of superfluous material and omits the three 1964-65 songs from British 45s.

by Richie Unterberger, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

this is a must have for any john mayall fan–still sounds great today!!

by brewer, rateyourmusic

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

On his first new album in four years (and first new U.S. release in seven years), John Mayall reclaims the "Bluesbreakers" name for the first time in 18 years to highlight a quintet featuring two lead guitarists, Coco Montoya and Walter Trout, along with a rhythm section of Bobby Haynes (bass), and Joe Yuele (drums). The album was recorded in concert in Hungary in June 1985, and takes a fairly bluesy approach, with lots of space for the guitarists to shine, a format similar to that of The Bluesbreakers lineups of 1965-1968. Sound quality is only fair, and this is not an inspired performance, but Mayall has latched onto a cohesive unit here, and the results are encouraging for the future.

by William Ruhlmann, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

In 1988, Mayall went back into the studio and revisited eight songs from 1971's Back to the Roots album and tacked on five tracks from the original record to make this haphazard compilation. His remixing and restructuring of old material (which includes extended guitar work from Eric Clapton not found on Roots) is, for the most part, unobtrusive. But Mayall also chose to overdub new solos and such onto the recordings, which is more troublesome. It's nearly two decades later and it often sounds like it. Still, it's Mayall's history to rewrite; it's your choice whether or not to listen.

by Michael Gallucci, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

A Sense of Place represents Mayall's full-fledged return to major-label record-making, with all the good and bad things that implies, from a high-profile producer, R.S. Field, to the introduction of such cover material as Wilbert Harrison's "Let's Work Together" and J.J. Cale's "Sensitive Kind." Field uses a spare production style, light on atmosphere and heavy, as is the current fashion, on unusual percussion. This makes for an identifiable sound, to be sure, but you can't help thinking that it isn't what The Bluesbreakers sound like on a good night in a small club. The result, as intended, was Mayall's first chart appearance in 15 years, but as a commercial comeback, the record ultimately failed.

by William Ruhlmann,AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

Fuelled by Coco Montoya's searing but economical string-slashing, drummer Joe Yuele, and bassist Rick Cortes, John Mayall has managed to keep a stable core of Bluesbreakers together in recent years. Mayall rarely does the same album twice, and Wake Up Call finds him returning to a basic, physical sound after 1990's more progressive/highly produced A Sense of Place. The harp whiz has rarely flirted with the pop charts over the decades, a track record that will likely handicap the title track - a potential hit featuring guest vocalist Mavis Staples and some take-charge riffing from former mate Mick Taylor. For pure guitar joy though, Montoya turns the trick all on his own with barnburners "Loaded Dice" and "Nature's Disappearing."

by Roch Parisien, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

This set was recorded at a June 30, 1969, performance at London's famous Marquee club. At that time, Mayall had just formed and started gigging with the drumless band that would play on what was (other than the Bluesbreakers' sole album with Eric Clapton) probably his most popular recording, The Turning Point. The set happened to be recorded because Mayall and his band were being filmed for a documentary, also called The Turning Point, which though released in the early '70s has rarely been shown. So far, all sounds good as far as signs indicating that this CD might be an interesting relic for Mayall fans. It's not, though, primarily because the sound is pretty crummy, on the order of an average live bootleg of the era. Actually, the instruments come through with fair (though not good) clarity, but the vocals are tinny, distant, and often indistinct. What's more, all seven of the these tracks (including two versions of "California") are available, with virtually the same arrangements and immensely superior sound, on the expanded CD version of the official album The Turning Point, recorded a mere two weeks later. Unless you're dying to hear the brief bit of "Sunshine of Your Love" that crops up in "So Hard to Share," there's no reason to pick this up when The Turning Point essentially captures the same band and the same set at the same moment in time, but with much better sound.

by Richie Unterberger, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

A great look into the past life of John Mayall. This album was available for a short time on Private Stash via JM's official website and is no longer in print.

It features the POWERHOUSE FOUR in 1957 playing Manchester Regional College Of Art (a lunchtime session!) with JM (Piano), Pete Ward (Drums) and Ricky Blears (Upright Bass). John describes the sound quality as atrocious, however I have hear a LOT worse than this - great Boogie Woogie!!!!.

The CD also contains tracks from 1962 with JM in THE BLUES SYNDICATE JM (Harmonica,Vocals & Keyboards), Jack Mazarack (Sax), John Rowlands (Trumpet), Ray Cummings (Guitar) and Hughie Flint (Drums). The sound quality is not as good as the Powerhouse Four recordings however the music is more bluesy. It is this performance which takes the rating from 5.0 to 4.0.

We have to remember that both these wonderful performances were taped by JM on a portable mono tape recorder and this HAS to be taken into consideration. The music more than makes up for the sound quality and as JM states '…it is all there is'

richyskins, rateyourmusic

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

By the time this was released in 2001, John Mayall was more known for the people who played in his seminal British band, the Bluesbreakers rather than his own accomplishments. The success of 1999's Padlock on the Blues afforded Mayall the opportunity to fulfill his dreams and gather an all-star lineup of blues and rock luminaries. "A World of Hurt" and "That's Why I Love You So" both typify the good but not great groove that permeates Along for the Ride. Better tracks "Yo Yo Man" and "Early in the Morning" are easygoing blues that feature the great rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. Fellow Fleetwood Mac and Bluesbreaker alum, the reclusive Peter Green plays acoustic slide guitar on "Yo-Yo Man." "So Many Roads" has Mayall dueting with Otis Rush, and it soon becomes a contest on who sounds more disgruntled. The playful "Testify" features vocals and subtle guitar lines from blues phenom Shannon Curfman. This ends on the strong note. The powerful and wry "She Don't Play By the Rules" has Mayall with arguably the strongest and most subtle band with Mick Taylor on lead guitar and Andy Fairweather Low on acoustic guitar. Along for the Ride is produced, engineered, and mixed by David Z. Despite the camaraderie, a lot of the hooks here don't stick, and fans of Mayall and superstar sessions will get the most from this effort.

by Jason Elias, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

Though almost always well-intentioned, events like this usually don't pan out on record, let alone on DVD. Thankfully, this is not one of those occasions. John Mayall in his 70th Birthday Concert is as spry, ferocious, and on top of his game as ever. There is nothing tired about the presentation or the performances. Mayall's own umpteenth version of the Bluesbreakers is yet another example of his uncanny ability to pick the right cats for the job. They play with plenty of fire, brilliant musicianship, and taste. There are two discs in this package encompassing 19 cuts. The show broke down as follows: the bland play two burning tracks on their own – "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "Jacksboro Highway," – before Mayall joins them for three, including a stunning rendition of "Dirty Water." Mayall then invites Mick Taylor to the stage for no less than four cuts – two of which are "Blues for the Lost Days," and "Oh Pretty Woman." But it gets better. Eric Clapton and Chris Barber join the Bluesbreakers for seven cuts – "Hideaway" (what else?), and a beautiful duet performance of "No Big Hurry" between Eric and John. Both Clapton and Taylor are in hungry, fine form, and hold nothing back. The last finale features Taylor and Clapton, and is a guitar orgy, as one would expect. What it all adds up to, however, is a stinging, overdriven performance of modern electric blues by a master bandleader who shows no signs of slowing down physically, and most importantly, creatively. Highly recommended.

by Thom Jurek, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

Rolling with the Blues chronicles seven John Mayall concerts played between 1972 and 1982. Mayall had given up trying to maintain and support a regular backing group by the early '70s, and was instead working with different configurations for specific gigs. For the 1972 Frankfurt show that opens this two-disc set (a third disc is a DVD interview with Mayall from 2002), Mayall works with a lineup of Keef Hartley on drums, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Clifford Solomon on sax, Freddy Robinson on guitar, and Victor Gaskin on upright bass. Red Holloway replaces Solomon on sax for a second show in Frankfurt a year later in 1973. A 1980 show in Huntington Beach, CA, finds James Quill Smith on guitar. Two 1982 concerts, one in Minneapolis and one in Chicago, feature John McVie of Fleetwood Mac on bass, while two shows in Italy later in the year, one in Rome and one in Lugo, sport a stripped-down lineup of Mick Taylor, Steve Thompson, and Colin Allen. For all these personnel differences, the sound is remarkably consistent and the live recordings are quite balanced, although things red-line occasionally and now and then there are some obvious dropouts, but nothing too serious. Among the highlights are the over 12-minute jazz blues "Got You on My Mind" and a scuffling "No Holds Barred" from the 1972 Frankfurt show and an appropriately ragged John Lee Hooker homage, "John Lee Boogie," from the 1980 Huntington Beach performance.

by Steve Leggett, AMG

×

John Mayall: Albums Collection (1969 - 2009)

Close

John Mayall's lengthy, ever-growing discography is so littered with reissues of various sorts that it may not be readily apparent that he continues to make new albums regularly, about one every couple of years. Since Tough, recorded and released in 2009 when Mayall was 75 years old, is his follow-up to 2007's In the Palace of the King, which was billed as his 56th LP, that would make it his 57th. Unlike its predecessor, a tribute to Freddie King, Tough has no particular theme. It is simply a representative collection of songs in various blues and blues-rock styles, played and sung by Mayall with a band including long-serving keyboardist Tom Canning, guitarist Rocky Athas, and bassist Greg Rzab. Athas gets to make like Jimi Hendrix on the hard rocker "Train to My Heart," and takes a blistering solo on the closer, "The Sum of Something," which also gives Canning an organ feature. Mayall has personal reflections to make on some of his original compositions. "Slow Train to Nowhere," which highlights his piano playing, is also a cautionary tale about recovering from bad behavior. "Tough Times Ahead" is concerned with the economic crisis that gripped the world in the run-up to the recording sessions in March 2009: "Banks are closing daily, and recession's coming back again." And "That Good Old Rockin' Blues" is the songwriter's defense of the music he loves in the face of trendier styles. "I hate rap music with a passion that you've never seen," he declares. That's no surprise. And Tough won't surprise anyone who has heard even a few of Mayall's earlier recordings. At 75, he just keeps on playing the blues.

by William Ruhlmann, AMG