John Mayall Album by Album thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Sprocket Henry, Jul 22, 2015.

  1. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Just heard "Blues from Laurel Canyon" again.
    Been awhile. It holds up.
     
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  2. Sprocket Henry

    Sprocket Henry Forum Resident Thread Starter

    C'mon fellas - hold it together and focus on the album at hand. ;)

    The Blues Alone is a pretty unique record in Mayall's catalogue - a rare opportunity to hear things so stripped back and austere. Obviously, that would be later revisited on The Turning Point, Empty Rooms and Memories but now I'm getting ahead of myself!

    "Broken Wings" from The Blues Alone - one of my favourite Mayall tunes with some most excellent hammond organ swirls.

     
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  3. Sprocket Henry

    Sprocket Henry Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Deviating slightly - on a similar stripped-down thread, here's something I missed from the crucial 1966-1967 period. Raw Blues is a bit of a curio in Mayall's discog - essentially a compilation of lo-fi blues numbers from Mayall, Clapton,Otis Spann and several other low-profile London-based blues cats. The cynic in me suggests that this was a quick cash-in to capitalise on the success of the Beano album. I'm led to believe it's pretty much impossible to track down (I've never heard the thing in its entirety), but I've always been fond of this number by Mayall bashed out on his 9-string guitar.

     
  4. kollektionist

    kollektionist Forum Resident

    Location:
    EU
    Do we really consider this a John Mayall album ? Me, I have it filed under 'various artists'. As far as I know it's a Mike Vernon project, Mayall had little or nothing to do with, except for appearing on it, obviously.
     
  5. bluesfan

    bluesfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    You’re right. According to the sleeve notes Mayall is on 8 of the 14 tracks. He is named as main artist on 6. The LP even says "Various Artists" on the spine.
     
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  6. Sprocket Henry

    Sprocket Henry Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Yes, you're both right here - it's a dubious inclusion as a JM album. Hence the reason I only mentioned it in passing. Just trying to put that particular track in context with its release and The Blues Alone. :)
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2017
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  7. Sprocket Henry

    Sprocket Henry Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Alright - last call for comments before we move onto Crusade.
     
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  8. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    Broken Wings would have been an outstanding track on any of the classic Mayall albums. And the instrumental Marsha's Mood is uniquely atmospheric. Definitely part of the canon (despite being issued on the Ace of Clubs budget label and the absence of killer lead guitar!)
     
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  9. Sprocket Henry

    Sprocket Henry Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Alright - let's keep moving on.

    John Mayall's Blues Breakers Crusade (1967)
    Decca

    Recorded July 12, 1967 at Decca Studios in West Hampstead. RECORDED IN ONE DAY :eek:
    Released September 1, 1967.

    [​IMG]
    1. "Oh, Pretty Woman" (A.C. Williams) – 3:40
    2. "Stand Back Baby" – 1:50
    3. "My Time After Awhile" (Ron Badger, Sheldon Feinberg, Robert Geddins) – 5:15
    4. "Snowy Wood" (Mayall, Mick Taylor) – 3:41
    5. "Man of Stone" (Eddie Kirkland) – 2:29
    6. "Tears in My Eyes" – 4:20
    7. "Driving Sideways" (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) – 4:03
    8. "The Death of J. B. Lenoir" – 4:27
    9. "I Can't Quit You Baby" (Willie Dixon) – 4:35
    10. "Streamline" – 3:19
    11. "Me and My Woman" (Gene Barge) – 4:05
    12. "Checkin' Up on My Baby" (Sonny Boy Williamson II) – 3:59
    • John Mayall – vocals, organ, piano, harmonica, bottleneck guitar
    • Mick Taylor – lead guitar
    • John McVie – bass guitar
    • Keef Hartley – drums
    • Chris Mercer – tenor sax
    • Rip Kant – baritone sax
    Notes via Wikipedia:

    Crusade is the fourth album and third studio album by the British blues rock band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, released on 1 September 1967 on Decca Records. It was the follow-up to A Hard Road, also released in 1967. As with their two previous albums, Crusade was produced by Mike Vernon. The album was the first recordings of a young 18-year-old guitarist, Mick Taylor.

    ----------------------------------------------------

    My thoughts: Dig that cover with the protest signs, man... Since this was recorded in a single day I guess the guys could be forgiven for sounding a bit flat at times and Mayall's originals don't really help the situation either. Still, some fabulous material on here and young Mick's guitar work (18 at the time) is occasionally ferocious. Also enter: Keef Hartley, Chris Mercer and Rip Kant. Also John McVie's last appearance until a brief cameo in 1976 on A Banquet In Blues. Mick Fleetwood came and went rapidly in 1967 only appearing on a slather of singles, quickly vacating the drum stool to go off and form Fleetwood Mac with McVie and Peter Green.

    DISCUSS!

    Next up: The live excursions of Diary of A Band Vol. 1 & 2, followed by the psychy-blues-jazz of the 1968 song suite, Bare Wires.
     
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  10. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor

    Location:
    Undisclosed
    Even at an early age Mick Taylor had that great tone. This one is still part of the classic run of albums. Some of the tracks from this album like Oh, Pretty Woman, My Time After Awhile and Checking Up On My Baby were revisited live when Taylor reunited with the Bluesbreakers in the early eighties.

    They were also playing tracks like Driving Sideways and I Can't Quit You Baby when Taylor was originally in the band. Snowy Wood is a cool track.

    Mick Taylor is one of my favorites.

    Mayall tells the story that Eric Clapton didn't show up for a gig once and Mick Taylor volunteered to fill in for the show. Mayall was impressed with Taylor's playing and the fact that he knew all of the songs so when Peter Green eventually left to form Fleetwood Mac, Mayall remembered Taylor and asked him to join as a replacement.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2017
  11. qwerty

    qwerty A resident of the SH_Forums.

    I know "Me and My Woman" from the World of... compilation.
    Love that crisp clean guitar cutting through. With those baritone sax bass notes anchoring it.
    Laid-back cool at it's finest.
     
  12. Sprocket Henry

    Sprocket Henry Forum Resident Thread Starter



    Tasty basslines too.
     
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  13. Sprocket Henry

    Sprocket Henry Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Bluesbreakers from this mid-to-late 1967 era (minus John McVie and Rip Kant)

    [​IMG]
    From left to right: Dick Heckstall-Smith (tenor/soprano sax), JM, Mick Taylor, Keef Hartley (drums), Chris Mercer (tenor/baritone sax), Tony Reeves[?] (bass)
     
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  14. cdb3

    cdb3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milton Keynes, UK
    Just catching up again with the thread.

    I posted above in relation to What's Shakin' and I think Raw Blues is a similar sort of project. As someone commented, it is essentially the product of Mike Vernon's recording activities and should probably be seen as the beginnings of Blue Horizon. A parallel project was Blues Anytime (of which I just have Vol.1) which has sleevenotes by Mike Vernon and is credited as being produced in conjunction with Blue Horizon records. These albums contain a couple of John Mayall/Eric Clapton singles that weren't released on Decca.
    Blues Anytime has I'm Your Witchdoctor/Telephone Blues (originally on Immediate records 1965)
    Raw Blues has Lonely Years/Bernard Jenkins (originally on Purdah records, 1966?)

    It's not clear how these recordings could be made and issued while Mayall was presumably contracted to Decca, but I think the situation was pretty fluid in the mid-60s and this is reflected in the continuous shifting combinations of musicians in the various bands. Note that on Evil Woman Blues on Raw Blues the mysterious Steve Anglo (also heard on What's Shakin') appears with Mayall, Green, McVie and Dunbar, playing organ.

    Another release relevant to the thread is John Mayall, Primal Solos (LP 1977). Side 2 features Mick Taylor and I presume comes from the same Mayall tapes as Diary of a Band (all recorded in 1968). Side 1 is Mayall, Clapton, Jack Bruce and Hughie Flint recorded in April 1966 at the Flamingo Club in London. My copy of this says it is a compilation and that all material has been previously issued, but I'm not sure where (there's no overlap with the Diary of a Band song titles). I haven't listened to it for a while - it's not very high SQ but I remember the Clapton material as being interesting as a document.
    Clive

    PS - apologies - I forgot the live material from the Flamingo was on the deluxe Beano as well as the two singles mentioned.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2017
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  15. cdb3

    cdb3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milton Keynes, UK
    While writing the above post I was reminded that I had this book. It's a bit frustrating as it is a month by month account of gigs, recordings, etc and the index is minimal so it's not easy to find anything particular. However, it does say that Clapton had no formal contract with Mayall which meant that he was a free agent, but consequently received only a session fee for the Beano album. Apparently Mayall was out of contract with both Decca and Immediate in early 1966 which was when the Purdah single was recorded.
    Clive


    [​IMG]
     
  16. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    The cover illustrated (the Sundazed reissue, based on the US version) doesn't look quite right to a Brit, well, this Brit at least. This is the original UK version:

    [​IMG]

    I always loved those well-placed oblique lines. Very satisfying!

    John would presumably have given his left arm not to have his cover design altered - none too subtly - for the original US release:

    [​IMG]
     
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  17. rgutter

    rgutter Forum Resident

    November 7, 1965. Mayall later claimed the 1966 date because at the time of the performance he was still signed to Purdah Records.
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2017
  18. janschfan

    janschfan Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville, Tn. USA


    Actually, I think that is Keith Tillman on the end. He came after John McVie and Paul Williams, and was before Andy Fraser and Tony Reeves...Let's play the Bass Player Rotation Game!
     
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  19. Sprocket Henry

    Sprocket Henry Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Oh, right - thanks! Yes, a tricky period to nail the bass player down.
     
  20. cdb3

    cdb3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milton Keynes, UK
    Thanks for the correction - moral is, don't always believe what's written on record sleeves. I had a look in the Strange Brew book and - assuming it's accurate - the story is slightly different.

    The gig was on Sunday 7 November 1965 and it was only the second performance with the line up of Mayall, Clapton, Bruce and Flint. Clapton had just returned from Greece on 29 October (probably) a couple of days after Peter Green had been hired as Mayall's guitarist. By the first week of November Mayall had agreed to Clapton's request to return to the band, so Green's stint only lasted days.

    Stormy Monday Blues from the Flamingo gig was first issued on the Decca album Looking Back and that is when the April 1966 date first appears. The deception comes about because in November 1965 Mayall was contracted to Immediate.
     
  21. rgutter

    rgutter Forum Resident

    Thanks. Some sources say Purdah (Mike Vernon's label, and in essence a Blue Horizon imprint), others Immediate (where he was a producer). I've gone back and forth... It would have been better if I had mentioned both, or more sensibly just said he was under contract to a label other than Decca.
     
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  22. cdb3

    cdb3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Milton Keynes, UK
    Well, who knows what sources are accurate 50 years later! My guess would be that it was unlikely that Mike Vernon actually signed Mayall to Purdah which I think was only a mail order label and had no distribution. I wonder if Mike Vernon was on the Decca staff at any point in this period.

    Anyhow, further clarification, though of minimal significance: my CD copy of Looking Back claims Stormy Monday for March 1966 and not April - it looks as if the text on the CD is a simple copy of the LP version (hard to read!).
     
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  23. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    It certainly is. The original LP gives 17 Mar 66 as the date:

    [​IMG]
     
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  24. rgutter

    rgutter Forum Resident

    He was, from the early 60's and even while Blue Horizon was becoming an important label.
    Yup. My Looking Back LP (bought the week it was released) says March; IIRC the April date was first used on Primal Solos.
     
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  25. rgutter

    rgutter Forum Resident

    And while we're on this particular retreat from the chronology, two surviving Bluesbreakers numbers with Clapton/McVie/Flint were recorded by the BBC (probably for Jazz Beat on February 9 1966) and have AFAIK only been officially released on Disc 5 [Exclusive Live Rarities] of Essentially John Mayall: Tears in My Eyes and Hideaway.
     

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