Blues Breakers
by John Mayall & Eric Clapton

Blues Breakers, AKA The Beano Album, is an album of blues standards and a few originals penned by Mayall or Mayall and Clapton. It’s really an album designed to showcase Clapton's playing. Mayall was a great advocate for young British blues guitarists as also demonstrated by his collaboration with Peter Green pre Fleetwood Mac

It’s not the greatest album ever made but it is an important album in the sense that it brought Eric Clapton and the UK blues scene to a much wider audience with a stellar line up of John Mayall on piano, Hammond organ, harmonica, and most vocals; bassist John McVie; drummer Hughie Flint; and Clapton.

Might this be Clapton’s best album? I think that some of the Cream albums are probably better overall but his playing on here just shows what all the fuss was about in the mid 60’s

A fine showcase of musical ability. The songs are very good, although not particularly original or excellent. Instead, what elevates this album to a higher level is the playing. From McVie's exceptional (and underrated) bass playing, to Eric Clapton's impassioned performances, to Flint's solid drumming, to Mayall's captivating singing, everyone here operates as a finely-tuned blues band with no weak link anywhere. 9/10!

Of course, it can not be discussed whether the first album with John Mayall 's Bluesbreakers is a classic or not - it is obviously . This does not mean that the album is a very homogeneous masterpiece. There highlights and numbers of less remarkable character - as on most good albums. One reason why the album has got legendary status, is not least that Eric Clapton was allowed to play as big a role as he did.
The opening track "All Your Love", written by Mayall, is a real Clapton tour de force . Fat distorted blues-rock electric guitar that in no way is second to what Jeff Beck at the same time did with The Yardbirds . "All Your Love" is a stand-out and although Mayall is no real great singer, he delivers very well on this track . Another key number is the "Key to Love" which is another blues rocker with Mayall in fine form, seasoned with a horn section that helps to give the number its great sound.

The two cover version instrumentals "Hideaway" and " Steppin 'Out " provide for Clapton opportunity to show his musical skills and both are Bluesbreakers classics. The Group's version of Ray Charles' "What I'd Say" is also sublime.

Clapton would also be allowed to step out vocally on Robert Johnson's "Rambling on My Mind" - a very heartfelt and convincing performance - a great track . Mayall 's "Little Girl" is a very personal number that shows that Mayall was able to write modern blues numbers; again a prominent Clapton performance.

The rest of the album is just solid blues, competently performed by a strong line-up with Mayall , Clapton, John McVie and Hughie Flint helped on some tracks by a horn section featuring Alan Skidmore , John Almond and Derek Healey.

https://www.angelfire.com/nv/Badfinger/BANDjohnmayall.html

From Jboy56 11/26/2021 20:02 | #276721

Very a great album to begin your blues digging. The songs have not much originality, but with capable musicians this is enjoyable.
Highlights where EC shows his ability shred.
- Have you heard!
- Stepping Out
- Key to love
- Hideaway

From VictorVale 07/08/2021 13:46 | #271443

Puta bluseira!

not for me. nope

One of the best blues records I've ever heard

This is where Les-Paul-into-a-Marshall-amp begins, with Clapton playing louder in the studio than anyone had ever heard, bleeding on to all the other tracks and causing all sorts of problems for the recording engineers. It's about that sweet but stinging tone, and all those Freddy King-influenced licks. At this particular moment, before Hendrix, Duane Allman, Jimmy Page, Roy Buchanan and a lot of others had emerged onto the scene, it's Clapton, Michael Bloomfield, and maybe Jeff Beck (but he struggled to find the right setting) as the best guitarists in the white pop world, and it's this album, nothing he did before, that put Clapton there.

Clapton's best stuff is only on six or so tracks; the rest of the time I'm sort of waiting for him to bring that tone back to the front. There are a couple of the cornball covers (What'd I Say with a so-so drum solo, the inevitable Mose Allison tune) that Brit blues guys hadn't yet gotten past. I can see why it might be a bit underwhelming for people who aren't deep into the guitar history of it all, but that Les Paul through a 45-watt Marshall 2 x 12...that's the stuff.

From seb7 01/09/2021 17:33 | #264105

Pretty standard blues rock album with a great cover of what’d I say and amazing musicianship all around.

Beano! This iconic early British Blues album is exactly what you'd expect. Very cool to hear early Clapton and McVie doing their thing. I find Mayall's vocals hard to appreciate, frankly.

If you're a Clapton or Fleetwood Mac enthusiast, and/or love this shade of blues, definitely scoop this album up. If you're a take-it-or-leave-it British blues fan, this won't change your life.