Blues Breakers
by John Mayall & Eric Clapton

From bigeyedfish 12/09/2013 22:22 | #96974 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Good blues, with some of Clapton's best playing outside of Layla propelling it to classic level. If you like Clapton, it's an absolute must. If you like blues, I recommend a listen at the least. (Edited)

It's historically important to blues fans and Clapton's guitar is great as always, but for some reason it seems kind of forgettable. Steppin' Out and What'd I Say are great. (Edited)

A rip roaring blues record. Unlike the as yet released first Fleetwood Mac album, blues breakers, sounds raw and gritty, as opposed to Mac's more generic take on the blues. This really is an exhilarating record. Great playing all round and great tracks in, all your love, double crossing time, and, steppin' out. This is the ultimate British blues album. (Edited)

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. (Edited)

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 (Edited)