{"id":11563,"date":"2016-10-07T05:30:53","date_gmt":"2016-10-07T09:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=11563"},"modified":"2016-10-03T08:51:24","modified_gmt":"2016-10-03T12:51:24","slug":"john-mayall-live-in-1967-and-live-in-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/10\/07\/john-mayall-live-in-1967-and-live-in-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"John Mayall: “Live in 1967” and Live in 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"bluesbreakers_1967\"Though he doesn’t actively encourage the label, John Mayall<\/strong> has for many years now been known as \u201cthe godfather of the British blues boom.\u201d He’s revered in blues and rock circles both for his impressive body of work and for his prescient ability to hire some of the best musicians for his various bands. Now approaching his 83rd<\/sup> birthday, John Mayall is as vital a performer as ever; he’s currently in the midst of a North American tour.<\/p>\n

Mayall is quick to credit the true originators of the British blues scene: Alexis Korner<\/strong> and Cyril Davies<\/strong>. The two men started England’s love affair with American blues, and shepherded the movement into a formidable and influential musical force beginning in the very early 1960s. For his part, Mayall was a bit of a late bloomer. He says that while for him \u201cmusic was always a hobby, from the age of about 10 or 12 years old,\u201d he didn’t approach it seriously until he was 30. \u201cAlexis and Cyril pioneered the whole movement,\u201d he says, \u201cand musicians came from all around the country to put their versions in, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers<\/strong> released their first album \u2013 Mayall Plays Mayall<\/i> \u2013 in 1965. The bass player in his band at that time was John McVie<\/strong>; he would play in Mayall’s group for several years, seeing several guitarists and drummers come and go. The most famous guitarist to pass through the ranks of the Bluesbreakers was Eric Clapton<\/strong>; he’s featured on the group’s second LP, 1966’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton<\/i>. But even he didn’t stay around long. In fact, he had joined, quit and joined again before that second album was even recorded.<\/p>\n

Mayall recalls how Peter Green<\/strong> \u201ccame to audition for the job of lead guitar player when Eric Clapton left on his ‘Greek expedition.’\u201d Clapton had put together a touring group of his own called the Glands<\/strong>, but that effort fell apart in a matter of weeks. \u201cI had promised Eric the job if things fell through,\u201d Mayall recalls, and so when Clapton returned, Green was out.<\/p>\n

Not long thereafter, Clapton left again \u2013 this time for good, going on to form Cream<\/strong> with Ginger Baker<\/strong> and Jack Bruce<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 and Peter Green returned. While the lineup continued to shift, there was a brief period \u2013 no more than three months, Mayall says \u2013 during which the group featured Mayall on keyboards, Green on guitar, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood<\/strong>. Those last three would eventually leave, one at a time, and put together a new group, originally called Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Yes, that<\/i> Fleetwood Mac, though the hard-charging blues-revival sound of the early Mac bears no sonic resemblance to the radio-friendly 1970s lineup of the band, featuring only McVie and Fleetwood from the original quartet. But while the proto-Fleetwood Mac lineup of the Bluesbreakers wasn’t together long enough to record and release any albums, Mayall has recently released 2 CDs’ worth of some recently-discovered live tapes of the band.<\/p>\n

Live in 1967 Volumes One and Two<\/i> capture the group live onstage in a variety of London clubs, the Marquee Club (one of the Who<\/strong><\/a>‘s favorite haunts), Manor House and Klook’s Kleek among them. The Bluesbreakers of that period were a tight band, road-tested by constant playing. \u201cWe were working steadily like always in those days,\u201d Mayall says. \u201cWe did at least 300 shows a year.\u201d The CDs \u2013 recorded by a fan using the best mobile equipment available at the time \u2013 may sound a bit rough to listeners used to pristine studio recordings, but the energy is undeniable.<\/p>\n