John Mayall: (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024)

  

John Mayall OBE (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024) was an English blues and rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has

counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians. A singer, guitarist, harmonica player, and keyboardist, he had a career that spanned nearly seven decades, remaining an active musician until his death aged 90. Mayall. He has often been referred to as the "godfather of the British blues", and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical influence category in 2024.
              

A generation older than most of his sidemen, Mayall was a mentor; his bands were both a lab and finishing school for iconic musicians -- particularly guitarists. Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick

Taylor served, as did bassists Jack Bruce and John McVie and drummers Mick Fleetwood and Aynsley Dunbar, among dozens of others. Five of Mayall's first seven albums, including 1966's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, 1967's A Hard Road, and 1969's The Turning Point, all placed inside the British Top Ten. After emigrating to the U.S., Mayall cut several albums during the '70s including Ten Years Are Gone and Jazz Blues Fusion, that showcased veteran blues and jazz players including Harvey Mandel, Jesse Ed Davis, Larry Taylor, and Blue Mitchell.
         

He died Monday (22 July 2024) at his home in California, according to a statement posted by his family on his official Facebook page. He was 90.

The statement didn’t specify a cause but attributed the death to the “health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career.” Mayall, who’d been performing on the road as recently as 2022, was due to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October as a recipient of the organization’s Musical Influence Award. On its website, the hall hailed Mayall’s “rugged individuality and distinctive voice and style” and said he “continually experimented with and stretched the blues.”
         

MICK TAYLOR & JOHN MAYALL

“The blues is such an everlasting source of inspiration to me,” he told The Times in 1990. “It’s quite inexhaustible, really.”

JOHN MAYALL - THRU THE YEARS 1990

                    

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 1964-1965 flipsides. 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."
     

John Mayall – Thru The Years
Label: Deram – 844 028-2
Format: CD, Compilation, Reissue 1990
Country: US
Released: 1971
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Electric Blues, Rhythm & Blues

TRACKS

01. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Crocodile Walk    2:14
02. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – My Baby Is Sweeter    2:59
03. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Crawling Up A Hill    2:15
04. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Mama, Talk To Your Daughter    2:58
05. Bluesbreakers – Alabama Blues    2:29
06. Bluesbreakers – Out Of Reach    4:42
07. Bluesbreakers – Greeny    3:54
08. Bluesbreakers – Curly    4:50
09. Bluesbreakers – Missing You    1:57
10. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Please Don't Tell    2:26
11. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Your Funeral And My Trial    3:55
12. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Suspicions (Part 1)    2:47
13. John Mayall – Knockers Step Forward    3:12
14. John Mayall – Hide And Seek    2:22

Flac Size: 329 MB

JOHN MAYALL - LONDON BLUES 1964 - 1969 (1992)

 

This two-hour-plus compilation of the first five years of the history of John Mayall and his band the Bluesbreakers in their many permutations covers all the expected bases and then some. Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor are all represented, but so are Bernie Watson and Roger Dean, both of

whom preceded Clapton in the guitarist's spot in the band. What's more, they're not bad; they may not have been the assertive soloist that Clapton came to embody, but Dean plays a pretty hot solo on "Crocodile Walk," which was good enough to make the A-side of a single in 1965. Moreover, there was more to any of the Mayall bands than their guitarists, and Mayall's blues harmonica is showcased throughout, on tracks such as "Crawling Up a Hill" and "Blues City Shakedown." The familiar Immediate and Decca/London sides featuring Clapton are here, though the lion's share of space on this set is devoted to the Peter Green version of the lineup, spread over two discs.
       

Other highlights include a handful of tracks from 1967 featuring Paul Butterfield, and a handful of cuts featuring Green working in a lineup that includes saxmen John Almond and Nick Newell as well as

trumpeter Henry Lowther. The Mick Taylor lineup, which also includes Dick Heckstall-Smith as one of the reedmen, takes up the bulk of the second disc and shows no diminution of the group's authoritative approach to the blues. Indeed, the Clapton sides represented on this collection, being the most familiar and widely circulated, may well prove to be the least interesting; distilling down the best work of everyone else, including Mayall, on the other hand, is a welcome service and makes this package particularly useful, and short of a Mayall box -- an unlikely prospect -- this is as good an overview as you're likely to see of his early work.

John Mayall – London Blues 1964 - 1969
Label: Deram – 844 302-2
Series: Chronicles
Format: 2 x CD, Compilation, Slipcase
Country: US
Released: 1992
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Electric Blues

CD1.

 

01. Crawling Up A Hill   2:15
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Martin Hart
Guitar – Bernie Watson
Vocals, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
02. My Baby Is Sweeter   3:00
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Roger Dean
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Dixon
03. Crocodile Walk   2:14
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Roger Dean
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
04. Blues City Shakedown   2:19
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Roger Dean
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
05. I'm Your Witchdoctor   2:09
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
06. Telephone Blues   3:56
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
07. Bernard Jenkins   3:46
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Clapton
08. All Your Love   3:32
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Rush, Dixon
09. Double Crossing Time   3:00
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Clapton, Mayall
10. Key To Love   2:05
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Trumpet – Dennis Healey
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
11. Parchman Farm   2:20
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Allison
12. Looking Back   2:35
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Nick Newell
Trumpet – Henry Lowther
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Watson
13. So Many Roads   4:43
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Nick Newell
Trumpet – Henry Lowther
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Paul
14. Sitting In The Rain   2:56
Bass – John McVie
Guitar – Peter Green
Percussion – Aynsley Dunbar
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
15. A Hard Road   3:06
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
16. Dust My Blues   2:44
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – James, Josea
17. The Supernatural   2:53
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Green
18. Another Kinda Love   3:01
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
19. Leaping Christine   2:20
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
20. Burn Out Your Blind Eyes   2:56
Vocals, Guitar [9 String] – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall

Flac Size: 333 MB

CD2.

 

01. All My Life   2:56
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Harmonica – Paul Butterfield
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Robinson
02. Ridin' On The L & N   2:26
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Harmonica – Paul Butterfield
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Burley, Hampton
03. Eagle Eye   2:50
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Harmonica – Paul Butterfield
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
04. It Hurts Me Too   2:53
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Mick Fleetwood
Guitar – Peter Green
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Organ, Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – London
05. Double Trouble   3:18
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Mick Fleetwood
Guitar – Peter Green
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Organ, Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Rush
06. Sonny Boy Blow   3:46
Drums – Keef Hartley
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
07. Broken Wings   4:12
Drums – Keef Hartley
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
08. Oh, Pretty Woman   3:29
Baritone Saxophone – Rip Kant
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Williams
09. The Death Of J. B. Lenoir   4:12
Baritone Saxophone – Rip Kant
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
10. Man Of Stone   2:22
Baritone Saxophone – Rip Kant
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Kirkland
11. Checkin' On My Baby   3:55
Baritone Saxophone – Rip Kant
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Williamson
12. Suspicions (Part One)   2:44
Bass – Paul Williams
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Dick Heckstall-Smith
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
13. Jenny   4:33
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Peter Green
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
14. Picture On The Wall   3:01
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Peter Green
Vocals, Guitar, Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
15. No Reply   3:05
Bass – Tony Reeves
Cornet, Violin – Henry Lowther
Drums – Jon Hiseman
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Dick Heckstall-Smith
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall, Taylor
16. She's Too Young   2:19
Bass – Tony Reeves
Cornet, Violin – Henry Lowther
Drums – Jon Hiseman
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Dick Heckstall-Smith
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
17. Sandy   3:45
Bass – Tony Reeves
Cornet, Violin – Henry Lowther
Drums – Jon Hiseman
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Dick Heckstall-Smith
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
18. Walking On Sunset   2:56
Bass – Steve Thompson
Drums – Colin Allen
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
19. The Bear   4:41
Bass – Steve Thompson
Drums – Colin Allen
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
20. Fly Tomorrow   8:59
Bass – Steve Thompson
Drums – Colin Allen
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall

Flac Size: 418 MB

John Mayall on URBAN ASPIRINES HERE

John Mayall: The Turning Point 1969 + Empty Rooms 1970

 

John Mayall was born on the 29th of November 1933 and grew up in a village not too far from

Manchester, England. It was here as a teenager that he first became attracted to the jazz and blues 78s in his father's record collection. Initially it was all about guitarists such as Big Bill Broonzy, Brownie McGhee, Josh White and Leadbelly. However once he heard the sounds of boogie woogie piano giants Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis, his desire to play in that style was all he could think of.
                     

John felt pretty much of an outsider throughout his twenties up until 1962 when the news broke in the

British music magazine Melody Maker that Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies had opened a club in Ealing devoted to blues music. After a couple of years and many personnel changes, Eric Clapton quit the Yardbirds and John quickly offered him the job as his new guitarist. Although John had previously released a couple of singles and a live LP for Decca, the now classic collaboration between Eric and John resulted in the all-time best-selling classic album, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton.
                          

JOHN MAYALL - THE TURNING POINT 1969

                            

This 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 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.
                    

John Mayall – The Turning Point
Label: Polydor – 314 549 423-2
Series: Blues Classics Remastered & Revisited
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered 2001
Country: US
Released: 1969   
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Acoustic, Harmonica Blues

TRACKS

                     

01. The Laws Must Change   7:21
Written-By – Mayall
02. Saw Mill Gulch Road   4:39
Written-By – Mayall
03. I'm Gonna Fight For You J.B.   5:27
Written-By – Mayall
04. So Hard To Share   7:03
Written-By – Mayall
05. California   9:30
Written-By – Mayall, Thompson
06. Thoughts About Roxanne   8:20
Written-By – Mayall, Thompson
07. Room To Move   5:01
Written-By – Mayall
08. Sleeping By Her Side   5:10
Written-By – Mayall
09. Don't Waste My Time   4:54
Written-By – Mayall, Thompson
10. Can't Sleep This Night   6:19
Written-By – Mayall

MP3 @ 320 Size: 155 MB
Flac  Size: 391 MB

JOHN MAYALL - EMPTY ROOMS 1970

                                

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.
                          

John Mayall – Empty Rooms
Label: Polydor – 527 457-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: Europe
Released: 1970   
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock

TRACKS

                   

01. Don't Waste My Time   3:10
Written-By – Mayall, Thompson
02. Plan Your Revolution   2:36
Written-By – Mayall
03. Don't Pick A Flower   3:52
Written By – Mayall, Mark
04. Something New   4:37
Written-By – Mayall, Mark
05. People Cling Together   2:52
Written-By – Mayall
06. Waiting For The Right Time   5:33
Written-By – Mayall, Mark
07. Thinking Of My Woman   2:27
Written-By – Mayall
08. Counting The Days   5:31
Written-By – Mayall
09. When I Go   4:44
Written-By – Mayall
10. Many Miles Apart   2:55
Written-By – Mayall
11. To A Princess   3:31
Written-By – Mayall
12. Lying In My Bed   4:21
Written-By – Mayall

MP3 @ 320 Size: 115 MB
Flac  Size: 253 MB

John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers: A Hard Road 1967 (2CD Expanded Edition 2003) + Crusade 1967 (Expanded Edition 2007)

Throughout the '60s, John Mayall & 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 the band for varying lengths of times in the '60s.
                                                                                       

Mayall's personnel 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, revamping his lineup with unnerving regularity, and constantly experimenting within his basic blues format.                                                                                 

A HARD ROAD  1967  2CD EXPANDED EDITION 2003

                                                                              

A Hard Road is the third album (and second studio album) recorded by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, released in 1967. It features Peter Green on lead guitar, John McVie on bass, Aynsley

Dunbar on drums and John Almond on saxophone. Tracks 5, 7 and 13 feature the horn section of Alan Skidmore and Ray Warleigh. Peter Green sings lead vocals on "You Don't Love Me" and "The Same Way". The album reached #8 on the UK album charts which is Mayall's third biggest chart next to Bare Wires and Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton which reached #3 and #6, respectively.
The cover art and the original LP sleeve design are by Mayall. In 2003 and 2006 two different expanded versions of the album were released.
                                                                                           

[AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger
Eric Clapton is usually thought of as John Mayall's most important right-hand man, but the case could also be made for his successor, Peter Green. The future Fleetwood Mac founder leaves a strong stamp

on his only album with the Bluesbreakers, singing a few tracks and writing a couple, including the devastating instrumental "Supernatural." Green's use of thick sustain on this track clearly pointed the way to his use of guitar riffs with elongated, slithery tones on Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross" and "Black Magic Woman," as well as anticipating some aspects of Carlos Santana's style. Mayall acquits himself fairly well on this mostly original set (with occasional guest horns), though some of the material is fairly mundane. Highlights include the uncharacteristically rambunctious "Leaping Christine" and the cover of Freddie King's "Someday After a While (You'll Be Sorry)."]
                                                              

Recorded in October and November of the previous year, A Hard Road was released on the Decca label in February 1967. In addition to the leader on vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, and organ, Green on guitar, John McVie (soon to contribute the third syllable to Fleetwood Mac) on bass, either Hughie Flint or Aynsley Dunbar on drums, this version of the Bluesbreakers also packed brass in its pocket. John Almond and Alan Skidmore added sax while Ray Warleigh contributed ‘wind instruments’.
                                                                   

A Hard Road is a solid sixties British blues album. Mayall’s vocals were never the slam-you-against-the-wall kind, but he truly sings with character. Eight of the fourteen tracks are Mayall originals with Green getting onto the scoreboard with two songs. Indeed, where this LP really flies is when Peter Green steps forward, as on the instrumental number “The Stumble” and his own “The Super-Natural”, two highlights. The latter piece is worth the price of admission alone. In fact the sustained opening note of “The Super-Natural” is worth the entry fee.

Personnel
                                                     

Original album

John Mayall – vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, organ
Peter Green – guitar, vocals
John McVie – bass
Hughie Flint, Aynsley Dunbar – drums
John Almond, Alan Skidmore – saxophones
Ray Warleigh – wind instruments

2003 expanded edition Same as above with the addition of:

Colin Allen – drums
Paul Butterfield – harmonica, vocals
Mick Fleetwood – drums
Henry Lowther – trumpet
Nick Newell – saxophone

John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers ‎– A Hard Road
Label: Deram ‎– B0001083-02, Chronicles ‎– B0001083-02
Series: Blues Classics Remastered & Revisited –
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Electric Blues, Chicago Blues, Harmonica Blues

DISC ONE

                                                                                              

01. A Hard Road     3:08
02. It's Over     2:48
03. You Don't Love Me  (Vocals – Peter Green/Written-By – Cobbs)  2:48
04. The Stumble  (Written-By – King, Thompson)  2:51
05. Another Kinda Love     3:04
06. Hit The Highway     2:15
07. Leaping Christine     2:22
08. Dust My Blues  (Written-By – James, Josea)  2:46
09. There's Always Work     1:37
10. The Same Way  (Vocals – Peter Green/Written-By – Green)  2:09
11. The Super-Natural  (Written-By – Green)  2:55
12. Top Of The Hill     2:39
13. Some Day After Awhile (You'll Be Sorry)  (Written-By – King, Thompson)  3:00
14. Living Alone     2:23

Bonus Tracks

15. Evil Woman Blues (From Raw Blues)     4:02
16. All Of My Life     4:23
17. Ridin' On The L&N     2:27
18. Little By Little     2:45
19. Eagle Eye     2:52

MP3 @ 320 Size: 124 MB
Flac  Size: 307 MB

DISC TWO

                                                                                

01. Looking Back (Single A-Side)     2:34
02. So Many Roads (Single B-Side)     4:46
03. Sitting In The Rain (Single A-Side)     2:56
04. Out Of Reach (Single B-Side)     4:42
05. Mama, Talk To Your Daughter (Session Outtake)     2:37
06. Alabama Blues (Session Outtake)     2:32
07. Curly (Single A-Side)     4:49
08. Rubber Duck (Single B-Side)     3:57
09. Greeny (Session Outtake)     3:54
10. Missing You (Session Outtake)     1:57
11. Please Don't Tell (Session Outtake)     2:26
12. Your Funeral And My Trial (Session Outtake)     3:54
13. Double Trouble (Single A-Side)     3:19
14. It Hurts Me Too (Single B-Side)     2:55
15. Jenny (Single A-Side)     4:46
16. Picture On The Wall (Single B-Side)     3:01
17. First Time Alone (From Blues From Laurel Canyon)     5:00

MP3 @ 320 Size: 139 MB
Flac  Size: 352 MB

CRUSADE  1967 EXPANDED EDITION  2007

                                                                        

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 the then-18-year-old guitarist Mick Taylor.
                                                            

[AllMusic Review by Matthew Greenwald
The final album of an (unintentional) trilogy, Crusade is most notable for the appearance of a

very young, pre-Rolling Stones Mick Taylor on lead guitar. Taylor's performance is indeed the
highlight, just as Eric Clapton and Peter Green's playing was on the previous album. The centerpiece of the album is a beautiful instrumental by Taylor titled "Snowy Wood," which, while wholly original, seems to combine both Green and Clapton's influence with great style and sensibility. The rest of the record, while very enjoyable, is standard blues-rock fare of the day, but somewhat behind the then-progressive flavor of 1967. Mayall, while being one of the great bandleaders of London, simply wasn't really the frontman that the group needed so desperately, especially then. Nevertheless, Crusade is important listening for Mick Taylor aficionados.]
                                                      

Personnel

John Mayall – vocals, organ, piano, harmonica, bottleneck guitar
Mick Taylor – lead guitar
John McVie – bass guitar (except tracks 21–22)
Keef Hartley – drums
Chris Mercer – tenor saxophone (except tracks 13–20)
Rip Kant – baritone saxophone (except tracks 13–22)
Peter Green – lead guitar (tracks 13–20)
Aynsley Dunbar – drums (tracks 13–18)
Mick Fleetwood – drums (tracks 19–20)
Paul Williams – bass guitar (tracks 21–22)
Dick Heckstall-Smith – tenor and soprano saxophone (tracks 21–22)
                                                                                  

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers ‎– Crusade
Label: Decca ‎– 984 217-5
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: Europe
Released: 2007
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock

TRACKS

                                                                                    

01. Oh, Pretty Woman  (Written-By – A.C. Williams)  3:35
02. Stand Back Baby  (Written-By – John Mayall)  1:45
03. My Time After Awhile  (Written-By – Robert L. Geddins, Ronald Dean Badger)  5:09
04. Snowy Wood  (Written-By – John Mayall, Mick Taylor)  3:37
05. Man Of Stone  (Written-By – Eddie Kirkland)  2:26
06. Tears In My Eyes  (Written-By – John Mayall)  4:17
07. Driving Sideways  (Written-By – Beverly Bridge, Freddy King, Sonny Thompson)  3:58
08. The Death Of J.B. Lenoir  (Written-By – John Mayall)  4:24
09. I Can't Quit You Baby (Written-By – Willie Dixon)  4:31
10. Streamline  (Written-By – John Mayall)  3:15
11. Me And My Woman  (Written-By – Gene Barge)  4:01
12. Checkin Up On My Baby  (Written-By – Sonny Boy Williamson (2)  3:56

Expanded release
                                                                               

13. Curly  (Written-By – Peter Green)  3:25
14. Rubber Duck  (Written-By – Aynsley Dunbar, Peter Green)  3:46
15. Greeny  (Written-By – Peter Green)  3:55
16. Missing You  (Written-By – Peter Green)  1:58
17. Please Don't Tell  (Written-By – John Mayall)  2:28
18. Your Funeral, My Trial  (Written-By – Sonny Boy Williamson (2)3:56
19. Double Trouble  (Written-By – Otis Rush)  3:22
20. It Hurts Me Too  (Written-By – Melvene R. London)  2:55
21. Suspicious (Part One)  (Written-By – John Mayall)  2:48
22. Suspicious (Part Two)  (Written-By – John Mayall)  5:31

MP3 @ 320 Size: 181 MB
Flac  Size: 462 MB