John Mayall Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton (1966 uk, masterpiece, japan SHM double disc set)

 Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton was Eric Clapton's first fully realized album as a blues guitarist -- more than that, it was a seminal blues album of the 1960s, perhaps the best British blues album ever cut, and the best LP ever recorded by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

Standing midway between Clapton's stint with the Yardbirds and the formation of Cream, this album featured the new guitar hero on a series of stripped-down blues standards, Mayall pieces, and one Mayall/Clapton composition, all of which had him stretching out in the idiom for the first time in the studio. This album was the culmination of a very successful year of playing with John Mayall, a fully realized blues creation, featuring sounds very close to the group's stage performances, and with no compromises.

Credit has to go to producer Mike Vernon for the purity and simplicity of the record; most British producers of that era wouldn't have been able to get it recorded this way, much less released. One can hear the very direct influence of Buddy Guy and a handful of other American bluesmen in the playing.

And lest anyone forget the rest of the quartet: future pop/rock superstar John McVie and drummer Hughie Flint provide a rock-hard rhythm section, and Mayall's organ playing, vocalizing, and second guitar are all of a piece with Clapton's work. His guitar naturally dominates most of this record, and he can also be heard taking his first lead vocal, but McVie and Flint are just as intense and give the tracks an extra level of steel-strung tension and power, none of which have diminished across several decades.

by Bruce Eder



 Tracks

Disc 1
1. All Your Love (Otis Rush) – 3:36
2. Hideaway (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) – 3:17
3. Little Girl (Mayall) – 2:37
4. Another Man (Mayall) – 1:45
5. Double Crossing Time (Clapton, Mayall) – 3:04
6. What'd I Say (Ray Charles; Interpolating Day Tripper By John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 4:29
7. Key To Love (Mayall) – 2:09
8. Parchman Farm (Mose Allison) – 2:24
9. Have You Heard (Mayall) – 5:56
10.Ramblin' On My Mind (Robert Johnson, Traditional) – 3:10
11.Steppin' Out (James Bracken) – 2:30
12.It Ain't Right (Little Walter) – 2:42  
13.All Your Love (Otis Rush) – 3:36
14.Hideaway (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) – 3:17
15.Little Girl (Mayall) – 2:37
16.Another Man (Mayall) – 1:45
17.Double Crossing Time (Clapton, Mayall) – 3:04
18.What'd I Say (Ray Charles; Interpolating Day Tripper By John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 4:2
19.Key To Love (Mayall) – 2:09
20.Parchman Farm (Mose Allison) – 2:24
21.Have You Heard (Mayall) – 5:56
22.Ramblin' On My Mind (Robert Johnson, Traditional) – 3:10
23.Steppin' Out (James Bracken) – 2:30
24.It Ain't Right (Little Walter) – 2:42
Tracks 1-12 Original Album in Mono
Tracks 13-24 Original 1969 Album in Stereo

Disc 2
1. Crawling Up A Hill (Mayall) – 2:08
2. Crocodile Walk (Mayall) – 2:23
3. Bye Bye Bird (Sonny Boy Willamson, Willie Dixon) – 2:49
4. I'm Your Witchdoctor (Mayall) – 2:11
5. Telephone Blues (Mayall) – 3:57
6. Bernard Jenkins (Clapton) – 3:49
7. Lonely Years (Mayall) – 3:19
8. Cheatin' Woman (Mayall) – 2:03
9. Nowhere To Turn (Mayall) – 1:42
10.I'm Your Witchdoctor (Mayall) – 2:10
11.On Top Of The World (Stereo Mix) (Mayall) – 2:34
12.Key To Love (Mayall) – 2:02
13.On Top Of The World (Mayall) – 2:34
14.They Call It Stormy Monday (T-Bone Walker) – 4:35
15.Intro Into Maudie (John Lee Hooker, Mayall) – 2:27
16.It Hurts To Be In Love (Dixon, Toombs) – 3:22
17.Have You Ever Loved A Woman (Myles) – 6:44
18.Bye Bye Bird (Williamson, Dixon) – 3:51
19.Hoochie Coochie Man (Dixon) – 3:53
Tracks 1-3 BBC Saturday Club Session
Tracks 4-7 appeared as singles
Tracks 8-10 BBC Saturday Club Session
Track 11 unreleased stereo mix
Tracks 12-13 BBC Saturday Club Sessiong
Tracks 14 from Lookin Back
Tracks 15-19 appeared on Primal Solos with Jack Bruce on bass

The Bluesbreakers
*John Mayall – Lead Vocals, Piano, Hammond B3 Organ, Harmonica
*Eric Clapton – Guitar, Lead Vocals On "Ramblin' On My Mind"
*John McVie – Bass Guitar
*Hughie Flint – Drums
Additional Musicians
*Alan Skidmore – Tenor Saxophone
*John Almond – Baritone Saxophone
*Derek Healey – Trumpet
*Jack Bruce – Bass (Disc Two Tracks 14-19, Not Featured On Original Album)
*Geoff Krivit – Guitar (Disc Two Tracks 8-10, Not Featured On Original Album)

Free Text
Text Host

Various Artists - Downer Rock Genocide (1970-73 uk, ultra heavy underground early downer rock)

 Definitely any lover of early '70s proto-metal heaviness needs to put this on their wish list. Downer Rock Genocide is a collection of super rare tracks by some really obscure heavy psych/prog acts who kicked around the same scene as early Black Sabbath. And it's pretty darn killer.

Too many gems here to talk about 'em all, but i will mention a few... Flying Hat Band (2 tracks from them, from a never released 1973 album) was where Glenn Tipton slung his axe before joining up with Judas Priest.No wonder they hired him! If you have never heard FHB's stuff before then this comp is worth it just for the badass rockin' doom of their first cut, "Seventh Plain". It's like Comus meets Judas Priest! Clear Blue Sky, who also contribute two demo tracks(their album is a Sabbathy treat). And Sabbath lovers will really want this for "Nightjar" by the Tony Iommi produced Necromandus, easily that band's heaviest and best track. So good.

What else? The Iron Maiden on here is NOT the Iron Maiden you're familiar with, it's another, earlier band with the same name but a much doomier disposition. Actually who they really sound like is Wishbone Ash, Argus-era, all folky and epic. Gnidrolog is another killer act who are a great, super dramatic prog act in the vein of Van Der Graaf Generator who offer up their doomiest "Long Live Man Dead".

Red Dirt are a gruff slice of raw, primitive bluesy heaviness.Iron Claw kick out the jams big time on"Lightning" from a 1971 cassette only release, Egor tear it up on the blown-out live track "Street" also from '71, Hackensack deliver some wild fuzzed out soloing and wailing vocals on their kick ass cut "River Boat" circa '72, and Bum bring us the pagan "God Of Darkness" from way back in '68. Did Sabbath hear these guys? All of it good stuff!
Doommancia

Artists - Tracks
1. Flying Hat Band - Seventh Plan - 3:03
2. Clear Blue Sky – Veil Of The Viken - 7:22
3. Necromandus – Nightjar - 4:15
4. Egor – Street (Live) - 7:55
5. Monument – Dog Man - 3:13
6. Iron Maiden – Falling - 6:00
7. Flying Hat Band – Reaching For The Stars - 4:32
8. Gnidrolog – Long Live Man Dead - 3:57
9. Iron Claw – Lightning - 3:35
10.Red Dirt – Death Letter - 3:08
11.Clear Blue Sky – Spooky - 3:24
12.Slowbone – Quicksand Dream (Live) - 3:01
13.Bram Stoker – Extensive Corrosion - 4:16
14.Hackensack – River Boat - 3:33
15.Bum – God Of Darkness - 4:16
16.Writing On The Wall – Lucifer Corpus - 5:44
17.Unknown Artist – Untitled - 0:52

Free Text
Text Host