John Mayall & the Blues Breakers - Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton

Media:	Audio CD
Record label:	Polydor / Pgd
Release date:	05 June, 2001
List price:	~~$13.98~~
Our price:	$11.99 that is 14% off!

Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton

Average rating: Stars

Even better live

I've been listening to this album for nearly 40 years now and it still sounds just as good. For many of us who heard Clapton live with the Bluesbreakers in 1965-6, this album will always be his greatest work - and the thing I always remember is that when me and my mates first heard it we were disappointed! Clapton was even more inspirational playing around the London clubs like the Marquee and the Flamingo. Despite Clapton's well-known efforts to play loud in the studio etc. the recorded sound rarely captures the fluidity and incandescent intensity of Clapton's playing at that time. Nevertheless, Have You Heard and Stepping Out are still blues guitar to die for and the best attempt available to capture the musical experience of a lifetime. Elderly anorak hippies like myself will argue enjoyably for ever about the relative merits of Clapton and Hendrix - but for me, this album shows why we were daft enough to go around writing 'Clapton is God' all over the place! No serious blues fan could possibly be without it.

Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton - John Mayall & the Blues Breakers

And the electric guitar was never the same again

Rumor has it that when Eric Clapton set up his Marshall JTM combo to do this session, the engineer put the mike in it's usual close up position. Clapton moved it some distance away, plugged in his late 50's Les Paul and turned the amp up all the way. Whe he hit that first gliss in "All Your Love", the whole concept of how electric blues guitar was played, changed in an instant. Drenched with sustain and grit, Clapton powered through the material with unheard of intensity, bringing a unique interpetation of his influences which at that time seemed to be primarily Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, and of course Freddie King.

I will agree with those who feel Mayall's vocals are not up to the level of rest of the playing on this album. But they are certainly passable, and do nothing to detract from Clapton's virtuosity. Listen to his snarling bends on the opening track, his relaxed fluidity on Hideaway, and the smoldering intensity he displays on the albums slow blues, "Double Crossing Time" and "Have You Heard".

This album is an absolute must for any electric blues fan.

John Mayall & the Blues Breakers - Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton

nostalgia

I saw this band live several times during the period when this album was made. At one point Mayall had Jack Bruce on Bass, which meant he had one third of what became Cream! Listening to this reissue on CD format brought back memories.It helps as a previous reviewer has implied to hear it as "London" blues. rather than comparing it to American black music.