John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton CD

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers: John Mayall (vocals, piano, organ, harmonica); Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); John McVie (bass); Hughie Flint (drums).

Includes original release liner notes by Neil Slaven & reissue liner notes by Paul Trynka.

1966's BLUESBREAKERS WITH ERIC CLAPTON is full of portent, as some of its participants would become superstars after its release. Future Cream guitarist Eric Clapton was highly rated enough in the UK blues-rock scene to score second billing, but it wasn't until this recording that he'd had the opportunity to truly stretch out in the studio and show off his awesome soloing skills. Clapton's earlier stint in the Yardbirds had found his ideas largely shouted down by pop-oriented producer/manager Giorgio Gomelsky, but here kindred spirit/producer Mike Vernon simply let Clapton play as he wished. The sympathetic rhythm section of Hughie Flint and future Fleetwood Mac founder John McVie, along with Mayall's best-ever vocals and organ, make BLUESBREAKERS WITH ERIC CLAPTON one of the all-time great British blues albums.

Rarely has any single record album induced such a shift in popular music. Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton not only catapulted Clapton to the helm of the burgeoning British blues-rock scene, it likewise made significant noise on the other side of the Atlantic -- where the blues had literally been born, bred, and buttered. This remastered and revisited edition boasts significantly upgraded sound quality for not only the dozen sides that comprise the original program, but also the bonus tracks. These two additional performances include the A- and B-sides of a rare 45 that Mayall and Clapton cut for producer Mike Vernon's Purdah label nearly a year before recording this disc. Taking a page from the mid-'50s Miles Davis Quintet, it became obvious for those involved that the best way to approach making a studio recording was to document the same material that was concurrently being performed by the band night after night in various London area clubs. In addition to Mayall (guitar/vocals) and Clapton (guitar/vocals), this incarnation of the Bluesbreakers utilizes the talents of John McVie (bass) and Hughie Flint (drums). As a combo, this band was able to reinvent the American blues for a fresh audience whose ultimate response would give rise to subgenres such as heavy metal and other roots-related rock. While their contributions prove immeasurable, they are likewise sadly eclipsed by that of Clapton. In retrospect -- unlike many of the other revolutionary changes occurring in pop music circa the mid-'60s -- the Bluesbreakers are infinitely more subtle in their attack. Their most obvious weapon is the advantage of documenting in-the-studio material from their live performance set. The Bluesbreakers were able to incorporate originals such as "Double Crossing Time" and "Key to Love" with revered blues standards, including Freddie King's "Hideaway" and Robert Johnson's "Ramblin' on My Mind" -- which features Clapton's very first lead vocal. Clapton needed precious little time to gestate the blues. His ability to express himself is uncanny, as if he were a man twice -- if not three times -- his age. The passionate inflections and unforgettable impressions Clapton makes upon these grooves swiftly catapulted him into both international exposure as well as legendary guitar rock idol status. Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton is an invaluable touchstone into primordial pre-metal rock & roll. ~ Lindsay Planer

Additional Tracks

Full performer name: John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers.

Personnel: John Mayall (vocals, harmonica, piano, organ); Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone); John Almond (baritone saxophone); Dennis Healey (trumpet); Hughie Flint (drums).

Photographer: David Wedgbury.

Arranger: John Mayall.

Additional personnel: Alan Skidmore (tenor saxophone); John Almond (baritone saxophone); Dennis Healey (trumpet).Q (p.156) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]his was the record that sealed his guitar-hero status and, for the first time, put a blues album in the UK Top 10."
Q - Recommended
Down Beat (8/95, p.55) - 4.5 Stars - Very Good/Excellent - "...Clapton displays enough control and buoyant enthusiasm in his playing to justify the scrawling of `Clapton is God' on London walls....Mayall, meantime, explores the upper range of his pale voice with urgency and conviction..."
Musician (4/95, p.76) - "...Clapton blazes with a maturity beyond his years, and his tone pierces and rumbles with a freedom he's rarely evoked since....shows how even the greats can be elevated by the right rhythm section..."