MAYALL, JOHN (BLUESBREAKERS)
- CD
IT'S MY OWN FAULT
| LABEL: |
| White Widow Records |
| SOURCE: |
| Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco 9 February 1968 1st show |
| FORMAT: |
| 1 cd |
| RUNNING TIME: |
| 44.05 |
| SOUND/SOURCE: |
| Soundboard stereo |
| PACKAGING: |
| single slimline jewel case |
|
| |
|
|
SOUND 9 / PACKAGING 8
/ PERFORMANCE 10
| |
|
| TRACK LIST: |
1. Dust My Blues, 2. So Many Roads, 3. I Can’t
Sleep, 4. My Own Fault, 5. Soul Of A Short Fat Man.
|
|
|
|
| REVIEW: |
This
release is quite rare and came out from White Widow Records, an Empress Valley
spin off in 2006 when these tracks were broadcasted from the late Bill Graham’s
site, from the liner notes: “Few bandleaders in the 60s had the vision or
ability to constant change musicians and still create intriguing music every
step of the way. John Mayall was one. Like Miles Davis and Frank Zappa, Mayall
had a visionary knack for recognizing young talent and more importantly, knew
how to assemble and arrange this talent into powerful musical units. In many
cases Mayall was the catalyst for these younger musicians discovering their own
voices, gaining confidence and defining their sound. This inevitably led to
musicians striking out on their own, often to much greater success. In the mid
60s Mayall had some of the greatest British guitar players working for him,
Eric Clapton followed by Peter Green, had helped redefine British Blues and
brought a raw intensity as well as volume to the proceedings, that was being
recognized globally. At the time of this concert Green had departed to form
Fleetwood Mac and Mayall brought in young guitarist Mick Taylor as lead
guitarist, yet another visionary choice. With a Bluesbreakers lineup that now
featured Dick Heckstack Smith and Chris Mercer on sax and the rhythm section of
Keith Tillman and Keef Hartley, they were a serious force to be reckoned with.
This incredible night where John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers performed between
Albert King and the Jimi Hendrix Experience must have been a feast for blues
fans and guitar players alike. The recording begins poorly with Dust My Blues
but by the second songs, So Many Roads, the instrumental balance is quite good.
Mick Taylor fans might find this recording a holy grail, as so little exists of
this era. Mayall released two poorly recorded live albums of this lineup that,
although sourced from mono audience recordings, clearly demonstrated that Mick
Taylor was indeed in the league of his predecessors. Here one can enjoy that
same era in a far better clarity. Veing on a bill sandwiched between King and
Hendrix must have been intimidating for all involved, especially for Mick
Taylor, but he rises to the occasion.
His fluid guitar playing is simply outstanding on this set. One gets the
sense that Taylor studied his predecessors carefully and was consciously
avoiding duplication. He is striving for a sound uniquely his own and he is
thoroughly successful. He has little interest in flashiness and instead, often
plays in a manner both thoughtful and refined. This isn’t to say that he
doesn’t cut loose- he does spectacularly on So Many Roads and My Own Fault, the
two most improvisational pieces. On these he has plenty of bite, a distinct
touch and a delicious tone. The set ending Soul of a Short Fat Man features
drummer Keef Hartley and it’s a wild blowout by all concerned. This lineup only
lasted for a brief span of time, but the music they created deserves and reward
attention. Once again, these musicians would soon move on to more challenging
adventures. Dick Heckstall Smith would soon be a founding member of Colosseum,
Chris Mercer would hook up with Juicy Lucy, Keef Hartley would establish his
own band and of course Mick Taylor would become a Rolling Stone the next year
and soon be a prime component on some of the decade0’s most memorable music.
However, it was right here that these musicians were discovering themselves.”
However, just last March this show was released officially on the 30 discs box
John Mayall The Second Generation. |
|

|
Nov 1, 2025 - 12:29:03 PM |