While Alexis Korner (1928-1984) is credited with creating the British blues scene, his friend John Mayall is truly the "godfather of the British blues." Over seven decades, he has tirelessly shepherded and evangelized the genre. He has mentored generations of iconic players, including guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor, while his rhythm sections of the period have boasted bassists John McVie, Jack Bruce, and Larry Taylor as well as drummers, Mick Fleetwood, Aynsley Dunbar, and Keef Hartley. Mayall's knack ...
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While Alexis Korner (1928-1984) is credited with creating the British blues scene, his friend John Mayall is truly the "godfather of the British blues." Over seven decades, he has tirelessly shepherded and evangelized the genre. He has mentored generations of iconic players, including guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor, while his rhythm sections of the period have boasted bassists John McVie, Jack Bruce, and Larry Taylor as well as drummers, Mick Fleetwood, Aynsley Dunbar, and Keef Hartley. Mayall's knack for developing players combines with a restless musical vision that expanded the reach of the blues as it intersected with jazz, funk, and rock. A member of the Blues Hall of Fame, he is also an Officer of the British Empire (OBE).The U.K.'s Snapper Music celebrates Mayall with The First Generation 1965-1974, a massive, limited-edition box set covering his early career, the formation of the legendary Bluesbreakers, and his earliest musical experiments in America, his adopted home. Weighing ten pounds, its 35 discs include all catalog material from the period alongside eight previously unreleased live discs, singles, and an EP of the Bluesbreakers with Paul Butterfield. The box contains a 168-page hardbound 12"x12" book penned by Neil Slaven, adorned with cover art and many rare photos. Also included are a perfect bound collection of fan club newsletters, two posters, and a repro of the press kit for 1965's John Mayall Plays John Mayall. The officially released outings run from that 1965 set through 1974's The Latest Edition. Each has been painstakingly remastered and packaged in replica mini-LPs with inner sleeves. The non-album singles -- also on CD in plain white sleeves -- include "I'm Your Witchdoctor" b/w "Telephone Blues" and "Lonely Years"/"Bernard Jenkins," the latter a duo single by Mayall and Clapton. Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, is appended with five bonus live cuts from 1965. It's astonishing that it, A Hard Road (with Green), and Crusade (with Taylor) were all issued within 14 months. The Blues Alone, Mayall's solo album, is expanded with two bonus cuts, as are the seminal Bare Wires and Blues from Laurel Canyon. Also included are the groundbreaking experimental outings The Turning Point, Jazz Blues Fusion, Diary of a Band, Back to the Roots, and Memories, as well as important albums such as Empty Rooms, USA Union, Moving On, and Thru the Years, a comp of rare material. Two discs of live BBC broadcast concerts cut between 1965 and 1968 are a treasure trove. They are accompanied by seven unissued gigs from England, Europe, and the U.S. While essentially bootlegs of varying sound quality ranging from good to dodgy, all the performances are incendiary, making them quite worthy of inclusion. While it's true that this pricey deluxe set will only appeal to the hardest of hardcore fans, music critics, and historians, its appearance importantly situates Mayall -- who has issued dozens of studio and live albums since 1974 -- in his proper place as one of the most influential musicians in blues history. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
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