Customer Reviews

Blues Breakers [Vinyl]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Clapton's Les Paul/Marshall combo was revolutionary when this album was released. Some people may prefer the thinner sounding Strat on his solo recordings, but this is the ultimate tone for me, including the SG he played in Cream. Not only is the stereo version on this remastered CD, but original mono mix also appears with some very noticeable differences.

Few albums have had greater impact than John Mayall's 1966 landmark "Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton." Released by the Decca label in Britain on 22 July 1966, literally days after Clapton quit the Bluesbreakers and just a week before Cream's debut, it went all the way to #6, a pretty mean feat since Mayall's band had never had a hit single. This may have been a first in Britain.

Of course, this is the album that set the blues and guitar worlds aflame and established Eric Clapton's name worldwide as the most passionate of musical interpreters. If you haven't yet heard "Beano" (as it is affectionately known, because Clapton is pictured reading a "Beano" comic book on its cover), then you ain't heard nuthin' yet!

From the album's first notes, you realize that you're in guitar heaven, as "Slowhand" shows us the way electric guitar can and should be played. Clapton's virtuoso playing is white hot throughout. Playing with a maturity beyond his 21 years, the young Eric Clapton was so influential that Gibson eventually reissued the (out-of-production since 1960) Les Paul model guitar, which Clapton then played.

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers served--and still serves today--as a finishing school for great musicians and sidemen (Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, John McVie, Jack Bruce, Aynsley Dunbar, Mick Fleetwood and others). Mayall's proselytizing the blues (he's 65 years old!), his songwriting skills, and his other musical talents should not be ignored nor taken lightly.

This remastered release features both mono and stereo versions of each cut, and the differences are astounding. Eric Clapton did some his most inspired playing with John Mayall.

4 1/2 Stars

This is a thorougly enjoyable blues album that I bought after Lonnie Brooks and Cub Koda recommended it as one of the 25 essential blues albums of all time in their Blues For Dummies book (great intro to blues, btw). Now I still have a dozen or so of those albums to hear, and while I probably would not put this cd in my top 15 selection, I think it does fit in the top 25.

Excellent guitar and blues harp playing and songwriting here. No particular song has made a standout impression on me, but that's because they are all of an uniform, high quality level. The only criticism I have is that Mayall's singing, that appears on most of these songs, is pretty weak, thin and undistinguished; however, that may not be that bad of a fault, because it allows the listener to focus more on the guitar, organ and harmonica.

If you, like me, have wondered how Clapton still maintains his "legendary guitar god" status in rock and blues, it has to be because most people remember his work on this album, as well as with Cream and Derek and the Dominoes. It is unfortunate that for the last quarter century Clapton has abandoned any desire to play creative, emotional and hard-edged guitar and instead has devoted himself to writing and promoting AOR suitable for the commercial market.

Few albums have had greater impact than the landmark John Mayall With Eric Clapton "Blues Breakers." Released by the Decca label in Britain on 22 July 1966, literally days after Clapton quit the Bluesbreakers and just a week before Cream's debut, it went all the way to #6, a pretty mean feat since Mayall's band had never had a hit single. This may have been a first in Britain.

Of course, this is the album that set the blues and guitar worlds aflame and established Eric Clapton's name worldwide as the most passionate of musical interpreters. If you haven't yet heard "Beano" (as the album is affectionately known, because Clapton is pictured reading "The Beano" comic book on its cover), then you ain't heard nuthin' yet!

From the album's first notes, you realize that you're in guitar heaven, as "Slowhand" shows us the way electric guitar can and should be played. Clapton's virtuoso playing is white-hot throughout. Playing with maturity beyond his 21 years, the young Eric Clapton was so influential that Gibson eventually reissued the (out-of-production since 1960) Les Paul model guitar, which Clapton then played.

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers served--and still serves today--as a finishing school for great musicians and sidemen (Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, John McVie, Jack Bruce, Aynsley Dunbar, Mick Fleetwood, Coco Montoya and others). Mayall's proselytizing the blues (he's 69 years old!), his songwriting skills, and his other musical talents should not be ignored nor taken lightly.

Few albums have had greater impact than the landmark John Mayall With Eric Clapton "Blues Breakers." Released by the Decca label in Britain on 22 July 1966, literally days after Clapton quit the Bluesbreakers and just a week before Cream's debut, it went all the way to #6, a pretty mean feat since Mayall's band had never had a hit single. This may have been a first in Britain.

Of course, this is the album that set the blues and guitar worlds aflame and established Eric Clapton's name worldwide as the most passionate of musical interpreters. If you haven't yet heard "Beano" (as the album is affectionately known, because Clapton is pictured reading "The Beano" comic book on its cover), then you ain't heard nuthin' yet!

From the album's first notes, you realize that you're in guitar heaven, as "Slowhand" shows us the way electric guitar can and should be played. Clapton's virtuoso playing is white-hot throughout. Playing with maturity beyond his 21 years, the young Eric Clapton was so influential that Gibson eventually reissued the (out-of-production since 1960) Les Paul model guitar, which Clapton then played.

John Mayall's Bluesbreakers served--and still serves today--as a finishing school for great musicians and sidemen (Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, John McVie, Jack Bruce, Aynsley Dunbar, Mick Fleetwood, Coco Montoya and others). Mayall's proselytizing the blues (he's 69 years old!), his songwriting skills, and his other musical talents should not be ignored nor taken lightly.

This is a great album to buy to find out why fans were spray-painting "Clapton is God" around London in the mid-Sixties. Clapton's fantastic sound (was it the equipment? the recording? both?) and licks are what makes this album worth buying, unless you are a fan of John Mayall's voice, in which case you should seek help.

I had this Album (oh, that dates me) and I do recall it did turn me onto what we now fondly call the British blues. Clapton as well as the rhythm section propelled John Mayall above the constellation as we know it.

If anything, it's great listening for those who want to hear how great Clapton was in his youth (and still is).

I recommend trying the true blues artists instead of these british copies, like Muddy Waters, Albert King, Johnny Copeland and others.

This is a masterpiece from many angles. It is a bona fide, kick &%$, rock album, it is tremedous example of smoking blues guitar, and, of course, it is lesson number one for Brittish blues.

Eric Clapton established himself as the slinger on this album. He was unsettled with the pop yearnings of the Yardbirds and desired to pursue his blues calling. He also was one of the first guitarists to pick up a Gibson Les Paul and use it for blues music. He loved the fat tone and lasting sustain.

There are no highlights on this because every song is a winner. "All your love" starts out slow, established Mayall's soulful singing, and then picks up the pace with Clapton lighting it all up with a scorching solo.

"Hideaway" is an instrumental standard that is used commercially for an array of projects.

Ray Charle's "What'd I say" is amped up and much more muscular than what you may be used to hearing.

"Parchman Farm" is a showcase for John Mayall's harp playing and boy... does he ever get soulful. I think that is the high point of the cd.

All the songs here have received tons of radio airplay so they are all familiar sounding.

You cannot go wrong with this essential work. Blues fans, rock fans Clapton fans and guitar fans...this should be in your collection!

When I was growing up as part of the Woodstock generation, this album, mostly a collection of blues covers, was one of my favorites. In late 60s New York, Clapton, along with Michael Bloomfield of the Paul Butterfield band and Danny Kalb of the Blues Project, were the top three stars in the "white boy blues" firmament. This album is historic, because it introduced Clapton, Mayall, and ace bassist John MacVie, later of Fleetwood Mac, and helped to ignite a blues mania among the rock-listening public. (Though Clapton had been a member of the Yardbirds, he was not known as such in America because he had left just as the band was hitting the charts, eventually replaced by then-unknown Jimmy Page.) Mayall's various bands not only introduced Clapton, but also Peter Green, founder of Fleetwood Mac, and Mick Taylor, later of the Stones -- all exceptional guitarists. As a vocalist, Mayall is, well, Mayall - odd, but enjoyable. But his reedy vocals and keyboard playing mainly serve to set up some of the best solos Clapton has ever played. Displaying the thick, chilling tone, perfect attack, and dramatic construction that were hallmarks of his early playing, Clapton's solos here are jewels of the blues guitarist's art, displaying the influence of Freddie King and B.B. King, but with perhaps even greater intensity than his mentors. If you like blues guitar, this album's for you. If you like Clapton's playing here, you would also like his playing on Fresh Cream, which is closest in tone and approach to this. In fact, most of his playing with Cream sounds more like this album than his later playing, which is partly a result of moving to more poppish material, but may also reflect his changing from a Gibson to a Stratocaster (guitar jocks correct me if I am wrong!) And if you like the British blues genre you should also check out very early Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, which has some great guitar playing and better vocals, covering a similar repertoire.