Customer Reviews

Turning Point

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mick Taylor's decision to quit the Bluesbreakers for the Rolling Stones in May 1969 consolidated John Mayall's reputation as a mentor for new talent, but left him without a band. His response was to recruit two experienced session musicians - Jon Mark and Johnny Almond - and to use them, and remaining bassist Steve Thompson, to push his music into new areas of jazz-blues fusion. Dispensing with a drummer, he immediately put this "revolutionary", and in the end short lived line-up on the road, recording "The Turning Point" at the Fillmore East only two months later.

Viewed initially as a gimmick, the lack of drums was in fact key to the clear, intimate sound Mayall was seeking. Structured to allow virtuoso playing, his highly atmospheric songs are driven along by the bass and acoustic guitars, with instrumental solos emerging from and gliding above their intricate backing rhythms. Mayall's vocals, guitar & harmonica underpin some excellent blues and R&B, while Almond's inspired sax & flute breaks lift several numbers into the realms of pure jazz. As the Melody Maker commented at the time, "the range of sounds and moods they obtain is staggering", but the group's most remarkable feature is their seemingly effortless interaction and the drifting, almost distant, feel this stimulates.

The ecstatic response of the New York crowd mirrors my own reaction on seeing the band a few weeks earlier in the slightly less exalted surroundings of the Slough Adelphi. Standing in a circle, with simple lighting, low amplification, no drummer and one member (Mark) seated on a canteen chair they seemed small and insignificant. But when they played, they just soared, taking the audience with them. To capture their unique style required a live recording and "The Turning Point" does just that: showcasing them in superb form as they create beautiful, enthusiastic, and often highly introspective music that stands out across time.

And, for those who've already discovered the delights of this quite superb album, this remastered and extended version includes three additional tracks from that same magical night, two of which rank only marginally behind those that made the original cut and one - "Don't Waste My Time" - that's as good as anything else on it.

For purely sentimental and nostalgic reasons, THE TURNING POINT is my favorite John Mayall album. When I was three, I begged my parents to repeatedly play the exciting harmonica rave-up "Room to Move". It is virtually impossible still for me not to find my aging bones bouncing and hopping still as Mayall rips into that incredibly invigorating piece.

A word of warning: do not listen to "Room to Move" while driving. My insurance just went up due to a recent speeding ticket.

Also many folks may recognize this signature cut as it has become, like the annoyingly infectious "Who Let the Dogs Out" ubiquitous in sports arenas as a crowd instigator. Of course I obviously prefer the later to the former.

The rest of the album is filled with wonderful and intricate musicianship. The guitar, flute and sax interplay is sheer calming brilliance. It provides a great counterpoint to the release of the aforementioned cut. Mayall and his group think loose and play tight like the best of jazz musicians. They fuse elements of jazz, folk, blues and rock.

Mayall's often screeching voice is an acquired taste to be sure, but his absolute reverence for the music overcomes any technical shortcomings.

A fine album worth discovering.

Mick Taylor's decision to quit the Bluesbreakers for the Rolling Stones in May 1969 consolidated John Mayall's reputation as a mentor for new talent, but left him without a band. His response was to recruit two experienced session musicians - Jon Mark and Johnny Almond - and to use them, and remaining bassist Steve Thompson, to push his music into new areas of jazz-blues fusion. Dispensing with a drummer, he immediately put this "revolutionary", and in the end short lived line-up on the road, recording the Turning Point at the Fillmore East only two months later.

Viewed initially as a gimmick, the lack of drums was in fact key to the clear, intimate sound Mayall was seeking. Structured to allow virtuoso playing, his highly atmospheric songs are driven along by the bass and acoustic guitars, with instrumental solos emerging from and gliding above the intricate backing rhythms. Mayall's vocals, guitar & harmonica underpin some excellent blues and R&B, while Almond's inspired sax & flute breaks lift several numbers into the realms of pure jazz. As the Melody Maker commented at the time, "the range of sounds and moods they obtain is staggering", but the group's most remarkable feature is their seemingly effortless interaction and the drifting, almost distant, feel that this stimulates.

The ecstatic response of the New York crowd mirrors my own reaction on seeing the band a few weeks earlier in the slightly less exalted surroundings of the Slough Adelphi. Standing in a circle, with simple lighting, low amplification, no drummer and one member (Mark) seated on a chair they seemed small and insignificant. But when they played, they just soared, taking the audience with them.

To capture their unique style required a live recording - the Turning Point showcases them in superb form creating beautiful, introspective music that stands out across time.

My buddy Mike Cinelli and I were big Brittish Blues fans back in the late 60's. We had seen most if not all of the greats...Fleetwood Mac (the original with Peter Green) et al. We got the tickets for Mayall's concert not knowing that he had switched gears and had revamped the Bluesbreakers. The night of the concert arrived (July 12, 1969...the late show I believe...I usually went to the late shows at the Fillmore). The curtain goes up and the announcer fumbled the intro but John made it right...and there before us on a naked stage (no Joshua light show...no diversion of any kind) stood this quartet. What most fans of the lp don't realize is that this night was also the debut of John's old pal, Eric Clapton's new band...Blind Faith...up at Madison Square... John invited the half-capacity crowd to come on closer and make the event more intimate as it was going to be recorded....(surprise to us...a good surprise...because now I have a 'living testament' to the night's events. The music was astounding, breathtaking and immediate. It remains a turning point for me both as a fan and as a musician. John blew our minds with his superlative understated sound. The recording quality (after all it was the Fillmore East...the same place the Allman Brothers and many other bands would choose to record...for it has excellent acoustics.) You not only heard the blues going through its evolution but you felt it...it drew you in...and it didn't/doesn't matter who you are or where you came from. It is powerful music. One I rank as part of my 5 all-time favorite lps...or CD's to many of you. Nylon string guitar, flute/sax, elec. bass and harp/vocals/slide guitar...all in a rich and textural format...no excessiveness at all.....this was one of those times when less proved to be more...so much more... I will never forget the event...the music...the message... This is truly one of the great albums of the 60's...the blues...and of music...period. Vince DeLucia 7/17/01...

When I bought this CD, I figured on it being a fantastic album from the get go. When I received it and loaded it into my cd player, I had thought that I had bought a pig in the poke. Boy was I wrong.

The CD had only one song that I had ever heard was "Room to Move" and I thought that this was the only decent song on it. After listening to it all the way through the first time, I picked out a few more tracks that had some possibilities. Now that I have run it through several more times through headsets this time, I can see where it really is a fine album.

After listening to it a few times, I realized that I had bought one of the best live blues albums ever recorded. This CD is well worth the price and I hope that everyone will give this one more than a few listens to realize this.

I was there at Aragon Ballroom in 1969... mostly heads... this was radical stuff with no percussion. A lot of us were sceptical. John Mayall and company blew the audience away!! We wouldn't let them get off that stage!! Jon Mark was spectacular. Johnny Almond was superlative and John Mayall's creation was mind-blowing.

The Laws Must Change was a new message to people who were deeply into the world of psychedelic drugs. Every song said something special to us in a way that we had never really heard before. This is one of my top 10 albums of all time. I often listen to it today. It never wears on you. If you haven't heard this music... get a copy. It is KILLER MUSIC from the most creative years in the history of music.

One of the other reviewers calls this album a "timeless classic" and it is. Over the very many years that John Mayall has been making blues music he has developed a reputation as the foremost British interpreter of the guitar/harmonica-based Chicago blues style, and has worked with extradinary musicians (particularly guitarists- Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, among many others).
This album is all acoustic and it is extradinary. Anyone who thinks only of Mayall's electric approach is missing a real treat here.
Throughout his long and distinguished career John Mayall has been criticized for his vocals, and if you don't like them no one can help you with that. But, regardless, the musicianship on this work is so good, and the spark in the band is so uplifting, that his voice is of secondary concern.
Highly recommended from a long-time blues lover.

This remarkable album featured something new in blues-rock music. Mayall formed a band with no drums and no electric lead guitar, relying on the bass of Steven Thompson to keep the rhythm, and substituting acoustic "finger-style" guitar in place of the blistering electric licks that had been a prominent feature of Mayall's style. The format was not new to Mayall; the liner notes to the "Room to Move" compilation state that he got the idea from another, less well-known band. Regardless, Mayall's sound on Turning Point was unique; the use of woodwinds and acoustic guitar, combined with Mayall's harmonica, flirted around the outermost fringes of jazz, and the live tracks presented here are smooth and flowing, reaching a peak in the magnificent "California" which became a staple of FM radio for a time. "Room to Move" was the closest Mayall would ever come to a bona fide hit in the U.S.

Unfortunately, this was a turning point for John Mayall, commercially and artistically. Shortly after this release, blues went out of fashion, and the quality of Mayall's work plummeted. The no-drums format became increasingly difficult to work with in large, noisy concert halls and was eventually scrapped.

Mayall has returned to produce fine work in the 1980s and 1990s; his most recent release, "Stories", is one of his best; and he released first-rate albums such as "Chicago Line" and "A sense of Place" in the 80s. At close to 70, he is still recording and performing new work, but "The Turning Point" remains the high watermark of his career. This is one of the great albums of the 1960s, and one not to be missed.

This version has three "extra" tracks, and I'm happy to say that they're excellent and well worth the price of the disc, even if you own a copy of the original CD. I wish there was more of this stuff!

This is a fine remastering of a excellent album. This essential blues CD is all the finer for the bonus tracks which fit in well with the mood and excitement of the previous tracks. Although only "Room To Move" made it to play on the airwaves, this whole "unplugged" live album is worth adding to your collection.

I first heard "Room to Move" many years ago on a rock and roll retrospective radio show and thought it to be a neat little curiousity at the time. I was more familiar with his electric work with the Bluesbreakers and when I heard it again thought I'd seek out the album, discovering it by accident in my local library (Hartford, CT branch, excellent CD selection!). I was putting together a collection of unplugged CD's for my car and knew "Room to Move" would be included. I didn't count on every song being worthy of inclusion! The Turning Point has such a nice flowing groove to it, it's not quite blues, not quite rock, not quite jazz, just very good timeless acoustic music. The 3 songs added for the reissue only add to the groove Mayall establishes from the suitably low-key intro he gives his band members and they kick right into the groove on the first song "The Laws Must Change". A highly recommended treasure from Bill Graham's much-missed Fillmore East. Wish I could've been there!

Thank you Bill Graham wherever you are!