John Mayall

Back In Time – John Mayall on the 1967 Live BluesBreakers Tapes

With a Dutch fan’s tapes now mastered onto CD, followers of John Mayall’s BluesBreakers can get some idea of how the 1967 Mayall/McVie./Fleetwood/Green lineup sounded as they toured the London clubs. They are not hifi, but they are blues history in the making. Pete Sargeant talks to John in Los Angeles about these legendary tapes…

JLTT: Morning John, hope you’ve had some tea!

JM: Calling right on time, Pete…and no, it’s coffee for me

When I heard about these tapes getting onto CD I begged to hear the album and to speak to you again, as all this wasn’t on the horizon when we last met, in Guildford. 

That’s right, since then we’ve been putting it all together

You must realise, this was such a stellar lineup that to hear it now live, just as we heard in in the London clubs… it’s a real bonus isn’t it?

I can’t believe we now have them available to us..I have known about them for quite some time but in the past I’ve only heard bits of them..one minute of the songs here and there..he didn’t want anybody to have it

I’d be grateful for the odd five minutes, but it’s 76 minutes on this release…

It is pretty listenable,,it’s quite extraordinary..from a reel-to-reel recorder..anyway he’s a real nice guy and we got on fine when we finally did the deal over in Holland so now he’s very happy that it is going to come out

That was my next question, you’re psychic! I was going to ask what we know about this chap…Tom Huissen

Well this is a chap, Dutch fan of the band..with a tape recorder!

The bass sounds good, on my reviewing gear

Yes it’s quite remarkable, really – he captured some spirited things but not only that but what with McVie and Pete and then Mick..it’s just so tight together

Eric Corne’s done a great job with the transfer..how did he approach it?

Fact is, the reel-to-reel tapes for the time were really very good..the differences Eric had to make were not all that drastic..whatever was on that tape, that’s what we had, to work with. The fade ins and fade outs were sometimes a bit abrupt on the original tapes so we did the best we could with it but basically it’s not much different from the original tapes we acquired.

Obviously in and around this time there was the Hard Road album and the wonderful Butterfield / Mayall EP but you knew so many songs, you guys … there are selections here that were never put on the Decca records

I guess so, I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and compare them…but yes, it was our live repertoire and there are things on there…well, we were constantly changing that ..just like today…to keep the music fresh and not playing the things over and over

Well one thing I learned from you, John at very early age was – vary the keys and vary the tempos

It does help, because there are so many bands who play a set of the same songs and falling all in the same key as well, in a list where they’re next to each other..that can sound like you’re listening to one long song ! Like you said I like to vary the tempos and keys and keep it rolling along with some variety..it keeps people’s interest…

The album kicks off with All Your Love..it’s a very fine version of it, isn’t it?

Yes and we still might do that one today, because it’s a piece that a kind of signature of my music..I do include some songs from the old days in the current repertoire as people seem to like hearing them, they relate to them maybe..it’s a vast catalogue, now of course ..with the newer albums and all

Well I know Rocky likes playing that one!

Oh you two are pals from old, so you’d know that…

Now Mick Fleetwood had been in the Bo Street Runners for a while and Pete was in Shotgun Express..how did you know that they would be so cohesive?

Hmmm…Peter had been with me almost a year when these recordings were made…Mick came in and then John had been with me longer than that….four years maybe? Mick arrived with y’know basic drumming, very solid rock’n’roll style playing in essence..so it wasn’t a planned thing, in any sense..it was a transition

There’s some great harmonica on ‘Brand New Start’, a real pace on it

(Laughs) Ah I find it pretty hard to judge my harmonica work ! Or anything else..I always do the best I can

It sounds driven..what keyboard were you using at this time?

The Hammond B-3

Double Trouble – there’s some desolate guitar over the organ here… Joe Bonamassa played that song  in London last week! About four minutes in, it sound as though the guitar is crying and it’s a wonderful vocal, this version.

Thanks..it was part of the repertoire and of all the slow blues we were doing at that time… well it’s all displayed on this album…Otis Rush, Freddie King and so much part of our musical foundations, from then and onwards

OK there are two King instrumentals on here – for me, it’s worth buying for The Stumble…it is fantastic, a band firing on all four

And SanHoZay – well that wasn’t on an album til the 90’s

Five minutes in, Peter hits that ‘voodoo note’..the long one ! but the most important thing in Freddie King music is the stops, sometimes. 

There is another album’s worth coming out at the end of the year on my Private Stash label via our website.

The last number on this collection is Stormy Monday – not one of my favourite songs but it’s a great vocal

Ah well before Eric was in the band, we had been on tour backing T Bone Walker ..hence we played that song a lot, even after the dates with him

The other track I really like is Streamline, it has a catchy riff

That one went on to the Crusade sets, it has a fine Latin feel..it’s a nice one to do

Ah and Hi Heel Sneakers here has a touch of the rhumba about it…

We were doing that pretty much the same as Tommy Tucker..and that was quite a hit record, in its day

There’s a lot of interest in this release, I mentioned it at a gig last night and many wanted to talk about it after the show

(Pleased) It’s wonderful that there’s so much interest in it – makes it worthwhile

Are there any live recordings of you and Paul Butterfield I wonder?

(Sighs) No..anything I might have had was likely burned up in the fire, in ‘79

In Laurel Canyon?

Yes…it was an Oh My God passage in my life…walking away in the shoes you were wearing…

That’s as blue as you can get! So these recordings are even more precious to you

Absolutely, Pete. But Peter is probably here sounding better than anything he has done..before or since, you know..he was on fire..there was some blues with Fleetwood Mac, but nothing like what you hear here, all improvised and no set arrangements..it captures him in his finest hour.

Pete Sargeant

Thanks Tracy, thanks John (always good to catch up)

John Mayall and his band will be playing six shows over a three-night residency at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London on the following dates:

Monday 2nd November 2015- First Show: 7:30pm (Doors: 5:30pm) 

Monday 2nd November 2015- Second Show: 10:15pm (Doors: 9:30pm)

Tuesday 3rd November 2015- First Show: 7:30pm (Doors: 5:30pm) 

Tuesday 3rd November 2015- Second Show: 10:15pm (Doors: 9:30pm)

Wednesday 4th November 2015- First Show: 7:30pm (Doors: 5:30pm) 

Wednesday 4th November 2015- Second Show: 10:15pm (Doors: 9:30pm)

To buy tickets visit: www.ronniescotts.co.uk/performances/book/2765-john-mayall

For more information visit: www.johnmayall.com