Record Reviews

AYNSLEY DUNBAR RETALIATION ~ TO MUM FROM AYNSLEY AND THE BOYS / REMAINS TO BE HEARD BLUE LABEL 97912 (Barcode: 693723979120) ~ UK ~ Blues Recorded: 1969 - 1970 Released: 2006 3rd and 4th albums by brilliant UK Blues group Aynsley Dunbar RetaliationFind albums by this artist, led by legendary drummer Aynsley DunbarFind albums by this artist and including some of the greatest musicians of the period, like Victor BroxFind albums by this artist (vocals, guitar & keyboards), Jon MorsheadFind albums by this artist (guitar), Alex DmochowskiFind albums by this artist (bass) and Tommy EyreFind albums by this artist (keyboards). Following the release of the first two albums, the group asked John MayallFind albums by this artist to produce their 3rd release and the resulting album is one of the greatest British Blues masterpieces of all times. The extraordinary vocals by Brox (deep throaty baritone), superb guitar and keyboards solos and fantastic rhythm section, combined with excellent songwriting just all come together to create a stunning album, which strangely enough us relatively unknown to most British Blues fans. Unfortunately by the time the 3rd album was released, the group was already falling apart, with Dunbar moving ahead to create his (also short-lived) "Blue WhaleFind albums with this title" project. The 4th album was a contractual commitment and was recorded partly after Dunbar left, with Brox assuming the leadership for a while. The resulting album is not as strong as its predecessor, but considering the abilities and talent of the musicians involved, it is still (in retrospect) quite good, certainly better that many other efforts recorded at the time. This is essential document of British Blues, an absolute must to any fan of the genre.

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

JOHN MAYALL ~ BLUES FOR THE LOST DAYS MUSIC ON CD 13458 (Barcode: 8718627225424) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 1996 Released: 2017 This is a reissue of an album by the Godfather of British Blues, vocalist / guitarist / keyboardist / harmonica player / bandleader John MayallFind albums by this artist. “Blues For The Lost DaysFind albums with this title” was the third of the three albums released in the 1990s by the American SilvertoneFind albums on this label label and it finds Mayall accompanied by guitarist Buddy WhittingtonFind albums by this artist, bassist John PaulusFind albums by this artist and drummer Joe YueleFind albums by this artist. Keyboardist Tommy EyreFind albums by this artist plays on five tracks and a brass section on two tracks. The album presents twelve tracks, eight of which are Mayall’s originals and the rest are by other songwriters. Mayall used the BluesbreakersFind albums by this artist moniker for the second time between 1982 and 2008 and this album was also released under that moniker. All the three albums released on Silvertone find Mayall at his very best. Mayall sings splendidly and plays some great harmonica parts as well as other instruments. Whittington is a brilliant guitarist and his works is simply exemplary. The keyboards work by Eyre is absolutely superb as well, as is all his work over time and he remains as one of the greatest secret heroes of British music. Time made absolutely no dent on this music whatsoever and it sounds every bit as fresh and inviting as it did at the time of its release. One of the amazing qualities of Mayall is his remarkable consistency and level of artistry, which he managed to preserve throughout his career, in spite of his constant metamorphosis and migration into diverse stylistic niches. His recording legacy presents an impressive collection of over fifty albums, without not even one of them being an artistic compromise. Same goes for his songwriting, which against all odds, manages to ignore the limitations of the Blues idiom and create wonderful new material without being derivative. Overall, this is a most welcome initiative to bring this album back into circulation, as it was getting a bit tough to find on the market. For Blues / Blues-Rock fans this is of course as indispensable as any other Mayall album.

Updated: 29/08/2021Posted: 29/08/2021

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

JOHN MAYALL ~ PADLOCK ON THE BLUES EAR MUSIC 4029759138174 (Barcode: 4029759138174) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 1998 Released: 1999 This is an album by the Godfather of British Blues vocalist / guitarist / pianist / songwriter / bandleader John MayallFind albums by this artist. He is supported by a basic trio of guitarist Buddy WhittingtonFind albums by this artist, bassist John PaulusFind albums by this artist and drummer Joe YueleFind albums by this artist, all seasoned American Blues veterans who played with Mayall for many years. Additionally many guests appear on the album on selected tracks: Blues Legend John Lee HookerFind albums by this artist, guitarists Coco MontoyaFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Ernie WattsFind albums by this artist, organist Tommy EyreFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Darrell LeonardFind albums by this artist, saxophonist Joe SublettFind albums by this artist, percussionist Steve LeshnerFind albums by this artist and banjo / dobro player Mike MartsolfFind albums by this artist. The album presents thirteen original songs, eleven of which were written by Mayall, one was co-written by him and Maggie MayallFind albums by this artist and one was co-written by Whittington and Yuele. There is no doubt that Mayall´s music was a major influence on my personal musical identity and the bands he led over the years and the musicians that played in his bands were the branches of an enormous "family tree" that created over the years some of the best music on this planet. His figure of a musical "guru" influenced so many great musicians, that to understand his impact on music since 1960s on, one has to be familiar with thousands of albums representing all Rock sub-genres, but also Jazz-Rock Fusion and other, seemingly unrelated areas. One of the amazing qualities of Mayall is his remarkable consistency and level of artistry, which he managed to preserve throughout his career, in spite of his constant metamorphosis and migration into diverse stylistic niches. His recording legacy presents an impressive collection of over fifty albums, without not even one of them being an artistic compromise. Same goes for his songwriting, which against all odds, manages to ignore the limitations of the Blues idiom and create wonderful new material without being derivative. This album, recorder towards the end of the 20th Century, sounds absolutely as fresh and inspired as his classics recorded in the mid to late 1960s, i.e. thirty years earlier. Not surprisingly the same applies to his albums recorded in the 2010s, another twenty years in the future, maintaining a career lasing over six decades. Overall this is a wonderful album, absolutely perfect as far as Blues is concerned, with great instrumental performances by all the musicians and superb vocals by Mayall, who refuses to stay behind and let his imitators to take over. This is an absolute must have in any serious Blues collection!

Updated: 07/07/2020Posted: 07/07/2020

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

STRAWBS ~ NOMADNESS (EXPANDED EDITION) A&M 5302822 (Barcode: 600753028223) ~ UK ~ Folk-Rock Recorded: 1975 Released: 2008 10th album by the legendary UK Folk-Rock group StrawbsFind albums by this artist led by Dave CousinsFind albums by this artist, who is still in the helm 40 years later enjoying the renewed interest in the band, Strawbs were definitely one of the most successful and brilliant UK Folk-Rock outfits. This album was the last of the albums released by the A&MFind albums on this label label and marks a certain attempt to produce music, which is less complex and more accessible. There are no epic tracks here, but the material is very strong, written, as usual, mostly by Cousins, with a couple tracks by other band members. The band at the time of the recording was a quartet, with Cousins, Dave LambertFind albums by this artist, Chas CronkFind albums by this artist and Rod CoombesFind albums by this artist, but many famous musician friends participate in the recording, including keyboardists Rick WakemanFind albums by this artist and Tommy EyreFind albums by this artist. In retrospect this is still an extremely solid release, which makes the fact that it remained unreleased on CD until now a complete folly. High time to grab it now!

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend