Search - John Mayall, Bluesbreakers :: Diary of a Band V.1 & 2

Mick Taylor

Stephen S. Frey | 10/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The introduction of an 18 year old Mick Taylor and the sweet sound of his guitar riffs are worth getting this CD for me. He was amazing with the Stones afterward in his career. He would play a guitar lead and when you thought it was played out he would keep going and elevate it. I'm wondering why the $16 used price for this CD and it might be because of him. And Mick Taylor quit, quit the Rolling Stones. Mayall is Mayall with the mouth harp, very good."

This is mainly Mick Taylor's record

Firestarter | NY State, United States | 07/25/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the best from the early John Mayall's Bluesbreakers live discs.



In my view, this is due to an outstanding guitar solos by Mick Taylor and a first-class backing by Dick Heckstall-Smith on tenor and soprano. John's vocals are great, too. The rest of the group: Keith Tillman on bass, Keef Hartley on drums, Chris Mercer on tenor and baritone. The first song on this album was recorded with Paul Williams on bass.



Original tapes were made by John Mayall, at a 3 and three quarters ips, which is the reason for less than stellar sound quality, even after digital remastering. But the album is a true documentary from the life of the band on the road. It sounds very authentic and pure without the use of an engineer/production crew.



If you are Mayall's fan, this recording is a must-have. The material contained here far outweighs poor sound quality."

Good but frustrating live LP

Mike | Chicago | 04/20/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Decca wanted to record the Bluesbreakers in the environment in which they excelled: live. John Mayall didn't want a recording crew following the band around because he thought it would prohibit them from just loosening up and jamming and put too much pressure on them. So the agreed middle ground was that John would take a tape recorder with him on tour and this is essentially the "best of." John sent some 60 odd hours gathered over two months to Mike Vernon to make into an LP. You get some snippets and interviews with the band and a little side banter along with the music, which is fun. That being said, the material is great at times, but as a previous reviewer noted it is also frustrating at times. For instance, on "Medley" on disc one, you get a fade in somewhere in the middle of the tracks and they fade out just when Mick seems to be heating up. The sound quality is less than stellar. "I Can't Quit You Baby," "My Own Fault," and "The Train" are a few good long jams clocking in at over 10 minutes each, and John plays some good harp on Sonny Boy's "Help Me." Overall there is plenty of good material here to make this a worthwhile purchase. But for a two month touring period in late 1967 I just wish the recordings would have been more thorough and of higher quality (coming from someone who wasn't around back then and wishes he could've been there). If you're a fan of Mick Taylor and John Mayall's other albums of this period, I recommend getting this."