John Mayall - Blues From Laurel Canyon

I've had this one for a while and hadn't realized that I hadn't written about it. John Mayall, of course, led the Bluesbreakers, the early British blues band that started the careers of guitarists like Peter Green and Eric Clapton and here, on his first "solo" album, he is joined by another hot-shot guitarist, the pre-Stones Mick Taylor (as well as Colin Allen on drums and Steve Thompson on bass and even Peter Green on one tune).

As one would expect, this is a straight ahead blues record, but with a wide variety within that framework - slow, uptempo, jazzy, soulful, slide-based, bare-bones and more, and all great. Mayall's voice is his weakest link, but he provides some wailin' harp and keyboards throughout and his voice, though thin, does grow on you!

Interestingly enough, the songs flow from one to another with no discernible breaks - apparently, the vinyl had no visible track separation - a gimmick, sure, but it does keep the record moving! John also refers to the people of Laurel Canyon, where he was living, in his lyrics, from Frank Zappa, to Bob Bear Hite ("The Bear") and the groupie Miss James. The band is tight and Taylor, of course, is terrific throughout.

I dig most of Mayall's work and this is no exception - well worth it!