Along For The Ride - John Mayall

Advantages: Value For Money
Disadvantages: One for the fans only

...Plugged In - geddit? This is yet another live recording from the 'Head, but with no clues as to a date on the minimal packaging, we don't know if this is a new release or is simply yet another rehash of old recordings. What makes it slightly different is the number of covers on here - three out of eleven, highly unusual for a man like Lemmy who prides himself on his song-writing abilities. The most familiar is Aerosmith fave "Train Kept A-Rollin'", which also appeared as a bonus track on "No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith", but much as covers of Motorhead songs tend to lose something in the translation so this one is better left to the 'Smiths. Although of course they themselves were not the original authors either. "Leaving Here" by the Lamont Dozier-Holland trio, and John Mayall's "I'm Your Witchdoctor", which is probably the best... Read review

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Advantages: John Entwistle and Eric Clapton were Gods
Disadvantages: John is no more.

...Lemon Jefferson, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson and the like when along came this group, The Cream. I was absolutely dumbstruck, I loved the music. There was Ginger Baker on drums, Jack Bruce on Bass Guitar and Vocals, but there was God, otherwise known as Eric “Slowhand” Clapton, on Guitar/ Vocals. Eric Clapton is a Legend, he started off with the King of English Blues otherwise known as John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. About this time at school I had a mate John whose dad was rich. We wanted to go see the Blues together so his dad chucked us a set of car keys, one week it would be a Rover, next week a Triumph or a Fiat. John’s brother had an Alfa-Romeo out of “The Graduate”. Anyway I’d drive one of these flash motors up to London, and we’d nearly always go to The Marquee Club in Wardour... Read review

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Advantages: Another vital step on the ladder of Fleetwood Mac history
Disadvantages: First album recorded after the departure of Peter Green, that could be good or bad

...In amongst the fog filled hazes of the memorable departure of future blues legend, Peter Green, a weary, long haired, messy looking band wondered along what road the next era of Fleetwood Mac would take them. Since the infancy of FM had been a disillusionment of lost days due to too much booze, it was any wonder how one of the greatest world wide rock bands ever got off the ground. Since all the original members of the band had once been members of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers who had either left or been fired, what was left standing were the off cuts of a rapidly growing Blues scene in the bohemian underworld of late Sixties British youth culture. After sharing old camper vans with the smells and skills of such gangling musicians as Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Rod Stewart, the unique phenomena must have somehow rubbed off... Read review

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