It’s an oft-missed point yet, back in the ’60s, John Mayall was much more than a well-respected blues performer – he used to be a one-man institution, not only exposing aspirant players to American sounds via his expansive collection of obscure, at least in England, platters, but also providing some of the youngsters with a chance to give their own spin on those numbers as part of his ensembles. The band line-ups, frequently billed as BLUESBREAKERS, included, at various times, such luminaries as, to name just a few, John McVie, Colin Allen, Andy Fraser and, of course, Eric Clapton and Peter Green – while the “Live In France 1967-73” set, scheduled for release on April 28th, features, alongside their guru, the talents of Mick Taylor, Dick Heckstall-Smith and Keef Hartley.
The two CDs and DVD that share the same top-quality content, detailed below, are derived form French TV archives and capture the group both in London studios and on-stage – the live portion documents, among other moments, Mayall’s 1973 gig at Newport Jazz Festival, as well as three tracks by Duster Bennett. Newly remastered, it’s a great piece of history and should not be missed out on.
Live In France 1967-73
1. Help Me
2. Long Gone Midnight
3. Walking On Sunset
4. Unknown Track
5. Travellin’ Man
6. Duster Bennett – Bring It On Home To You
7. Duster Bennett – My Babe
8. Duster Bennett – Let Your Light Shine On Me (feat. Mayall & Band)
9. Sweet Little Angel
10. Travellin’ Man
11. California
12. Tell Me Baby (unsure of title)
13. Devil’s Tricks
14. Nature’s Disappearing
15. Please Don’t Let Me Down (Ina’s title but no record of the song)
16. Double Street (Ina’s title but no record of the song) (instrumental)
17. Papa Ain’t Salty
18. Harmonica Free Form or Blue Fox or Full Speed Ahead?
19. Untitled
20. Unknown Title
