Mayall's first post-Bluesbreakers album saw the man returning to his roots after the jazz/blues fusion that was Bare Wires.
Blues from Laurel Canyon is a blues album, through and through.
Testimony to this is the fact that there's a guitar solo only 50 seconds into the opening track.
Indeed, Mayall dispersed the entire brass section for Blues from Laurel Canyon, and instead chose the solid but relatively limited backing of Mick Taylor (guitar), Colin Allen (drums), and Stephen Thompson (bass).
Instantly, it is apparent that John Mayall hasn't lost his touch with the blues.
"Vacation," the album's opener, reminds one exactly why this artist is so celebrated for his songwriting ability.
The staggering Mick Taylor (here still in his teens) truly proves his worth as a blues guitarist, while Steve Thompson (also in his late teens) works superbly with one of the genre's most interesting drummers, Colin Allen.
Blues from Laurel Canyon is as unerring as Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, and equally as musically interesting.
Not only is this one of the finest John Mayall albums, it is also a highlight in the blues genus.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VacationJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 2 | Walking on SunsetJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 02:53 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 3 | Laurel Canyon HomeJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 04:33 | 10 MB | 21 MB |
| 4 | 2401John Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | Ready to RideJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 6 | Medicine ManJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 02:45 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 7 | Somebody's Acting Like a ChildJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | The BearJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | Miss JamesJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 02:27 | 5 MB | 15 MB |
| 10 | First Time AloneJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 05:08 | 11 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | Long Gone MidnightJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 03:29 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 12 | Fly TomorrowJohn Mayall | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall | Play | 09:02 | 20 MB | 45 MB |
| 48 mins | 111 MB | |||||
| 48 mins | 261 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colin Allen | Drums, Guest Artist, Tabla |
| 2 | Anthony Hawkins | Remastering |
| 3 | Adrian Martins | Assistant Engineer |
| 4 | John Mayall | Composer, Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboards, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 5 | John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Shoot That Tiger! | Design |
| 7 | Mick Taylor | Guest Artist, Guitar, Hawaiian Guitar |
| 8 | Julie Thompson | Assistant Coordinator |
| 9 | Stephen Thompson | Guest Artist |
| 10 | Steve Thompson | Guitar (Bass) |
| 11 | John Tracy | Coordination, Liner Notes, Research |
| 12 | Derek Varnals | Engineer |
| 13 | Mike Vernon | Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |