John Mayall 2022

As It All Began: The Best of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers 1964-1968 is an excellent 20-track retrospective, capturing Mayall's band at their peak. The Bluesbreakers went through several different lineups during those four years, with musicians the caliber of Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Paul Butterfield, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and Peter Green floating through the group. Hardcore fans of any of those musicians, or of British blues, will naturally want to familiarize themselves with the original albums, but As It All Began is a fine sampler for the casual fan, featuring such staples as "Lonely Years," "Bernard Jenkins," "All Your Love," "Parchman Farm," "Double Trouble," "The Death of J.B. Lenoir," and "Miss James." Even at 20 tracks, there are a number of fine moments missing from this collection, but As It All Began remains the best available single-disc overview of the Bluesbreakers' prime period.

At age 86, British blues godfather John Mayall is still going strong. In 2016 he pruned his touring band to a trio with Mayall acting as his own guitarist and keyboardist. This date finds him returning to the quartet lineup with a host of all-star axe-playing guests including Joe Bonamassa, Larry McCray, Alex Lifeson, Steven Van Zandt, and Todd Rundgren, as well as his newest touring slinger Carolyn Wonderland (the first female to hold that role in one of his bands). He is also accompanied by his working rhythm section of bassist Greg Rzab and drummer Jay Davenport, with Billy Watts on rhythm guitar, and the horn section from Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Digitally re-mastered reissue of this album from the British Blues icon. The title makes a virtue of necessity, as John Mayall introduces another new line-up Two guitarists, High Tide Harris and Randy Resnick, lead the band in more of an up-tempo R&B style than has been used in much of Mayall's music during the past several years, starting with the timely 'Gasoline Blues' (1974 was the year of the gas lines, remember?) and going on to 'Troubled Times' (which advises impeaching President Nixon). for the first time on CD this sought after John Mayall album is available, endorsed a by John himself, and he has contributed a new interview for the notes.

Limited seven CD set. Features 67 tracks including the albums Halfbreed, The Battle Of North West Six, The Time Is Near, Overdog, Little Big Band, Seventy Second Brave and Lancashire Hustler plus 15 bonus tracks drawn from rare live recordings and singles. Includes an illustrated book with essay. Keef Hartley first came to prominence as a member of the British R&B group The Artwoods before joining John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in 1967 before leaving to form the first line-up of his own band.

The first studio album from the new Colosseum line-up featuring Chris Farlowe, Clem Clempson and Mark Clarke together with new members Kim Nishikawara (saxophone), Nick Steed (Keyboards) and Malcolm Mortimore (drums). Recorded in London and New York during 2021 and produced by Clem Clempson and Mark Clarke.