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
album, through and through. Testimony to this is the fact that there's a guitar solo only 50 seconds into the opening track. Indeed,
dispersed the entire brass section for
, 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
"Vacation,"
the album's opener, reminds one exactly why this artist is so celebrated for his songwriting ability. The staggering
(here still in his teens) truly proves his worth as a
guitarist, while
Steve Thompson
(also in his late teens) works superbly with one of the genre's most interesting drummers,
is as unerring as
Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
, and equally as musically interesting. Not only is this one of the finest
albums, it is also a highlight in the
genus. ~ Ben Davies