The Flowers Of Romance: Brilliant Mistakes 1996

 

The Flowers of Romance was a pioneering punk and gothic rock band of the underground Greek

rock scene from 1981 to 1998. The band's energetic sound and combinations of several styles of rock led to their prevalence within the underground Greek rock scene for nearly two decades, and a belief by many[who?] that they were the top Greek gothic rock group in history.
               

Inspired by punk bands such as The Clash, The Damned and the Dead Boys, lead vocalist and frontman Mike Pougounas formed The Gift along with guitarist Costas Venos and bassist Tasos Dimitriadis in

February 1981 in Athens. The name The Gift did not last, and the band later changed their name to The Flowers of Romance, as a tribute to punk legend Sid Vicious and one of his pre-Sex Pistols bands. The Flowers of Romance quickly gained a cult status throughout the underground Greek rock scene by setting themselves apart with a unique punk sound that incorporated dozens of musical styles and English-language lyrics. Tasos Dimitriadis and Costas Venos left the group in 1984.
              

In replacing these vacancies with Achileas Geromoshos on guitar and Haris Stavrakas on bass, 1986 saw the release of The Flowers of Romance's first tape, "Anovis". "Anovis" helped further cement the

band's status as a Greek rock mainstay, a status which led to their securing a contract with Wipe Out! Records in 1988. This new contract allowed for "Autumn Kids", one of the band's most popular songs, to be released on Wipe Out!'s 12 Raw Greek Groups punk rock compilation in 1988. The Flowers of Romance underwent more changes of its members as George Venizelos was replaced by drummer Babis Efthymiou, bassist Haris Stavrakas was replaced by Teo Botinis, and guitarist Platon Papadimitriou joined the band, turning The Flowers of Romance into a five-man band for the first time. Mike Pougounas remained as the lead vocalist, and by 1990, he was the only original member of the group.
             

Mike Pougounas and The Mission frontman Wayne Hussey met in 1995, and by this time The Flowers of Romance were already amidst the pre-production of their next album, Brilliant Mistakes. Wayne Hussey's keen interest in The Flowers of Romance resulted in a full collaboration. In

addition to producing the album and allowing the band to record in The Mission's Bristol studio, Wayne Hussey collaborated on several songs and was able to introduce The Flowers of Romance to a broader media market. Brilliant Mistakes was released in late 1996 and became The Flowers of Romance's greatest success, with the tracks "Channel Z" and "In a Vacant Place" reaching No. 5 and No. 12 respectively on the Greek music charts. In 1997, Brilliant Mistakes had limited release in the US and UK, as well as a release in Germany under the Hyperium record label.
                  

Although The Flowers of Romance were planning a full European tour, managers of the band moved slowly in finding promoters for it. Though a breakup was never officially announced, mounting personal problems within the band caused frontman Mike Pougounas to leave the band. He founded the

industrial band Nexus in 1998, and session guitarist Strouggaris decided to follow his footsteps and join Nexus. In March 2000, Pougounas founded the Cyberdelia record label. Although Mike Pougounas's Cyberdelia Records closed in 2005 and Nexus disbanded along with it, Pougounas, Steves, and Spanos did not go their separate ways. They instead formed New Zero God a year later, reuniting Pougounas and Hadjiantoniadis who played together in The Flowers Of Romance before Hadjiantoniadis left the group to tour Europe.
                   

Oι Flowers of Romance είναι μία από τις σημαντικότερες μπάντες που έχει βγάλει αυτή η χώρα, οι οποίοι κατόρθωσαν σε δύσκολες εποχές να κυκλοφορήσουν αξιόλογους δίσκους αλλά και συνάμα μας δώσουν μερικά εξαίσια συνθετικά δημιουργήματα.
Η μπάντα έκανε τα πρώτα της βήματα το 1981 με τους Τάσο Δημητριάδη (μπάσο), Κώστα Βένο (κιθάρα) και Μιχάλη Πούγουνα (φωνητικά) με την ονομασία The Gift θυμίζοντας γκρουπ όπως οι The Clash, The Damned και οι Dead Boys.
Το όνομά τους, το άλλαξαν λίγο καιρό αργότερα σε The Flowers Of Romance προς τιμήν του Sid Vicious μιας και πριν παίξει με τους Sex Pistols ο θρυλικός πάνκης έπαιζε σε μία μπάντα με αυτό το όνομα.

Το 1986 ηχογραφούν το "Anovis" και τους βοηθά να υπογράψουν με την ιστορική ανεξάρτητη Wipe Out Records ενώ το 1988 συμμετέχουν στην συλλογή “12 Raw Greek Bands” με την γοητευτική σύνθεση “Autumn Kids”.
To πρώτο ολοκληρωμένο δισκογραφικό ξεκίνημα έγινε το 1990 με το άλμπουμ “Dorian Grey”, έναν υπέροχο δίσκο όπου οι επιρροές από τους πρώιμους Cult και Mission αλλά και την gothic σκηνής της εποχής είναι εμφανείς με την φωνή του Μιχάλη Πούγουνα να ακούγεται συναρπαστική παιχνιδίζοντας μεταξύ μελαγχολίας και οργής.
To 1993 έρχεται η δεύτερη full κυκλοφορία με το εξαιρετικό “Pleasure & The Pain” και το γκρουπ φλερτάρει στιχουργικά ανάμεσα στον έρωτα και στο θάνατο ενώ συνθετικά συναντάμε μερικά από τα κορυφαία τραγούδια ελληνικού ροκ συγκροτήματος. Το γκρουπ έχει κάνει πλέον αισθητή την παρουσία του στην Ευρώπη και στην gothic-rock κοινότητα με συνέπεια να επανακυκλοφορήσουν το  “Pleasure & Pain” με 4 επιπλέον τραγούδια από την Γερμανική Nyctalopia Records.
              

Oι αλλαγές στα μέλη είναι αλλεπάλληλες και ο frontman της μπάντας Μιχάλης Πουγούνας, το 1995  στέλνει γράμμα στο ίνδαλμά του, Wayne Hussey (Sisters Of Mercy, Mission) και συναντιούνται στο Λονδίνο για να αναλάβει την παραγωγή του νέου άλμπουμ που τιτλοφορείται “Brilliant Mistakes” με τον Wayne Hussey να δέχεται την προσφορά.

Στις ηχογραφήσεις συμμετέχει η Εύη Χασαπίδου (No Man's Land, Echo Tattoo) και σε μερικά τραγούδια κάνει δεύτερα φωνητικά και κιθάρες ο ίδιος ο Hussey. Ένα απρόσμενο γεγονός έρχεται να βάλει εμπόδιο στην ολοκλήρωση των ηχογραφήσεων μιας και η Wipe Out δεν μπορεί να στηρίξει άλλο οικονομικά τις ηχογραφήσεις με συνέπεια όλα να μείνουν στον αέρα. Ευτυχώς όμως ο Wayne Hussey τους βγάζει από το αδιέξοδο, με μία γενναία απόφαση δηλώνει ότι δεν επιθυμεί ο ίδιος να πληρωθεί αλλά παραχωρεί το στούντιο των Mission στο Bristol, για να τελειώσουν τα φωνητικά, τις κιθάρες και να γίνουν οι τελικές μίξεις με ηχολήπτη τον Steve Whitfield (Mission, Cure) με τους  Flowers of Romance να δηλώνουν με την σειρά τους ότι τα έσοδα των πωλήσεων  του “Brilliant Mistakes” θα είναι η αμοιβή του Hussey.
                

Flowers Of Romance – Brilliant Mistakes
Label: Hyperium Records – CD 39101802, Hyperium Records – 39101802
Format: CD, Album
Country: Germany
Released: 1997
Genre: Rock
Style: Goth Rock, New Wave

TRAXS

                

01. All I Can Remember   1:55
Keyboards, Piano – George Bousounis
Music By – George Katsanos, Mike Pougounas
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
02. Fetish   2:59
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums – Dimitris Kouckas
Guitar [Guitars] – Averkios Hadjiandonniadis
Music By – Mike Pougounas
Organ [Hammond] – George Bousounis
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
03. For The Wolf Within   5:51
Backing Vocals [Back Vocals] – Averkios Hadjiandonniadis, Manos Govatzidakis, Mike Pougounas
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums – Dimitris Kouckas
Guitar [Guitars] – Averkios Hadjiandonniadis, Wayne Hussey
Keyboards – George Bousounis
Music By – Dimitris Kouckas
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
04. Reptile Dance   5:55
Backing Vocals [Back Vocals] – Evie Watson Hassapidou
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums – Dimitris Kouckas
Guitar [Guitars] – Averkios Hadjiandonniadis, George Katsanos
Keyboards, Piano – George Bousounis
Music By – George Katsanos, Mike Pougounas
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
05. Black Snow   3:52
Backing Vocals [Back Vocals] – Evie Watson Hassapidou
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums – D. Kouckas
Guitar [Guitars] – George Katsanos
Keyboards – George Bousounis
Music By – Mike Pougounas
Tambourine – Manos Govatzidakis
Vocals – M. Pougounas
06. In Blood Eternal   4:47
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums – Dimitris Kouckas
Guitar – Averkios Hadjiandonniadis
Keyboards – George Bousounis
Music By – George Katsanos, Mike Pougounas
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
07. Carnival Of Souls   3:31
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums, Tambourine – Dimitris Kouckas
Guitar [Guitars] – Averkios Hadjiandonniadis
Keyboards – George Bousounis
Music By – Mike Pougounas
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
08. Love   3:48
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums, Tambourine – Dimitris Kouckas
Guitar [Guitars] – Averkios Hadjiandonniadis
Keyboards – George Bousounis
Music By – H. Stavrakas, J. Kouckas, Mike Pougounas, Agelos Kakouratos
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
09. Channel Z   4:13
Music By – D. Kouckas, H. Stavrakas, M. Pougounas
Programmed By [Programming], Guitar [Guitars] – Wayne Hussey
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
Voice [Channel Z News] – Alison Omersher, Bridget Blore, Maria Shaw, Sophy Bradshaw, Tommy
10. A Word From The Gutter   4:51
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums – Dimitris Kouckas
Guitar [Guitars] – Nigel Dean
Keyboards – George Katsanos
Music By – George Katsanos, Mike Pougounas
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
11. In A Vacant Place   5:26
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums – Jim Kouckas
Guitar – Nigel Dean
Keyboards – George Bousounis
Music By – Dimitris Kouckas, Harry Stavrakas, Mike Pougounas
Vocals – Mike Pougounas
12. The Crying Puppet   6:40
Backing Vocals [Back Vocals], Guitar, Loops – Wayne Hussey
Bass – Harry Stavrakas
Drums – Jim Kouckas
Guitar [Guitars] – Averkios Hadjiandonniadis
Keyboards – George Katsanos
Music By – D. Kouckas, H. Stavrakas, M. Pougounas
Vocals – Mike Pougounas

Flac Size: 423 MB

The Flowers Of Romance - 1993 - Pleasure And The Pain Re-Up In Flac  HERE

Various: Looking At The Pictures In The Sky (The British Psychedelic Sounds Of 1968) 2017

 

Following the 3 CD box "Let's Go Down and Blow Our Minds", this latest box collects British

THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN

(and Irish) singles, alternates, album tracks, unreleased tracks, and little known but classics tracks from '68. There's about four hours of music here with (except for a track from an acetate) decent to very good sound. The 41 page booklet has track-by-track information which is valuable for fans of this music, along with ephemera from that period.

THE PICADILLY LINE

2017 three CD collection re-issued with new artwork and revised tracklisting. It goes without saying that 1968 doesn't have the same kind of cachet as 1967 - a year that, in musical terms, will always be indelibly associated with the Summer of Love, Sgt. Pepper and the emergence of psychedelia. But although the major players turned away from the excesses of the previous year in favor of a back-to-basics musical approach, there were arguably a greater number of psychedelic records made in 1968 than during the preceding twelve months.

JASON CREST

Vital, lysergically-inclined 45s emerged from a whole host of younger groups, with The Factory, Mike Stuart Span, Fleur de Lys, The Fire, The Barrier, Boeing Duveen, Rupert's People and numerous others all releasing singles that have long been widely regarded by psychedelic collectors as genre classics.

TURQUOISE

All these and more are gathered on Looking At The Pictures In The Sky, which provide a fascinating overview of the group scene in Britain (and Ireland!) in 1968, shining a light on unreleased gems, cult classics, choice album cuts, neglected B-sides and alternative versions. As with it's 1967 equivalent Let's Go Down And Blow Our Minds, the four-hour, 78-track anthology Looking At The Pictures In The Sky is housed in a striking clambox that contains a 44 page booklet crammed with biographical information and rare photographs of the featured acts.

THE SPECTRUM

As the sequel to Let’s Go Down and Blow Our Minds: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967, Looking at the Pictures in the Sky picks up right where its predecessor left off, with a spectacular collection of British (and Irish) psych-pop from 1968. The previous year may have been the Summer of Love, but this three-disc, 78-song set proves that there was no shortage of inspired, musical experimentation one year later.

THE WRITING ON THE WALL

Like Let’s Go Down and Blow Our Minds, this set proves that the best is not always the most recognized. The vast majority of tracks here will likely be unknown, at least to the American listener. Known commodities include The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, a pre-SF Sorrow The Pretty Things, The Move, The Status Quo, and a post-“A Whiter Shade of Pale” Procol Harum. But the rest is arguably more interesting.

THE SMOKE

Decca Records’ The Fire features future Strawb Dave Lambert, who’s single “Father’s Name Is Dad” was recalled after Paul McCartney heard it on the radio and didn’t think it good enough. Boeing Duveen & The Beautiful Soup was led by an artist who vacationed with Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett and Roger Waters, and one of his two songs included here adapts its words from Lewis Carroll. The Attack’s “Mr. Pinnodmy’s Dilemma” features a deaf and dumb boy, preceding The Who’s Tommy by over a year.

THE ORANGE BICYCLE

There is a song called “Music Soothes the Savage Breast” (and no, that’s not a typo) by The Spectrum, a band that was marketed as Britain’s answer to The Monkees. There’s the debut from a 17-year-old Timon, who was later known as Tymon Dogg and played with The Clash and The Mescaleros. Jethro Tull’s debut single, “Aeroplane,” is present, on which the band was miscredited as Jethro Toe on the record’s label. And, perhaps the most bizarre of the bizarre, Ramases & Selket consisted of a heating salesman and former Army PT instructor and his wife, presenting themselves as a reincarnated Egyptian pharaoh and goddess making psychedelic rock. One could go on and on.

THE FIRE

A 3 cd set of great tracks from the uk that where all released in 1968 almost 50 years ago!!!! we have some well known bands here like alexander youngs grapefruit, as well as the mike stuart span, jason crest, katch 22, the deviants, the alan bown, the move the fluer delys and a hell of a lot of others, the three cds that come in this box set are remastered to sound the best you will hear some of these songs ever and this comes with a nice booklet like last years volume did. 

THE GASS COMPANY

What you get is a mix of 45s that where released in the uk on various labels in 1968 by some psychedilic bands, freakbeat, beat and mod outfits that where really blowing the tower of london off some 50 years back!!! This is a fantastic follow up to last years lets go blow our minds box set wich featured a bunch of great 45s from 1967, of all the artists on this three cd box set you really get the cream of the crop from 50 years ago on the london scene and it is always a pleasure to spin these songs.

THE FACTORY

The tracks herein may not be as groundbreaking as those on Let’s Go Down and Blow Our Minds, but it’s clear that new bands were still springing up a year later and taking forays into the psychedelic future with melody and exuberance to spare. One of the chief selling points of this set is the liner notes. Each single is given a brief history, set in context of its musical surroundings, and the stories are fascinating.

THE ATTACK

1968 jumps off the page with as much excitement as it blares from the speakers. And, as if the slew of bands whose singles were relegated to the forgotten LSD heap of history wasn’t enough, many of the tracks here never even saw formal release, for one reason or another being grounded before they even took off. Some of these musicians went on to greater things (Richie Blackmore soloing on Sun Dragon’s cover of “So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star” being one of only a handful), but most did not.

RUPERTs PEOPLE

In sum, Looking at Pictures in the Sky is another thrilling and wonderfully engrossing exploration of Britain (and Ireland)‘s psychedelic underground of 1968. Let’s hope Grapefruit Records keeps this series going and digs up another batch of rarities from 1969

PETER & THE WOLVES

Obscure and exciting sounds from the best decade in music.
Excellent mix of obscure sounds from the sixties - odd tracks are instantly forgettable but overall a great listening experience which recaptures the exciting music of that era.
                       

Various – Looking At The Pictures In The Sky (The British Psychedelic Sounds Of 1968)
Label: Grapefruit Records – CRSEGBOX040
Series: The British Psychedelic Sounds Of – 1968
Format: 3 x CD, Compilation Box Set
Country: UK
Released: Nov 10, 2017
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Psychedelic Rock

CD1.

            

01. The Factory – Path Through The Forest
02. The Fire – Father's Name Is Dad
03. Fleur De Lys – Gong With The Luminous Nose
04. Ramases & Selket – Mind's Eye
05. The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown – Spontaneous Apple Creation
06. Grapefruit – Lullaby (Alternative Version)
07. Circle Plantagenet – I Will Not Be Moved
08. Turquoise – Sunday Best
09. The Onyx – My Son John
10. Legay – The Fantastic Story Of The Steam-Driven Banana
11. Fortes Mentum – Mr. Partridge Passed Away Today
12. Boeing Duveen And The Beautiful Soup – Jabberwock
13. Anan – Haze Woman
14. The Pretty Things - Talkin' About The Good Times
15. Guy And David - The Five Day Week Straw People–Sunday Morning
16. The Graded Grains – Animal Magic
17. Tuesday's Children – She
18. The Marmalade – Mr Lion
19. Graham Gouldman – Upstairs Downstairs
20. Joker – Festival Of The Harvest Moon
21. Sun Dragon – So You Want To Be A Rock 'n' Roll Star
22. Eyes Of Blue – Never Care
23. The Gass Company – Nightmare
24. Procol Harum – In The Wee Small Hours Of Sixpence
25. The Web – Did You Die Four Years Ago Tonight?
26. The Glass Menagerie –  Frederick Jordan

Flac Size: 434 MB

CD2.

                                    

01. Mike Stuart Span – Children Of Tomorrow
02. The Barrier – Dawn Breaks Through
03. The Attack – Mr. Pinnodmy's Dilemma
04. The Freedom – Trying To Get A Glimpse Of You
05. Rupert's People – I Can Show You (Written-By – Lynton)
06. The Poets – Locked In A Room
07. Wimple Winch – Bluebell Wood
08. The Status Quo – Technicolor Dreams
09. The Spectrum – Music Soothes The Savage Breast
10. The Movement – Head For The Sun
11. The Klubs – Midnight Love Cycle
12. Contact – Lovers From The Sky
13. The Deviants – Jamie's Song
14. The Smoke – Sydney Gill
15. Peter & The Wolves – Birthday  (Written-By – Pantry)
16. Jon Ledingham – Love Is A Toy
17. Sadie's Expression – Yesterday Was Such A Lovely Day (Elsie)
18. The Move – Omnibus (Extended Stereo Version)
19. Real McCoy – I Get So Excited
20. Junior's Eyes – Mr. Golden Trumpet Player
21. The Picadilly Line – Yellow Rainbow
22. The Spencer Davis Group – Time Seller (LP Version)
23. Tony Rivers & The Castaways – Pantomime
24. Katch 22 – Go And Say Goodbye
25. Andy Ellison – Cornflake Zoo
26. The Alan Bown! – Penny For Your Thoughts

Flac Size: 374 MB

CD3.

               

01. Jason Crest – Hold On
02. Honeybus – Girl Of Independent Means
03. Rhubarb Rhubarb – Rainmaker
04. The Mirage – Hello Enid
05. Episode Six – Lucky Sunday
06. Paradox – What's The Rush, Dillbury?
07. The Bystanders – Cave Of Clear Light
08. Skip Bifferty – Round And Round
09. Motivation – Come On Down
10. Blonde On Blonde – Country Life
11. Cats Pyjamas – Virginia Water
12. Jethro Toe (Tull) – Aeroplane
13. Timon – Rambling Boy
14. Ice – Ice Man
15. The U (Don't) No Who – Now And Again Rebecca
16. The Writing On The Wall – Felicity Jane
17. Focal Point – Sycamore Sid
18. Circus – Do You Dream
19. Brass Tacks – Maxwell Ferguson
20. Barbara Ruskin – Pawnbroker (Demo)
21. The Orange Bicycle – Soft Winds
22. Coconut Mushroom – Without You
23. Peter Thorogood – Haunted
24. Boeing Duveen And The Beautiful Soup – Which Dreamed It
25. Turnstyle – Trot
26. The Orange Seaweed – Pictures In The Sky

Flac Size: 358 MB

 

NOTES

                    

This compilation © 2017 Grapefruit Records, a division of Cherry Red Records.

John Mayall: (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024)

  

John Mayall OBE (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024) was an English blues and rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has

counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians. A singer, guitarist, harmonica player, and keyboardist, he had a career that spanned nearly seven decades, remaining an active musician until his death aged 90. Mayall. He has often been referred to as the "godfather of the British blues", and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the musical influence category in 2024.
              

A generation older than most of his sidemen, Mayall was a mentor; his bands were both a lab and finishing school for iconic musicians -- particularly guitarists. Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick

Taylor served, as did bassists Jack Bruce and John McVie and drummers Mick Fleetwood and Aynsley Dunbar, among dozens of others. Five of Mayall's first seven albums, including 1966's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, 1967's A Hard Road, and 1969's The Turning Point, all placed inside the British Top Ten. After emigrating to the U.S., Mayall cut several albums during the '70s including Ten Years Are Gone and Jazz Blues Fusion, that showcased veteran blues and jazz players including Harvey Mandel, Jesse Ed Davis, Larry Taylor, and Blue Mitchell.
         

He died Monday (22 July 2024) at his home in California, according to a statement posted by his family on his official Facebook page. He was 90.

The statement didn’t specify a cause but attributed the death to the “health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career.” Mayall, who’d been performing on the road as recently as 2022, was due to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October as a recipient of the organization’s Musical Influence Award. On its website, the hall hailed Mayall’s “rugged individuality and distinctive voice and style” and said he “continually experimented with and stretched the blues.”
         

MICK TAYLOR & JOHN MAYALL

“The blues is such an everlasting source of inspiration to me,” he told The Times in 1990. “It’s quite inexhaustible, really.”

JOHN MAYALL - THRU THE YEARS 1990

                    

A grab bag of rare tracks from the '60s, some of which stand among Mayall's finest. His debut 1964 single "Crawling Up a Hill" is one of his best originals; this comp also includes a couple of 1964-1965 flipsides. The eight songs featuring Peter Green include some top-notch material that outpaces much of the only album recorded by the Green lineup (A Hard Road), particularly the Green originals "Missing You" and "Out of Reach," a great B-side with devastating, icy guitar lines and downbeat lyrics that ranks as one of the great lost blues-rock cuts of the '60s. The set is filled out with a few songs from the Mick Taylor era, the highlight being the vicious instrumental "Knockers Step Forward."
     

John Mayall – Thru The Years
Label: Deram – 844 028-2
Format: CD, Compilation, Reissue 1990
Country: US
Released: 1971
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Electric Blues, Rhythm & Blues

TRACKS

01. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Crocodile Walk    2:14
02. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – My Baby Is Sweeter    2:59
03. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Crawling Up A Hill    2:15
04. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Mama, Talk To Your Daughter    2:58
05. Bluesbreakers – Alabama Blues    2:29
06. Bluesbreakers – Out Of Reach    4:42
07. Bluesbreakers – Greeny    3:54
08. Bluesbreakers – Curly    4:50
09. Bluesbreakers – Missing You    1:57
10. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Please Don't Tell    2:26
11. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Your Funeral And My Trial    3:55
12. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers – Suspicions (Part 1)    2:47
13. John Mayall – Knockers Step Forward    3:12
14. John Mayall – Hide And Seek    2:22

Flac Size: 329 MB

JOHN MAYALL - LONDON BLUES 1964 - 1969 (1992)

 

This two-hour-plus compilation of the first five years of the history of John Mayall and his band the Bluesbreakers in their many permutations covers all the expected bases and then some. Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor are all represented, but so are Bernie Watson and Roger Dean, both of

whom preceded Clapton in the guitarist's spot in the band. What's more, they're not bad; they may not have been the assertive soloist that Clapton came to embody, but Dean plays a pretty hot solo on "Crocodile Walk," which was good enough to make the A-side of a single in 1965. Moreover, there was more to any of the Mayall bands than their guitarists, and Mayall's blues harmonica is showcased throughout, on tracks such as "Crawling Up a Hill" and "Blues City Shakedown." The familiar Immediate and Decca/London sides featuring Clapton are here, though the lion's share of space on this set is devoted to the Peter Green version of the lineup, spread over two discs.
       

Other highlights include a handful of tracks from 1967 featuring Paul Butterfield, and a handful of cuts featuring Green working in a lineup that includes saxmen John Almond and Nick Newell as well as

trumpeter Henry Lowther. The Mick Taylor lineup, which also includes Dick Heckstall-Smith as one of the reedmen, takes up the bulk of the second disc and shows no diminution of the group's authoritative approach to the blues. Indeed, the Clapton sides represented on this collection, being the most familiar and widely circulated, may well prove to be the least interesting; distilling down the best work of everyone else, including Mayall, on the other hand, is a welcome service and makes this package particularly useful, and short of a Mayall box -- an unlikely prospect -- this is as good an overview as you're likely to see of his early work.

John Mayall – London Blues 1964 - 1969
Label: Deram – 844 302-2
Series: Chronicles
Format: 2 x CD, Compilation, Slipcase
Country: US
Released: 1992
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Electric Blues

CD1.

 

01. Crawling Up A Hill   2:15
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Martin Hart
Guitar – Bernie Watson
Vocals, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
02. My Baby Is Sweeter   3:00
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Roger Dean
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Dixon
03. Crocodile Walk   2:14
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Roger Dean
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
04. Blues City Shakedown   2:19
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Roger Dean
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
05. I'm Your Witchdoctor   2:09
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
06. Telephone Blues   3:56
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
07. Bernard Jenkins   3:46
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Clapton
08. All Your Love   3:32
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Rush, Dixon
09. Double Crossing Time   3:00
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Clapton, Mayall
10. Key To Love   2:05
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Trumpet – Dennis Healey
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
11. Parchman Farm   2:20
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Hughie Flint
Guitar – Eric Clapton
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Allison
12. Looking Back   2:35
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Nick Newell
Trumpet – Henry Lowther
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Watson
13. So Many Roads   4:43
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Nick Newell
Trumpet – Henry Lowther
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Paul
14. Sitting In The Rain   2:56
Bass – John McVie
Guitar – Peter Green
Percussion – Aynsley Dunbar
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
15. A Hard Road   3:06
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
16. Dust My Blues   2:44
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – James, Josea
17. The Supernatural   2:53
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Green
18. Another Kinda Love   3:01
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
19. Leaping Christine   2:20
Alto Saxophone – Ray Warleigh
Baritone Saxophone – John Almond
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Harmonica, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
20. Burn Out Your Blind Eyes   2:56
Vocals, Guitar [9 String] – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall

Flac Size: 333 MB

CD2.

 

01. All My Life   2:56
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Harmonica – Paul Butterfield
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Robinson
02. Ridin' On The L & N   2:26
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Harmonica – Paul Butterfield
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Burley, Hampton
03. Eagle Eye   2:50
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Aynsley Dunbar
Guitar – Peter Green
Harmonica – Paul Butterfield
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
04. It Hurts Me Too   2:53
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Mick Fleetwood
Guitar – Peter Green
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Organ, Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – London
05. Double Trouble   3:18
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Mick Fleetwood
Guitar – Peter Green
Vocals, Guitar [9 String], Organ, Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Rush
06. Sonny Boy Blow   3:46
Drums – Keef Hartley
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
07. Broken Wings   4:12
Drums – Keef Hartley
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
08. Oh, Pretty Woman   3:29
Baritone Saxophone – Rip Kant
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Williams
09. The Death Of J. B. Lenoir   4:12
Baritone Saxophone – Rip Kant
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
10. Man Of Stone   2:22
Baritone Saxophone – Rip Kant
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Kirkland
11. Checkin' On My Baby   3:55
Baritone Saxophone – Rip Kant
Bass – John McVie
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Williamson
12. Suspicions (Part One)   2:44
Bass – Paul Williams
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Dick Heckstall-Smith
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
13. Jenny   4:33
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Peter Green
Vocals, Guitar – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
14. Picture On The Wall   3:01
Drums – Keef Hartley
Guitar – Peter Green
Vocals, Guitar, Piano – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
15. No Reply   3:05
Bass – Tony Reeves
Cornet, Violin – Henry Lowther
Drums – Jon Hiseman
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Dick Heckstall-Smith
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall, Taylor
16. She's Too Young   2:19
Bass – Tony Reeves
Cornet, Violin – Henry Lowther
Drums – Jon Hiseman
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Dick Heckstall-Smith
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
17. Sandy   3:45
Bass – Tony Reeves
Cornet, Violin – Henry Lowther
Drums – Jon Hiseman
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Chris Mercer
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Dick Heckstall-Smith
Vocals, Piano, Organ, Guitar, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
18. Walking On Sunset   2:56
Bass – Steve Thompson
Drums – Colin Allen
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
19. The Bear   4:41
Bass – Steve Thompson
Drums – Colin Allen
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall
20. Fly Tomorrow   8:59
Bass – Steve Thompson
Drums – Colin Allen
Guitar – Mick Taylor
Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Organ, Harmonica – John Mayall
Written-By – Mayall

Flac Size: 418 MB

John Mayall on URBAN ASPIRINES HERE