A Hard Road by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Album Review

Fleetwood Mac was an English-American band formed in 1967. The band was founded by lead guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, and slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer. The band's name is the combination of the last names of Fleetwood and McVie ("Mac"). In 1968, Danny Kirwan joined as a third guitarist and in 1970, keyboardist and singer Christine Perfect married McVie and joined the band. In the early 1970s, all three guitarists left the band and were replaced with Bob Welch, Bob Weston, and Dave Walker, all three of whom subsequently left by 1974. Then, American folk-rock duo and couple Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band in 1975, which finally formed the band's most famous lineup and the one that would release the band's most acclaimed and commercially successful album Rumours in 1977. In their early years, Fleetwood Mac was primarily a blues band. Peter Green, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood met each other while they were part of the band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, which is why we begin our saga here...

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers' second studio album A Hard Road was released in 1967. The band's first studio record featured a young Eric Clapton on lead guitar (I reviewed this album for the Clapton saga) who would leave the band to form Cream in 1966. To replace him, Mayall hired Peter Green who in turn suggested that Mayall hire Mick Fleetwood as a replacement for drummer Aynsley Dunbar (McVie was already in the band for their first record). The album was a commercial and critical success at the time of its release with many marveling at Green's guitar playing. After Green left, Mayall hired 20 year old Mick Taylor who also had critical success as part of the Bluesbreakers. Taylor would later join The Rolling Stones in 1969. All the different connections in the British blues scene are crazy!

I've been worried ever since I wrote my review for their record with Clapton that I was too harsh on Mayall's voice. Now, I'm reminded that I simply worded that complaint poorly. His voice is unconventionally high yet it has little range and thus, Mayall struggles to find his place on most of the tracks--it's no surprise that the two tracks Green sings are the best songs, not including the instrumental tracks, "The Stumble" and "The Super-Natural," which soar in no small thanks to Green's incredible playing. But it's not just Green. I'm often wary of the British blues scene but the Bluesbreakers are a talented band. Where their debut relied too heavily on Clapton to carry the album, they have now morphed into complete band with strong playing across the board... if only Mayall's singing didn't cancel it out so often. B