Back to the Roots (album)
Encyclopedia
Back to the Roots is a 1971 double album by John Mayall
released on Polydor
http://www.johnmayall.com/disco.html. Recording sessions took place both in California and London where Mayall invited some former members of his band, notably guitarists Eric Clapton
and Mick Taylor
. At the end of the 1980s Mayall remixed some tracks and issued them along with some of the older material as Archive to the Eighties. An expanded two-CD version of Back to the Roots now includes both the original and later remixed versions of the tracks.
Besides Mayall, who sang and played piano and guitar, the musicians who
recorded the original tracks were:
For Archive to the Eighties Mayall recorded new bass and drums tracks played by Bobby Haynes and Joe Yuele.
The 2001 expanded version has 26 tracks, 8 of them remixes marked here with*; original tracks included in Archive to the Eighties are marked here with '.
Source: John Mayall "Back To The Roots" album cover
John Mayall
John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
released on Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
http://www.johnmayall.com/disco.html. Recording sessions took place both in California and London where Mayall invited some former members of his band, notably guitarists Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
. At the end of the 1980s Mayall remixed some tracks and issued them along with some of the older material as Archive to the Eighties. An expanded two-CD version of Back to the Roots now includes both the original and later remixed versions of the tracks.
Besides Mayall, who sang and played piano and guitar, the musicians who
recorded the original tracks were:
- Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Mick TaylorMick TaylorMichael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
, Harvey MandelHarvey MandelHarvey Mandel is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career...
and Jerry McGee on guitars; - Larry TaylorLarry TaylorLarry Taylor is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Lewis...
and Steven Thompson on bass; - Keef HartleyKeef HartleyKeef Hartley was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted the Keef Hartley Band, and played at Woodstock. Hartley was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with Rory Storm, The Artwoods and John Mayall.-Biography:Hartley was born in Preston, Lancashire, England...
and Paul Lagos on drums; - Johnny Almond on saxophone and flute.
For Archive to the Eighties Mayall recorded new bass and drums tracks played by Bobby Haynes and Joe Yuele.
Track listing
All tracks from John Mayall.- "Prisons on the Road" * – 4:18
- "My Children" ' – 5:10
- "Accidental Suicide" * – 6:17
- "Groupie Girl" – 3:53
- "Blue Fox" ' – 3:43
- "Home Again" * – 4:56
- "Television Eye" * – 7:32
- "Marriage Madness" ' – 3:36
- "Looking at Tomorrow" * – 6:57
- "Dream With Me" ' – 5:21
- "Full Speed Ahead" – 5:21
- "Mr. Censor Man" * – 4:44
- "Force of Nature" * – 6:34
- "Boogie Albert" * – 2:15
- "Goodbye December" – 5:24
- "Unanswered Questions" – 4:42
- "Devil's Tricks" ' – 7:45
- "Travelling" – 4:42
The 2001 expanded version has 26 tracks, 8 of them remixes marked here with*; original tracks included in Archive to the Eighties are marked here with '.
Source: John Mayall "Back To The Roots" album cover
Personnel
- John Almond – bass fluteBass fluteThe bass flute is the bass member of the flute family. It is in the key of C, pitched one octave below the concert flute. Because of the length of its tube , it is usually made with a "J" shaped head joint, which brings the embouchure hole within reach of the player...
, saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Keef HartleyKeef HartleyKeef Hartley was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted the Keef Hartley Band, and played at Woodstock. Hartley was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with Rory Storm, The Artwoods and John Mayall.-Biography:Hartley was born in Preston, Lancashire, England...
– drum kitDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Paul Lagos – drums
- Harvey MandelHarvey MandelHarvey Mandel is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, The Rolling Stones, and John Mayall before starting a solo career...
– guitar - John MayallJohn MayallJohn Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
– guitar, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Jerry McGee – guitar
- Larry TaylorLarry TaylorLarry Taylor is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Lewis...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, guitar - Mick TaylorMick TaylorMichael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
– guitar - Steve Thompson – bass
- Joe Yuele – drums
- Don "Sugarcane" Harris – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....