Blues from Laurel Canyon
Encyclopedia
Blues from Laurel Canyon is a 1968 album by John Mayall
, featuring British blues
music. It was his first album after the breakup of his band the Bluesbreakers on 14 July 1968. It was also his last album with Decca
before moving to Polydor.
John Mayall sings and plays harmonica, organ and guitar on the album. Other musicians include a young Mick Taylor
(guitar), Colin Allen
(drums) and Stephen Thompson (bass). The guitarist Peter Green
is featured on the track First Time Alone. The engineer was Derek Varnals.
All the songs on the album were written by John Mayall. It was recorded at Decca Studios
in West Hampstead
, London
, England
between 26 and 28 August 1968, and was released on the Decca label.
The title of the album derives from Laurel Canyon
, California
, USA (in the Los Angeles
area) where John Mayall subsequently lived from 1969 to 1979. It forms a record of his visit there before moving to the US on a more permanent basis. The area was favoured by many musicians at the time.
The album was innovative for its time, especially by the standards of blues recordings. The first track opens with a recording of a jet airliner landing, dissolving into the driving rhythm of the song. There were no visible track divisions on the vinyl album. Some songs fade or segue into the next track, others stop on a chord which is immediately followed by the introduction of the next track. Tabla
drums are used, as is the technique of hitting guitar strings with a drumstick. The final track is a short song which moves into an extended lead guitar solo underscored by Mayall's Hammond organ
, fading into a simple unaccompanied guitar figure which repeats until it too fades.
The lyrics are autobiographical and refer, if obliquely, to people Mayall met on his first visit, such as Frank Zappa
and Moon Unit Zappa
(on 2401), the band Canned Heat
(on The Bear), and famous groupie, Catherine James (on Miss James).
From a technical point of view, the album demonstrates the limitations of the recording technology of the time. A substantial number of vinyl albums were issued in monophonic
format, since many home record players, at least in the United Kingdom
, could not reproduce stereophonic sound
. On the stereophonic releases, including the CD re-releases, the stereo imaging separates the instruments quite strongly. For instance, in the song Walking on Sunset, the drumkit, situated on the left, is inaudible in the right hand channel. The overall impression is that of being in a hallway with several rooms off it, each one containing a particular instrument. There is no sense of being in a room with several instruments playing and generating an ambient sound-field, as might be expected from a live recording, or one mixed with more available sound inputs.
A remastered and expanded version of this album was released in the UK in August 2007.
All songs by John Mayall — timings and keys also included.
John Mayall
John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
, featuring British blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
music. It was his first album after the breakup of his band the Bluesbreakers on 14 July 1968. It was also his last album with Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
before moving to Polydor.
John Mayall sings and plays harmonica, organ and guitar on the album. Other musicians include a young 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...
(guitar), Colin Allen
Colin Allen
Colin Allen is an English blues drummer and songwriter.-Career:Allen took up drums at the age of 18, playing initially with local jazz musician in Dorset...
(drums) and Stephen Thompson (bass). The guitarist Peter Green
Peter Green (musician)
Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
is featured on the track First Time Alone. The engineer was Derek Varnals.
All the songs on the album were written by John Mayall. It was recorded at Decca Studios
Decca Studios
Decca Studios was a recording facility in Broadhurst Gardens, West Hampstead, North London, England.Famously, The Beatles failed their audition with Decca Records at the location on 1 January 1962, and subsequently signed with Parlophone instead....
in West Hampstead
West Hampstead
West Hampstead is an area in northwest London, England, situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to the east, and South Hampstead to the south. Until the late 19th century, the locale was a small village called West End...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
between 26 and 28 August 1968, and was released on the Decca label.
The title of the album derives from Laurel Canyon
Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, California
Laurel Canyon is a canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was first developed in the 1910s, and became a part of the city of Los Angeles in 1923 ....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA (in the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area) where John Mayall subsequently lived from 1969 to 1979. It forms a record of his visit there before moving to the US on a more permanent basis. The area was favoured by many musicians at the time.
The album was innovative for its time, especially by the standards of blues recordings. The first track opens with a recording of a jet airliner landing, dissolving into the driving rhythm of the song. There were no visible track divisions on the vinyl album. Some songs fade or segue into the next track, others stop on a chord which is immediately followed by the introduction of the next track. Tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
drums are used, as is the technique of hitting guitar strings with a drumstick. The final track is a short song which moves into an extended lead guitar solo underscored by Mayall's Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, fading into a simple unaccompanied guitar figure which repeats until it too fades.
The lyrics are autobiographical and refer, if obliquely, to people Mayall met on his first visit, such as Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and Moon Unit Zappa
Moon Unit Zappa
Moon Unit Zappa is an American actress, musician and author. She goes by the name Moon Zappa; "Unit" is her middle name.-Personal life:...
(on 2401), the band Canned Heat
Canned Heat
Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists...
(on The Bear), and famous groupie, Catherine James (on Miss James).
From a technical point of view, the album demonstrates the limitations of the recording technology of the time. A substantial number of vinyl albums were issued in monophonic
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
format, since many home record players, at least in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, could not reproduce stereophonic sound
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
. On the stereophonic releases, including the CD re-releases, the stereo imaging separates the instruments quite strongly. For instance, in the song Walking on Sunset, the drumkit, situated on the left, is inaudible in the right hand channel. The overall impression is that of being in a hallway with several rooms off it, each one containing a particular instrument. There is no sense of being in a room with several instruments playing and generating an ambient sound-field, as might be expected from a live recording, or one mixed with more available sound inputs.
A remastered and expanded version of this album was released in the UK in August 2007.
Original tracks
- Vacation (2:47) E
- Walking On Sunset (2:50) Ab
- Laurel Canyon Home (4:33) C
- 2401 (3:42) A
- Ready To Ride (3:32) E
- Medicine Man (2:43) G
- Somebody's Acting Like A Child (3:27) Db
- The Bear (4:40) Bb
- Miss James (2:30) F
- First Time Alone (4:49) B
- Long Gone Midnight (3:27) Eb
- Fly Tomorrow (8:59) D
bonus tracks
- 13. 2401 (3:56) A [Single version]
- 14. Wish You Were Mine (8:36) [Live '68, previously on Primal Solos]
All songs by John Mayall — timings and keys also included.
Personnel
- John MayallJohn MayallJohn Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
- guitar, harmonica, keyboards, vocals - 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, Hawaiian guitar - Colin AllenColin AllenColin Allen is an English blues drummer and songwriter.-Career:Allen took up drums at the age of 18, playing initially with local jazz musician in Dorset...
- drums, tabla - Steve Thompson - bass guitar