Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton

With Eric Clapton
Studio album by Bluesbreakers
Released	July 22, 1966
Recorded	April 1966
Genre	Blues-rock
Length	37:06 (original) 75:18 (1998 reissue)
Label	Decca London
Producer	Mike Vernon
Professional reviews
Allmusic link
Bluesbreakers chronology
John Mayall Plays John Mayall (1965) Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (1966) A Hard Road (1967)
Eric Clapton chronology
Having a Rave Up with The Yardbirds (1965) Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (1966) Fresh Cream by Cream (1966)

Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton is a 1966 electric British blues album by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton as lead guitarist. It is often referred to as The Beano album because the photograph on the album cover shows Clapton reading The Beano, a well-known British children's comic.

Apart from being one of the most overall influential albums in blues-rock history, it was likely the first time anyone had heard a Gibson Les Paul guitar through an overdriven Marshall amplifier; this unique sound would become particularly influential. The re-introduction of the Les Paul by Gibson was largely fueled by the blues boom that so often featured it. Clapton's incendiary playing inspired graffiti saying "Clapton is God" on the streets of London around the time of the album's release.

The Bluesbreakers included John Mayall on harmonica and a majority of the vocals, John McVie on bass, Hughie Flint on drums, and John Almond, Alan Skidmore and Derek Healey, misrepresented on the sleeve as Dennis Healey, as the horn section.

Much of the album was composed of blues standards by long-established blues artists such as Otis Rush, Freddie King and Robert Johnson, as well as a few originals penned by Mayall or Mayall and Clapton. The majority of the songs serve as showcases for the young Clapton's playing, apart from "Another Man", "Ramblin' On My Mind.", "Parchman Farm", and "What'd I Say. "Ramblin' On My Mind" was Clapton's very first recorded vocal performance. Although Clapton left the Bluesbreakers only months after this album was made, it was still a huge step forward for his playing as far as improvisation and guitar tone, and it formed the bridge between his time with the Yardbirds and his later co-founding of the power trio Cream with fellow British blues-rock players Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 195 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.^[1]

Track listing

1. "All Your Love" (Willie Dixon/Otis Rush) – 3:36
2. "Hideaway" (Freddie King/Sonny Thompson) – 3:17
3. "Little Girl" (Mayall) – 2:37
4. "Another Man" (Mayall) – 1:45
5. "Double Crossing Time" (Clapton/Mayall) – 3:04
6. "What'd I Say" – (Ray Charles) – 4:29
7. "Key to Love" (Mayall) – 2:09
8. "Parchman Farm" (Mose Allison) – 2:24
9. "Have You Heard" (Mayall) – 5:56
10. "Ramblin' on My Mind" (Robert Johnson/Traditional) – 3:10
11. "Steppin' Out" (James Bracken) – 2:30
12. "It Ain't Right" (Little Walter) – 2:42

2001 reissue

This release added two bonus tracks from a single:

13. "Lonely Years" (Mayall) – 3:21
14. "Bernard Jenkins" (Clapton) – 3:48

2002 remastered reissue

Includes all tracks in both mono and stereo: 1-12 as above in mono 13-24 as 1-12 above in stereo

2006 deluxe 40th anniversary edition

25. Crawling up a Hill (Mayall) - 2:08
26. Crocodile Walk (Mayall) - 2:23
27. Bye Bye Bird (Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Dixon) - 2:49
28. I'm Your Witchdoctor (Mayall) - 2:11
29. Telephone Blues (Mayall) - 3:57
30. Bernard Jenkins (Clapton) - 3:49
31. Lonely Years (Mayall) - 3:19
32. Cheatin' Woman (Mayall) - 2:03
33. Nowhere To Turn (Mayall) - 1:42
34. I'm your witchdoctor (Mayall) - 2:10
35. On Top of The World (stereo mix) (Mayall) - 2:34
36. Key To Love (Mayall) - 2:02
37. On Top of The World (Mayall) - 2:34
38. They Call It Stormy Monday(Walker) - 4:35
39. Intro Into Maudie (John Lee Hooker, Mayall) - 2:27
40. It Hurts To Be In Love (Willie Dixon, Toombs) - 3:22
41. Have You Ever Loved A Woman (Myles) - 6:44
42. Bye Bye Bird (Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Dixon) - 3:51
43. Hoochie Coochie Man (Willie Dixon) - 3:53

25, 26, 30, and 31 appeared as singles; 38-43 appeared on Primal Solos (with Jack Bruce on bass); 38 is on Looking Back; the remaining are BBC sessions

Influences

The guitar riff which begins at 3:32 in "What'd I Say" is borrowed from The Beatles' "Day Tripper," written the year before (1965)

Personnel

• John Mayall - Lead Vocals, Hammond, Guitar, Harmonica
• Eric Clapton - Lead Vocals on "Ramblin' on My Mind"/Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar
• John McVie - Bass Guitar
• Hughie Flint - Drums

• Gus Dudgeon - sound engineer
• Mike Vernon - producer

Additional Musicians

• John Almond - Saxophone, Sax (Baritone)
• Dennis Healey - Trumpet

References