John Mayall - Blues From Laurel Canyon (1968)

John Mayall is a British blues singer and multi-instrumentalist, who was a major figure in the 60s British blues scene.

In 1968 John Mayall stopped using the Bluesbreakers name for his backing band, and started releasing his albums as simply John Mayall. For Blues From Laurel Canyon, his second studio album of 1968, he put together a small three-piece group to back him, consisting of guitarist Mick Taylor (who had been with him since '67), bassist Stephen Thompson and drummer Colin Allen. The new album thus had more of a stripped back sound compared to its predecessor Bare Wires, though it still managed to stay interesting throughout and not fall into the trap of predictive blandness that was familiar to much of the British blues scene.

Despite the title, the album was recorded in London. Rather it was supposed to be a musical diary of sorts of his recent visit to the US. He was soon to move there permanently.

It turned out to be the last album he recorded for Decca Records, and also his last one with Mick Taylor, who joined the Rolling Stones the next year.

Bare Wires (1968) <|> Looking Back (1969)
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