
Despite the incredible amount of critical acclaim afforded to John Mayall's mid-sixties recordings with the Bluesbreakers, the mainstream seems to have left him behind by the time 1969 rolled around. It's a little tempting to assume that popular taste had simply drifted away from Mayall's trademark strain of rhythm and blues, and yet the band-leader's affinity for experimentation has always given testimony to his willingness to run with the times. Indeed, 1968 saw the release of both Blues From Laurel Canyon and Bare Wires ; unusual masterpieces filtered through a kaleidoscopic tangle of American roots music. The [...]