Replacing Eric Clapton with Peter Green was John Mayall’s masterstroke. While the guitarist stayed less than a year he left an indelible mark on “A Hard Road” with the instrumental “The SuperNatural” – exploring the sustained tone he’d use for “Albatross” in Fleetwood Mac – and The Same Way, which was an embryonic “Man Of The World”. Mayall had moved on too. There’s an unexpected zest to Leaping Christine and he jousts on bottle-neck with Green on Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom“. New drummer Aynsley Dunbar freshens up the rhythm section but its Mayall’s blend of original songs and covers that gives the Bluesbreakers their own identity.
John Mayall’s third LP and the follow-up to the mighty “Beano Album” had some big shoes to fill. But with Peter Green on board in place of the departed Eric Clapton, and Aynsley Dunbar taking over on drums, “A Hard Road” was an undisputed triumph and remains one of the truly essential pure blues rock albums of the era.
Mayall recognised the value of his new guitarist and Green was given acres of space to show off his skills. He contributed two timeless guitar instrumentals – a masterful version of Freddie King’s “The Stumble” and his own “The Super-Natural”, the latter an ethereal proto-Santana style piece, almost worth the price of admission alone. Green also took lead vocals on Willie Cobbs’ 1961 song “You Don’t Love Me” (later immortalised by the Allman Brothers) and the self-penned “The Same Way”. John Mayall wrote eight of the 14 tracks and provided the suitably rustic sleeve artwork.
The Bluesbreakers was a band in constant flux and during Peter Green’s brief 11-month stint with Mayall, no fewer than five drummers passed through the ranks, all of them still well-known names today. As well as Aynsley Dunbar, there was “Beano Album” veteran Hughie Flint, who was there when Peter joined and Keef Hartley who arrived just before he quit. Mick Fleetwood and Mickey Waller also briefly came and went in the interim.
Notes:
- The 2003 double CD reissue of “A Hard Road” contained no fewer than 22 bonus tracks, compiling all the non-album studio recordings Peter Green made with the Bluesbreakers between 1966–1968. These included singles, B sides and the rare UK-only 1967 John Mayall and Paul Butterfield EP collaboration “All My Life”. A 2006 single disc CD contained 14 extra tracks, mostly drawn from the same sources but adding four additional BBC recordings
- “A Hard Road” reached #8 in the UK in 1967, Mayall’s third highest chart showing overall, after “Bare Wires” and “The Beano Album”
- BBC Radio 1’s The Friday Rock Show hosted by Tommy Vance in the 80s used the “A Hard Road” version of “The Stumble” as its theme music for many years
- Standout track: “The Super-Natural“
- Blues highlight: “Someday After A While (You’ll Be Sorry)”
John Mayall: Vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, organ, Peter Green: Guitar, vocals, John McVie: Bass, Aynsley Dunbar: Drums, Plus: John Almond: Saxophone, Alan Skidmore: Saxophone, Ray Warleigh: Wind instruments.
Originally Released: February 1967
The Fat Angel Sings 