It's a warm summer's Saturday night, July 19, 2003 in Liverpool England and the eager audience patiently waits. In celebration of John Mayall's 70th birthday and for the benefit of UNICEF s fight against child exploitation, The Bluesbreakers (Tom Canning, Hank Van Sickle, Jo Yuele and Buddy Whittington) kick off with Jacksboro Highway. After a few more numbers the place erupts as John Mayall appears to a standing ovation. The Godfather of British Blues has arrived and straight away he's playing fantastic harmonica and keyboards. Then (and after 38 years since they first played together) the friends and soul mates are reunited to a tumultuous reception as Eric Clapton appears on stage. Joining them is Mick Taylor and British Blues pioneer, Chris Barberas as they blast through nearly 21/2 hours of stunning blues. From blues standards to classics from the Beano album and on to contemporary Bluesbreakers material, an ecstatic Liverpool crowd laps up one of the finest nights of blues this millennium.
Not all that many blues musicians (or any other kind, for that matter) live to 70, so British bandleader John Mayall had good reason to celebrate when he reached that milestone in 2003--and celebrate he did, with the admirable, 137-minute John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers: 70th Birthday Concert to show for it. Mayall, a capable if not exactly stellar singer and multi-instrumentalist, is best known for the many fine players who passed through his band over the years, and Eric Clapton, the most renowned of the lot, is on hand here, as is former Mayall/Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. Clapton sings several tunes in addition to playing his trademark stinging solos on "Hideaway" and "All Your Love" (two of the tunes most responsible for the "Clapton is God" graffiti seen around London in the '60s), while Taylor is mostly impressive as well.
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Region Code: 4 (NZ) Rating: G Number of Discs: 1 Condition: As New
