A Hard Road
Encyclopedia
A Hard Road is a 1967 electric blues
album recorded by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
featuring Peter Green
on lead guitar, John McVie
on bass, Aynsley Dunbar
on drums and John Almond. Tracks 5, 7 and 13 feature the horn section
of Alan Skidmore
and Ray Warleigh
. Peter Green sings lead vocals on "You Don't Love Me
" and "The Same Way." The notable instrumental track "The Supernatural", a guitar improvisation in the key of D minor, has much in common with Peter Green's later hit composition "Black Magic Woman
".
The album reached #8 on the U.K. Album Charts which is Mayall's third biggest chart next to "Bare Wires
" and "Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
" which reached #3 and #6, respectively.
The cover art and the original LP sleeve design are by J. Mayall. In 2003 and 2006 two different expanded versions of the album were released.
Side one
Side two
2003 Expanded version
1-14 Original album tracks (as above)
The Additional material is: 15 from Raw Blues; 16-19 from the EP with P. Butterfield; 20-22 & 30-35 from Looking back; 23-26 &28-31 from Thru the years; 27 from the B-side of a single; 36 from Laurel Canyon
2006 UK Expanded version (1CD/28 tracks, 4 unreleased)
1-14 Original album tracks (as above)
The previously unreleased tracks 25-28 are from the BBC Sessions; 19-22 are from the EP with P. Butterfield; 17-18, 24 from Thru the years; 15-16, 23 from Looking Back
2003 Expanded
Same as above with the addition of:
Production
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
album recorded by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are a pioneering English blues band, led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall, OBE. Mayall used the band name between 1963 and 1967, but then dropped it for some fifteen years. However, in 1982 a 'Return of the Bluesbreakers' was announced and...
featuring Peter Green
Peter Green (musician)
Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
on lead guitar, John McVie
John McVie
John Graham McVie is a British bass guitarist best known as a member of the rock group Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fleetwood, was the inspiration for the band's name...
on bass, Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
on drums and John Almond. Tracks 5, 7 and 13 feature the horn section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
of Alan Skidmore
Alan Skidmore
Alan Skidmore is a tenor saxophonist of jazz and blues music, son of the saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore.-As a sideman:...
and Ray Warleigh
Ray Warleigh
Raymond 'Ray' Kenneth Warleigh , is a leading UK-based alto saxophonist and flautist...
. Peter Green sings lead vocals on "You Don't Love Me
You Don't Love Me (Willie Cobbs song)
"You Don't Love Me" is a blues song recorded by Willie Cobbs in 1960. It is based on an earlier song and has become a "blues classic" that has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of performers.-Earlier song:...
" and "The Same Way." The notable instrumental track "The Supernatural", a guitar improvisation in the key of D minor, has much in common with Peter Green's later hit composition "Black Magic Woman
Black Magic Woman
"Black Magic Woman" is a song written by Peter Green that first appeared as a Fleetwood Mac single in various countries in 1968, subsequently appearing on the 1969 Fleetwood Mac compilation albums English Rose and The Pious Bird of Good Omen . In 1970, it became a classic hit by Santana, as sung...
".
The album reached #8 on the U.K. Album Charts which is Mayall's third biggest chart next to "Bare Wires
Bare Wires
- Reissue Bonus Tracks :- Personnel :John Mayall's Bluesbreakers* John Mayall – vocals, harmonica, piano, harpsichord, organ, harmonium, guitar* Mick Taylor – lead guitar, Hawaiian guitar* Chris Mercer – tenor, baritone saxophone...
" and "Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton
Blues Breakers is a 1966 electric blues album credited to John Mayall with Eric Clapton.The band name John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers that was used by the band consequently is derived from the title of this album; no original issues mention the Bluesbreakers as band name...
" which reached #3 and #6, respectively.
The cover art and the original LP sleeve design are by J. Mayall. In 2003 and 2006 two different expanded versions of the album were released.
Track listing
All songs by John Mayall except as notedSide one
- "A Hard Road" – 3:12
- "It's Over" – 2:51
- "You Don't Love MeYou Don't Love Me (Willie Cobbs song)"You Don't Love Me" is a blues song recorded by Willie Cobbs in 1960. It is based on an earlier song and has become a "blues classic" that has been interpreted and recorded by a variety of performers.-Earlier song:...
" (Willie CobbsWillie CobbsWillie Cobbs is an American blues singer and harmonica player. He is best known for his song, "You Don't Love Me"....
) – 2:50 - "The StumbleThe Stumble"The Stumble" is an instrumental blues song originally composed by the guitarist Freddie King. It has been recorded by scores of artists including: Anthony Hawkins of "Black Merda", Luther Allison, Jeff Beck, Eric Bell, Canned Heat, Dave Edmunds, Peter Green, Steve Hackett, Bugs Henderson, Love...
" (Freddie KingFreddie KingFreddie King , thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert...
, Sonny ThompsonSonny ThompsonSonny Thompson was an American R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s.Born Alfonso Thompson in Centreville, Mississippi, he began recording in 1946, and in 1948 achieved two #1 R&B chart hits on the Miracle label – "Long Gone " and "Late Freight", both featuring saxophonist...
) – 2:54 - "Another Kinda Love" – 3:06
- "Hit The Highway" – 2:17
- "Leaping Christine" – 2:25
Side two
- "Dust My Blues" (Elmore JamesElmore JamesElmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...
, Joe Josea) – 2:50 - "There's Always Work" – 1:38
- "The Same Way" (Peter Green) – 2:11
- "The Supernatural" (Green) – 2:57
- "Top Of The Hill" – 2:40
- "Someday After A While (You'll Be Sorry)" (King, Thompson) – 3:02
- "Living Alone" – 2:23
2003 Expanded version
1-14 Original album tracks (as above)
- Evil Woman Blues (Green)- 4:05
- All My Life (Robinson)- 4:25
- Ridin' on the L&N (Burley, Hampton)-2:32
- Little by Little (London, Wells)- 2:47
- Eagle Eye – 2:52
- Looking Back (Watson)- 2:37
- So Many Roads (Paul) 4:47
- Sitting in the Rain - 2:59
- Out of Reach (Green)- 4:44
- Mama Talk to Your Daughter (Atkins, Lenoir)-2:39
- Alabama Blues (Lenoir) 2:31
- Curly (Green) – 4:51
- Rubber Duck (Dunbar, Green)-4:00
- Greeny (Green) 3:56
- Missing You (Green) 1:59
- Please Don't Tell- 2:29
- Your Funeral and My Trial (Williamson) – 3:56
- "Double Trouble" (RushOtis RushOtis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
)- 3:22
- "It Hurts Me TooIt Hurts Me Too"It Hurts Me Too" is a blues standard that is "one of the most interpreted blues [songs]". First recorded in 1940 by Tampa Red, the song is a mid-tempo eight-bar blues that features slide guitar...
" (LondonMel LondonMel London was a songwriter, record producer, and record label owner. He was active in the Chicago blues and R&B scenes in the 1950s and 1960s...
) 2:57
- Jenny - 4:38
- Picture on the Wall - 3:03
- First Time Alone – 5:00
The Additional material is: 15 from Raw Blues; 16-19 from the EP with P. Butterfield; 20-22 & 30-35 from Looking back; 23-26 &28-31 from Thru the years; 27 from the B-side of a single; 36 from Laurel Canyon
2006 UK Expanded version (1CD/28 tracks, 4 unreleased)
1-14 Original album tracks (as above)
- Looking Back (Watson)- 2:37
- So Many Roads (Paul) -4:47
- Mama, Talk To Your Daughter (Atkins, Lenoir)-2:39
- Alabama Blues (Lenoir)- 2:31
- All My Life
- Ridin' On The L And N (Burley, Hampton)-2:32
- Eagle Eye – 2:52
- Little By Little
- Sitting In The Rain 2:59
- Out Of Reach (Green)- 4:44
- No More Tears
- Ridin' On The L And N (Burley, Hampton)
- Sitting In The Rain
- Leaping Christine
The previously unreleased tracks 25-28 are from the BBC Sessions; 19-22 are from the EP with P. Butterfield; 17-18, 24 from Thru the years; 15-16, 23 from Looking Back
Personnel
Original Album- John MayallJohn MayallJohn Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
– vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, organ - Peter GreenPeter Green (musician)Peter Green is a British blues-rock guitarist and the founder of the band Fleetwood Mac...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - John McVieJohn McVieJohn Graham McVie is a British bass guitarist best known as a member of the rock group Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of Mick Fleetwood, was the inspiration for the band's name...
– bass - Hughie FlintHughie FlintHughie Flint , is an English drummer, best known for his stint in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, playing drums on the Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton album, released in 1966, for his group McGuinness Flint in the early 70s and for his subsequent association with The Blues Band.Flint played in...
, Aynsley DunbarAynsley DunbarAynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
– drums - John Almond, Alan SkidmoreAlan SkidmoreAlan Skidmore is a tenor saxophonist of jazz and blues music, son of the saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore.-As a sideman:...
– Saxophones - Ray WarleighRay WarleighRaymond 'Ray' Kenneth Warleigh , is a leading UK-based alto saxophonist and flautist...
– Wind instruments
2003 Expanded
Same as above with the addition of:
- Colin AllenColin AllenColin Allen is an English blues drummer and songwriter.-Career:Allen took up drums at the age of 18, playing initially with local jazz musician in Dorset...
– Drums - Paul ButterfieldPaul ButterfieldPaul Butterfield was an American blues vocalist and harmonica player, who founded the Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the early 1960s and performed at the original Woodstock Festival...
– Harmonica, vocals - Mick FleetwoodMick FleetwoodMichael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood is a British musician and actor best known for his role as the drummer and namesake of the blues/rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac. His surname, combined with that of John McVie, was the inspiration for the name of the originally Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac...
– Drums - Henry Lowther – Trumpet
- Nick Newell – Saxophone
Production
- Produced by Mike VernonMike Vernon (producer)Mike Vernon is an English record producer. He produced albums for British blues artists and groups during the late 1960s, working with the Bluesbreakers, David Bowie, Duster Bennett, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, John Mayall, Christine McVie and...
- Recording Engineer : Gus DudgeonGus DudgeonAngus Boyd Dudgeon , most commonly known as Gus Dudgeon was an English record producer, most notable for production of many of Elton John's recordings.-Early career:...