Bluesbreakers

this slaps and I don't care about all the clapton hate. just loving the music. the keys, guitar, and bluesy rock goes hard

This was fine. I never felt like they really got going.

This was cool!

This album is much more my speed. It is very chaotic and folky! I enjoyed all the harmonica (my namesake) and I saved All Your Love and Key to My Love. I may listen again and save more cause people were talking to me in the office and taking me out of the listening experience for some songs.

2.5/5

Better than I expected going in, mainly because John Mayall was the principal singer and most of the songs were either written by him or covers. Still, 6/10 for Eric Clapton being the most overrated motherfucker on Planet Earth.

Eric Clapton is an obviously extremely unlikable as a person but I will try to not let that affect this review because this album included some really sharp instrument playing, including Clapton on guitar with some really nice solos. The random ass drum solo notwithstanding, I didn’t have a bad time listening to this.

This is claptonslop. If I wanted to be charitable, I'd talk about the variety of decent drums/harmonica/sax moments and solos on display, or perhaps about the conceivable ways the band might have influenced artists down the line. I'll be honest though, I'm already not a big enjoyer of the blues, and have never found Eric Clapton's guitar to be that impressive. At his best he sounds like a sauceless Santana on 0.75x speed. Nevertheless, it was "Little Girl" that truly soured this experience for me. Turbo rancid vibes only three songs in, and the rest of the album never really managed to recover from it.

This is so boring. I have to confess I do not like the blues, so even the best blues album is only ever going to top out at a 3 for me (exception: that live Muddy Waters album on here). This is not the best blues album, so it can't be more than a 2. There is a drum solo on it which is kind of nice. The guitar playing on Hideaway is nice. But there was no emotion on this album and absolutely nothing to move me.

A bit too much indulgent guitar solo wankery.

Very blues. Not my cup of tea, but seems like it does what you'd expect, without much flair.

smooth enjoyable blues without bells and whistles. as usual with blues i shouldn't give to much attention to the lyrics...

Not a blues guy but I can’t see the appeal to this album. Clapton is so talented

Another album whose influence is hard to fully grasp without having lived through it, as Clapton's sound has been emulated a million times over, and blues has so vastly evolved since, but despite all that this album holds up really well. Rhythm section on point, Mayall's vocals are soulful and sharp, and Clapton is Claptoning all over the thing. I especially loved the stripped back Another Man, amazing harmonica playing. Overall I really appreciate the excellent musicianship on display here, but at the same time I'm just not personally drawn to the blues enough to want to listen again.

Blues guys play blues, but not the best blues, just blues for white people from England

60s blues, a standout record of it's time.

As someone who only heard Clapton's name associated with “Cocaine” and “Layla” when I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, I’ve always wondered why he was placed on such a high pedestal. But in the 60’s he was at the forefront of guitar-driven rock, here in the Blues Breakers and next with Cream. He also played with The Yardbirds and Blind Faith. Seems like the 60s were his greatest era, as he invested his talents into great bands and influenced the likes of Eddie Van Halen who would use his work as an early template. So what can you do but give this album 5/5 for being on the cutting edge of the revolutionary sounds of the 60s. (ALSO: What’s up with “What’d I Say” using the same riff as “Day Tripper”? I guess you can’t ever get too far away from The Beatles in the mid-60s!)

This is a fantastic blues album with all of Clapton’s gifts on parade. I’m not super familiar with the blues greats, but this album to me serves as more of a milestone in the genre in the 60s and Clapton’s development. Interestingly, this is some of Clapton’s best work. Once you get to the 70s, he never quite sounds so great.

Blues is just not my go to

pretty mediocre. the guitar playing is good, vocalist is fine, but the album lacks a certain something, making it sound plain and very uninteresting. it feels like there wasn't an ounce of passion put into the recording of this.

1966 Blues, Mayall w/ EC, Classic blues Ranblin on my mind

5/10

I’ll always enjoy a blues rock album I think. Haven’t heard one yet that I hate

I’m a sucker for Blues and Blues rock albums and this is a classic.

Previously unknown. I mean, it's a good blues album. I just usually don't need a whole album at a time.

Good guitar work but still a boring album

Not awful but not memorable either. Easy 3 stars. There is better blues/soul on this list, and even still by white guys!

3/5

Mediocre is the only word that comes to mind.

It’s alright. Not bad not good

Pretty meh, some of it sounded a bit like going a pub and some random da's are playing

Even white boys get the blues.

Stop making me listen to Eric Clapton

Loved this blues-heavy album. It was easy to sit back and get lost in the driving rhythms and riffs. Really enjoyed All Your Love and What I'd Say (Day Tripper riff)

Can white men play the blues? I guess at least a few of them ain't half bad

British guys figuring out the blues here. Pretty sick. If you squint, you can make out demonic British cartoon mascot Biffo the Bear on the front page of the Beano.

Little girl is so disgusting how did this even pass a writing room. The rest of it was fine, not very memorable

This sounds like generic Blues music. Nothing really stands out. It's really white.

lovely blues, the song hideaway was great

Не слушайте тупых соевых придурков что срут здесь альбом без причины, срут Клэптона, за то, что он, О БОЖЕ, спел одну из сотен песен с лирикой в стиле "давай любить друг друга, моя малэнькая дэвочка", это же тааак необычно и ужасно для шестидесятых! жееесть. Господи, дебилы на отзывах на этой сайте периодически сильно меня утомляют. Ну да ладно.. К альбому. Это балдёжный блюзовый альбом, буквально основа, база, фундамент. Крутые гитары, простая лирика, но всё что выходило тогда от подобных банд, Крима и Клэптона в частности, это то, чем потом станет вся подобная блюзовая и около-блюзовая музыка. Как минимум, из историчности это крайне интересно слушать, да и приятно. Звучит то шикарно.

Album #235 John Mayall and Eric Clapton: Blues Breakers It wasn’t until I saw this album pop up that I realized something about myself; I don’t really like blues rock. I guess I’ve always known this to some extent, as I tend to gravitate away from the genre, but I never fully formed the thought. It’s not that I hate it, and obviously I still like the famous examples like Zeppelin, CCR, White Stripes, etc, but most of the stuff from the 60s I find to be quite a slog. Adding to that, I’ve already been disappointed by one 60s ‘guitar god’ in Jeff Beck, so I really wasn’t expecting to like this any. Well, it only took three seconds into the first song to realize that, yes, I actually do like blues rock, and that this list just has a lot of mediocre blues music. I’m not quite sure if Blues Breakers is enough to deify Clapton, though judging by his personal life he does bear some resemblance to gods like Zeus, but it is at least good enough to perhaps crown him as a guitar king. That said, when it comes to picking my favourite guitarists out of Pattie Boyd’s exes, I’m taking George all day. When it comes down to it though, Blues Breakers is straight to the point, no-nonsense blues; it doesn’t outstay its welcome, and its riffs are consistent. If you like blues, you will love this, and if you don’t, you’ll still at least like it. Best Songs: All Your Love, Hideaway, Stepping Out Worst Song: It Ain’t Right Score out of 10: 7.5

It was fine. I liked it well enough but probably wouldn't listen to it again.

Classic must listen with some important musicians - but there are better albums out there

A good album but I would always choose Muddy Waters or B.B. King ahead of it. 4 stars or B-.

I'm with some of the many reviews here that says there's some talented playing on this album, but it just doesn't do it as a blues album. The best tracks have Black musicians playing their own music (Ray Charles, Robert Johnson...) and Mose Allison playing the fuck out of that harmonica. I would rather more classic Blues album from the US than this.

I’m not sure of the renown of this particular record, but while it sounded nice it never fully grabbed me as a great blues album should. Interesting piece of Clapton’s career though, which I had not known about previously.

Till a remarkable blues album and a great picture of the moment in time when the blues were influencing so much. Plus the sheer legend of the album itself.

A good blues album.

This racist is really good at guitar.

Wasn't particularly expecting to enjoy this, my Dad used to play some latter Mayall and Clapton records when I was growing up and neither did much for me. I don't think he ever played this one, but it's actually fairly decent, and little hint of how boring their musical works would eventually get.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Thus putting it into the category of bad people can make good music.

boring and fuck Eric clapton

DNF Did Nothing Forme

Just not for me

Great blues album. Would be netter without the creepiness of "Little Girl."

A very okay record.

Meh, its fine. 12 bar blues, kinda basic.

Disappointed

There's a reference to drinking pints of beer in an empty dive bar somewhere.

Les Paul, Marshall and the complete classic rock guitar vocabulary BOOM! Right there -

pretty good blues.

...

Pretty good blues

Should rate lower because they're white British guys playing the blues, but they do it so well!

Enjoyable. Competent blues musicianship. Influential, of course.

banco demasiado el blues, un toque mas de lyrics y seria una obra maestra

Eric Clapton is a self-centered prick. I mean, we all knew that from his solo work, but I at least somewhat thought his assholery wouldn't translate well into a band setting. I mean, we have Cream, where he absolutely shines, so why is Blues Breakers a crappy foray? In my opinion, Cream had a great backbone that stopped Clapton from turning the band into HIS thing, while John Mayall and his little rotating entourage of talented musicians (which is something that's unquestionable when it comes to Clapton) is somewhat of a showcase of talent, really evident when you see all the great guitarists that passed though his hands. So in essence with that in mind: a proto-wank fest of an album. Eric Clapton waltzes his way through it, while John emulates a second tier black blues singer, while not bringing anything memorable, besides the opener. Overrated to all hell, glad I didn't buy it, for 25 euros!

I have an active dislike of Clapton and I was dreading yet another British white boy blues thing. But I did find this to be ok. I liked a couple of the covers. And the fact that its called The Beano Album made me laugh. I hope they all took care of their gas pain. (I know it's the name of a magazine, chill out)

Okay, forgettable rock

britblues init

Awesome Blues album

Ok. I’m not a huge blues fan. Fine to listen to but I won’t look for this again.

It's ok

I don't care how good the guitar is on here ("Hideaway"). It's got some disgusting songs on here ("Little Girl") from a lump of a man in Clapton. Spotify lists out who many of these songs were originally by, which gets to the heart of the issues with this inclusion - why are we including a covers album of a white man doing black music. Again, the playing on here is good to great at times, but this misses the bigger picture. 2/5 I can't and won't get past the context of Eric Clapton the person and the inclusion of this album instead of more black soul/rock artists

It’s a British white blues album from ‘66. If you’re not a fan of said sub-genre and not all about guitar, it’s maybe a little monotonous as it doesn’t have the rock, pop and soul influences that say the Stones had, to add more variety (and be a little less derivative). I enjoy it as a one off listen, sort of, drum solos etc aside, but out of non- mass murdering full on sicko rock stars Clapton is my no 1 “he is a complete arse hole that can fuck off” etc. etc. was apparently still a prick at the photo shoot to do the cover, arse-hole. 3 stars for the music minus 1 for Clapton presence rather than playing ( though his singing was shit) - 2 Stars

Часто-густо це просто звичайний блюз. Але ці гітари, чувак. Пустіть ці пискляві гітари мені по венах! Перкусія теж непогана. Альбому заважає лише його непостійність, і слабкий, у порівнянні з серединою, фінал. Оцінка: середня-висока 7

Don’t like it

Blues but nothing too exciting

Blues blanco, está biem si te gusta Eric Clapton y la voz de John Mayall.

Is it odd that I've never listened to this behemoth of British blues before? I have now and I'm a bit underwhelmed. It's dull.

New to me as an album and group. Often looked over through the years. BTW - Clapton is not "god" just a talented focused self-important guitar player, who unfortunately "thinks" he is God

I’m supposed to love this but I hated the vocals more than anything

2,8 Highlights: All Your Love, Key To Love

A great blues album, particularly for 1966 it's pretty rocky. This list keeps showing stuff that makes me wonder why people were giving the stones and Beatles so much attention at the time. This is much more exciting than even the more vibrant stones/Beatles output, not a experimental I suppose but that's fine by me. Not a harpsichord in sight thankfully, the kinks should have listened more to this. Not a life changing listen by any means but very enjoyable.

John Mayall grew up in Cheadle Hulme - I was there last weekend. Nice place. Nice album. Loads of Blues standards, and some more interesting ones from Clapton and Mayall. I was reading about the band, seems like an incubator for all the creativity in the late 60s/early 70s rock/blues/pop. I couldn't really describe any standout tracks, just that I enjoyed listening and was impressed with the musicianship.

Classic blues rock. Not heard of them before. It's similar to cream I guess, but somehow feels considerably more dated.... Has that kinda showy feel at times. Not sure about the little girl song, feels wrong. And I'm not sure about Clapton full stop.... It's good, not quite sure how good though. I think we've had better examples of this kinda thing so 3.5 but probably on the 4 side.

As always with Clapton, passable but boring British blues.

a lot of instrumentals, energetic fun

I don’t even care that Eric Clapton is kind of a peckerhead as a person, I find him so much more offensive as an artist. All the talent in the world at guitar, yet can’t find a way to play with any passion. Eric Clapton as a musician is like a joy vacuum for me. 6/10

It's fine but would rather have actual Chicago blues

Right off the bat I knew this was mind kind of music. Nothing truly noteworthy or amazing about it, but still very much the type of stuff I like.

An enjoyable listen. I enjoyed the rendition of Parchmen farm. I only knew of the version by cactus, as well as the version by Mose Allison.

Great harmonica

Get to fuck rock. N roll . I can see how this is impactful to Led Zeppelin . Awesome tone bendery lead tone. Yea I like the guitar work a ton. As a guitar head I like this album. Oh my god it’s fucking Eric Clapton Just solid tho

🙂

Clapton.

it's a bit repetitive, but it's also cool and bluesy af

decent, would sound great live. enjoyed key to love, little girl and have you heard.

Reading all this Clapton racism stuff on here came as a shock. Largely centred around comments he made in 1976 when the world was a very different place and when he wasn’t totally in control of himself. Don’t condone anything he said but it is easy in the woke world we live in now to attach labels to anyone and condemn them for evermore even when they have shown immense contrition. My view of Clapton is that he has done more than anyone to introduce black musicians into my life. The ironic thing of all this is that the a lot of the accusers are attaching the ‘white mans blues’ trope to this album. Double standards or what? I’m not an out and out blues lover and never likely to listen to a blues album from start to finish. But I do know that the musicians who I admire and who have produced the music I truly love, do. So I do appreciate albums like this although never likely to make my own personal collection. That said I do own a Deram sampler album called The World of Blues Power which contains two tracks off this album. I bought this as a 16 year old boy at the start of my musical journey desperate to learn and consume as much diverse music that I could. To me even now purchasing that album was a very significant event. I also used to buy The Beano every week and thoroughly enjoyed it. But don’t tell the over sensitive cancelling wokists. They’d have a field day with some of the caricatures contained within those pages. And they would absolutely hate Clapton even more for reading it on the album cover and giving out subliminal messages! 4/5 11/7/26

Decent enough, not particularly interesting.

I’m just not that into blues

So much depth here. What was in the water in Britain in the 50s and 60s to create all of these virtuosos?

Nice blues album from this group and Eric Clapton in his bag. The songs blend together a bit but still enjoyable listen hearing all the different licks and blues melodies.

Just found this one kind of boring.

First listen

initially slated to be a live album but then re-recorded in a studio due to the bad recording, Clapton's soloing and guitar tone became instrumental to and pioneered guitar driven blues. the vibes of the album are immaculate and truly fun.

Blues on autopilot. Not bad... Just lacks any soul.

The first words that came to mind after I hit play were "watered down blues." And that's still how I felt by the end. What's funny is I didnt even look at the album cover first so I didn't realize Eric Clapton was involved at all. But I'm not surprised and it doesn't change my rating. Yeah, he's a shitbag. But even if he was an amazing person, I'd still find his music boring as hell.

Ég hefði gefið þessu hærri einkunn einhvern tímann, en mér eiginlega leiddist þetta oftar en ekki. Sorrý blúsarar, en ég hendi tvisti á þetta.

Listening session: july 8th, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: no Thoughts: a fun percussion solo but otherwise quite boring and not my cup of tea Favourite track: What’d I Say

bluesy guitars that didn't really have the anguish of the blues, so it ended up being kind of dull and just some guys compensating with guitars. Songs about 18 year old girls also put me off. 2 stars

A solid collection of British blues-rock. It reminds me a lot of Fleetwood Mac’s music at the time, and I understand the comparisons between their guitarists. An interesting fragment of music history, but not the most memorable listen.

In a world full of flavors, why would you choose vanilla? I guess it satisfies a craving every now and then. It pairs nicely with other desserts and dishes but on its own it fails to stand out.

can’t deny that the guitar work and the bluesy vocals are really incredible. but i feel the songwriting and the general flow of the albums lacks a lot of momentum. comes across a little boring.

yeahhhhhh

Wanky. Ikke for mig

Føles som en man-sku-nok-ha-været-der situation, men altså, jeg gad rigtig godt have set dem spille på en lille pub i midt-60erne!

Great blues enjoyed it maybe a bit too much

Not Cream, b/c psychedelia was never Eric’s deal, the Clapton of the Blues Breakers & the Dominoes were the best the world ever saw. For the many of us who find the bloke’s reputation bloated & undeserving, what we need to realize is that he was never a hack, he was just hella boring. A fan of the blues, an almost painful admirer of a form he knew he’d never master, Eric didn’t just appropriate black music, I think he was agonizingly in love w/ an outlet that would essentially elude him always. Agony, no matter its source, often makes for good art, & the guy has genuine breakthrus on this record, especially 'All Your Love,' 'Have You Heard,' 'Ramblin' On My Mind,' & the big-sounding 'Steppin' Out.' Oh yeah, Mayall & the rest ain't so bad either.

This is pretty good standard blues music.. some catchy stuff

To quote my wife "if only Eric Clapton wasn't so problematic".

If you're a big fan of Blues, you're likely stoked about this album. Clapton showcases his ability to play a Blues guitar really well and the band does their thing. I've never been able to get fully onboard with Blues, it's fine, I just feel like Blues is Blues and they all follow a very standard formula. This album is good but it meanders and so does my mind. 3 stars

This is a pretty run-of-the-mill blues album overall, and it probably wouldn't even be on this list if it wasn't for Eric Clapton's guitar. His work here is absolutely the saving grace of the entire record, completely injecting life into these standard blues covers with his fiery, aggressive tone and incredible speed. You can definitely hear the exact moment where he was transitioning into a true guitar hero, especially on tracks like "Hideaway" and "Steppin' Out" where his solos just completely steal the spotlight. However, John Mayall's vocals and the rest of the band's backing arrangements feel a bit too rigid and traditional to make the album truly stand out as a whole. While the musicianship is tight and professional, the songwriting and structures stick so closely to the standard Chicago blues blueprint that the deep cuts start to feel repetitive after a while.

Siinähän oli hyvin bluushahtavaa rokkia ja taiturimaista kitaralla kitarointia. Ei aivan omaa juttua mutta ihan okei tämä oli kuunnella.

Blyysiä blyysiä, kyllähän sieltä Eerikki Taputatonnin tunnistaa, hyvältähän se kuulostaa. Ei ehkä omaa suosikkigenreä edusta, mutta kitarataiturointia ihan mukava kuunnella siltikin.

Yup, they broke the blues alright. Side note: Eric Clapton is a cunt

Sure it's the blues, but it's boring and bland. No soul - just going through the motions.

Clapton has made a lot of good music (Cream, Blind Faith, stuff on Abbey Road, Derek and the Dominoes) but this is not it. I read this was groundbreaking blues guitar work but I kind of have a hard time believing it. It sounds like every other blues song but with distortion.

Wasnt as wild about this one as the last Clapton one. Still some good blues here and a fun listen to go through once. 2.5 stars and rounding up

Some fun solos but it’s hard to make this much blues sound inventive.

It's fine I guess

Sigh. Not my cup of white man tea.

Haven't heard of them except for the elephant in the room. Clapton's side project number 2137 that didn't make a difference in rock history, just like all else he did. The album itself isn't that bad, just your standard blues. And that's the problem, it doesn't do anything interesting or revolutionary. Boring 2/5

Yea this was some fantastic blues. Back to back days with absolute elite guitar play, give me more please

The guitar playing is fine but basic, and he sings like he has to poop.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING + the lead singer's voice was grating

Nonentities

This record was a bop from beginning to end. There were some lulls, but it was great nonetheless. Favourite Track(s): Hideaway, What'd I Say, Ramblin' On My Mind, Bernard Jenkins Least Favourite Track(s): Another Man, Parchman Farm

Nice

the debut of blues rock band john mayall and the bluesbreakers. after seeing mayall's last record release, which was recorded live, guitarist eric clapton decided to join the band. this album here was supposed to be a live album too, but the idea was tossed after the quality of the recordings ended up being crappy. it's standard, but generally good blues music. honestly some of the best performances by not just clapton but everyone else... it's a very cool and rough-around-the-edges type of classic blues music. it's not much of a challenge or anything that gave me something new, especially how the songs are written and ESPECIALLY the lyrics too... typically a lot of blues stuff is barebones, repetitive song structure and lyrics and people just trying to riff around it for like 5-10 minutes, and this is what this album has. but it's alright! can't complain that much about it.

I didn't know this band. Not hard to listen to. An OK album.

Wow, pleasant suprise. Groovy blues record with the right amount of rock in it.

#F0FFFF

good old, american, guitar-driven blues, really well done

Required listening for anyone taking Blues Rock 101. Good stuff

This is one of those records that is easy to underrate now because so much of what it established became normal. You have to put it back where it belongs: July 1966, a fortnight before _Revolver_. Heard from that side of history, the opening track is genuinely startling. The song form is still blues revivalism, but the guitar sound seems to have jumped two years ahead. It is thick, sustained, loud, certain, and already speaking the language of later British rock. That is the key to the whole thing. This is not just a good British blues record. It is one of the places where British guitar rock acquires its operating system. Before this, British pop and rock was still largely a world of part guitarists. That is not an insult. There were brilliant part guitarists: players who gave songs intros, hooks, fills, tidy breaks, colour and shape. But the guitar usually had a job inside the arrangement. Here, the guitar moves from part to improvisation. Clapton is not merely playing the right thing. He sounds able to keep inventing the right thing under pressure. At his best, the comparison is less with riff-making than with scat singing or horn phrasing. He is working inside an agreed grammar, but he keeps generating musical thought in real time: statement, answer, variation, pressure, release. That is why the playing still lands. It is not just tone worship, though the tone is obviously a large part of the matter. It is the attack and certainty. Some of the best phrases are very simple, but they arrive with complete veracity. A bent note can sound like a whole argument because it has been placed, held and released by someone who knows exactly what it is doing. The album is also more interesting than simple guitar mythology. Mayall’s world is template-driven and purist: correct sources, correct forms, correct seriousness, correct idiom. At times it almost feels bureaucratic, like blues being converted into procedure. But that is also what gives the record its force. The controlled environment allows the guitar to become volatile inside it. That tension runs through the album. The band is often writing to a template, but the best performances turn the template into pressure. _Hideaway_ is not just an instrumental showcase, it is a fluency test. _Little Girl_ has real propulsion. _Double Crossin’ Time_ shows the group producing original material inside the authorised blues form. _Have You Heard_ is where the album really breathes, with a solo that is astonishing not because it is flashy, but because it has shape, patience and command. _Steppin’ Out_ is a cracking ensemble piece, all rising pressure and controlled release. It is also worth noting the restraint on _Ramblin’ on My Mind_. Clapton sings it, and he does not try to overwhelm it. After all the authority of the guitar playing elsewhere, his vocal feels plainer and more exposed, but the performance has a useful humility. He also seems to respect the guitar logic of Robert Johnson’s original world: voice and instrument as interlocked parts of one thought, rather than lead guitar placed on top of a blues text. It is not the album’s most explosive moment, but it is one of its more respectful ones. There are flaws. The version of _What’d I Say_ slightly misunderstands R&B by letting the drum feature sprawl. That is irritating because it should have been brilliant: the end-of-side-one detonation, the point where blues discipline opens into sweaty club ignition. Instead, it mistakes duration for escalation. Eight bars would have been fine. Sixteen, possibly. Over a minute and the manual needs to be reopened. R&B needs collective ignition, not a percussion appraisal. But even that weakness is revealing, because elsewhere the rhythm section does exactly what is needed. _Parchman Farm_ drives hard without stepping outside the machine. The drummer is not asking for separate recognition there. He is keeping the whole thing moving. The non-album single tracks are also worth hearing, even if they are not part of the core record. _Lonely Years_ has a humid, Latinate slink to it, and I can understand hearing something later associated with Santana in the sustained, vocalised guitar line. _Bernard Jenkins_ is heavily improvisatory, but it does not feel like a throwaway. It sounds like a band watching each other, adjusting pressure, leaving space and responding in real time. That may be the thing I came away respecting most. The old guitar bores were right, but not only for the obvious reasons. Yes, the guitar sound matters. Yes, Clapton’s playing is extraordinary. But the record also captures a band and a scene discovering that electric guitar can be more than a part inside a song. It can be a speaking voice, an authority, almost a lead-bearing structure. It sounds conventional now because it helped create the convention.

nothing burger

Good album - with some great solos

Not really naw

Clapton steals the spotlight on this one, enjoyed it

This is the most rock and rolly

Negative points for Eric Clapton. Fuck that guy. Additional negative points because this is John Mayall, which makes me think of the amazing Rik Mayall. I digress. This is boring boomer music.

Technically a masterpiece. Emotionally complicated. Much like Clapton himself. The guitar work is genuinely stunning, which is deeply inconvenient. Every time Clapton launches into a solo, you're forced to briefly forget that he exists as a human being outside of this recording, which is honestly the best thing he could do for everyone involved. John Mayall does his best to carry the moral weight of the album on his harmonica. John McVie holds down the bass with the quiet dignity of a man who just wants everyone to get along. Hughie Flint plays drums with the energy of someone who absolutely did not sign up for any of this legacy. Clapton, meanwhile, shreds like a man who hasn't yet discovered that he also has opinions. This is peak Clapton — fingers fully engaged, mouth mercifully silent. The last 58 years have sadly inverted that ratio. They used to write "Clapton is God" on the walls of London. God, at least, has the decency to stay mysterious and not give interviews. 3 out of 5. One star deducted for general reasons. One star deducted because somebody has to. The three remaining stars have been placed in a trust, to be managed exclusively by the rhythm section, who seem genuinely lovely and are not the problem here.

Quality blues

The music: Five stars. The man: Zero stars. Result: Three stars.

I never really understood why Clapton was so highly regarded but he is awesome on this one.

3.3 744 albums in and I can count on one hand the number of blues albums we have had. Except for Clapton, it sounds like a bunch of white dudes playing the blues. Vocals felt small compared to some of the greats, but I guess this was more palatable for the audience at the time

Yeah, I'm not big on racists who steal musical genres from traditionally black communities.

muy buen album de blues.

They might have been the ones to 'break' the blues to an audience that hadn't heard it and perhaps that sounded revolutionary at the time but I don't hear anything here that the blues artists that they largely cover weren't already doing. this just has better production. So this is fine, it's a decent slab of blues but I'm more likely to reach for Robert Johnson, Ray Charles or Memphis Slim than I am for this.

Rock

Great blues with Clapton

Not sure if I was just in a bad mood today, but this album did nothing for me. Sure, some of the harmonica parts were kinda cool, but overall I have already forgotten all of these songs.

Aight

Decent background music while I worked.

The album where Eric Clapton arrived....created a seemingly simple template: plugging a Les Paul into a Marshall and cranking it....that guitarists across genres have been copying for years. His playing on this album is sublime (the version of "Hideaway" being a particular favorite), John Mayall has a really nice voice, especially in the upper register, and the band is tight for 45 minutes of solid blues. Fun album

British guys singing about Parchman Farm is kind of hilarious. The technical skill/virtuosity here is undeniable. It just feels kind of ... soulless? I know the lines between homage/tribute and appropriation/affectation are much blurrier than they once were, but listening to this in 2026 it just seems... I don't know... exploitative? And that's without even getting into the whole Clapton thing. This is definitely listenable, but pay too close attention and you feel bad for listening to it.

By all accounts, this blues ain't bad. But not many of the tunes stood out to me as anything particularly remarkable. In fact, I was listening to the album on Spotify, and one song caught my ear as sounding the most inspired, so I went to check what it was - lo an behold, the album had ended and Spotify was playing other blues songs. Which is to say the blues I liked best on the album... isn't even on the album. There's also a certain irony that, for an album that is guitar-forward, my favourite parts were the keys and organ. To each their own. (The song Spotify queued up for me afterwards was mean Old World by T-Bone Walker, fwiw.) I reckon it's difficult for a blues album from 1966 to stand the test of time, since new music has undoubtedly taken inspiration from it and built on it. So is it the album's fault if it sounds a little dated? No, probably not. But even at that, there is other blues music from the same era, and even older, that does resonate with me more. I'm surely missing some historical/cultural context. Maybe if I was discovering this album in 1966, I'd pick up on what's groundbreaking about it. But listening to it for the first time 60 years later, and being unable to remove myself from the context I'm discovering it in, I'm not blown away. All in all, the album was clearly made by talented musicians, I'll give it another couple listens at some point to see if it grows on me, but my first impression is that it's not my cup of tea.

Can't go wrong with some 60's blues rock, especially with Eric Clapton on guitar. Also has a sweet drum solo. Never heard them before, but really liked the album.

There's nothing wrong with this, per se. I just don't really get the unending appeal of blues. My dad used to talk about how he didn't like The Rolling Stones, "except for some of their early stuff, which was kind of bluesy." He also talked about how he didn't like Sting, "except some of his stuff with The Police, which was kind of bluesy" (which... was it?). He'd play Stevie Ray Vaughan, and I'd listen and think, "Okay." I think that's kind of my position with blues. It's okay, but it's so formulaic that I find it rather droll. In a way, it makes me think of Bach: foundational music that follows too many rules and conventions to really spark my excitement. It irritates me to read that Eric Clapton was sick of the "bubblegum" pop he was making with Yardbirds (!?), and jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with The Bluesbreakers on a true blues album. If ever there was an artist guilty of appropriating Black culture, it's probably Eric "Keep Britain White" Clapton. Fuck that guy.

White boy blues rarely got better.

It's a bit disappointing

Sounds like Eric Clapton's earlier works. It has a nice bluesy sound with a psychedelic guitar sound with all of the fuzz and whatnot. Amazing album! Truly showcases the prowess of 60's blues!

I don't care

Always admire Clapton’s playing and tone but this does very little for me except as a pre-Fleetwood Mac curio. I can’t differentiate between this and Blues Hammer.

I know it's reductive and dismissive to just say "boomer blues" and move on. I liked the drum solo on "What'd I Say" though.

ok sympa mais ça va pas changer ma vie

Not something I would normally choose, but I really enjoyed this! Reminded me of a poppier Depeche Mode, or New Order. Will definitely relisten.

As far as white blues goes, the score maxes out at four, and y'all lost a point for all that talk about "little girls". Its good, I guess, like ZZ Top with less beard. Just good. Not great.

Pretty good blues rock

Started with an open mind and tried to be objective listening to this. Its blues, I'm not a fan but it's not a bad album. It's definitely not a great one though. 3 all round here.

Basic blues. Nothing special. I would have rather included a B.B. King record, as there is only one album by him on this list and I find that repulsing.

Sounds like pretty standard blues-rock to me. I wouldn't have included this album on this list.

Hard to keep me hooked on full albums of 12-bar blues

Seemed to me less refined

It's British 1960s blues! It's fine! Not much more to say about this one!

Bit too old school bluesy for me but some of the instrumental bits were decent

quite noodly, but this worked ok for me

A fun and enjoyable album with Eric Clapton at his finest. Lacks having some of his highlights to make the album more of a standout. 8/10 [KEEP]

Legal

Back when Eric Clapton didn't have many songs to his name. I believe Clapton's guitar work is the highlight of "Blues Breakers". Everything else is average mid-60s stuff. The first half is competent, and "All Your Love" is the best on "Blues Breakers" If only I could say that about "Key to Love" onwards. 3 stars for "Blues Breakers".

Slow and edgy at the same time does well as background music Really loved little girl

Fucking blues. Apparently in 1966 the genre was already bereft of any original ideas. I’ll begrudgingly give it a point because I really enjoyed the guitar tones if not the performances.

An absolute wasteland of a record. And not once did they break the blues—perhaps if they had I might enjoy it more.

El blues nunca ha sido mi onda, pero es indudable la calidad de este disco

An album made by a group of musically talented people, though I can't say I cared for every song. Generally, though, it's a solid blues album. A side note, I don't understand how someone can say they've appropriated the blues. I can only assume those are reviews by Americans. John Mayall listened to black American blues musicians as a kid and wanted to make his own music, because he liked the blues. That's all.

i had somewhat a little hope while listening to the first track on the album, then the lyrcisim and the notes got repetitive and very lazy so quickly. then these mfs started singing about wanting to make a "little girl" who went through "18 years of pain" theirs. weird and disturbing. the rest of the album was boring too. also, i'm not an expert on blues but this cannot be proper blues, right? 60's music never surprises.

Another one of the many meh albums on this list. I'm sure this was the shit in the 60's, but it isn't as good today. 3stars

Meh, not horrible, not great either.

1. "All Your Love" 2. "Hideaway" 3. "Ramblin' on My Mind"

If I heard this being played by a band in a pub I would: a) not be surprised b) not go in Almost went for one star because of a horrible drum solo.

Maybe I should like this but it does not move me, and Clapton in particular I have always found a trial. There, I said it.

I was really enjoying this until someone at work told me Eric Clapton is in this. I'm going to pretend I don't know.

I like Parchman Farm. The rest is forgettable.

Say what you will about Eric Clapton, he made an impact and has had a major influence. This was pretty rowdy guitar music back then. I'm a fan!

Never heard of John Mayall. That Clapton fellow seems familiar though... Yeah, kinda standard blues fare with Clapton on guitar, like on paper you can't really go wrong with that. But in practice it falls flat. Its got the technicality, but no real feeling behind it. Empty blues. I dont really have any love for Mayall's vocals either; he's very bland. But luckily he is much more proficient with his other instruments. Standouts are "Another Man" as a very good harmonica track, "Have You Heard" and "It Ain't Right" Can't give this one more than a 3. It's got some good moments and even though Clapton is an absolute chode, the man could play a guitar. It just feels a bit soulless and falls flat for me.

I liked this.

Greats album. Full of fun sounds and tracks

I'm pretty picky when it comes to blues music. This didn't really hit the mark for me. Combine that with the fact that I don't really love Eric Clapton.

Musically this album is brilliant. As a blues album, the sound is distinctive and the fact that you hear echoes of this album on so much of what comes afterward is testament to its legacy. It's a shame that EC is such an ordinary human

Insanely good album. I feel sorry for the people who don’t have the ability to separate the art from the artists. We can still appreciate the music and contribution while holding zero respect for the person(s). Sure, Clapton is a racist misogynist trash human, he’s also one hell of a guitarist.

Blues slop

Enjoyable if standard blues rock

Decent vocals. Instrumentals could've been better. The guitar didn't really stand out, and the brass(?) instruments and harmonica didn't fit in.

In a strange way it feels like The Kink Kontroversy.

What band wasn't Clapton in? Pretty good bluesy stuff here. Nothing stands out as particularly notable.

There's Eric Clapton again.

One of my favorite early blues records

Did I need to hear these fuckers play "What'd I say?"? The answer is no. There is only one version of this song that needs to be heard.

The fact this is in the top 250 greatest albums list is a sin. There are 250 blues albums more interesting and original than this pile of crap. Also fuck Eric Clapton

men stop writing songs about 18 year olds challenge

Rock-solid blues album, and one I wasn't as familiar with.

Yep - very good. Assholes making great music.

The most amazing guitar blues!

Ruined by Clapton using sledgehammer to put in a drawing pin.

It's good enough but i don't see anything that stands out. Just smooth blues rock like any other?

Not what I typically listen to but I can hear how influential it would go on to be and how influenced it was by Black Blues musicians. Really good.

It’s not the worst ever but Clapton.

huh? the site has the artist listed as john mayall & the bluesbreakers but on the album art it's john mayall with...... hatsune miku??? i didn't know she was that old...... yeah idk what to make of this one really, its a fun blues sound but it doesn't seem that special and generally just passes me by. "parchman farm" stood out the most to me but i think it's cos i paused halfway thru and when i resumed i misheard the drums as a chopped break and thought i'd unpaused the wrong thing. i guess there's some pretty solid guitar work in there too, presumably by the unnamed individual reading the beano on the cover. sure hope he didn't have any massive racist outbursts in the decade following the release of this album..... ok im gonna be real the main thing i got from this album was finding out clapton is an all-time dipshit and apparently also a biffo the bear liking ass bitch. and its been very hard not to think about while listening. so while this feels like it should be an "ascended 2" situation based on my enjoyment of the sound i am just not realistically gonna ever put this one on again cos im just gonna be thinking about how much of a shithead clapton is the whole time it's playing. sorry to the rest of the band i guess,

Eric Clapton is a shitty human being. He's also the God that learned to harness the power of the blues for white humans. These two things are not mutually exclusive. This album broke the fucking mold for blues rock until Stevie came along, so pay your damned respects.

great

This is an absolute holy grail for 60s blues rock enthusiasts. Eric Clapton’s blistering guitar work here essentially rewrote the rulebook for rock instrumentation, pushing a Gibson Les Paul through a cranked Marshall amp to achieve a revolutionary, thick, sustained distortion. Backed by a fiercely tight, swinging rhythm section, this record delivers an incredibly energetic, raw, and foundational take on Chicago blues that directly paved the way for the heavy rock and metal explosions of the 1970s.

English blues rock. I guess this is an early example. Same same same and more songs about little girls. 2 .5 rounded down Heard before? Some Owned: No: 71/286 (25%) Will I get: No

questionable lyrics in Little Girl, but decent blues riffs Would I listen again: eh Deserves to be on this list: didn't feel groundbreaking but sure 3.4

3.0

Again, everything sounds the same, not a memorable song in sight. Sounds okay.

Just like the last one….good album but not something I’d put-on a lot.

Siento que ya lo había escuchado como 20 veces:(

7 - GOOD

Im Mai 1966 trafen sich John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Bassist John McVie und Schlagzeuger Hughie Flint im Decca Studio No. 2 in West Hampstead, London, um unter Produzent Mike Vernon und Toningenieur Gus Dudgeon ein Album aufzunehmen, das die britische Blueslandschaft dauerhaft verändern sollte. Veröffentlicht auf Decca, verband das Werk – im Volksmund schlicht als „Beano-Album" bekannt – amerikanischen Electric Blues der alten Schule mit einer frischen, lauten englischen Energie: Vorlagen von Otis Rush, Freddie King und Robert Johnson wurden ebenso aufgegriffen wie eigene Kompositionen Mayalls. Die eigentliche Hauptfigur ist Claptons Gitarrenspiel. Seine 1960er Gibson Les Paul Standard durch einen Marshall JTM45 getrieben, erzeugte er einen durch Röhrenverzerrung und Sustain geprägten Ton, der für die damalige Zeit radikal modern klang und in Tracks wie „All Your Love", „Hideaway" und „Ramblin' on My Mind" eine Intensität entfaltete, die seinen Ruf als „God" an Londoner Wänden rechtfertigte. Clapton sang hier erstmals auf Platte – und dass er ausgerechnet Robert Johnsons „Ramblin' on My Mind" wählte, verrät alles über seine musikalischen Wurzeln. Mayall selbst bleibt dabei der ruhende Pol: als Organist, Mundharmonikaspieler, Sänger und konzeptioneller Kopf hält er das Ensemble zusammen, ohne sich in den Vordergrund zu drängen. Das Album landete bei seiner Veröffentlichung im Juli 1966 auf Platz 6 der britischen Charts – bemerkenswert für ein nahezu kompromissloses Bluesalbum – und bildete den Ausgangspunkt für die Karrieren von Clapton (Cream), McVie (Fleetwood Mac) sowie einer ganzen Generation britischer Rockgitarristen. Dieses Album ist kein Zeitdokument – es ist ein Gründungsakt.

Was going to give this album 5 stars and seeing all of the negative ratings I had to Google Eric Clapton and read that he's a racist POS.😭

This album feels really well made for the kind of album it is and I get the feeling that fans of the genre would love this. Its hard to find fault in the songs them selves other than I just don't like listening to this kind of music a lot so its hard to rate it high.

No matter what you may think about Eric Clapton, he sure could play the guitar at this time of his life. I added “… All Your Love” to my playlist.

More Eric Clapton waaahhnnngaalalalgngnging

Damn was it hot today. 5/5

Cool guitars but quite same-y. Probs wont listen again

I was gonna write this off as just another blues inspired rock album and it definitely is, but it’s a breeze of a listen and a real good time. Loved hearing the Day Tripper riff on What’d I Say.

The guitar playing is indeed very good. The covers are very good. However, I'm not a huge fan on blues. This is between 3 and 4 for me. It can't even get close to 5 stars because most of the songs are covers and, to be honest, I don't see this as being as creative, distinctive, or disruptive as I would expect from 5-star albums. These are very good songs (but not originals), very well played. That's it.

Heck, this is so culturally appropriated that they even changed their accents too.

Old wankers by now, 60 years later, all dead or way past it, but fucking minted. As for the Beano, pretentious wankers.

Just fun. Fun to hear something, someone trying. Always nice to hear Clapton go off. And not just him. You don't have to take it too seriously.

I started feeling a bit sick and disgusted when it got to Little Girl. I couldn’t listen any more.

I feel like I'm not supposed to like Eric Clapton because he's a prat and is supposedly overrated, but it's hard to deny that most every act he played in had something going on. It can't just be coincidence. So it is here. I've listened to a good bit of John Mayal's output over the years. This had a crackling energy. Not my go to style of music, but this was great. And John McVie on bass. Nice.

I've avoided listening to this my whole life because I don't love white-boy blues. Turns out, it was even more boring than I thought it would be. I find nothing compelling about this. The singer (John Mayall?) sounds like Econo-Brand vanilla ice cream.

Solid blues rock. Clapton's lead guitar chops are on full display. Favorite track: Hideaway

Actually quite chill to listen to. Enjoyable.

John Mayall was, along with others like Alexis Korner and Graham Bond, one of the British artists who championed American Blues and introduced it to a UK audience, and reintroduced it to the USA, at a time when the originators were battling with racism and segregation in the 'States. Mayall's Bluesbreakers was also the launching pad for great guitarists - Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor among them. It was through this album, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, and, less obviously, Deep Purple quoting 'Rock Me Baby' on a live album, that I discovered BB King, Albert and Freddie, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Elmore James and so many more. It has become fashionable to hate on Eric Clapton, and he deserves it, but his personality does not retrospectively dim his talent as a guitarist, especially in the '60s, any more than Richard Wagner's proto-nazi views made him a bad composer. The playing here is incredible and ably supported by the rhythm section of John McVie and Hughie Flint, and Mayall's organ, harmonica and voice. The covers are well-chosen and originals, particularly 'Key To Love' and 'Double Crossing Time', fit right in. Along with producer Mike Vernon, John Mayall loved the blues and contributed a lot to the UK and Europe being more welcoming than their homeland to the great black bluesmen who inspired that love.

All Your Love 3.7 Hideaway (instrumental) 3.5 Little Girl 3.6 Another Man 3.2 Double Crossing Time 3.4 What'd I Say 3.3 Key to Love 3.5 Parchman Farm 3.6 Have You Heard 3.7 Ramblin' on My Mind 3 Steppin' Out (instrumental) 3.4 It Ain't Right 3.2 Score: 3.425

When are rock critics ever going to realize that Clapton was only ever tolerable by way of Jack Bruce’s writing? I’d hazard to guess, never. Like, come on, I get that he’s a talented guitarist, but an album, he simply cannot make. And besides, by that logic, couldn’t you have taken out one of his dozen or so albums that are on this list, and given them to Buckethead or Dream Theater? At least their albums are more interesting displays of guitar-wankery.

guitars are pretty good but whenever anyone opens their mouth it's a bad ol time. keeps doing the same thing for the whole album, more or less.

Solid and not boring, but still, a lot of stuff like this on the list and I'm ready to start skipping it.

This was a good album. I liked it.

It’s perfectly competent blues, but to me it lacks soul and lived experience. I’m increasingly uncomfortable with white British musicians co-opting southern Black American blues. In the 60s, it was egregious - just straight covers and copying. A 3 for the excellent facsimile, but I can’t go higher than that.

Enjoyable

I think this is what people mean when they say "sounds about white" All jokes aside, they pick some good songs and the arrangements are decent. John McVie's bass work is good, Mayall's harp playing is stellar. Clapton's guitar work is serviceable, but not necessarily at "god" level, and certainly not soulful. I'm not convinced Clapton *has* a soul for that matter. Probably best off listening to the original artists recordings of these covers instead. 2.5 stars.

This was Cream before Cream. So if you’re looking for some blues and vintage Clapton, this is for you.

Clapton here shines with his virtuosic guitar work but everything else is just imitation blues of the time that would be done much better in the coming years.

It's workable, but no real magic.

I thought this album was okay

This was alright for white guys doing blues in the 60s but largely forgettable in the grand scheme of things. Not bad, but not sure it needs to be on the list either.

Сара 3 Марко 3

P. Blues

Ok but not great.

average

Solid blues album, I think I just get tired of Clapton, could just be a bias. Doenst feel different enough from original blues music but still pretty solid.

Pretty solid blues rock release. could see myself listening to it again. Claptons guitar playing here is as always really good. Songwriting wise its kind of just some typical blues lyrics. 7/10 Favourite: All Your Love Least Favourite: Little Girl

White man blues but England

Bluesy with lots of guitar solos. The kind of thing that’s more enjoyable live. I could enjoy this a lot when in the mood. 3/5

Real good, would be nice if Clapton was as good of a person as he is a guitar player.

J'ai trouvé ça pas bien

It was an enjoyable album, but I don't really have much to say about it.

I have a soft spot for cultural appropriation in music

Same old imitation blues from a bunch of white dudes. It’s all so boring. Nothing remotely original or inspiring here.

I'm no fan of the instrumentals for most of the songs, and "Little Girl" really creeped me out. No thanks, it all felt like noise.

Bluesy tunes there were some good songs actually

Felt very minimal and I liked the blues I wasn’t paying the most attention to it but not too bad

it's fine. it's got the mac half of fleetwood mac on it. none of the covers surpass the originals.

“Can blue men sing the whites? / Or are they hypocrites?” As sang Vivian Stanshall from The Bonzo Band once sang. Ive never liked Eric Clapton but I think this is alright.

Great stuff.

La guitarra me volvió loco.

blues aren't for me but I actually liked this one as background. chill and groovy

This one gets and extra bump due to the influence it had. But I wouldn't relisten to it again.

Boring

Blues rock. Blues. Ni fu ni fa. But seriously, this does nothing for me. It's perfectly fine, just, yeah.

Fuck Eric Clapton

Maybe it has been the poor albums we have had recently, so when something like this comes along it sounds all the better. Of course Clapton is great on the guitar.

The guitar(s) carried the album and made it an enjoyable listen

Not gonna lie, I was expecting more. They sounded really good, but just not incredible. Loved the bluesy sound and the stories on some of the songs, but quite a few just felt like fluff to fill out the album. Really was expecting more.

meh

English white men doing blues. It’s terrible. Can Clapton play guitar. Sure. Is he one of the greats sure. Does it change that he can’t understand what country blues is. He can’t figure that out. You can play it and you may better at it but you will never feel it.