Bluesbreakers

It's ok

Complicated. I've written essays on this already (literally, for musicology I wrote this). Competent music, goes really well if you forget Eric Clapton's prejudices etc. Adding a star because I think any chance for people to hear of Robert Johnson is a good thing, and Rambling was the first song I played in a band at the start of a college term. Minus a star for a song called "little girl" - icky

Standard blues rock sounds and me no like Clapton

Blues, unsurprisingly

Great record. I love Freddie King, so I enjoyed their take on Hideaway. And that made me think of SRV. Is there any SRV on this list?

I liked Bluesbreakers okay but not as much as I wanted to. I would listen on the radio. Three stars

Good album. Not the greatest blues record, but it was Ok.

Great rock and blues feel. Like track 1 and 5 the most

All the edges have been rounded. Horrible.

Bluesy loveliness

Enjoyed this but Clapton is still a prick.

Not my jam

Эрик Клэптон начинал с базы

I liked the jazz vibes

Alt, nicht speziell.

Serviceable, well-performed blues. Just not something I’m really interested in.

I thought this might be some sort of corny blues rock but it turned out to be quite good! There are a lot of interesting things going on with the arrangements and there’s a nice mix of blues styles. The recording is also great. You can pretty much hear the fire in their playing! Another name to add to the list of musicians to further check out their discography.

Yawn. This album has all the soul and innovation of a paper towel.

This was pretty good! The instrumentation was fantastic and fun and I do love Eric Clapton’s sound. I just with he weren’t such a douche canoe. Minus one star for that.

It's good, but it's alot of the same.

Wasn't great. Heard the guy is racist too, so I didn't finish the album because it wasn't good and I didn't want to support him in any way.

Blues Breakers is a solid blues album that flows well. This sounds a bit like the Beatles, if they really leaned into the blues, which checks out for 1966. The cover of Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say” isn’t as fun (what could be?), but I enjoyed the transition of jazz/R&B to blues! Blues is not a fast genre, so it was an interesting rendition, especially with the drum solo.

I actually had never listened to John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers before today, but honestly, I can hear Eric Clapton's sound all over this. Still, this often leaned too bluesy and not rock enough for my liking. While Eric Clapton is a total piece of shit, I found myself mostly thinking about him during this album. This seemed to have served as a jumping off point for his transition from Yardbirds sound to Eric Clapton blues-rock sound. I feel like he took what he learned here and improved on it. But back to this album, the blues work here is definitely good, it just didn't wow me, unfortunately. Another 2.-something that just didn't make the cut for rounding up.

6/10 Could be higher. But while I like the guitar and the rods, there is something missing. Maybe it's the songwriting, but lacks the heart that other bands bring to the blues

OK blues rock

Overall: 3/10 The best thing I can day about this album is that it didn't piss me off! Still wasn't good at all though, the mix is terrible, the vocals are annoying and there wasn't anything that stood out about it. John McVie plays bass on it though! Fav Song: What'd I Say

Fun blues that lost a bit of steam towards the end, but had some really good playing overall.

Det va helt ok, men ikke for mæ sånn egentlig, æ hørte på det men det festa sæ ikke.

⭐⭐ Skickliga musiker och jag kan uppskatta blues men för mig är detta blues av som saknar den känsla. Det finns ingen grit och jag känner mig oengagerad när jag lyssnar på det, så ska int blues kännas. Bäst är What'd I say men här blir det också tydligt vad som saknas, om man lyssnar på Ray Charles version så hör man känslan som saknas på det här albumet. Tror inte jag kommer ha någon anledning att lyssna på det igen.

This feels more like a history lesson than a recommendation to me. I get that a lot of talent came out of this band, and that this album helped springboard Eric Clapton, and that this was some of the first English Blues Rock, but it isn't a genre I really love, and in hindsight, I don't think this is a particularly special execution of it. But, I do think it's ultimately fine. Decent songs, and decent performances do go a long way, but it doesn't get this into the list of albums I really enjoy, or see myself going back to. It's fine.

Mega tuff

Regardless of certain musicians personal views I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Part of it was probably the fact that it’s just a well tuned band playing other artists greatest hits

So I believe this is the first album to feature this pretty niche underground guitarist Eric Clapton who sum might say is the greatest guitarist of all time; better than t swift I think not! As for the album it’s pretty tuff tbh. I like the cover of what’d I say with the crazy drum solo. The rest of the albums solid to

rock blues, piaciuto

Well this got samesy awful quick, didn't it? Also, and I've said this before but it bears repeating, fuck Eric Clapton....

I'm not so into blues, so it's hard for me to objectively evaluate an album like this. Of course Clapton is a monster player, and anyone can appreciate that.

Aika tasapaksua blues rokkia. Levy on kyllä kokoajan tasaisen miellyttävää, muttei oikein mitenkään erikoista. Yksittäiset kappaleet ei sillein erottunut joukosta niin vaikea sanoa parhaita.

Pretty good! Bluesy!

First, the idea of a majority-covers blues album is sort of funny to me like the idea of being the world's most famous replica painter; half the songs have the same melody, did you just really need *those particular* lyrics about how you've got it bad That being said the variety is decent, even if the genre's repetitive nature creeps in just slightly by the end, and the sound itself of the album feels varied, compelling, and full, so overall enjoyable listen

These guys look like the definition of "Bloke". I'm not from the UK, so some other bloke can correct me, but I think the inventor of the word had these guys in mind

Maybe it was cool at the time because England couldn’t access real blues music, but please do yourself a favour and listen to the real deal by musicians that inspired Mayall and Clapton instead. This one is a pale imitation. I’ll give one extra star for introducing blues music to 1960s England, and another for Eric Clapton’s guitar playing. But boy I hate their version of What’d I Say. Took all the soul out of the Ray Charles version and put in a cucumber sandwich instead.

Did you know that Britain had a white blues rock scene that Eric Clapton came out of? Cool, 1001 Albums has your back, but not if you want to hear any American blues music that this is a direct and poor copy of because they aren't going to let you hear any of that.

4eme album proposé avec Clapton après un de Cream, un de Derek & the Dominos puis '461 Ocean Boulevard' que j'avais peu appréciés (tous 3 notés 2/5). Cet album est 100 % blues (pas entendu une touche de rock), donc par définition 100 % pas original. En plus une bonne partie de l'album est constitué de reprises ... Aucune chance que je l'écoute une seconde fois, même s'il n'est pas désagréable à écouter. =>2/5

I really don't know what to think about this. Clapton may be a terrible person, but he can certainly play the guitar well. That's the best part of this album. The vocals range from ok to damn that's bad. He's singing a Ray Charles song and actually trying to sound like Ray. Then there's the one where he's singing about the infamous Mississippi prison. These are white dudes from the UK. Really? It's about a 2-2.5, but I'll round up because Clapton can certainly play guitar.

I feel I should like this album more than I do. I love the blues, and several of the songs on the album, which is played very well. But I struggle with the production, the guitar tone, and the vocals. I even find some of the solos a bit too rushed. I can see why it would have made such an impact at the time, but for me these aren't the best versions of these songs.

This didn’t grab me right away, but I ended up happily grooving along with this album by the end.

I generally like blues, but this felt too sterile and unexciting for reasons that are difficult for me to pin point. An album that is mildly boring but never fully lost my attention gets a 3.

Was I expecting Eric Clapton to be good at the blues? No. Is he good at the blues? Yes. But I'm not sure it's enough to actually make this a standout album or earn it a 4-star or 5-star rating. It's a solid 3.5 stars, rounding down.

Capable but thoroughly derivative electric blues rock - some nice fuzz tones and generic pentatonic noodling over the classic repertoire of 12 bar blues progressions. You can see how in London in 1966 this was fun for all involved, but it set a dangerous train in motion that's the curse of jam sessions and guitar stores everywhere.

Eminently important at the time and helped spawn a generation or two of guitarists. Perhaps because of the amount of imitators it created it now sounds rather generic. I always refer to this as the Metallica phenomenon. When an artist's work becomes so core to a genre and inspires so many others it ends up sounding generic even if it was anything but that in its time. So, yes, it doesn't sound super exciting now, but in the context of the time I can see why it was revered as it was. That makes it a tricky one to review, honestly. I'll stick it at a 4 as a kind of personal compromise.

Clapton is a certified asshole, but boy, could he play the guitar in the 60s.

Nice Blues rock, but ultimately forgettable.

Bland blues with some Clapton genius sparsely sprinkled in. And I like the blues. And Clapton. Dunno....this just didnt hit.

A fantastic album.

Good blues album. Gives me memories of eating in Red, Hot and Blue restaurant. Didn’t know Clapton was an ass though.

with eric clapton….hmmm, first time listening and blues is just not my cup of tea. Pretty one note, listened to it twice through bc I couldnt find my phone

Good enough.

Yawn.

2.5

Blues Breakers, two words.

Two things worth noting here. One is the amount of Clapton hate on this site. And Fair enough. Although if we're here to rate personalities there's quite a few artists on here that wouldn't stand up to scrutiny. So I'm going to rate the album, while noting that Clapton is "personally problematic". The other is a comment Mick Jagger made once. "I mean what’s the point in listening to us doing ‘I’m A King Bee’ when you can listen to Slim Harpo doing it?" And that very much applies to this album. When you can put on Robert Johnson or Ray Charles, what's the point of this? The first point is the playing. Clapton is pretty much on fire throughout, producing solo after solo of blistering intensity. McVie is no slouch on Bass either. The drumming serves to make you appreciate other, better drummers. Mayall's voice is, well, adequate. (Although he's stretched beyond his limits in the Ray Charles cover) The second point is its importance as a gateway for so many to the Blues. Jagger's answer to the question he raised about "King Bee" was to say people might get switched on by the Stones and then go and find the original. Blues was pretty niche in 66 and if people heard this and then went to discover Chicago Blues for themselves, then well and good. So, this is fine, but go and listen to Mose Allison and Robert Johnson and Little Walter and see why, as good as it, this is second best. I'll give you a tip. Go and listen to Robert Johnson's two takes of Ramblin' On My Mind and hear why he's the REAL God.

True blue blues music! Not to be missed

Running music for my final morning in Antigua. Need to read on this one.

Like meeting a former best friend you haven't seen in decades, and you remember how close you were and how much fun you had. Clapton is the second best guitarist ever, and Mayall isn't bad himself. Blues Rock at its finest.

Really cool guitar

gdzie kucharek szesc tam ladnie zaaranzowane niebieskie kowery

Pure blues, great guitars and amazing voices

Eric Clapton solos were astounding. Def enjoyed this album with John Mayall lead singing. Could be 3/4 but on the high after Claptons solos putting it at a 4/5!

Highlights: Hideaway, Double Crossin' Time, Key to Love, Parchman Farm, It Ain't Right Kinda your classic blues rock record with a pronounced southern twist. Sounds a lot like the stuff Clapton would do later in his career, but a lot less interesting. This early version of that sound was standard - nothing special. Just Brits recycling American music. It's as if it's tailor made for a retro hipster radio show and nothing else. Not bad but passable.

Blues isn’t my usual thing but I enjoyed it for what it is

Oh hell yeah! Blues by a bunch of white British guys!

Some people like to call blankets COVERS. I like to get under the COVERS at night & pretend that I'm taking COVER. Sometimes I get too cold & I have to put more COVERS on top my COVERS. My wife has to toss off her COVERS if she gets too hot. Apparently British bluesman like black COVERS. Even Ray Charles can see that is way too many COVERS. They play 'em well but can't they write more of their own. How many times is Clapton on here? And I happen to love well done COVERS. 3.5

I love this album so much and hadn't heard it in years! This was a reminder of why I'm so pleased with this albums generator--such a treat to be re-gifted with this. This album feels like a bridge between the 60s English blues scene and Led Zeppelin. This comes out in 1966, and Zeppelin was formed a couple years later. I'm probably overthinking it, but re-listening to this, I was struck by sounds that I associate with Led Zeppelin.

Ladies and gentlemen I don't play no blues I play rock 'n' roll

Temp

Gear: ZMF Bokeh Closed Artwork: 😒😔🫤🙄 Production: 🤷‍♂️😑🆗 Music: 🖌️🔢🎸 Rating: 🗞️(🗞️)/5

mah

By far, one of the best blues albums of all time. One of the biggest complaints for blues albums is lack of variety, but this album has plenty of it. The songs are great, though mostly covers, but arranged and played masterfully. 5/5

Boring and uninspiring. Too many songs are about looking at girls half their age. 1/5.

legends. chill. easy. vibes. covers.

So much blues

feeling them blues = absolute shredding

British Santana cover band? Oh no, British blues cover band. I liked it fine, but didn't really connect with it.

I’ve noticed that anytime an album features Eric Clapton—whether as part of a band or on his own—I’m almost guaranteed to enjoy it, and that holds true here. This record feels like the moment that firmly established him as England’s premier blues guitarist. If that weren’t the case, it’s hard to imagine he would have exited so quickly to form Cream.

This was an ok blues album. I have no strong feelings one way or the other.

I should like the blues more than I do, I recognise when it’s done well like this it is impressive and claptons playing is excellent throughout but just feel slightly removed from it all. That said there’s a lot worse way of spending 45?minutes

Didn’t care for this, sounded like a cheap muddy waters rip-off. Plus I can’t stand Eric Clapton so that certainly didn’t help.

Knew this as the Beano album back in the day. Always a fun listen.

C carre

Ils ont bien cassé le blues, c’était bien mais un peu trop musical

3 out of 5. Got some points for the guitar work, and while I appreciate the blues and its impact on music and rock history especially the genre doesn't hold me.

good!

Pure Blues Music at its best.

It’s great and way more interesting than I expected for a 60s blues album. Everyone is doing what they do really well and the inclusion of some occasional horns was a nice touch. A 60s blues album is just not something I can get too excited about.

I don't enjoy a lot of music from this era, generally. Good for its time, probably. I also don't enjoy anything Eric Clapton has touched. I get the feeling from reading other reviews that he's controversial, and idk why but I just haven't liked any of his work. Didn't enjoy anything by Cream either.

Competent blues, but not outstanding compared to other blues music in the same era.

Solid 3 - emblematic of the era, an attempt at authenticity 3 - a good album even among this list

Great blues album, and a great showcase for how talented a guitar player Eric Clapton is. Highlights: "Hideaway" and "Steppin' Out"

Classic blues, but nothing too original.

Somewhat unbelievably, John Mayall singing about picking cotton makes the presence of Eric Clapton only the second most racist thing on this record.

First off, obligatory: fuck Eric Clapton. Damn shame he's a racist, vaccine-denying piece of shit. That out of the way... this is an incredible blues record. Stellar performances from front to back by the entire band. Not a bad track on it IMO.

Good guitar I guess

Great musicianship on this album. The harmonica and saxophone playing was so good and even though it was all pretty standard blues it didn’t really get old for me. I usually prefer playing blues over listening to it but this was definitely an above-average blues album

Strong 3. This is a great album! I must say I wasn’t familiar with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers before this. Eric Clapton is a fantastic addition to this project. I’m a sucker for a harmonica too. I love the British rock/blues fusion. It sounds really great and can see why it’s so beloved. I don’t connect to the lyrics, which is something I weigh pretty heavily most of the time. I really didn’t like “Little Girl” but enjoyed “All Your Love” and “Steppin’ Out.”

I thought this was a really good blues album. Solid playing from everyone, although I thought the vocals were just OK except for the one song that Clapton sang (Stepping Out). The songs were consistently good, with Hideaway and Key to Love my favorite tracks. The lyrical on Baby Girl were a bit creepy, and I don’t know why you would cover What’d I Say. Nobody can compare to Ray Charles on that.

Blues'er der ud af og det er fint, men lidt... meh... i længden.

Det bliver rigtig godt når det bliver meget blues’et. Det gør det desværre for sjældent.

This is fine. It's not quite in my wheelhouse as I'm a little picky about 60's music. Meaning, I don't like most of it unless it's really bringing something new or interesting, or timeless. This doesn't seem to be any of these. I know people love Clapton, but he's never really grabbed me. Again, he's fine for what he does, but I never found it to be groundbreaking. I can think of 3 dozen guitar players I'd rather listen to. Of course, I'm biased by time. Maybe if I was a teenager then, I would have a higher estimation of him. This album loses me because of the production. Sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom or a cheap bar. (This would probably be a Great band to see live!) I don't love the singer's voice. Just seems like an average Joe. No real emotion or interesting phrasing. So it sounds like I'm bashing it, but it's not bad or annoying at all. I don't think anything made me want to skip ahead. But, nothing here made me double-back and go Wow! I guess it's fine to be on the list as it marks a time period in music and shows a young Clapton breaking out. But would I come back to play it intentionally. Not a chance. I'd give it a 3.5 if that were possible. But since it's not and I'm not feeling super generous or inspired, it's getting a 3.

Not bad for a white blues album. Would have rather been listening to some Howlin' Wolf, but alas he did not make the list 😔 Favorite track: All Your Love

Chilly run this morning, through a somewhat apocalyptic neighborhood. This felt fine.

I'm back! With a weeks-worth of album debt, no less. I've been suffering from the flu for a little over a week, which caused me to cease writing these reviews over fear of them becoming increasingly shitty. I talked about it more in my cool, pre-written hip-hop reviews that have yet to come out. The funniest story to come from the whole affair is that I was suffering from violent impulses while I was writing my review of PJ Harvey's "Dry". The flu was constricting my breathing while I was writing that review, which I think activated my fight-or-flight response. I really wanted to punch something for the entirety of my time spent writing that review. I only clocked that I was having such a reaction when I got up to do the dishes and felt compelled to smash all of the plates on the floor. Anyways, second and final Eric Clapton, though I suppose this is more of a Bluesbreakers stint. I don't recall much from 461 Ocean Boulevard. It was just a stock standard blues album, if I'm recalling correctly. While I'm not a fan of blues, I'm hoping this album will be a 30-something minute romp through 60s rock music. Ideally something relaxed, too. I'd say I was pretty dead-on with my prediction. A 30-something minute blues album with a prominent rock and roll influence. This was alright. The music is pretty by-the-numbers and certainly isn't pushing any boundaries, but it works well within that niche. The guitar performances are solid across the board and are easily the strongest aspect of this album. I was nodding my head along to much of this album as a result. Everything else is less remarkable. I didn't care much for the lyrics or Mayall's vocals, and the percussion may as well have not been there with how little attention I gave to it. Still, there's a respectable level of variety on this album and, above all else, I greatly admire it for being concise. A decent listen overall. Book time. "Anyone who doubts Clapton's credentials as a bluesman should listen to this scorching 1966 recording, which ignited the British scene like a tinderbox". Clapton was previously in the Yardbirds. Big surprise there, as I quite liked Roger the Engineer. That's about it for the book. Wikipedia reveals that this album "...pioneered a guitar-dominated blues-rock sound." It was also well-received by critics and appears to have only been a chart success in the UK. Clapton seems like a prolific figure within music history and this album didn't bug me in the same way that his blues contemporaries do, so I'm thinking I can let this one through. I cosign this inclusion.

really enjoyable tbh which I didn't expect

Good blues, distilled everything done at that point into a slammin album

This was mid as hell.

Blues, nothing special. 4/10

Started off really intrigued, but the fascination kind of dipped at the end. Hideaway is a banger though.

They’re talented but this was a drag

The album that influenced every modern guitarist.

Loved it! Great album.

Bluesy goodness!

Never heard of these guys before, solid album.

Am I done/over with Clapton? Maybe. I did not finish this album.

Bleh. Some so-so songs, and yeah I guess they’re well-played but it’s done by at least one sack of shit and also just boring.

Minus one because Clapton is an overrated, racist, anti-vaxer.

для любителей блюза пойдет.

Totally fine album. 60s era, some slow parts and guitar heavy.

1+ Stars (3/15)

good bluessss

Love the white man Brit blues! Good stuff.

quintessential english blues from a formidable group

Yes, Clapton has trashed his own legacy by being such a cretinous arse, but it’s hard to ignore his talent and influence. And yes, this is 'privileged white boy blues', but it’s directly influenced by the original blues players who were (and still to this day, are) openly cited and revered. And there's no escaping the fact that records like this one make up a significant part of the foundations for all the music that defined western popular culture over the last 60+ years. But, while I think this record deserves its place in the list, it makes for inescapably dull listening these days.

Urrgh... this kind of blues rock really gets on my nerves. I have no doubt that you are wonderful musicians but having nothing but how wonderful you are rammed in my face is so tedious. Unremittingly dull and probably highly influential on a whole world of unremittingly dull and nauseating other music.

mid

It's a good album to have playing the background

All Your Love Have You Heard Ramblin' on My Mind Steppin' Out

No private session used for Spotify. During this 1001 experiment, I have learned that I am not really into the blues..at least white boy blues. It does nothing for me. Also, Clapton can FO.

Surprisingly great!

- Hate on Clapton all you want because he IS an asshole but that prick can play. Not a great record but a pretty good slice of English Blues. The English found blues and fell in love. I'm not gonna fault them. 3.5 but I'm gonna round up to 4 because it's history .... Oh, and stop the whole "stealing" bullshit. How the fuck do you think art is made? Do you think it's made in a vacuum? We build on those who came before us. I steal liberally from my artistic predecessors and I'm proud of it. Shut up and go make something ...... -

Clapton has to be the most overrated guitarist of all time.

One of the most influential blues records of all time. Having Clapton on this record made all the difference even though he'd left the group before it was released. This is old-school Chicago blues at it's best and Clapton plays the hell out of it. For the most part, all the instruments support Clapton's leads.

Pretty talented group of artists on this record. My issue with this album is its cliche blues rock. All of the quips are present. But it was still a fun listen. Haven’t listened to a lot of blues rock on this list yet, so a decent change was nice.

Pretty good

I am absolutely shocked I’ve never heard of this before. Oversight!!! What a fun combo of blues, jazz, and psychedelic jam band. Will revisit

It's listenable enough but stuck in a weird middle ground. Other than a handful of songs (Steppin' Out, It Ain't Right) it completely loses the vim of the old blues masters and doesn't offer any interesting new interpretations of the blues like Cream or Led Zeppelin would later. I see it's a historically important album. Thank God history progressed fast enough to leave this behind. Leave it to a British band to turn our SACRED American blues into dry toast on beans or whatever these people call food. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Eric Clapton put the team on his back. This is fairly mid blues album, but god damn is he good.

The good parts were incredible, but there were some bits that came off as sloppy, especially in track 1

2.5

Whatever your feelings are in Clapton, there are two things that are hard to deny about this album. 1. It was incredibly influential 2. It's white boys singing about little girls and picking cotton...so it sucks

Decent listen.

I’m not even a blues fan but the quality of sound from the instrumentalists is out of this world. I find vocals hit and miss, really missing on All My Love and What’d I Say. Also the drum solo in What’d I Say needed another take, or they should’ve left it out — drummer is otherwise sublime in holding very driving grooves!

A wonderful introduction to British blues. It borrows heavily on American blues, and then adds Clapton's muscle guitar, which is full of young energy. It's not all great, but so much of it makes me feel like the best blues does. 4/5

Just some blues. 3 stars

Goofy ass music

Fuck Erick Clapton !

There are some albums that are so influential you are able to overlook how horribly dated and boring they sound. This is not one of them.

Must have been mind blowing for white middle England at the time. Some nice arrangements but fundamentally this is a blues covers band and Clapton was happy to lap up the credit. Sure he may have paid some dues many years later after a few stints in rehab but he build his bank account and fan base on the backs of disenfranchised black American former slaves. Some of this is a note for note mugging. It's no Muddy Waters. It's no Freddie King. It's no John Lee Hooker. It's no Buddy Guy etc. to mention only a few big names contemporary to this album that stand out from a much deeper bench. Only possible due to technological limitations, geographical separation and privatised recording industry domains. maybe we should be grateful that exploitation is unlikely to happen on this scale again? There were perhaps worse offenders who didn't even record decent renditions 2.5

That sure was 45 minutes of white British men trying to sound like black guys from the American south. I’d rather listen to the real thing… obviously talented musicians but a bunch of nothing for me. 3/10

Soulful.

This is the classic blues! Very 60s and fun. The album rips overall and is so enjoyable. Its very strong. The vocalist isn't my absolute favorite but it is a lotta fun! Actual rating...3.5 Liked Songs: "All Your Love" , "Hideaway" , "Little Girl" , "Double Crossin' Time" , "Parchman Farm" , "Have You Heard" , "Steppin' Out" , "It Ain't Right" , "Bernard Jenkins"

3.25

A slog for me. I just don't have it in me to appreciate this kind of blues rock.

I am not fond of Clapton for various reasons but he is good here. The drum solo less so. White people playing the blues? One of these reviews said it is like a white British person in 2010 covering 1990s gangsta rap. I can see their point... but rap is a genre much more built on recounting your personal experience. Blues has always had far more standard songs, so it is hard to argue that you have to have lived them to sing them. And aren't some of them relatable enough outside their origins? One of the reasons why black American musicians found an appreciative but largely white audience in 1960s Britain is because divisions between races were less stark in the UK. The notion that black and white people should restrict themselves to certain kinds of music would have been quite alien here. So which aspect of US culture should we have appropriated: the blues? or the racial segregation of music?

Ordinary white guy blues from a terrible man. I try to separate art from artist, but Clapton makes this so difficult. An open racist appropriating blues is pretty crazy and it actually plays on my mind while I listen. I'm not a huge fan of his playing, but this might be more of my favourite side of it at least

"Stop Britain from becoming a black colony. Get the foreigners out,” exclaimed Clapton to his captive audience. “Get the w*gs out. Get the c**ns out. Keep Britain white,” he added

Now I know where all the blues lawyers get their three licks from

The band is grooving and it's a great sounding record, but it should have been a priority for everyone involved in this project to get someone else to sing. And here's a message to all you politically motivated one-starrers: Go tell Yo-yo Ma he's appropriating white music you RACIST fucking dunces

Was nice enough background For driving.

It was blues alright. Ok listening experience. Best track was Parchman Farm.

First track was insane, it got a little boring after that

Not as good as I expected it to be. Got better as it went along. Been a while since we got an album about a 30+ year old man lusting over a teenager. Also, fuck Eric Clapton.

Chadbreakers

Those white boys sure had the blues

It was decent, no takeaways from me but seems good. Hadn't heard any of the songs before.

Decent easy listening. Nothing super memorable

3/5

Great

was ok

Mehhhhhhh. Nothing bad about the production or playing but it’s missing an oomph factor for me

Good songwriting, great guitar

Pretty good Blues album. I’m not a huge fan of Blues music but this one was an enjoyable listen. Fav song: All Your Love. Worst song: Lonely Years. My rating: 8/10

It was fine, wouldn't go out of my way to put it on, but didn't feel a need to constantly skip, except track 3 because wow that was creepy.

ehhh

Saying I don't like it would be too disingenuous.

Lot of great music but just not my vibe

As expected very bluesy and guitar jamming. Not my thing, but I imagine it was well done.

The Good: We get Bluesbreakers! The Bad: We don’t know what they are… The Ugly: We don’t know who they are either… So, I am uncertain when the iconic “Clapton is God” graffiti was placed somewhere in London, but I am pretty sure it was around this the time that this album came out. Clapton, for all intents and purposes, is not God… but he’s not Satan either. He’s just a person who appreciates the blues and shows this via his playing. John Mayall, he too appreciates the blues, as do the rest of the Bluesbreakers… however, let’s just say that this album was NOT easy to listen to… And I like me some blues… I guess it has to do with this album being a couple of British musicians trying to emulate the feelings of real bluesmen in the USA… and it just doesn’t sound right. Clapton went on to make some excellent albums where he uses his guitar like a true master… those are the ones I do hope to listen to on this journey, however, 560 albums in, and this is the first time I get to listen to ol’ slow-hands and I am playing From The Cradle to rinse out the bad taste that this album left in my mouth… Should be a 2*… upgraded

Boring cover album

בלוזחמוד

Great blues album

This sort of thing does nothing for me.

Mestadels nice, lite väl bluesigt ibland

Fairly standard blues rock. Didn't hear anything ground breaking or amazing. It did have one of the most boring drum solos of all times though.

When I compare something like this to CCR, it honestly doesn’t compare. This is a jam band, an excuse to throw shit together with a particular progression and call it blues.

Solid blues album, high 3

Funky ahh beat I'm liking this it's very jivy. We re getting some instrumental tracks?? This is nice. I'm really grooving with this. Is it really an old rock album if there isn't a song about being in love with an underage girl? Sometimes you just gotta roll with it. Funky ass harmonica work. I liked this one it just didn't really speak to me. Favourite: Key to Love Least favourite: Little Girl

Enjoyable interpretation of some blues standards. Quality stuff.

Hard to hate a blues album

Decent album with more interesting anecdotes of groups that Eric Clapton has been involved in

Never heard but cool to learn about how this album kind of started British blues rock, which is essentially the core “classic rock” sound you think of.

mmm

Give us some real blues please

Work a day white boy blues

Hmm this maybe my favorite thing I heard Eric Clapton play on. Just a straight ahead blues rock record from the 60s. It’s great. I never heard of John Mayall and I’m guessing he’s singing and he’s got an average voice at best. But this is just cool. Great listen.

Yeah pretty serviceable blues album, why not

I really liked the style of and guitars on this album. It's very blues, but if you're in the mood for it, you're in the mood for it, and I sure was.

There’s no denying the musicianship here—Mayall’s band is tight, and Clapton’s guitar work is technically flawless. But for me, that’s where the excitement ends. The album feels more like a showcase than a journey, and I found myself checking the clock rather than getting lost in the blues. Maybe my personal bias against Clapton is creeping in, but even setting that aside, this one just didn’t spark. Competent? Absolutely. Captivating? Not for me.

Excellent album

White Boy Blues. That Eric Clapton guy sure can play the guitar though.

This was bluesy and mildly interesting. But nothing really stood out to get me too excited.

Have You Heard this album yet?

Just a good rock/blues jam!

Some great guitar playing

Enjoyed it. Definitely felt more like a long jam session as opposed to a cohesive album though

In his book, Clapton talks a lot about how he learned guitar by emulating Delta Blues legend like Muddy Waters, and he shows this off here. This album definitely is the evolution of English Blue-Eyed Blues, and both added to the tapestry of blues-rock and shows the path that lead to Clapton supergroups like Derek and Dominos, Bonnie and Delaney featuring E.C. (which is a great friggen album) and Cream. As a stand alone this album is good for English-white-boy blues, but not mind blowing. John Mayall does a great job switching between vocals, harp, and keys, and you have to give a shout out to pre-Fleetwood Mac John McVie on bass. Most of this album is good covers, like the Ray Charles “What’d I say” or Robert Johnson’s “Ramblin’” which would later inspire Clapton to sing on his solo album and light up “Crossroad Blues” for Cream. But I think my favorite on the album was Mayall’s original “Have You Heard” where the entire band just clicks. For Clapton or blues fans, this is a classic! For the casual listener, it’s guaranteed a good listen.

Random thoughts: * This was jammy and good. I enjoyed the white boy English blues. * I never listened to this before but am quite aware of the history with Clapton getting his start here. * Nothing too amazing here but super solid. Don't have a lot to say.

Only listened to a couple of songs. Straight blues, not that interesting to me.

All your love hits you right out of the gate, good song. I hear so many instrumentals, this was definitely on purpose and well executed

Solid blues album.

I enjoyed this musically but found it was all the same towards the end. I also had no idea what a horrible racist Eric Clapton was.

When Elwood Blues (or was is Jake) penned the line "you can't sing the blues in an air conditioned room" I wonder if he was referring to this album.

Was not impressed by anything on this record. Felt soulless. The guitar/bass was fine but nothing that has me wanting to revisit it.

I do love some Blue-eyed Soul, but Blue-eyed Blues? Clapton is good, of course, but this album seriously lacks the proper depth and feeling for blues.

Some genius work by Clapton on an otherwise unremarkable album.

Grew tiresome by about the halfway point

Avant d'être un gros con, Eric Clapton faisait des trucs cools.

The Little Girl song isn't my favorite Isn't that the day tripper riff? I mean it's the same year, so whatever... They like doing solos that's for sure I'm by no means a blues rock expert, but seems to be pretty early on the timeline of like what this sound sounds like, so even tho I hear, let's say some Hendrix from time to time, it's not really liked they ripped him off or anything! With that said, with all the talent contained within these recordings, I can't really say that I'm enjoying the songs all that much. This is just okay to me, let's give 3

Solid white boy blues. Easy listen but nothing special

The most interesting thing about this album is that the first version of Fleetwood Mac spun out of it.

This album is soooo five-star. I guess I just love White-man blues then, and separating art from artist is no problem for me.

This is a beautiful album. So soulful and dare I say, sexy and sensual. Eric Clapton’s guitar is of course genius. It’s a favorite of mine now.

Eric Clapton is a hell of a guitarist (almost more than he is a racist twit). But this wasn't an album I'd say is his finest work. It's good, don't get me wrong. But I have heard better from him, and honestly I found myself not realizing a new song had started a couple times.

This was new to me. The blurb on Apple Music describes it as “potent and scruffy”, which I liked, and it is quite apt. A nice feel to it, albeit very much of its time. The playing is great too. It doesn’t do anything to re-wire my brain, but it is enjoyable enough.

Takes me back to my early days of discovering the Yardbirds and the first Clapton's albums. Love it +

British, white boy rock gets a lot of hate nowadays. EC spiralling into a world class boomer bigot isn't helping the cause. That being said, I haven't listened to this in a LONG time, but this morning? It really hit.

Technically fine, but sounded like a band doing the numbers, instead of anything that really stood out. Three stars, because it was pleasant in the background.

Doesn't sound British, so nice job with that. John Mayall was likely a bigger deal than this one album featuring Clapton can express.

Too much blues for my taste

Clapton's guitar just smokes. A few uneven tracks, but really brilliant blues stuff here.

Deram

White British guys playing and singing the blues has always been a thing. I can tolerate it when it's only one part of a musician's or band's output, like with Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones. With these guys, that's all it is. It feels like they are parotting the authentic blues guys. Even if they're very good at it, it's still a facsimile of the real thing. I'd rather listen to Muddy Waters or Howling Wolf, not a bunch of posers. Plus, it's really boring and one dimensional.

Clapton's shredding still does not make this anything more than a snoozefest. Bluesbreakers is right if they mean theyre breaking everything that makes the blues good. British whiteboy blues almost always lacks any real soul, and that's the case here. And Little Girl, yikes. Not an old blues standard, just Mayall being a fucking creep. Steppin Out is fun, the rest of it was a slog

I thought it was decent blues. Noting absolutely extraordinary or breathtaking, but solid.

Very good! Felt very blues Beatlesey.

Solid blues rock album. As always, Clapton comes through strong. In the end though it is just that, a blues rock album.

Not really my kind of music but I respect that it's well done.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this album. It's a fun set of blues tracks (and I particularly enjoyed their version of Ray Charles' "What I'd say"), and Eric Clapton's presence and guitar work is more interesting than much of the other albums in this collection where he appears (in part because Mayall does most of the vocals). Yet given the accolades as one of the most influential blues albums ever, it also feels like yet another example of how a lot of mainstream/commercial rock music from Elvis to the present owes much if not all of its success and wealth to black (and mainly American) musicians who were neither financially compensated nor adequately recognized for their immense contribution to white culture and music (American and British). It doesn't mean, of course, that Mayall and Clapton and others aren't allowed to provide their own versions of these songs and tunes, but it feels a bit like injustice, especially when you have a douchebag like Eric Clapton enjoying the fruits of other people's genius (although admittedly in the 60s only the record labels enjoyed *anyone's* fruits).

Love how they announce their presence with authority! Great album. I liked the balance between covers and originals, as well as their choice of covers.

Album 972 of 1089 John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (1966) Rating : 4.5 / 5 Today’s album was Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Setting aside all the modern-day Clapton chatter, this is one of those albums where the music itself does all the talking - and it talks loud. From the opening notes, it’s clear why this record became such a landmark. The songs are solid, but the musicianship is the real takeaway here, carrying the whole thing with the kind of energy and precision that only comes from players locked in and firing on all cylinders. Clapton’s guitar work is front and center, giving us an early taste of why he went on to be regarded as one of the greats. You hear the confidence, the phrasing, the bite - all the ingredients of a player who understood the blues down to its bones. And Mayall’s band deserves their flowers, too: tight rhythm work, strong arrangements, and a feel that never loosens its grip. It’s rocking blues from start to finish, the kind you can just sink into without any filler or wandering detours. A smooth, powerful listen from top to bottom. Albums like this remind you why the British blues boom hit as hard as it did - there’s just something electric about hearing players respect the roots while pushing the sound forward. Simply put: it’s a pleasure to listen to, and an easy recommendation for anyone who appreciates great guitar work and blues done right.

Found this pretty boring, ended up playing itself out in the background. Clapton can also get fucked

My dad and his mates used to gather together on weekends, bring their families round and they’d just jam into the evenings…it felt like this was a turbo charged version of that kind of thing. I did like it though - a 3.25 to be way too granular.

White boy blues

Pretty phenomenal playing, and you can feel how much they love the blues, even if they are a bunch of white guys from London.

I struggle to really get enthused about albums that are largely (or entirely) a collection of covers or standards. However, I do enjoy a touch of bluesy rock and there was plenty of that here. I actually enjoyed the two instrumental tracks the most.

Don't have too much to say about this one, to be honest. fav tracks: What'd I Say, It Ain't Right

I guess I’m not too familiar with the hate on Eric Clapton. Remind me why he was cancelled again? I think this is a solid blue album, the blues themselves can get very repetitive but it’s a fun little jam session at times. Some of the lyrics are a bit outdated.

Excellent blues

Pretty decent blues but I kind of wish Clapton was doing the singing--Mayall is better on the music than he is singing. It's not bad all around, but I can't help but think what Howlin Wolf, or John Lee Hooker, or Muddy Waters album got left off the list because this is. Or even Johnny Winter, who is also a little better. 3/5

these guys copied the blues brothers

White guys play the blues, technically well, lacking soul?

makes me think of jackie!

Probably not different enough from real blues to be good.

Bluesey as hell. Bluesbreakers is an apt name for a band and album which takes the genre and places it on its head. Subversive but also just earwormy. I wish I could write more eloquently because this album has stuck with me for weeks, alas, let the music speak. And speak it does.

Super groovy guitar! I appreciate how this record helped pave the way for more heavy British blues rock tracks in the late 60s (3.5).

Tricky one to rate after learning about some context. I enjoyed the album overall, but they were all covers of blues music that ended up feeling distilled. I also found it odd to hear the riff from Day Tripper (a song that had just been released) be just casually dropped in What'd I Say. That cover just made me want to listen to Ray Charles and The Beatles. (doesn't help that these were covers of songs by black artists and that Eric Clapton is a racist)

nichts spannendes

Kinda average blues rock. I wish I had more to say about it, but not much about it grabbed my attention. The sound is a bit dated, the guitar work could have been way more interesting and the songs just don't pack much interesting writing or anything. There's a couple interesting moments but most of it is in one ear out the other. What'd I Say was building up to be a good song but then it has this terrible drum solo in the middle that ruins its momentum. I liked Hideaway and Steppin Out because they offer some quite passionate performances, but that's about it. Maybe I could even find more arguments to defend it, but Clapton is also a racist douchebag so I don't really feel like doing it.

This a pretty decent listen, Clapton's guitar decorating a solid blues-rock album

Didn't enjoy it.

If you're into blues, it's good stuff. I'm not so into blues as I was before we cancelled Eric Clapton, so while I recognize the tremendous raw talent on this album it's not for me.

Not bad but I'd rather listen to blues makers.

Solid album. Fun listen. Definitely a 4.5/5 - round down for crazy Eric Clapton.

Nice blues rock. This guy Eric Clapton sure made a lot of music over the years!! Some tasty licks and noodling

Classic blues rock, this stuff is decent.

Good blues

brit blues

Surprised that I did not like this at all.

Excellent album, hadn't heard it before. Definitely of its time (some skiffle influences perhaps?)

Great old Clapton. 3.75

I always try to listen to the album before reading the reviews, especially when I’ve never heard of the musicians before. So when I finished this album, I wrote my review and then went to see the others, only to discover that this dude, Eric Clapton, was super racist. I ended up falling into an internet rabbit hole about racism in the 1970s in the UK and the Rock Against Racism movement. Today I learned new things, but not new music I’ll go back to.

This album was great! Very much the style I was raised on. I will listen to this one again.

Meh

Pretty solid in that it's enjoyable blues rock, but there's nothing special about the album. What's worse is that it's mostly other people's music. So we have some white British dudes playing blues covers. Even though they do it well, their takes aren't really all that impressive. It's also a bit problematic, including for their own songs (the lyrics about/to an 18 y/o girl written by a 33 y/o guy comes off pretty poorly). As someone who loves blues rock, I only thought this was one was OK. Some of it is good, and I wouldn't say any of it is bad music. But it's also not really all that great. There are way better albums out there than this. Overall: 2.8/5

There’s a lot to like here, the bluesy guitars and piano. It’s quite jazzy at times and there is the odd drum solo to boot. For all its merits, it wasn’t really landing with me in the first half, I’m not sure the vocals grabbed me really, not that there is anything especially wrong with them mind. However, the album grew on me and the instrumentation seemed to get more interesting towards the second half of the album and I was much more engaged, if I’d experienced the whole album with this level of enjoyment, I’d have probably been leaning towards a 4. There might be something here to me to return for but realistically, I don’t know where I’d find the time and there are other albums in this genre I’d sooner reach for. Furthermore, Clapton is a wrong’un, so there is that.

Ahead of its time, influential and fantastic Not a big fan of Eric Clapton, but this is great album with him, better than anything he did with Cream or solo. (Okay, Five Live Yardbirds EP is great too) Enjoyable from start to finish

Eric Clapton: late term abortionist. Good harp honking though.

love love love!!!

Da (British White Guy) BLOOZ! Not a Clapton fan particularly, and I typically turn my nose at British blues, but John Mayall and the Blues Breakers are giving the bizness on this one. I will take back my predisposition of white British blues players for a time… But only if the music is rhythmic and moving. Get that rigid, breadstick shit out of here.

Eh…

All Your Love

Eh. It was alright.

Unspektakulären und ziemlich durchschnittlichen Album ohne Spirit.

Musically enjoyable, it feels like a lot of it is fairly basic 12-bar blues for Eric Clapton to riff over. At its best, it's really good but I could've almost been listening to about three or four tracks on a loop as it felt very samey and predictable after a while.

the electric guitar, my god

#757. Even though most of the ratings for this one are threes and fours, all of the most liked comments are the one star ratings, which leads me to believe that one guy with an incognito tab was just liking all these shitty reviews over and over in order to make it look like people don't really like this. I'm going to add one star to what I actually thought just out of spite for that guy. 4/5: whatever

Best Track - "All Your Love"

Amazing album, I really enjoyed listening to it, and then when I came back to write the review, I noticed that Eric Clapton was there as well. Overall, beautiful instrumentals, definitely 5 stars, no doubt.

Could have been LESS interested

Len Houmous was originally lined up to play on this record but he didn’t like the idea of breaking the blues. I’m not sure he fully understood that they weren’t actually trying to break the blues. As always Clapton (or Clapped-off as Len called him) would do anything for a bit of the spotlight 4.1 7/12 Key To Love

I understand this man is supposedly one of the greatest guitarists of all time but I just don’t get it. It sounds dated.

3.4 2x good but nothing stands out