JOHN MAYALL And The Bluesbreakers A Hard Road Decca UK Stereo First Press MINT

$

33

PLEASE READ AND CONSIDER THIS IMPORTANT SHIPPING INFORMATION BEFORE YOU READ ABOUT THIS RECORD:
Ebay does not let me specify a greater shipping amount than $4 for US shipping in the listing, but I am in Canada and shipping a record to you in the US costs $12, not $4, so kindly disregard the listed shipping price and follow the shipping charges below. I will send you an invoice with the correct shipping amount shortly after the end of the auction. If you jump the gun and submit a payment with just $4 shipping I will send you a paypal invoice to cover the remaining $8, so it's better to wait for my invoice.
By bidding on my auction you are acknowledging that you have read and understood my shipping terms.

SHIPPING PRICES ARE AS FOLLOWS

Within North America:
1 record: $12, 2 records: $17, 3 records: $22, 4 records: $25, 5, 6 or 7 records: $28

Outside North America:
1 record: $18, 2 records: $30, 3, 4 or 5 records: $50, 6 records: $75

Over a period of several years I am slowly listing a remarkable record collection for auction on ebay. This collection belonged to my friend Brian, one of the most discerning record collectors I have ever known. Brian started buying records in 1966 when he was a teenager. His infatuation for vinyl developed into a career and he eventually ended up working for RCA records and CBS/Sony records as a disc mastering engineer from 1977 to 1989. Brian’s not with us anymore, and I’m making good on my promise to him to sell his records in lovingly-prepared auctions which reflect the love he had for his vast collection. The proceeds go to his family.

Brian’s collection is the kind that rarely comes up for sale. He had great taste in music and collected vinyl seriously for 40 years, taking superb care of his collection. To see all of Brian’s records that I currently have listed, click here.

I grade records conservatively to ensure your satisfaction as the buyer. All LPs will be shipped promptly in reinforced record-mailing boxes. Because of the size of this collection, I will be listing these records in sections, so you might want to bookmark my listings page and keep checking back. Also, if you want to be notified when a new block of records is listed, drop me a line with your email.

This month I'm offering for your consideration Brian's Johan Mayall, Eric Clapton, Cream, Jack Bruce and related LPs.

Artist: John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers

Title: A Hard Road

Country of Issue: UK

Date of Issue: February 17th, 1967

Catalogue Number: SKL 4853

Matrix side one: ZAL-7652-1W

Matrix side two: ZAL-7653-1W

Condition of sleeve: NM. Absolutely remarkable condition for an LP that will be turning half a century old in a few months. I can barely fault it at all. It looks like it was made yesterday. There's a tiny touch of wear here and there on the unlaminated back cover, but I'm really splitting hairs here. It's almost perfect.

Hey there, I'm just interrupting in the middle of the crucial record condition descriptions to make sure you saw the important information about shipping that is at the start and end of this listing, and why shipping on this LP is NOT $4. It's incredible how many people fail to read this, or worse: choose to ignore this important information! Thanks!

Condition of record: NM. Just astonishing. Holding the record under direct streaming sunshine you see the faint wispy marks that can be created by taking the record in and out of the inner sleeve, but these have no effect on the playback. I have never seen this LP in this kind of condition and I don't expect to ever again. It plays perfectly with almost no surface noise, perfect clarity, zero distortion. Without being too dramatic, it's like you just brought this record home from the record store in 1967.

Further Notes:

Recorded across five days in the Autumn of 1966 at Decca's West Hampstead studio in Northwest London, A Hard Road features Peter Green on lead guitar, John McVie on bass, and Aynsley Dunbar on drums. Tracks 5, 7 and 13 feature the horn section of Alan Skidmore and Ray Warleigh who died last month. Peter Green sings lead vocals on "You Don't Love Me" and "The Same Way". The notable instrumental track "The Supernatural", a guitar improvisation in the key of D minor, has much in common with Peter Green's later hit composition "Black Magic Woman".

Tracklist:

Side one:
"A Hard Road" – 3:12
"It's Over" – 2:51
"You Don't Love Me" (Willie Cobbs) – 2:50
"The Stumble" (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) – 2:54
"Another Kinda Love" – 3:06
"Hit the Highway" – 2:17
"Leaping Christine" – 2:25

Side Two:
"Dust My Blues" (Elmore James, Joe Josea) – 2:50
"There's Always Work" – 1:38
"The Same Way" (Peter Green) – 2:11
"The Supernatural" (Green) – 2:57
"Top of the Hill" – 2:40
"Someday After a While (You'll Be Sorry)" (King, Thompson) – 3:02
"Living Alone" – 2:23

Personnel
John Mayall – vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, organ
Peter Green – guitar, vocals
John McVie – bass
Hughie Flint, Aynsley Dunbar – drums
John Almond, Alan Skidmore – saxophones
Ray Warleigh – wind instruments

Sleeve notes by John Mayall himself:

The personnel of the Bluesbreakers having changed since our last LP, this album serves as a proper introduction to two new members of the group...Peter Green on lead guitar and Aynsley Dunbar on drums. I think that most people will realize what a tough time lay ahead in the way of comparison and criticism for any guitarist in this country faced with replacing the acknowledged master of blues guitar, Eric Clapton, in my band. However Peter Green took over the job and managed to brave out the storm. At first he sounded like a Clapton copyist, not unnaturally since he was having to play the current repertoire that Eric helped to make famous, and the transition to new material had to be gradual. Within weeks though he began to develop his own ideas, and the technique to express them, until now it is obvious that both Peter and Eric have separately improved beyond recognition but in totally different directions. Speaking of the modern young blues guitarists that I've heard ‘live’ I would certainly cram Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Eric Clapton and Peter Green on the same pedestal. In my opinion they all sound completely individual but they share the same emotional greatness. All I can say of Peter is that, having worked with him nearly every night since last July and witnessed his rapid progress as a blues player, he is the ideal guitarist for the overall band sound and a great person to work with.

Our new drummer, Aynsley Dunbar, is also a major musical talent and throughout the album he shows his strength and blues feel along-side bass guitarist John McVie in the rhythm section. Although John has been through good and bad times with us, I know from experience that a better blues bass guitarist would be difficult to find in this country. As a great rhythm section Aynsley and John should not be underestimated in their importance to every number on which they are heard.

A quick word about the use of horns which are heard on “Another Kinda Love”, "Someday After Awhile" and a couple more...I find them an advantage on some numbers but I would assure all our followers that I have no intention of augmenting the Bluesbreakers in the future, except for recording purposes.

These days I play guitar on many of the numbers in our repertoire and my 5 string can be heard on the great Elmore James classic “Dust My Blues” and again “Top of the Hill”. I play my old 9 string guitar on “The Same Way” and “Living Alone”. Harmonica crops up on “It's Over”, “Living Alone”, “Leaping Christine”, “You Don’t Love Me” and “There's Always Work”. The weird backing sound for the latter was achieved by greatly amplifying the faulty pedal click and hum emanating from the organ tone cabinet whilst Mike Vernon, Gus Dudgeon and I did the chanting and moaning sounds. As it is almost impossible to use a piano for club appearances. I always look forward to using one on our recordings. I overdubbed piano onto a few of these titles and featured it on “A Hard Road”, and “Hit The Highway”.

Peter is featured, as lead singer on “You Don’t Love Me” and on his own composition “The Same Way”. His guitar playing is well exposed on “The Stumble” and particularly on “The Super-natural” which he wrote specially for inclusion on this LP. I consider this one the most meaningful instrumentals I’ve heard and certainly stand as one of the high spots on the record.

The music contained here means far more to me than anything we’ve recorded before and I hope you will find your own special favorite tracks from the many contrasting types of blues represented here. Blues in it’s true form is a reflection of man’s life and has to stem from personal experiences good and bad, I accept that I’ve unwittingly hurt a lot of people who’ve known me, I’ve few friends left, and now the only thing to live for is the blues. “I’m trying to tell you people that the blues have hit me in my life. You know I was born for trouble and it’s a hard road ‘till I die”.

I only accept paypal. If you wish to pay by any other means, please contact me prior to bidding.

IMPORTANT SHIPPING NOTE (in case you missed it above):
Ebay does not let me specify a greater shipping amount than $4 for US shipping in the listing, but I am in Canada and shipping a record to you in the US costs $12, not $4, so kindly disregard the listed shipping price and follow the shipping charges below. I will send you an invoice with the correct shipping amount shortly after the end of the auction. If you jump the gun and submit a payment with just $4 shipping I will send you a paypal invoice to cover the remaining $8, so it's better to wait for my invoice.
By bidding on my auction you are acknowledging that you have read and understood my shipping terms.

SHIPPING PRICES ARE AS FOLLOWS

Within North America:
1 record: $12, 2 records: $17, 3 records: $22, 4 records: $25, 5, 6 or 7 records: $28

Outside North America:
1 record: $18, 2 records: $30, 3, 4 or 5 records: $50, 6 records: $75