DRIVIN' SIDEWAYS (1967) by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Mick Taylor on guitar

I had this song up previously and I was contacted by Chris Mercer, one of the Bluesbreakers who played sax on this track. He offered a couple of photos of himself (I hadn't been able to find much in the way of images of him and indeed this version of the Bluesbreakers). So I have redone the video to include his two photos.

The two photos of Chris are at 3.13 and 3.17 (although I cropped both significantly). According to Chris, the first 'is from summer '67 just after I graduated from Oxford and joined the band, taken at Klooks Kleek, which was in West Hampstead right next door to Decca studios, where the albums were recorded. The second one was a year or so later, looks like it was taken in Decca or Abbey Rd studios from the background, my hair was much longer by then'.

I have summarised some of Chris' observations as follows: "Working in that band at that time, when it went from cult to international status was very exciting. We were on the road 5 to 6 nights a week and travelled widely in Europe, as well as the groundbreaking tour of the USA. That particular era before the end of the 60s was an incredible time. Much of the business was run at grass roots level by the musicians themselves, before the lawyers, bankers, accountants and managerial chancers turned it into an industry' ". Chris also went on to say that Mayall was a hard task master, changing personnel every few years. After the Bluesbreakers Chris (and his wife) went to the US where he found a new career in the Power Line industry. He still plays music locally, and describes the level of musicianship of the local musicians as being of a higher level than when he was a professional in Europe. "I play with fantastic musicans, people who are imbued with a feel for the blues you rarely find in Europe. The money is pathetic, but we all play on, as it is something we just have to do". Thanks Chris and also for that great music you were a part of producing. PS. I see Chris commented on another video (Help Me -live) indicating that "I am alive and well in Portland Oregon, still blowing the blues with DK Stewart band and Lily wilde. Been here for 30 years, hard to believe".

I love the early Bluesbreakers albums. Like 'Hideaway' and 'the Stumble' ( the latter done by Peter Green with the BB), this is another Freddy King tune, this time done by Mick Taylor, getting the Bluesbreakers guitar tone using a Gibson Les Paul through a Marshall amp. Besides Mayall and Taylor, the band consisted of John McVie on bass, Keef Hartley on drums, Chris Mercer on tenor sax and Rip Kant on baritone sax.

In 1965, when Taylor was 16, he went to see a John Mayall's Bluesbreakers performance at "The Hop" Community Centre, Welwyn Garden City in the UK. It was after Mayall had finished his first set without a guitarist that it became clear that for some reason Clapton was not going to show up. Mick Taylor approached John Mayall during the intermission and ended up filling in as the guitarist for the second set, playing Clapton's guitar, which had already been set up on the stage. Despite his young age, Taylor began to earn respect for his guitar skills, and when Peter Green resigned from the Bluesbreakers, Taylor was asked to take his place. (Source Wikipedia). Before he turned 18, Taylor toured and recorded the album with Mayall and continued recording with him, including the albums 'Diary of a Band', 'Bare Wires' and 'Blues from Laurel Canyon'. Of course he went on to play with the Stones on some of their best albums and after that a solo career. Sadly there is no footage of the band playing at the time, so I have put together a video using images mainly of the young Mick Taylor, attempting to simulate what it must have been like to see him play this track. A few of Chris Mercer in there as well, as mentioned earlier.

Comments are welcome, but please no 'my guitarist is better than your guitarist'.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• John
• Mayall
• Mick
• Taylor
• Chris
• Mercer
• Rip
• Kant
• Keef
• Hartley
• McVie

[SRone45]

Who's on Drums?

[wilsonmcphert]

@SRone45

Keef Hartleyl is on drums. See background info under the video for details of the members, particularly Chris Mercer.

[aristotlehead]

Thanks for this, good old Mick, always underrated in the Stones, so brilliant on Time Waits For No One. I was interested you'd heard from Chris Mercer, I was wondering what had happened to him. Rens Stella (below) told me he's living in America now, and still playing. Any more info?

[wilsonmcphert]

I have put in 'more info' background provided by Chris Mercer about the two photos he sent me and which are now included in the slideshow, and I summarised some of his observations about his time in the Bluesbreakers. As you will see, yes, he is living in America and is still playing.

[aristotlehead]

Thank for replying, I thought I had read your comments in the sidebar, I don't know I missed that bit about how he works for Power Line now. I feel a bit silly now. Anyway, good to know Chris is still about and playing. I used to have his solo album 'Anglo Sax-Man' but it got nicked. Hopefully it'll get a re-release one day.

[wilsonmcphert]

I should have been clearer that I updated 'more info' to include info about Chris Mercer, so it wouldn't have been there when you read it! So you did not miss it! Thanks for the info about his solo album, which I didn't know about.

[melanieburn]

nice shuffle..



[mcleanartists]

Smoother than Clapton or Green!

[LanceHelmut]

as great as eric is...i had/ have NO problems with the job mick did while in the b'breakers.

[penfloyd]

Saw John Mayalls Bluesbreakers in late 68 at Mothers in Birmingham UK.......

Blues from Laurel Canyon and Bare Wires were brilliant albums,,

[heapbigtalk]

epic jam !~

[af4k]

@eraffel LOL - yeah, Vambo - comin to the rescue...

[eraffel]

@eraffel Not to mention the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, in my opinion the greatest musical group to ever record music. But they were Scottish. Does that count?

[eraffel]

@putdownan8dude We would probably need to do a sociological study of the British, but it would seem that they just don't have the blues. They weren't sharecroppers, they weren't slaves, they never stand up to authority. People with a queen don't have the blues. However, there was a guy named Rory Gallagher that knew a thing or two about Blues, but he was Irish.

[putdownan8dude]

@eraffel yes , i have found that much british blues, while sounding great on the surface lacks a lot of the guts and soul of blues played by americans. i am not sure why this is that way. but it really seems to be. a couple of exceptions might be early clapton and original fleetwood mac,

[eraffel]

@putdownan8dude I wouldn't go that far, but I tend to agree that it's missing something. Soul may just be it. Not my favorite rendition of the Bluesbreakers