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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Talk About That, from John Mayall and it's diverse with a wealth of blues. Opening with title track, Talk About That, John Mayall steps up with a funky blues track, bucked by Rocky Athas on guitar, Greg Rzab on bass and Jay Davenport on drums. Mayall's vocals are solid with super funky organ and cool bass riffs. Blues rocker, It's Hard Going Up has a nice guitar vamp and cool horn work from Ron Dziubla on sax, Mark Pender on trumpet and Nick Lane on trombone. Funky blues number, The Devil Must Be Laughing has a sweet guitar intro and soloing by Joe Walsh and with it's dark overtones, is one of my favorite tracks on the release. New Orleans flavored, Gimme Some Of That Gumbo, highlights the drum work of Davenport and Mayall's piano playing is super of course with terrific horn work. Athas breaks loose with hot riffs of his own on this one adding flame to an already smoking track. Chicago style blues track, Goin' Away Baby, features light drum work and Mayall on harp and vocal. Very cool! Cards On The Table features Joe Walsh again on slide this time with a cool rolling rhythm. Walsh has a really distinctive style and he lays it out here nicely. Shuffle track, Don't Deny Me has a great swing with crisp riffs from Athas and super rolling piano by Mayall, backed nicely by Pender on trumpet and over a super walking bass line by Rzab. another track with a cool rocking beat is Across The County Line. With Rzab and Davenport setting the stage Mayall really delivers on vocals and piano and Athas nails the guitar lead with super horn punctuation. Very nice. Wrapping the release is You Never Know, an easy piano shuffle with only the basics of bass and drums supporting Mayalls vocals.This is different from the most recent two Mayall releases that I have reviewed but very enjoyable.
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Blues Hall of
Fame Member John Mayall Set to Release New CD, Talk about That,on
January 27, 2017, from Forty Below Records
Latest Album
Features Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Member Joe Walsh as Special Guest on
Two Tracks
LOS ANGELES, CA – Iconic musician and Blues Hall of Fame
member John Mayall will release his latest CD, Talk about That,
on January 27 from Forty Below Records. Joining Mayall (vocals, keyboards,
harmonica and guitar) and Greg Rzab (bass), Jay Davenport (drums) and Rocky
Athas (guitar) as special guest is legendary guitarist Joe Walsh, who plays on
two tracks, “The Devil Must Be Laughing” and “Cards on the Table,” both John
Mayall compositions. The songs showcase Walsh’s amazing guitar work and are
destined to be two of the many highlights on this new disc. Talk about
That will be available for pre-orders at both Amazon.com and iTunes
starting December 9.
Watch a special preview video of
the making of Talk about That:
Produced by John Mayall (who also designed the album
package) and Forty Below Records president Eric Corne (who also engineered and
mixed), Talk about That was recorded at House of Blues Studio in
Encino, California, and contains 11 tracks: eight originals, plus covers from
Memphis soul music songwriter Bettye Crutcher (“It’s Hard Going Up”), blues
great Jimmy Rogers (“Goin’ Away Baby”) and rock singer/songwriter Jerry Lynn
Williams (“Don’t Deny Me”). The album also showcases a three-piece horn section
that adds extra punch on several tracks, including the infectious New
Orleans-flavored “Gimme Some of that Gumbo.”
“When I first had
the idea for the title track, ‘Talk about That,’ I wanted to write lyrics that
were about aspects of life that were running through my head,” says John
Mayall. “I also wanted to give the song a modern groove that would convey the
fun mood driving the piece. Greg and Jay laid down a really infectious
rhythm for me to feature my keyboard chops and bring the song to life with a
really funky feel driving it.”
Throughout
his career, John Mayall has always written timely songs that reflect what he
sees going on in the world around him, whether it’s war, poverty, social
injustice or personal introspection. Such is the case with “The Devil Must Be
Laughing,” which deals with the current political and world climate. And that
incentive also brought him in touch with Joe Walsh, who contributes some
percolating guitar work that melds perfectly with the song’s theme.
“A day
before we recorded ‘The Devil Must Be Laughing,’ we got a message through the
studio owner that Joe Walsh wanted to come by and possibly play on a track or
two as a guest,” recalls Mayall. “Who was I to say no to that idea! So,
Joe turned up at noon on the appointed day and with only a quick listen,
plugged in and we did the song in one take. The second song closely
followed, and with a smile and a quick photo, Joe was done and on his way.
What a kick for all of us that day!”
For Joe Walsh, playing on a session with one of his musical
heroes also held a special place. “It has been a
bucket-list item since 1970 to play with John Mayall,” states Walsh. “John
had a run of GREAT British guitarists (one after another) with his
‘Bluesbreakers’ albums, and that’s how many of us in the States
became aware of them. Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor - I
studied them all for hours and became a much better guitarist as a
result. The albums were legendary stuff and I have wanted to work with John for
years and years, wondering what it would be like.
“Finally got the chance - and he
was the complete gentleman and fine, fine musician I had always hoped he would
be. When you meet a hero who helped shape your career – it’s a wonderful
feeling to find they’re even cooler than you always thought they were.”
The recording sessions for Talk about That also
represent the last recordings with Mayall’s quartet band lineup, as shortly
after they were completed, guitarist Rocky Athas left the band to pursue his
solo career. Starting with the recent fall tour dates of the British blues
“Godfather,” his band became a trio with Mayall, Rzab and Davenport.
In September, John Mayall issued the following statement:
“By now, many of you will have heard the dramatic news that
I will now be performing live shows as a trio. I feel I should explain how it
all came about in a chain of events that led to my decision. Due to
severe storm conditions recently, guitarist Rocky Athas was unable to get out
of Dallas for my recent festival shows that led to my performing as a
trio. Having never performed anywhere or at any time without a guitar
sidekick, I found that I was able to explore new territories in a trio
configuration playing organ, keyboards, harmonica and guitar. Needless to
say I was surprised at how different and stimulating the experience was for me
as a performer.
“When I told Rocky Athas of my decision, he was very
understanding and hopefully his popularity in my band for the past seven years
will be increased as he resumes his solo career. To me it seems fitting
that the final guitar position in my band featured one of the nicest and most
talented guys I’ve known and the best in his field. We all wish him well.
“So now, as Greg Rzab, Jay Davenport and I embark on several
weeks of intensive touring all around the States, we hope you all will enjoy
the fireworks coming your way as my live show calendar brings us to your
expectant ears.”
The John Mayall trio will continue to tour throughout the
fall and into early 2017 in the U.S., followed by a lengthy European tour in
February. The American tour includes several days onboard the “Legends Cruise,”
leaving Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and sailing from January 19 – 23.
Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh (born November 20, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has been a member of three commercially successful bands: the James Gang, Barnstorm, and the Eagles. He has also experienced success as a solo artist and prolific session musician, especially with B.B. King and Dan Fogelberg. He holds the 54 spot in Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."
A native of Wichita, Kansas, Walsh and his family lived in Columbus, Ohio, for a number of years. His mother was a classically trained pianist. When Walsh was twelve years old the family moved to New York City. Later, Walsh moved to Montclair, New Jersey and attended Montclair High School there. While attending Kent State University, he spent time in various bands playing around the Cleveland area, including The Measles. Walsh began a lifelong hobby of amateur ("ham") radio while living in New York City.
In January 1968 he replaced Glen Schwartz as lead guitarist for the James Gang, an American power trio. Walsh proved to be the band's star attraction, noted for his innovative rhythm playing and creative guitar riffs. In particular he was known for hot-wiring the pickups on his electric guitars to create his trademark "attack" sound. The James Gang had several minor hits and became an early album-oriented rock staple for the next two years, including James Gang Live at Carnegie Hall. In November, 1971 Walsh left the group and formed the group Barnstorm, although their albums credited Walsh as a solo artist. Walsh and Barnstorm released their debut, the eponymous Barnstorm in 1972. The album was a critical success, but had only moderate sales. The follow-up The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get (1973) was titled under his own name (although officially a Barnstorm album) and was Walsh's commercial breakthrough. The first single "Rocky Mountain Way" received heavy airplay and reached #23 on the US Top 40 chart. In 1974 Barnstorm disbanded and Walsh continued as a solo artist.
In December 1974, Walsh released an official solo album, So What and in March 1976, a live set, You Can't Argue with a Sick Mind. These would be his last solo albums until 1978. On December 20, 1975 he joined the Eagles as Bernie Leadon's replacement. His addition steered the band toward a harder-edged sound and away from their early country-style work, and he was featured prominently on their multi-million-selling album Hotel California, co-writing the Top 20 hit "Life in the Fast Lane" (with Don Henley and Glenn Frey) and "Pretty Maids All in a Row" (co-written with former Barnstorm drummer Joe Vitale).
As the Eagles struggled to record the follow-up to Hotel California, Walsh re-ignited his solo career with the well-received album But Seriously, Folks... (1978) which featured his hit comic depiction of rock stardom, "Life's Been Good". Walsh also contributed "In the City" to The Warriors soundtrack (1979), a song penned and sung by Walsh that was later rerecorded for the Eagles The Long Run album.
Following the breakup of the Eagles in 1980, Walsh continued to release albums throughout the 1980s, but sales were poor. He maintained a low profile until the mid-1990s. In late 1984 Walsh was contacted by Australian musician Paul Christie, former bassist in Mondo Rock, who invited him to come to Australia to perform with The Party Boys, an all-star group with a floating membership of well-known Australian rock musicians, which included acclaimed guitarist Kevin Borich, with whom Walsh became good friends. Walsh accepted and performed with the Party Boys on their late 1984-early 1985 Australian tour and appeared on their live album You Need Professional Help. He remained in Australia for some time after the tour, putting together the short-lived touring group Creatures From America, with Waddy Wachtel (guitar), Rick Rosas (bass) and Australian drummer Richard Harvey (Divinyls, The Party Boys). Walsh returned to Australia in 1989 to tour with another incarnation of The Party Boys. Walsh toured with Ringo Starr in 1989, alternating a handful of his best-known songs with Ringo's tunes, as did all the members of the "All Starr" band. In 1989, Walsh recorded a MTV Unplugged with the R&B musician Dr. John. Also in 1989 Walsh filmed a live concert from the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles with Etta James and Albert Collins. 'Jazzvisions: Jump The Blues Away'.
While producing their Homegrown album in 1989, Walsh briefly joined New Zealand reggae band Herbs. Although he had left by the time of its 1990 release, he still appears as lead vocalist on two tracks, "Up All Night" and "It's Alright", and the album includes the first recording of his "Ordinary Average Guys" (sung by late Herbs bassist Charlie Tumahai), which subsequently became a solo hit for Walsh as "Ordinary Average Guy".
In late 1990, Walsh was part of a band called The Best, along with keyboardist Keith Emerson, bassist John Entwistle, guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and drummer Simon Phillips. The band performed several shows in Hawaii and Japan, with a live video resulting.
In 1994, Walsh reunited with the Eagles for a highly successful reunion tour and live album, Hell Freezes Over. Walsh has toured regularly with the Eagles since then and the group released their first new studio album in 28 years, Long Road Out of Eden, in 2007. He sang the US National Anthem at the beginning of game four of the 1995 World Series.
In June 2004, Walsh performed at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas, Texas. He was also featured in September 2004 at The Strat Pack, a concert held in London, England to mark the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar.
In 2006, Walsh reunited with Jim Fox and Dale Peters of the James Gang for a 15-date summer reunion tour. The tour lasted into the fall.
Walsh's song "One Day At A Time" deals with his struggles with alcoholism. He has been in recovery since 1995.
In 2008, Walsh appeared on the Carvin 60th Anniversary Celebration DVD as a celebrity endorser. In the recorded interview, he highly praised Carvin guitars and claims that the bridge design is "just like the first Les Paul models. I can't even get Gibson to reissue it."
Walsh has been a contributor to such causes as halfway houses for displaced adult women in Wichita, Kansas.
Walsh ran for President of the United States in 1980 on top of his music career as a mock campaign. He promised to make "Life's Been Good" the new national anthem if he won, and ran on a platform of "Free Gas For Everyone." Though Walsh was not old enough to actually assume the office, he wanted to raise public awareness of the election. In 1992 Walsh ran for vice president with Rev. Goat Carson under the slogan "We Want Our Money Back!".
In May, 2012, Walsh was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music.
Walsh's latest album, Analog Man, was released on June 5th, 2012. The album was co-produced by Jeff Lynne, with Tommy Lee James co-writing some of the album's tracks
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!- ”LIKE”
We all know that rock is just "jazzed up" blues. So where is the line? Joe Walsh is a really good guitar player and thins is his blues. Enjoy Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click Here
