Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 6. April 4 1977
John Mayall: A Banquet in Blues Blue Thumb
John Mayall: A Banquet in Blues Blue Thumb
I doubt whether the appearance of a new John Mayall record on the shelves of record stores arouses as much interest these days as it might once have.
Mick Jagger once called John Mayall's band the "Blues School" as nearly all those who played in one of Mayall's many groups became a success in the Rock business, one of the most famous of these being Eric Clapton, who with Mayall produced the classic "blues breakers' album in 1966. His albums around 1970/71 contained relevant social/environmental commentaries such as The Laws Must Change', Nature's Disappearing/Took the Car' and 'Where did my legs go,' and the music was based around rhythmic bass patterns with plenty of instrumental solo space for his sidemen.
However, his last few albums have been disappointing efforts being collections of substandard songs few of which can be described as being in a blues idiom, and this album is no better. Despite an impressive lineup (including Larry Taylor, Sugarcane Harris, Blue Mitchell and John McVie) the song structures really allow no chance for them to demonstrate their abilities and the songs themselves are so dreadful as to make one wonder why his sidemen agreed to record them. As exception is Table Top Girl' about his fantasies with a stripper named Cathy Jayne Mikel (who receives a credit on the cover for the album inspiration) and which contains a nice moog solo from Doug Bare. (Yes that instrument can be put to good effect.)
'You can't put me down' contains some nice fluid guitar lines from Rick Vito and 'Fantasy Land' is a 14 minute live track on which the whole band go through their paces on some quite remark able soloing. The album is worth listening to for these three tracks, but not worth buying.
—Geoffrey Churchman.
Record kindly supplied by Colin Morris Ltd., 54 The Terrace.