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John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton {UK Decca Mono 1a-1a Vinyl 24-96} (Prof Stoned) (1966)

Track listing:
  1. All Your Love 3:38
  2. Hideaway 3:18
  3. Little Girl 2:38
  4. Another Man 1:49
  5. Double Crossing Time 3:06
  6. What'd I Say 4:30
  7. Key To Love 2:11
  8. Parchman Farm 2:24
  9. Have You Heard 5:58
  10. Ramblin' On My Mind 3:10
  11. Steppin' Out 2:32
  12. It Ain't Right 2:44
  13. On Top Of The World (Bonus) 2:48

Notes

Produced by Mike Vernon
Engineer: Gus Dudgeon

Source Tr. 1-12: (Side 1: ARL-7297-1A / Side 2: ARL-7298-1A)
Tr 13: (Side 1: IMCP 015-1C-2)

Vinyl Transfer & Restoration by Prof. Stoned


Prof. sez:

When this album first came out in 1966, there was only a mono mix. At the time, monophonic was still the most popular format in the UK and with the expected sales for this LP in mind the record company thought a true stereo mix was unnecessary. However, the album proved to be far more popular than initially expected and so in 1969 Decca ordered an unnamed house engineer to do a stereo remix. The album had been recorded on 4-track but still a lot of the magic of the original mix was lost in this remix and the engineer used Mayall's organ track in Hideaway which had been deliberately omitted from the original version. The stereo version just doesn't have the ballsy sound of the mono.

The stereo remix was consequently used for every LP and CD reissue ever since until a new remaster appeared in 2001 that had both the stereo and mono mixes. Unfortunately, the mastering by Jon Astley was pretty awful (nearly all dynamic range was sacrificed for more volume and it wasn't a very dynamic recording to begin with). The 2CD Deluxe edition from 2007 (containing both stereo and mono mixes plus extras) should have set the record straight, but once again the recordings were mastering pretty hot and also some digital noise reduction was added, resulting in a somewhat sterile and airless high-end.


The bonus track is first appeared on the compilation 'Blues Anytime vol.2' on the Immediate label in 1968, but had been recorded three years earlier (with Clapton). 'On top of the world' is a great catchy track and it was supposed to be the A-side of a 45rpm for Immediate coupled with an early take of Double Crossing Time but it never came out. It was released officially on CD on a couple of Immediate compilations and a 'first-time-ever-in-stereo' remix appeared on the Deluxe Edition. The mono mix here was ripped from an original UK press of 'Blues Anytime vol.2'.