Artist: Mayall, John
Label: Decca Records
Release: 1967
Length: 45.50
Rating: 4/5
Crusade is the last of the three Mayall albums that successfully launched guitarists like Eric Clapton and Peter Green into the ranks of the greats. Mick Taylor is the last to set off down the road to immortality, and with the phenomenal work of his two predecessors behind him, he probably had the toughest job of the lot. Either way, he nailed it. Add John’s ever-excellent work and a backing band that’s proverbially rock solid, and you know up front that this is going to be a great album.
Once again Mayall leans mostly on covers of old blues songs, though there’s no shortage of originals either, and as ever the emotionally charged themes dominate those. What’s really worth admiring is the ease with which Mayall tackles covers of those patron saints of the blues. One of them is Albert King’s swaggering beauty, which, even with a slightly softer rhythm section, still manages to keep the relentlessness of the original “beat”. With his very first appearance, Taylor lets the kid show us his “tactic”, which mostly rests on a slightly dreamy, and therefore much less sharp, interpretation. At first glance his approach might seem a bit lost to a lot of people, but that can be very deceptive, because as the song goes on and our ears slowly get used to his soft guitar playing, the young man wins you over without a shred of doubt. Stand Back Baby is an upbeat, and probably therefore pretty short, piece that mostly serves as filler, since beyond circling around a classic blues phrase it doesn’t offer anything earth-shattering. Unlike My Time After A While. This take on a Buddy Guy classic carries such an emotional charge that you get the feeling even Mayall himself is struggling to hold back the tears. Well, if John won’t cry, then Taylor takes care of the tears with his solo, while Mercer’s sax solo puts the cherry on top.
After all that anguish, the lively Snowy Wood goes down all the better, the only track here penned by the duo of Mayall – Taylor. The idea is very similar to Stand Back Baby, only this time with much better “execution”, where Taylor nicely makes up for the missing vocals with his playful picking. Definitely the beauty of the album! Man Of Stone presents itself as a short courtyard where Mayall’s harmonica and the ever-present sax tirelessly trade their different views of the world. That rowdy conversation is boldly interrupted by the melancholy of Tears In My Eyes. It’s one of Mayall’s finest creations overall, the kind of song that leaves you with no choice but to sink helplessly into your seat in front of your hi-fi. Music that, in its simple tone, tells you a lot about yourself that you probably didn’t know either. With all these covers, there’s no escaping the influence of the great Freddie King. His Driving Sideways is an escape hatch for Taylor’s soul, while Mayall’s piano keys get their first proper dance here. Excellent rhythm that won’t leave you indifferent. Next up, Death Of J. B. Lenoir is a kind of symbolic thank-you to yet another blues legend Mayall held in high regard. A gloomy track whose dark mood gets weighed down even further by the heavy tones of the sax. Then comes I Can’t Quit You Baby, an old Otis Rush hit written by Willie Dixon. The moment that suits Taylor’s dreaminess best. His light, simple tones, the complete opposite of Clapton’s and Green’s way of playing, nicely round out the whole picture of the album. The kid has definitely managed to catch a approach all his own, unlike his two famous predecessors, and he surely deserves plenty of praise for it.
On Streamline, Taylor’s spot is taken by the tireless sax, whose nagging finally pays off here at the very end of the album. This time Mayall picks the Hammond for his solo, but it can’t fill the vacuum left by Taylor’s absence. So Taylor saves the day with Me And My Woman by another King, this time B.B. But the band saves the best for last. I’m talking about the energetic Checkin’ Up On My Baby by Sonny Boy Williamson. An unbelievable version, bursting with energy at every seam, and a great finish to an album that can proudly stand today next to the unforgettable gems Bluesbrakers With Eric Clapton and A Hard Road!
Line-up
John Mayall: vocals, piano, Hammond, harmonica
Mick Taylor: guitar
John McVie: bass
Keef Hartley: drums
Chris Mercer: tenor sax
Rip Kant: baritone sax
Production
Mike Vernon
Tracklist
1,Oh, Pretty Woman
2.Stand Back Baby
3.My Time After A While
4.Snowy Wood
5.Man Of Stone
6.Tears In My Eyes
7.Driving Sideways
8.The Death Of J. B. Lenoir
9.I Can’t Quit You Baby
10.Streamline
11.Me And My Woman
12.Checkin’ Up On My Baby
Album length: 44.15
