NewsJohn Mayall / The First Generation 1965-1974 deluxe box set
Massive 35-CD box set • Unreleased audio • SIGNED by John Mayall
John Mayall’s The First Generation 1965-1974 is an enormous 35CD box set that documents the early career of ‘The Godfather of British Blues’, with remastered studio albums, unreleased BBC recordings, previously unheard live gigs and more.
Featuring Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Blue Mitchell, Jon Mark and many more outstanding musicians, the 35 discs in this mammoth package include three CD singles and eight previously unreleased discs, alongside newly remastered versions of the original Decca & Polydor albums.
For a short but compelling time in the ’60s and ’70s, John Mayall recognised raw talent, took it in, nurtured it, and everyone thrived and benefitted as a result. Many of the best musicians of the period passed through the ranks of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. All are on show here in this set with an abundance of musical highlights.
The unreleased concerts include Windsor 1967, Gothenburg 1968, Berlin 1969 and San Francisco 1970 and the 28 unreleased BBC tracks feature none other than Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor!
John Mayall The First Generation 1965-1974 box set (click image to enlarge)
Strictly limited to 5,000 copies worldwide this set comes with a 168-page hardcover book with many rare photos and images of memorabilia and a full gig listing for the era, a fan club book of letters and correspondence, two replica posters (Ten Years Are Gone and 1968 tour poster), a replica press pack for John Mayall Plays John Mayall and a photograph individually signed by John Mayall himself (who is thankfully still with us at the ripe old age of 86).
The First Generation 1965-1974 is only available to pre-order via two retailers in the UK and the SDE shop is one of them.
It will be released on 29 January 2021 on the Madfish label through Snapper. Madfish are known for producing vast, acclaimed sets like the Gentle Giant Unburied Treasure or Wishbone Ash Vintage Years that often go out of print rather quickly!
Order The First Generation via the SDE shop using this link or the button below.
CD1
JOHN MAYALL PLAYS JOHN MAYALL (1965)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Roger Dean guitar
John McVie bass
Hughie Flint drums
1 Crawling Up A Hill (2.15)
2 I Wanna Teach You Everything (3.17)
3 When I`m Gone (3.12)
4 I Need Your Love (4.20)
5 The Hoot Owl (2.41)
6 R&B Time: Night Train/Lucille (2.23)
7 Crocodile Walk (2.32)
8 What`s The Matter With You (2.39)
9 Doreen (3.00) 10 Runaway (2.31)
11 Heartache (3.07)
12 Chicago Line (4.43)
13 Crocodile Walk (Single Version)* (2.14)
* bonus track
CD2
I’M YOUR WITCHDOCTOR / TELEPHONE BLUES (1965)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Eric Clapton guitar
John McVie bass
Hughie Flint drums
1 I`m Your Witchdoctor (2.10)
2 Telephone Blues (3.56)
CD3
LONELY YEARS / “BERNARD JENKINS” (1966)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Eric Clapton guitar
John McVie bass
Hughie Flint drums
1 Lonely Years (3.17)
2 Bernard Jenkins (3.47)
CD4 (mono) CD 5 (stereo + bonus tracks)
BLUES BREAKERS (1966)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Eric Clapton guitar
John McVie bass
Hughie Flint drums
1 All Your Love (3.33)
2 Hideaway (3.14)
3 Little Girl (2.36)
4 Another Man (1.42)
5 Double Crossing Time (3.01)
6 What`d I Say (4.26)
7 Key To Love (2.05)
8 Parchman Farm (2.21)
9 Have You Heard (5.52)
10 Ramblin` On My Mind (3.07)
11 Steppin` Out (2.27)
12 It Ain`t Right (2.41)
13 Intro Into Maudie* (2.25)
14 It Hurts To Be In Love* (3.21)
15 Have You Ever Loved A Woman* (6.42)
16 Bye Bye Bird* (3.49)
17 I`m Your Hoochie Coochie Man* (3.53)
CD6
ALL MY LIFE EP (1967)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, guitar
Paul Butterfield vocals, harmonica
Peter Green guitar
John McVie bass
Aynsley Dunbar drums
1 All My Life (4.19)
2 Ridin` On The L and N (2.24)
3 Little By Little (2.44)
4 Eagle Eye (2.49)
CD7
A HARD ROAD (1967)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Peter Green guitar
John McVie bass
Aynsley Dunbar drums
1 A Hard Road (3.10)
2 It`s Over (2.47)
3 You Don`t Love Me (2.40)
4 The Stumble (2.50)
5 Another Kinda Love (3.06)
6 Hit The Highway (2.10)
7 Leaping Christine (2.18)
8 Dust My Blues (2.43)
9 There`s Always Work (1.38)
10 The Same Way (2.07)
11 The Supernatural (2.57)
12 Top Of The Hill (2.34)
13 Some Day After Awhile (You`ll Be Sorry) (2.57)
14 Living Alone (2.20)
CD8
CRUSADE (1967)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Mick Taylor guitar
John McVie bass
Keef Hartley drums
Chris Mercer/Rip Kant saxophones
1. Oh, Pretty Woman (3.34)
2 Stand Back Baby (1.43)
3 My Time After Awhile (5.07)
4 Snowy Wood (3.35)
5 Man Of Stone (2.25)
6 Tears In My Eyes (4.15)
7 Driving Sideways (3.55)
8 The Death Of J.B. Lenoir (4.18)
9 I Can`t Quit You Baby (4.28)
10 Streamline (3.12)
11 Me And My Woman (4.00)
12 Checkin` Up On My Baby (3.55)
13 Rubber Duck* (3.45)
CD9
THE BLUES ALONE (1967)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Keef Hartley drums
1. Brand New Start (3.22)
2 Please Don`t Tell (2.26)
3 Down The Line (3.43)
4 Sonny Boy Blow (3.49)
5 Marsha`s Mood (3.13)
6 No More Tears (3.11)
7 Catch That Train (2.17)
8 Cancelling Out (4.19)
9 Harp Man (2.42)
10 Brown Sugar (3.44)
11 Broken Wings (4.16)
12 Don`t Kick Me (3.11)
13 Brand New Start (first version)* (2.58)
14 Marsha`s Mood (first version)* (3.15)
CD10 & CD11
THE DIARY OF A BAND VOLUMES ONE & TWO (1967)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Mick Taylor guitar
John McVie/Paul Williams/Keith Tillman bass
Keef Hartley drums
Chris Mercer/Rip Kant saxophones
1 Blood On The Night (9.04)
2 Edmonton – Cooks Ferry Inn (Impromptu) (2.56)
3 I Can`t Quit You Baby (10.03)
4 Medley: Anzio Annie, Snowy Wood, The Lesson, Keef Hartley & John Interviews (9.38)
5 My Own Fault (11.27)
6 God Save The Queen (2.53)
1 Gimme Some Lovin / The Train (13.20)
2 Crying Shame (10.52)
3 Local Boys Makes Good – Speech Only / Impromptu (4.00)
4 Help Me (7.10)
5 Blues In B Flat (4.44)
6 Soul Of A Short Fat Man (6.11)
CD12
BARE WIRES (1968)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Mick Taylor guitar
Tony Reeves bass
Jon Hiseman drums
Chris Mercer/Dick Heckstall-Smith saxophones
Henry Lowther cornet & violin
1 Bare Wires Suite (23.07)
2 I`m A Stranger (5.13)
3 No Reply (3.09)
4 Hartley Quits (2.55)
5 Killing Time (4.46)
6 She`s Too Young (2.21)
7 Sandy (3.45)
8 Intro – Look At The Girl* (6.43)
9 Start Walkin`* (8.23)
CD13
BLUES FROM LAUREL CANYON (1968)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Mick Taylor guitar
Stephen Thompson bass
Colin Allen drums
1 Vacation (2.47)
2 Walking on Sunset (2.50)
3 Laurel Canyon Home (4.33)
4 2401 (3.42)
5 Ready To Ride (3.32)
6 Medicine Man (2.43)
7 Somebody`s Acting Like A Child (3.27)
8 The Bear (4.40)
9 Miss James (2.30)
10 First Time Alone (5.03)
11 Long Gone Midnight (3.27)
12 Fly Tomorrow (8.59)
13 2401 (single version)* (3.55)
14 Wish You Were Mine (live)* (8.35)
CD14
LOOKING BACK (1969)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Eric Clapton/Roger Dean/Peter Green/Mick Taylor guitar
Jack Bruce/John McVie bass
Aynsley Dunbar/Mick Fleetwood/Keef Hartley drums
Dick Heckstall-Smith tenor & soprano sax
1 Mr James (2.51)
2 Blues City Shake Down (2.19)
3 They Call It Stormy Monday (4.33)
4 So Many Roads (4.44)
5 Looking Back (2.34)
6 Sitting In The Rain (2.56)
7 It Hurts Me Too (2.54)
8 Double Trouble (3.18)
9 Suspicions (5.26)
10 Jenny (4.35)
11 Picture On The Wall (3.00)
CD15
THE TURNING POINT (1969)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Jon Mark guitar
Stephen Thompson bass
Johnny Almond saxophones, flutes
1 The Laws Must Change (7.22)
2 Saw Mill Gulch Road (4.36)
3 I`m Gonna Fight For You J.B. (5.25)
4 So Hard To Share (7.02)
5 California (9.30)
6 Thoughts About Roxanne (8.20)
7 Room To Move (5.01)
8 Sleeping By Her Side* (5.10)
9 Don`t Waste My Time* (4.54)
10 Can`t Sleep This Night* (6.19)
CD16
EMPTY ROOMS (1969)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Jon Mark guitar
Stephen Thompson/Larry Taylor bass
Johnny Almond saxophones, flutes
1 Don`t Waste My Time (3.10)
2 Plan Your Revolution (2.35)
3 Don`t Pick A Flower (3.52)
4. Something New (4.37)
5 People Cling Together (2.52)
6 Waiting For The Right Time (5.33)
7 Thinking Of My Woman (2.27)
8 Counting The Days (5.31)
9 When I Go (4.44)
10 Many Miles Apart (2.55)
11 To A Princess (3.31)
12 Lying In My Bed (4.20)
CD17
USA UNION (1970)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Harvey Mandel guitar
Larry Taylor bassSugarcane Harris violin
1 Nature`s Disappearing (5.56)
2 You Must Be Crazy (3.55)
3 Night Flyer (5.35)
4 Off The Road (2.47)
5 Possessive Emotions (5.20)
6 Where Did My Legs Go (3.55)
7 Took The Car (4.05)
8 Crying (6.27)
9 My Pretty Girl (4.27)
10 Deep Blue Sea (5.10)
CD18 & CD19
BACK TO THE ROOTS (1970)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Eric Clapton/Harvey Mandel/Jerry McGee/Mick Taylor guitar
Larry Taylor/Stephen Thompson bass
Johnny Almond saxophones
Sugarcane Harris violin
Keef Hartley/Paul Lagos drums
1 Prisons On The Road (4.16)
2 My Children (5.08)
3 Accidental Suicide (6.15)
4 Groupie Girl (3.52)
5 Blue Fox (3.41)
6 Home Again (4.55)
7 Television Eye (7.31)
8 Marriage Madness (3.34)
9 Looking At Tomorrow (6.53)
10 Dream With Me (5.19)
11 Full Speed Ahead (5.20)
12 Mr Censor Man (4.42)
13 Force Of Nature (6.32)
14 Boogie Albert (2.16)
1 Goodbye December (5.23)
2 Unanswered Questions (4.40)
3 Devil`s Tricks (7.45)
4 Travelling (4.38)
5 Accidental Suicide (remix)* (6.22)
6 Force Of Nature (remix)* (5.27)
7 Boogie Albert (remix)* (2.14)
8 Television Eye (remix)* (6.04)
9 Prisons On The Road (remix)* (4.17)
10 Home Again (remix)* (4.57)
11 Mr Censor Man (remix)* (4.41)
12 Looking At Tomorrow (remix)* (6.54)
CD20
THRU THE YEARS (1971)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Eric Clapton/Roger Dean/Peter Green/Mick Taylor/Bernie Watson guitar
John McVie/Tony Reeves/Paul Williams bass
Aynsley Dunbar/Hughie Flint/Martin Hart/Keef Hartley/Jon Hiseman drums
Dick Heckstall-Smith/Chris Mercer saxophones
Henry Lowther trumpet
1 Crocodile Walk (2.32)
2 My Baby Is Sweeter (2.59)
3 Crawling Up A Hill (2.15)
4 Mama, Talk To Your Daughter (2.40)
5 Alabama Blues (2.29)
6 Out Of Reach (4.42)
7 Greeny (3.54)
8 Curly (4.50)
9 Missing You (1.57)
10 Please Don`t Tell (2.26)
11 Your Funeral And My Trial
12 Suspicions
13 Knockers Step Forward
14 Hide And Seek
CD21
MEMORIES (1971)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Jerry McGee guitar
Larry Taylor bass
1 Memories (5.01)
2 Wish I Knew A Woman (5.17)
3 The City (4.54)
4 Home In A Tree (3.20)
5 Separate Ways (4.12)
6 The Fighting Line (4.03)
7 Grandad (4.36)
8 Back From Korea (5.09)
9 Nobody Cares (3.56)
10 Play The Harp (5.22)
CD22
JAZZ BLUES FUSIUON (1972)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Freddie Robinson guitar
Larry Taylor bass
Ron Selico percussion
Clifford Solomon saxophones, flutes
Blue Mitchell trumpet
1 Country Road (7.17)
2 Mess Around (2.50)
3 Good Times Boogie (9.18)
4 Change Your Ways (3.46)
5 Dry Throat (6.40)
6 Exercise In C (8.33)
7 Got To Be This Way (6.54)
CD23
MOVING ON (1972)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Freddie Robinson guitar
Victor Gaskin/Larry Taylor bass
Keef Hartley drums
Freddie Jackson/Charles Owns/Clifford Solomon/Ernie Watts saxophones
Blue Mitchell trumpet
1 Worried Mind (8.40)
2 Keep Our Country Green (3.31)
3 Christmas 71 (4.54)
4 Things Go Wrong (6.30)
5 Do It (8.50)
6 Moving On (4.19)
7 Red Sky (3.50)
8 Reasons (2.55)
9 High Pressure Living (6.20)
CD24 & CD25
TEN YEARS ARE GONE (1973)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Freddie Robinson guitar
Victor Gaskin bass
Keef Hartley drums
Red Holloway saxophones
Blue Mitchell trumpet
Sugarcane Harris violin
1 Ten Years Are Gone (4.27)
2 Driving Till The Break Of Day (5.03)
3 Drifting (4.40)
4 Better Pass You By (5.12)
5 California Campground (3.17)
6 Undecided (2.55)
7 Good Looking Stranger (4.25)
8 I Still Care (4.17)
9 Don`t Hang Me Up (4.10)
1 Introduction (2.05)
2 Sitting Here Thinking (7.58)
3 Harmonica Free Form (11.36)
4 Burning Sun (5.10)
5 Dark Of The Night (17.41)
CD26
THE LATEST EDITION (1974)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Hightide Harris/Randy Resnick guitar
Larry Taylor bass
Soko Richardson drums
Red Holloway saxophones
1 Gasoline Blues (3.41)
2 Perfect Peace (3.50)
3 Going To Take My Time (2.55)
4 Deepdown Feelings (4.42)
5 Troubled Times (4.11)
6 The Pusher Man (4.05)
7 One Of The Few (2.44)
8 Love Song (5.39)
9 Little Kitten (2.35)
10 A Crazy Game (4.35)
CD27 & CD28
BBC RECORDINGS (1964-1968)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Eric Clapton/Peter Green/Geoff Krivit/Mick Taylor guitar
Jack Bruce/ Andy Fraser/John McVie/Stephen Thompson/Keith Tillman bass
Colin Allen/Hughie Flint/Keef Hartley drums
Dick Heckstall-Smith/Chris Mercer saxophones
Henry Lowther trumpet
1 Crawling Up A Hill (2.06)
2 Heartache (2.48)
3 Crocodile Walk (2.22)
4 Bye Bye Bird (2.47)
5 I`m Your Witchdoctor (2.08)
6 Cheatin` Woman (2.01)
7 Big Town Playboy (2.47)
8 Parchman Farm (2.49)
9 Nowhere To Turn (1.40)
10 Little Girl (2.45)
11 Hideaway (3.20)
12 Tears In My Eyes (4.28)
13 Parchman Farm (2.20)
14 Burning My Fingers (2.20)
15 All Your Love (3.20)
16 Stepping Out (3.12)
17 On Top Of The World (2.32)
18 Key To Love (2.01)
19 Leaping Christine (1.55)
20 Sitting In The Rain (2.53)
21 Curly (2.48)
22 Ridin` On The L And N (2.19)
23 Dust My Blues (2.15)
1 No More Tears (2.15)
2 Curly (2.02)
3 The Last Time (2.48)
4 Suspicions (3.55)
5 Worried Love (3.26)
6 Supermarket Day (2.44)
7 Snowy Wood (3.21)
8 Jenny (4.33)
9 Sweet Sixteen (5.16)
10 Interview with Alexis Korner (1.35)
11 Another Man`s Land (4.05)
12 Picture On The Wall (2.58)
13 Knockers Step Forward (3.15)
14 The Last Time (3.22)
15 Rock Me Baby (4.22)
16 Oh, Pretty Woman (2.26)
17 Long Gone Midnight (3.12)
18 It Hurts Me To Leave (3.09)
CD29
BROMLEY TECHNICAL COLLEGE (1967)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Peter Green guitar
John McVie bass
Mick Fleetwood drums
1 Brand New Start (4.48)
2 Tears In My Eyes (7.29)
3 Bye Bye Bird (6.02)
4 Mama, Talk To Your Daughter (2.23)
5 Double Trouble (6.24)
6 Your Funeral And My Trial (5.31)
7 Stand Back Baby (2.43)
8 Some Day After Awhile (You`ll Be Sorry) (5.11)
9 Looking Back (2.42)
CD30
LIVE (1967)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Peter Green guitar
John McVie bass
Mick Fleetwood drums
1 Chicago Line (unedited) (6.53)
2 Your Funeral And My Trial (5.21)
3 Four Million Knobs (3.12)
4 Mama, Talk To Your Daughter (6.42)
5 Intro/Chicago Line (7.25)
6 Hi Heel Sneakers (3.32)
7 San-Ho-Zay (4.35)
8 Curly (7.33)
9 Mama, Talk To Your Daughter (2.58)
10 Telephone Blues (2.40)
11 Brand New Start (4.14)
12 Your Funeral And My Trial (4.07)
13 Bad Boy (2.31)
14 The Stumble (4.42)
CD31
7TH NATIONAL JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL (1967)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Mick Taylor guitar
John McVie bass
Keef Hartley drums
Rip Kant/Chris Mercer saxophones
1 Driving Sideways (4.19)
2 I Can`t Quit You Baby (4.51)
3 Sonny Boy Blow (4.34)
4 Stand Back Baby (2.59)
5 Oh, Pretty Woman (3.55)
6 It`s My Own Fault (7.46)
7 Ridin` On The L And N (3.00)
CD32
GOTHENBURG (1968)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Mick Taylor guitar
Stephen Thompson bass
Colin Allen drums
1 Oh Baby (4.47)
2 Baby You`re Wrong (7.42)
3 Worried About You (8.52)
4 Somebody`s Acting Like A Child (3.24)
5 Ooh Wee Baby (Don`t Know What To Do) (3.51)
6 It Hurts Me To Leave (5.52)
7 Hey Little Girl (Walking Down The Street) (7.38)
CD33
BERLIN (1969)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Mick Taylor guitar
Stephen Thompson bass
Colin Allen drums
1 Intro (0.42)
2 Variation on Somebody`s Acting Like A Child (7.02)
3 Baby Child (6.27)
4 Checkin` Up On My Baby (5.17)
5 When I Lost My Baby Child (9.18)
6 2401 (5.38)
7 Treat Me This Way (4.11)
8 Goin` Down The Road (5.39)
9 Ready To Ride (7.12)
10 Help Me Baby (5.48)
11 When I See My Baby (4.35)
CD34
BREMEN (1969)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Mick Taylor guitar
Stephen Thompson bas
Colin Allen drums
1 Got A Pretty Baby (5.53)
2 Checkin` Up On My Baby (5.14)
3 Parchman Farm (14.07)
4 The Time Has Come (6.06)
5 2401 (5.32)
CD35
FILLMORE WEST (1970)
John Mayall vocals, keyboards, harmonica, guitar
Jon Mark guitar
Alex Dmochowski bass
Johnny Almond saxophones, flutes
Duster Bennett drums
1 Everybody Wants To Know (6.23)
2 Band Intros (0.42)
4 What`s The Matter With You (11.10)
5 Travelling Man (10.42)
6 I`ve Got To Be With You Tonight (7.01)
7 Honey Hush (8.48)
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[…] John Mayall / The First Generation 1965-1974 box set […]
John Mayall’s 87th birthday is as good as any day to post this…
John is one of my favourite blues artists and I think people should pay more attention to his own abilities, not just the great musicians that passed through his bands (to the classic names already listed you can add people like Walter Trout, Coco Montoya or Buddy Whittington, from the 1980s onward).
Now, I’ve slowly been building a collection and have about a third of the regular albums contained here – I’d certainly envisioned adding the ones I didn’t have yet.
Obviously, if this were a simple kind of clamshell box, I’d be all over this. Signed or not.
But with what this set is, I’m torn; I don’t really need all the non-musical extra material, and the CD singles are a waste of plastic IMO. You could still produce a “replica” cardboard for each of those singles and include the songs as normal bonus tracks, or, at the very least, compile the three into one CD (which would still be a measly 25 minutes). (CDs 31 and 34 are pretty damn short too.)
And speaking of singles, it’s a bit unfortunate that the two parts of “Suspicions” are not compiled as to flow together (Pt. 1 is on “Thru the Years”, Pt. 2 on “Looking Back”).
As has been said, it’s odd that only the EC album is included with its mono mix too. It seems that, for the most part, the compilers couldn’t really be bothered to make an effort to be comprehensive with regards to the original releases. “On Top of the World” missing (not the BBC version) is quite odd.
What Mayall really needs and deserves, IMO, is proper 2CD and 3CD deluxe editions of all his albums.
What is the average shipping cost for this to be sent to the US? As I have all the CDs with Clapton, Green and Taylor already remastered, I probably won’t get this but I still need to know a ballpark price with Shipping to the USA. Thanks
You can check shipping on the shop before you check out
Hi Paul,
Do you happen to know if the regular albums will become available separately later on? The Polydor albums from the early 70s are hard to come by on cd and it would be nice to have them available again. I can;t imagine they’re going through the process of remastering everything for just these 5000 boxes, but maybe you know more.
Regards,
Roel
No idea. Madfish are box set specialists though so not sure if individual reissues is their thing.
Fantastic box set.
John Mayall has been around as long as I can remember.
Saw him on many occasions in Manchester and across the UK.
I have many of the albums on CD and others on vinyl including some rarities (inc the Decca ‘World Of John Mayall’ two volumes.
Neil Slaven who has written the essay on John’s career in the 168 page booklet for this box set wrote a preview of this for Blues & Rhythm Magazine published earlier this year.
Great to see this done for old John. An associate of mine recently met Mayall’s tech assistant, who said John is in good shape and keeps busy, living in California.
Looks like a winner. While very expensive, it’s not bad on a dollars (pounds)-per-disc ratio, plus the book looks very nice, some tchotkes, but nothing stupid and the signature and limited pressing to make it more valuable.
Sorry to see that SDE Shop cannot ship to US this time.
We can and do ship to the USA!
Got this warning on attempt:
“This order can’t be shipped to your location. Contact the store for more information.”
Could it be because I wish to order 2 copies?
Possibly… please let me know where you are and I will check the shipping settings. Happy to adjust to accomodate.
Just made my first SDE purchase. It was so straightforward I am sure it won’t be the last :)
Thank you very much Mark!
Have been a fan ever since the ‘Beano’ album was released, must have seen him live at least 5 or 6 times with various band lineups, last time a couple of years ago. Own virtually all of the music in this box and although it does look like a beautifully presented set it would be too silly to be tempted, just too expensive – might be though if the price halved which I’m sure it won’t but there you go.
With 5,000 sets being produced, and based on how sales of past Madfish box sets have gone, any thoughts on whether this might sell out in the near future? Or do I have a good chance to get a set sometime in the future — say, a year from now — when the price might have dropped?
Don’t know how quickly this will sell out, but I do know that it will never be discounted. None of them ever are.
I saw him play here (Richmond, Va) a couple years ago he’s still going strong!
believe it or not there are tracks missing. on top of the world,mono/stereo= burn my eyes out=milkman strut = and all the decca 45s in mono,= hard road,crusade,blues alone,bare wires larel canyon =mono. it could of been 2 box sets. the decca years and the polydor years. for me after laurel canyon i bailed. i do love the turning era but those studio lps from empty rooms on are boring. i contacted madfish/snapper to inquire if there is any chance of the 2 cd set bbc being issued as a seperate release but no response . yet.
Hah! Thirty five CDs, and there are some missing tracks after all. The collective SDE knowledge base does it again.
35 Cds and quite a few tracks missing actually from both the Decca and Polydor years, including B-Sides that have never been released on CD. I guess they never will now.
Despite this I think it still looks a fabulous set. But the missing tracks are unfortunate. At least they could have done needledrops, so it was comprehensive and included all the officially released material.
One problem I am finding with these mega boxes, it takes so long to scroll through the track listings to actually read people’s comments!
Click the ‘Comments’ link on the main page and you’ll be taken directly to that section of the article.
I am glad too see that this kind of sets are released by Madfish continously. This is the new release in a long series. Hopefully the promised caravan set Will be next, and after that please release The complete Roy Harper.
Best regards, Hans lindskog
Oh yes would love to see a Roy Harper boxset. Not sure we’ll ever see one though.
A Roy Harper boxset with outtakes would indeed be a very special treat. I assume Roy’s refusal to sell out and niche audience which means no record label finances him means that he cannot take the financial risk to self-fund such a project. I would encourage all SDE readers to give Roy a listen beyond “Have a Cigar”.
Hi Paul, Is it a 12X12 format ?
Regards
Giovanni
Yes, there or thereabouts
Another magnificent set from Mad Fish. I’m lucky enough to own their collections from Steve Hillage, Wishbone Ash and Gentle Giant, and can safely say that the quality throughout is second to none on those sets and I’m sure that it will be the same on this one. I won’t be buying this one (run out of space for any more 12″x12″ sets) and I also have my fill of John Mayall with Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton (double CD set), A Hard Road, Looking Back and sundry other tracks scattered across various British blues compilations on both vinyl and CD, but for anyone who is going to grab this, you are in for a real and rare treat. Enjoy!
The problem with this sort of massive sets is that they are targeted to die-hard fans who will already own much of what is included. A newcomer would hardly pay 200+£ to begin (and possibly finish) his collection. Obviously it is still tempting for the fans, but they are supposed to spend a big sum for a series of unreleased rarities of dubious quality and a pile of memorabilia housed in an impossibly beautiful artifact. I am not much of a Mayall fan, but I still regret having missed the Gentle Giant, Wishbone Ash, Steve Hillage or now Uriah Heep sets for that reason. I couldn’t resist the recent Iona box though, even though at just 17 (!) CD is a much humbler edition!
@JJDelmas:
I am not a die-hard of neither Steve Hillage nor Gentle Giant but i might be the exception to your rule because i bought both boxes after liking the records that i knew of both artists so far and finding that a good and not too expensive way to have (almost) all of said artists catalogue in one place.
For the same reason i also managed to find a new copy of the big Ian Hunter-box for an affordable price during the first lockdown.
JJDelmas has a point. Those of us who have collected physical media for decades are likely to already have copies of most of the material on a set like this, and that is even more true for those who have collected unofficial material via the internet or tape trading. For me, the sets that most appeal are those by artists whose work I enjoy but for one reason or another never got around to fully exploring; or those that feature exclusively (or at least primarily) rare material that was never released in a properly mastered form.
I suppose there is also now a generation of younger people who are coming late to the peculiar joys of collecting physical media, or who are only just discovering a taste for this vintage music. For those who are well off financially, I would imagine that purchasing a comprehensive set like this is an attractive option.
It’s not just die-hards. I have a few older Mayall titles but nothing near what’s in this box. I saw him local,y a couple years back and he was great, not just for his age, but great, period. I’m going to try and review this box, as I did the Giant and Ash sets, but if I can’t secure a review copy, I’ll be buying it, without a doubt.
Yep, gotta have it.
No “Let Me Give” ?
Anyone?
The track listing is at the bottom of the page, so that gives you the information you need.
It should have been if this is “complete” I didnt see it THUS MY QUESTION
Easier to just say ‘I’m disappointed that track x isn’t in this box set’. By the way this isn’t called ‘The Complete’ anything.
Well it IS called first generation and that was a 1974 release….that was ea
sy to say
Has any artist released more live recordings that sounds like poor bootlegs than John Mayall? I own already 60% of these recordings. About two months ago i bought 12 disc vinyl box, that contains all the material between 1965-69. It was released 1981 in Germany and contains replica sleeves in original forms. Shame there isn’t seperate release of BBC material!
Bang goes my Winter heating bonus from Boris and his chums. I’ve been a fan since 1966, and have seen John many times especially up here in the Midlands. I’ve got everything that you can get on CD already, so I’m not sure how much better the sound will be. I’m wondering if the new ‘live’ stuff is from John’s own tape recorders that could end up sounding like Diary Of A Band. I’ll see how Christmas goes and probably wait until afterwards to order a set. At my age, this is not a priority. Not exactly Bah Humbug! yet, but getting there.
Heating bonus? I will have to sell my house to afford this set. While sure, my idea of a house is an abandoned portable toilet at an otherwise empty construction site, but I will still have to sacrifice. Oh well, I hear there is a 24 hour Walmart nearby, so I should be alright.
I know there’s a market for CD singles, but at the price point for this great box, couldn’t they combine the CD singles into one? And some of the CD pairs – 24 and 25 (Ten Years Gone), for example – could fit on one. In other words, there’s no reason this box has to deliver the material on 35 CDs rather than some lesser number of CDs for a somewhat lesser price. That said, I can’t wait to hear the set.
@Mark:
I guess that has nothing to do with a market for cd-singles but with uber fans and collectors liking the fact that the discs replicate the original vinyl releases as far as possible.
And regarding the manufacturing price for a cd I don’t think this set would be reasonably cheaper if it included five cd’s less…
The Madfish sets do ‘traditionally’ have one or two CD singles in them. These boxes all have to wok within a budget of course but some the decisions are rather baffeling. Regarding combing albums on one disc, the Uriah Heep ’50 Years In Rock’ set has 19 CDs featuring 25 albums as six discs each carry two albums. That leaves four more CDs (23 in all) that simply replicate favourite picks by band members from accoss those 19 CDs which seems rather pointless when they could have put a live set from the 80s (given that Live ’73 is one of the 19 already) to 2010s for instance instead or at least separate some of the 2 on 1 discs into their own separate discs. I am just glad these box sets still exist and I feel we are probably living in a golden age of them and have been for a while, especially at this time of year. Even without a Bowie or Beatles SDL this year it seesm to be a bumper crop. Not sure how much longer the marke will remain commerially viable for them though.
Not one the great box set creations in my view. The 2006-2007 reissues handled the inclusion of single A & B sides and EP tracks much better thus making Looking Back , Thru The Years and other discs redundant. Perhaps could have limited coverage to the Decca (Dean, Clapton, Green, Taylor period). and then another box for the next phase after the appropriately named Turning Point. The handful of live recordings previously issued don’t bode well for sound quality of the live CDs.
This looks a great box (which it is) but I question the logic of putting just 2 tracks on a disc that could easily have been added as bonus tracks to the Beano album, which has already been done on a previous reissue or the EP which has been added to a previous reissue of ‘A Hard Road’. Good to see those later albums which are hard to find on CD getting included.
Not my kind of thing at all but had to laugh – an 86 year old signing 5,000 copies? Maybe I picked that up wrong but I can’t imagine I could be @rsed with that at 86.
I guess he’s proud of his work and is enthused with this enterprise.
Absolutely and good on him!
Why laugh? Maybe his hands and brains work like someone in his thirties!
Madfish ensure a direct financial incentive for artists signing inserts in their box sets.
I’m not sure that his age is at all relevant to this. He’s got this huge body of work and he must be as proud as can be that he is responsible for such a lavish set. Good on him. Signing 5000 times is quite an effort but then again, he’s clearly put the effort in over a lifetime of recording. I wish that I could be marking a stellar career in such a way at 86. But at 59, I may have left it a little late.
Given that he was still touring until covid kicked in, I don’t imagine that he’ll have too much trouble sitting at a desk with a pen in his hand.
Nothing wrong in taking the time to write a signature,I’m sure Costello McCartney Young actually think it’s beneath them to pick up a pen.
As for the box set it looks another Madfish triumph.
On his last tours, he went out of his way to sign anything presented to him before *and* after the gig. Just sayin’, I was there last year. :)
I want this but i won’t pay this much!Q.I’ve got most of these cds.This price is a real no no!
I don’t know whether this was me but the fact that I went on to order it says it all
An amazing box set for sure. I think in the number of discs it equals Ian Hunter’s Stranded In Reality box set (which I have). I wonder though if there is a tipping point where a box has so many CDs in it, people finally opt for the downloads instead? Or are people’s shelves both sturdy and spacious enough to accommodate them quite apart from the cost? I’ve never bought a download so far!
Are you or anyone else familiar with the QUALITY of the company and their remastering process?
35 CDs. A McCartney box with 35 CDs would cost how much? 6000 GBP? Or more?
One good reason why the CD format should continue into the foreseeable future. Imagine this lot on vinyl. Yikes! Amazon would have to deliver it all on a dedicated flatbed (with optional crane for unloading). The greatest strength of the CD format during its ‘golden years’ (roughly the late 80s through the early ’00s) was that it brought back into print so much back catalogue material, and allowed for the first time release of archival material that wouldn’t likely have seen the light of day otherwise, like Dylan’s incredible ‘Bootleg’ series or the King Crimson sets. While this is a lot more John Mayall than I could ever possibly use, it’s no less great to see it all made available to the Mayall uber-fans who will truly appreciate it.
Agree 100 percent.
Wonderfully mental. Who had time to listen to all this stuff?
C’mon, it’s only 35 discs….my Bach 333 box has 222 CDs!
Now **that’s** a challenge :)
Me!
what’s the quality of the live recordings Paul?
are they all bootleg audience recordings or a mix of radio (off-air?) and soundboard tapes?
Good question… will try and find out.
breman is soundboard the others are audience tapes. the unknown songs are mostly just one offs. mayall states a key and tempo and off they go. the bbc should be a stand alone 2 cd set.
Looks like 5 or 6 of the Bromley (CD 29) tracks were on the two recent “Live in 1967” releases. Others from those two may be on CD 30. I don’t remember if those were audience recordings but it wouldn’t surprise me.
This looks great for any JM fan, but why only 6 mins of music on some CDs?
They are CD singles
I wonder how most people feel about cd singles in a set like this? Of course, it presents an opportunity to house the disc in a reduced reproduction of a picture sleeve. All the same, I’m old and lazy and don’t like to get up every few minutes to change the cd. But then again, I actually buy these things with the intention of playing them, not preserving them as collectable artifacts.
to much duplicated /released material. would of been better to issue just the unreleased tracks/live shows.
Well done for having a unique opportunity with this one,Paul!
Too expensive for me I am afraid plus I have a reasonable amount of the material signed for me by JM in the past.
Good luck with it!
I’m a massive John Mayall fan and while I already have most of this, I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to own such a lovely set, despite the price.
Good to be helping out SDE too.
Can you promise an unboxing video please Paul?
Thank you. Of course we will do an unboxing video.
Hideous amount of content but far too expensive for me.
Holy s….. oh, I can’t swear on this site.
Wow. Just wow.
Hey Paul – didn’t you mention you were going to upgrade the comments section?