One in a million

John Mayall finds Blues for the Lost Days

by Mark Edmonds

Tinkering with the blues has been part of John Mayall's plan for more than 35 years. Since he emerged fromLondon with his first version of the Bluesbreakers, he's been cutting a nasty swath through the ranks of hardened purists while adding a few new twists to the genre's familiar sounds.

His career hasn't been without problems, however. A shift to a jazz/fusion mix in the '70s frustrated loyalists who came aboard the Breakers' wagon because of their early blues power, inspired by the sounds of players such as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Despite his million-selling "Room to Move" in 1969, many feared his career was doomed.

But Mayall, who appears next week at the Iron Horse and at Lupo's, persevered long enough to catch the next blues revival 10 years ago. Now 64, he's spent the '90s, turning out what is considered some of his best work. Discs such as Spinning Coin, Wake Up Call, and A Sense of Place have been packed with heady rhythms -- from shuffles, to pumps, to slow blues -- that the bandleader combined with elements from the pre- and post-war eras to create the songs' musical backdrops.

Blues for the Lost Days (Silvertone), his latest, offers a similar package, but here Mayall emphasizes his own compositions. In all, eight of the 12 tracks are his. This might have been a problem. In the past, Mayall's songwriting efforts have been hit-or-miss and have seldom had the power of those writers he's borrowed from -- be they Chris Smither, whose "Mail Order Mystics" was one of Call's best tracks, or Eddie Harris, whose sultry ballad "How Can You Live Like That?" appears on Lost Days.

Admittedly, many Breakers albums have had a lot of chaff on them. And some of it's been the boss'. Still, though, the stuff he offers from his own pen isn't bad. On tracks such as "Dead City" and "Stone Cold Deal," he explains his growing disenchantment with urban America's increasing incidence of drive-by shootings, the gang violence that spawns such events, and an overloaded judicial system unable to cope with it all. And the loping "Trenches" recounts the horror of the Great War (where the doughboys were told they'd "all be home by Christmas") to the accompaniment of harmonicas, mandolins, 12-string guitars, and a 78 recording of a veteran leading a march.

Other tracks, such as "One In a Million," "You Are for Real," the disc's title cut, and "All Those Heroes" are tributes to both the women in Mayall's life -- his 89-year-old mother and current wife, Maggie -- and bluesmen such as Sonny Boy Williamson, who inspired him early on.

The current Bluesbreakers lineup -- drummer Joe Yuele, new bassist John Paulus, and the amazingly versatile Texas-born guitarist Buddy Whittington -- supports Mayall as he blows harmonica and plays the keyboard as if they'd been beside him since he started out.

"I think these songs are about personal views and feelings of things going on around me than anything else," he explains. "On this album, I wanted to do eight of my own songs, while the other [albums] I've done recently only had space for one or two. So, as a result, you get a better feel of my own personal story through these tracks."

Thinking about the genesis of tracks such as "Trenches" and "Million," he admits he's strayed from traditional themes with some songs. "With `Days,' I felt I had an opportunity to give listeners an idea of what it was like for me starting off in the London blues scene, and, going back even further, what got me started.

"And, as for `Million,' well, I just figured that after all these years it was about time that I wrote a song for my mother. And, you know, she had a chance to hear it right off the press. She was very pleased."

How would Mayall like to be remembered, both by his supporters and critics? "I guess I'd like to be recognized for what I've done with my life and what I continue to do, which is to try to create something new out of things we already know. I'm an artist who's been in the privileged position of earning a living from what I do. It's very unique."

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers play Northampton's Iron Horse at 7 p.m. on May 7. Tickets are $17.50. For more information call (413) 586-0610. They also appear at Lupo's, in Providence, at 8 p.m. on May 10. Tickets are $12. Call (401) 272-5876 for information.