JOHN MAYALL is an early riser. Despite the cold morning in his adopted home of California – where he has lived since the late 1960's – Mayall is already up and busy preparing for his forthcoming live shows when Uncut calls. Mayall, who is 83, is in sprightly form. “We do 100 shows every year all over the world,” he says. “It keeps us active!”
Active indeed. Mayall has only just released a new studio album, Talk About That, but already he has his sights firmly fixed on the next release. “We’re a trio now,” he explains. “It’s working out so well I think this would be the time to do a live album. So sometime on this European tour, we’ve got plans to record at some of these venues. That’ll be the next album.”
Mayall’s history stretches back to the earliest days of the British blues boom. There, his patronage of a string of hip young guitarists – Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor – who passed through the ranks of his Bluesbreakers has assumed legendary status. “Every musician, regardless of what he plays, if they’re the best, they have their own style,” he reflects. “They were the right people for the job at that time. They play the blues their way.”
In some respects, little has changed for Mayall since he started out as a musician in the early 60's. “You get up onstage and you play,” he says. “Is there much room to improvise? Yeah, of course. That’s the blues.”
Eric Clapton lived with you for a while. what was he like as a housemate? Chris Parker, Brighton
Easy to get along with as we were in the same key of appreciating American blues. He hadn’t heard a lot of my records. I had a big record collection that he was thrilled to be able to have access to. I’d turn him on to certain things, but there was no definite pattern. What did I think of Eric when I first met him? That he wasn’t a guitar player like anybody else… he was the first one I met who had a real knowledge of the blues. He was always a loner, as far as wanting to get away from other people so he could get down to playing.
This story is from the April 2017 edition of Uncut UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2017 edition of Uncut UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Kim Gordon: La Ghosts & Flowers
As KIM GORDON prepares to release No Home Record – her brilliant debut solo album – she takes stock of her consistently adventurous career so far. To discuss: her early days in New York’s Downtown, cooking with Neil Young and the perils of gentrification. “Life is unexpected,” she tells Tom Pinnock
Tinariwen: Even Nomads Get The Blues
A lot has changed for TINARIWEN since they became superstars of desert rock’n’roll. But their Saharan homeland remains as troubled as ever. We track the band down in Morocco, where Michael Bonner hears tales of exile, insurgency and belonging. “As long as people are oppressed, there will be room for protest music,” they explain
Angel Olsen: Her Bright Materials
Welcome to Asheville, North Carolina, where ANGEL OLSEN is poised to release her new album, All Mirrors. Erin Osmon joins the singer-songwriter at home to discuss heartbreak, fantasy property deals and her latest bold pop experiment. “Sometimes your dreams are not what they seem,” she says
“I Was Insatiable!”
From a back garden in Epsom to the stage of the O2 – via Bombay, New York, Marrakesh and Beijing – join us as JIMMY PAGE guides us through 60 years’ worth of his marvellous adventures. CliffRichard! Exorcisms! “A cauldron of inspiration”! There are road trips with The Yardbirds, magical recording sessions at Headley Grange, his ongoing relationship with Robert Plant and the vast musical legacy of Led Zeppelin to consider. “I was dealt a very good hand,” Page tells Michael Odell. “And I like to think I played it well.”
'I Was Pretty Bad At Being A Pop Star'
Riding high on the back of Bon Iver’s endorsement and his finest album in years, the piano master discusses the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, cryogenics and appearing in “some of the worst videos ever made”
The Go-Betweens - G Stands For Go-Betweens: Volume 2 – 1985–1989 Domino
Australian indie ambassadors’ golden age showcased in opulent style.
It's Too Late To Stop Now
Has VAN MORRISON mellowed at last? After yet another remarkable period in his ongoing creative renaissance, the Celtic soul warrior is on good form as he talks R&B, transcendence and mythical bootlegs with Graeme Thomson. “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing for quite a while,” he reveals
Robert Plant - Digging Deep
ESPARANZA 7/10 Percy on 45! A boxset of 7”s traces Plant’s post-Zep progress. By Michael Bonner
Leonard Cohen - Thanks For The Dance
The poet’s intimate musical postscript.
'I'll Tell You The Full Story…'
During the past 12 months, a series of lavish boxsets have tracked DAVID BOWIE’s early development throughout 1968 and 1969. As this comprehensive archeological survey concludes with Conversation Piece, long-serving producer TONY VISCONTI relives the highs and lows of Bowie’s breakthrough. There are ham sandwiches, Marc Bolan impressions, the peerless “Space Oddity”, and tearful studio interludes… but, most importantly, we learn how the music made during this brief but pivotal period critically influenced one superstar in the making: David Bowie himself…
