John Mayall discography explained

Artist:John Mayall
Studio:36
Live:34
Compilation:24
Video:4
Ep:4
Singles:44

The discography of English blues rock musician John Mayall, including the band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, consists of 35 studio albums, 34 live albums, 24 compilation albums, four extended plays (EPs), 44 singles and four video albums. Mayall's 38th studio album was released in 2022.

Mayall began his recording career in 1963 with the formation of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. After several early lineup changes and live debut John Mayall Plays John Mayall, the band released their self-titled debut studio album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton in 1966, which featured guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist John McVie and drummer Hughie Flint.[1] The album reached number 6 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry.[2] [3] With new guitarist Peter Green and drummer Aynsley Dunbar, A Hard Road followed in 1967.[4] It reached the UK Albums Chart top ten.[2] Crusade, featuring Mick Taylor on guitar and Keef Hartley on drums,[5] was released later in the year and peaked at number 8.[2] It was also the group's first release to chart in the US, reaching number 136 on the Billboard 200.[6]

Mayall's third release of 1967 was his debut solo studio album, The Blues Alone,[7] which managed only to reach number 24 in the UK and number 128 in the US.[2] [6] The band's second and third live albums, The Diary of a Band, followed in January 1968 (by which time McVie had left),[8] [9] both of which reached the UK top 30 and the US top 100.[2] [6] A fourth studio album, Bare Wires, was the band's most successful to date, peaking at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number 59 on the US Billboard 200.[2] [6] Shortly after the album's release, however, the Bluesbreakers fell apart as several members left, and the group was disbanded.[10] [11] Relocating to the US with Taylor, Mayall released Blues from Laurel Canyon later in 1968,[12] which reached number 33 on the UK Albums Chart and number 68 on the US Billboard 200.[2] [6]

Taylor left Mayall in June 1969 to join The Rolling Stones.[13] The frontman replaced him with Jon Mark and released the live album The Turning Point later in the year,[14] which was his first release to reach the US top 40 when it peaked at number 32.[6] It was also certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.[15] Compilation Looking Back was released around the same time, reaching number 14 in the UK and number 79 in the US.[2] [6] Empty Rooms followed in 1970,[16] which saw Mayall return to the UK top ten.[2] USA Union was released in the summer, featuring former Canned Heat members Harvey Mandel on guitar and Larry Taylor on bass,[17] which reached a career record number 22 on the US Billboard 200.[6] 1971's Back to the Roots peaked at number 31 in the UK and number 52 in the US.[2] [6]

Mayall continued to restructure his band and release new studio and live material throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with limited commercial success. In 1982 he returned to using the Bluesbreakers moniker,[18] and in 1993 he registered on the UK Albums Chart for the first time in more than 20 years when Wake Up Call reached number 61.[2] Since 2009, Mayall has been recording and touring under his own name, after retiring the Bluesbreaker name in late 2008.[19]

Albums

Studio albums

Title!scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"
Album detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
AUS
[20]
BEL
Fla.

[21]
BEL
Wal.

[22]
CAN
[23]
FRA
[24]
GER
[25]
NED
[26]
NOR
[27]
SWI
[28]
US
Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton
(with the Bluesbreakers)
6

Gold

A Hard Road
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 17 February 1967
  • Label: Decca
  • Formats: LP, reel-to-reel
10
Crusade
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 1 September 1967
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: LP
8 20 136
The Blues Alone
  • Released: November 1967
  • Label: Ace of Clubs
  • Formats: LP, reel-to-reel
24 128
Bare Wires
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 21 June 1968
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: LP
3 9 59
Blues from Laurel Canyon
  • Released: November 1968
  • Label: Decca
  • Formats: LP, reel-to-reel
33 38 33 68
Empty Rooms
  • Released: March 1970
  • Label: Polydor
  • Format: LP
9 6 18 21 10 33
USA Union
  • Released: October 1970
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, 8-track, CS
50 18 20 22
Back to the Roots
  • Released: March 1971
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, 8-track, CS
31 44 40 52
Memories
  • Released: November 1971
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, 8-track, CS
179
Ten Years Are Gone
  • Released: September 1973
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, 8-track, CS
157
The Latest Edition
  • Released: September 1974
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, 8-track, CS
New Year, New Band, New Company
  • Released: March 1975
  • Label: ABC
  • Formats: LP, 8-track
87 140
Notice to Appear
  • Released: November 1975
  • Label: ABC
  • Formats: LP, 8-track, CS
A Banquet in Blues
  • Released: August 1976
  • Label: ABC
  • Formats: LP, 8-track
A Hard Core Package
  • Released: September 1977
  • Label: ABC
  • Formats: LP, 8-track
Bottom Line
  • Released: May 1979
  • Label: DJM
  • Formats: LP, CS
No More Interviews
  • Released: January 1980
  • Label: DJM
  • Formats: LP, 8-track, CS
Road Show Blues
  • Released: May 1981
  • Label: DJM
  • Format: LP
Return of the Bluesbreakers
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 1985
  • Label: AIM
  • Formats: CD, LP
Chicago Line
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: October 1988
  • Label: Island
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS
A Sense of Place
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: March 1990
  • Label: Island
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS
54 170
Cross Country Blues
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 1992
  • Label: One Way
  • Format: CD
54 170
Wake Up Call
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 6 April 1993
  • Label: Silvertone
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS
61 73
Spinning Coin
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 28 February 1995
  • Label: Silvertone
  • Formats: CD, LP, CS
Blues for the Lost Days
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 15 April 1997
  • Label: Silvertone
  • Format: CD
185
Padlock on the Blues
(with the Bluesbreakers and John Lee Hooker)
  • Released: 19 April 1999
  • Label: Eagle
  • Format: CD
Along for the Ride
(John Mayall & Friends)
  • Released: 8 May 2001
  • Label: Eagle
  • Format: CD
143 88 90
Stories
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 27 August 2002
  • Label: Eagle
  • Format: CD
Road Dogs
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 6 June 2005
  • Label: Eagle
  • Format: CD
187
In the Palace of the King
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 5 March 2007
  • Label: Eagle
  • Format: CD
168
Tough
  • Released: 15 September 2009
  • Label: Eagle
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
140
A Special Life
  • Released: 13 May 2014
  • Label: Forty Below
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
185
Find a Way to Care
  • Released: 4 September 2015
  • Label: Forty Below
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
82 125 41 86
Talk About That
  • Released: 27 January 2017
  • Label: Forty Below
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
74 166 84
Nobody Told Me
  • Released: 22 February 2019
  • Label: Forty Below
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
69 76 195 28 88 16
The Sun Is Shining Down
  • Released: 28 January 2022
  • Label: Forty Below
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
159 84 28
"—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not issued in that region.

Live albums

Title!scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"
Album detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
AUS

[29]

[30]
UK
Indie

[31]
CAN
[32]
GER
NOR
US
US
Blues

[33]
John Mayall Plays John Mayall
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 26 March 1965
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: LP
The Diary of a Band, Vol. 1
  • Released: 3 January 1968
  • Label: Decca
  • Formats: LP, reel-to-reel
27 93
The Diary of a Band, Vol. 2
  • Released: 3 January 1968
  • Label: Decca
  • Formats: LP, reel-to-reel
28
The Turning Point
  • Released: September 1969
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, 8-track, CS
11 48 18 17 32

Gold

Live in Europe
  • Released: April 1971
  • Label: London
  • Formats: LP, CS
146
Jazz Blues Fusion
  • Released: May 1972
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: LP, 8-track, CS
39 64
Moving On
  • Released: October 1972
  • Label: Polydor
  • Format: LP, 8-track, CS
116
Lots of People
  • Released: March 1977
  • Label: ABC
  • Formats: LP, CS
Primal Solos
  • Released: August 1977
  • Label: Decca
  • Formats: LP, CS
The Last of the British Blues
  • Released: August 1978
  • Label: ABC
  • Formats: LP, CS
Behind the Iron Curtain
(with the Bluesbreakers)
The Power of the Blues
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 1987
  • Label: Entente
  • Format: LP, CD
The 1982 Reunion Concert
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 1994
  • Label: One Way
  • Format: CD
Rock the Blues Tonight
  • Released: 2 March 1999
  • Label: Indigo
  • Format: 2CD
Live at the Marquee 1969
  • Released: 1999
  • Label: Eagle
  • Format: CD
Time Capsule
  • Released: February 2000
  • Label: Private Stash
  • Format: CD
UK Tour 2K
  • Released: 2001
  • Label: Private Stash
  • Format: CD
Boogie Woogie Man
  • Released: 5 May 2001
  • Label: Private Stash
  • Format: CD
Rolling with the Blues
  • Released: 15 November 2002
  • Label: Shakedown-Secret
  • Format: 2CD + DVD
No Days Off
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Private Stash
  • Format: CD
70th Birthday Concert
(with the Bluesbreakers and Friends (Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Chris Barber))
  • Released: 18 November 2003
  • Label: Eagle
  • Format: 2CD, DVD, BR
8
Live: 1969
  • Released: 14 June 2004
  • Label: Eagle
  • Format: 2CD
34
Live from Austin, TX
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 16 October 2007
  • Label: New West
  • Format: CD
In the Shadow of Legends
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 12 September 2011
  • Label: Blues Boulevard
  • Formats: 2CD, DL
Live in London
  • Released: 22 September 2011
  • Label: Private Stash
  • Formats: 2CD, DL
Historic Live Shows, Vol. 1
  • Released: 16 October 2012
  • Label: Private Stash
  • Formats: CD, DL
Historic Live Shows, Vol. 2
  • Released: 16 October 2012
  • Label: Private Stash
  • Formats: CD, DL
Historic Live Shows, Vol. 3
  • Released: 16 October 2012
  • Label: Private Stash
  • Formats: CD, DL
Blues Alive NYC 1976
  • Released: 31 March 2015
  • Label: RockBeat
  • Formats: CD, DL
Live in 1967
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 21 April 2015
  • Label: Forty Below
  • Formats: CD, LP; DL
32 4
Live in 1967, Vol. 2
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 6 May 2016
  • Label: Forty Below
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
7
Three for the Road
  • Released: 23 February 2018
  • Label: Forty Below
  • Formats: CD, DL
24 4 8
Live in 1967, Vol. 3
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 8 September 2023
  • Label: Forty Below
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL
7
"—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not issued in that region.

Compilations

Title!scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"
Album detailsPeak chart positions
UK

[34]
GER
NOR
US
US
Blues

Looking Back
  • Released: August 1969
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: LP
14 12 13 79
The World of John Mayall, Vol. 1
  • Released: 16 January 1970[35]
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: LP
The World of John Mayall, Vol. 2
  • Released: 1971
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: LP
Thru the Years
  • Released: October 1971
  • Label: London
  • Format: 2LP
164
Beyond the Turning Point
  • Released: October 1971
  • Label: Polydor
  • Format: LP
Down the Line
  • Released: 1972
  • Label: London
  • Format: 2LP
158
The Best of John Mayall
  • Released: 1973
  • Label: Polydor
  • Format: 2LP
So Many Roads
  • Released: before 1976
  • Label: Royal Sound (Germany)
  • Format: LP
Blues Roots
  • Released: 1978
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: LP
The John Mayall Story, Vol. 1
  • Released: 1983
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: LP
The John Mayall Story, Vol. 2
  • Released: 1983
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: LP
The Collection
Archives to Eighties
(featuring Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor)
  • Released: 1988
  • Label: Polydor
  • Formats: CD, LP
1966–1972
  • Released: 1990
  • Label: London
  • Formats: 2CD, 3LP
London Blues: 1964–1969
Room to Move: 1969–1974
  • Released: 20 October 1992
  • Label: Polydor, Chronicles
  • Format: 2CD
Stormy Monday
  • Released: 10 October 1994
  • Label: Spectrum
  • Format: CD
As It All Began: 1964–69
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 27 January 1998
  • Label: Deram
  • Format: CD
12
Drivin' On: The ABC Years (1975–1982)
  • Released: 22 September 1998
  • Label: MCA
  • Format: 2CD
Silver Tones: The Best of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 10 November 1998
  • Label: Silvertone
  • Format: CD
The Masters: Soundtrack to the Film Turning Point
  • Released: 1999
  • Label: Eagle
  • Format: 2CD
Steppin' Out: An Introduction to John Mayall
  • Released: 30 October 2001
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: CD
Rockin' the Roadshow
  • Released: 18 February 2003
  • Label: Castle Communications
  • Format: 2CD
Essentially John Mayall
  • Released: 2006
  • Label: Eagle Records
  • Format: 5 CD
Live at the BBC
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 15 January 2007
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: CD
So Many Roads: An Anthology (1964–1974)
  • Released: 3 August 2010
  • Label: Universal
  • Format: 4CD
15
The First Generation 1965–1974
  • Released: 29 January 2021
  • Label: Madfish / Snapper Music
  • Format: CD (Box Set 35CD)
"—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not issued in that region.

Extended plays

Title!scope="col" style="width:18em;"
EP details
All My Life
(with the Bluesbreakers and Paul Butterfield)
  • Released: 6 January 1967
  • Label: Decca
  • Format: 7" vinyl
The John Mayall E.P.
  • Released: 1980
  • Label: DJM
  • Format: 7" vinyl
Broadcast 65 EP
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 22 April 2017
  • Label: Rhythm & Blues
  • Format: 7" vinyl
The Blues Breaker EP
  • Released: 9 May 2011
  • Label: One Media
  • Format: DL

Singles

Title!scope="col" rowspan="2"
YearChart positionsAlbum
AUT
[36]
CAN
[37]
NLD
[38]
US
[39]
"Crawling Up a Hill" (with the Bluesbreakers)1964rowspan="4"
"Crocodile Walk" (with the Bluesbreakers)1965
"I'm Your Witchdoctor" (with the Bluesbreakers)
"Lonely Years" (with Eric Clapton)1966
"Key to Love" (with the Bluesbreakers)Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton
"On Top Of The World" (with the Bluesbreakers)Not issued
"Looking Back" (with the Bluesbreakers)rowspan="2"
"Sitting in the Rain" (with the Bluesbreakers)1967
"Suspicions" (with the Bluesbreakers)Looking Back
"Jenny"1968
"No Reply" (with the Bluesbreakers)Bare Wires
"Broken Wings" (with the Bluesbreakers)
"The Bear"Blues from Laurel Canyon
"Walking On Sunset"
"Don't Waste My Time"196954 37 81Empty Rooms
"Don't Pick A Flower"18
"Room to Move"14 92 5 102The Turning Point
"Thinking of My Woman"1970Empty Rooms
"Nature's Disappearing"USA Union
"Took the Car"
"Dream with Me"1971Back to the Roots
"Prisons on the Road"
"Play the Harp"1972Memories
"Moving On"Moving On
"Gasoline Blues"1974The Latest Edition
"Let Me Give"
"Step in the Sun"1975New Year, New Band, New Company
"Sunshine"1976A Banquet in Blues
"Bottom Line"1979Bottom Line
"Falling"No More Interviews
"The Last Time" (with the Bluesbreakers)1989Chicago Line
"Fascinatin' Lover" (with the Bluesbreakers)
"Sensitive Kind" (with the Bluesbreakers)1990A Sense of Place
"Jacksonboro Highway" (with the Bluesbreakers)
"Congo Square" (with the Bluesbreakers)
"Mail Order Mystics" (with the Bluesbreakers)1993Wake Up Call
"Ain't No Brakeman" (with the Bluesbreakers)1995Spinning Coin
"Dead City" (with the Bluesbreakers)1997Blues for the Lost Days
"Pride & Faith" (with the Bluesbreakers)2002Stories
"World Gone Crazy"
(split with Walter Trout)
2014A Special Life
"The Sum of Something" (live)2018Three for the Road
"Big Town Playboy" (live)
"Distant Lonesome Train"Nobody Told Me
"What Have I Done Wrong"
(featuring Joe Bonamassa)
"—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not issued in that region.

Video albums

Title!scope="col" style="width:18em;"
Album details
Blues Alive
(with the Bluesbreakers)
  • Released: 1983
  • Label: Pioneer Artists
  • Format: VHS
Purely Music
  • Released: 15 August 1991
  • Label: Image
  • Format: Laserdisc
70th Birthday Concert
(with the Bluesbreakers and Friends)
The Godfather of British Blues/
The Turning Point
  • Released: 29 June 2004
  • Label: Eagle Vision
  • Format: DVD

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton - John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers: Songs, Reviews, Credits . Eder . Bruce . . 9 January 2019 .
  2. [UK Albums Chart]
  3. Web site: BRIT Certified . . 9 January 2019 . Note: User must manually search for "John Mayall" in order to yield results.
  4. Web site: A Hard Road - John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers: Songs, Reviews, Credits . Unterberger . Richie . . 9 January 2019 .
  5. Web site: Crusade - John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers: Songs, Reviews, Credits . Greenwald . Matthew . . 9 January 2019 .
  6. John Mayall Chart History: Billboard 200 . . 9 January 2019 .
  7. Web site: The Blues Alone - John Mayall: Songs, Reviews, Credits . Ruhlmann . William . . 9 January 2019 .
  8. Web site: Diary of a Band, Vol. 1 - John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers: Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 9 January 2019 .
  9. Web site: Diary of a Band, Vol. 2 - John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers: Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 9 January 2019 .
  10. Web site: History of British Blues: Classic British Blues Albums: "Bare Wires" - John Mayall's Bluesbreakers . King . Stevie . UK Blues Federation . 2016 . 9 January 2019 .
  11. Knemeyer . George . Yardbirds, Mayall, Cream, Bond, Beck, Zeppelin, Faith... Keep on Rolling . . New York City, New York . Billboard Publications, Inc. . 14 November 1970 . 82 . 46 . R-40 . 9 January 2019 .
  12. Web site: Blues from Laurel Canyon - John Mayall: Songs, Reviews, Credits . Davies . Ben . . 9 January 2019 .
  13. Web site: The Day Mick Taylor Joined The Rolling Stones . Kelley . Ken . Ultimate Classic Rock . 9 June 2015 . 9 January 2019 .
  14. Web site: The Turning Point - John Mayall: Songs, Reviews, Credits . Planer . Lindsay . . 9 January 2019 .
  15. Web site: Gold & Platinum Search "John Mayall" . . 9 January 2019 .
  16. Web site: Empty Rooms - John Mayall: Songs, Reviews, Credits . Ruhlmann . William . . 9 January 2019 .
  17. Web site: USA Union - John Mayall: Songs, Reviews, Credits . Ruhlmann . William . . 9 January 2019 .
  18. Baker . Glenn A. . Mayall to Tour Australia . . New York City, New York . Billboard Publications, Inc. . 19 December 1981 . 93 . 50 . 20 . 9 January 2019 .
  19. News: John Mayall: Unbreakable . Dicker . Jarrod . . 6 December 2009 . 9 January 2019 .
  20. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian)

    . David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 195.

  21. Web site: Discografie John Mayall . ultratop.be . Dutch . 9 January 2019 .
  22. Web site: Discographie John Mayall . ultratop.be . French . 9 January 2019 .
  23. [Canadian Albums Chart]
  24. Web site: Discographie John Mayall . lescharts.com . French . 9 January 2019 .
  25. Web site: Discographie John Mayall. GfK Entertainment. 1 December 2023.
  26. Web site: Discografie John Mayall . dutchcharts.nl . Dutch . 9 January 2019 .
  27. Web site: Discography John Mayall . norwegiancharts.com . 9 January 2019 .
  28. Web site: Discographie John Mayall . hitparade.ch . German . 9 January 2019 .
  29. Web site: Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40: 02 March 2018 - 08 March 2018 . . 9 January 2019 .
  30. Web site: Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30: 02 March 2018 - 08 March 2018 . . 9 January 2019 .
  31. Web site: Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50: 26 April 2015 - 02 May 2015 . . 9 January 2019 .
  32. LP Chart . . 12 . 14 . 22 November 1969 . 9 January 2019 .
  33. John Mayall Chart History: Blues Albums . . 9 January 2019 .
  34. Web site: Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30: 11 September 2011 - 17 September 2011 . . 9 January 2019 .
  35. Web site: Record Mirror ad.
  36. Web site: John Mayall . Austrian Charts .
  37. RPM100 . . 12 . 12 . 8 November 1969 . 9 January 2019 .
    • Web site: RPM100. 17 January 1970 .
  38. Web site: John Mayall . Top 40 .
  39. John Mayall Chart History: Hot 100 . . 9 January 2019 .