Blues Breakers

The groundbreaking 1966 Decca album – John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton – re-issued – faithfully replicating the original 1966 Decca Records UK mono release and pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

Hailing from Macclesfield, Cheshire, and growing up in Cheadle Hulme, John Mayall had already made a name for himself on the Manchester blues scene before relocating to London in 1963 at the urging of Alexis Korner.

Eric Clapton joined from the Yardbirds, disenchanted with the pop direction that that group were taking, away from his beloved blues. As a result, Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton became a touchstone in the blues-rock scene of the mid 60s, from its iconic cover (a disinterested Clapton reading The Beano comic) onwards; it was an earnest homage to the music that so inspired the players, creating a heavy, warm brew; an unmistakably English take on an American form. It represented a chart breaking breakthrough, too – reaching No 6 in July 1966.

This re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1966 Decca Records UK mono release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

In 2003 and 2012, Rolling Stone ranked it number 195 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. It was voted number 391 in Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).