ON THIS DATE (58 YEARS AGO) February 17, 1967 – John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers: A Hard Road is released. # ALL THINGS MUSIC PLUS+ 4.5/5 # Allmusic 4/5 A Hard Road is an album by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, released on February 17, 1967. It reached #8 on the UK Album Chart. A Hard Road proved to be every bit as powerful and innovative as the magnificent Bluesbreakers album, thanks in large part to Mayall’s discovery of Clapton’s equally brilliant replacement, Peter Green. Little did anyone know (except Green) that he would almost equal Clapton in the minds of fans and the cogniscenti. A one-of-a-kind player with a highly distinctive sound, Green makes his instrumental presence felt throughout A Hard Road, while delivering compelling lead vocals on “You Don’t Love Me” and “The Same Way.” Two instrumentals on this collection, Freddie King's "The Stumble" and Green's "The SuperNatural", clearly demonstrate the clean sound of his Gibson Les Paul. The legendarily haunting “The Supernatural” previews the guitarist’s groundbreaking work with the original incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, which he and fellow Bluesbreaker John McVie would form a few months later. With sterling support from bassist John McVie and drummer Aynsley Dunbar, the material here features such Mayall originals as “Hit the Highway,” “Leaping Christine” and the title track, along with the standout interpretations of tunes by Freddie King, Elmore James and Willie Cobbs. Ex-commercial artist Mayall also designed and painted the cover, which itself is a fine piece of art-work and is probably rotting in some printer's basement, long forgotten. REVIEW by Richie Unterberger, allmusic Eric Clapton is usually thought of as John Mayall's most important right-hand man, but the case could also be made for his successor, Peter Green. The future Fleetwood Mac founder leaves a strong stamp on his only album with the Bluesbreakers, singing a few tracks and writing a couple, including the devastating instrumental "Supernatural." Green's use of thick sustain on this track clearly pointed the way to his use of guitar riffs with elongated, slithery tones on Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross" and "Black Magic Woman," as well as anticipating some aspects of Carlos Santana's style. Mayall acquits himself fairly well on this mostly original set (with occasional guest horns), though some of the material is fairly mundane. Highlights include the uncharacteristically rambunctious "Leaping Christine" and the cover of Freddie King's "Someday After a While (You'll Be Sorry)." TRACKS: All songs by John Mayall except as noted Side one "A Hard Road" – 3:12 "It's Over" – 2:51 "You Don't Love Me" (Willie Cobbs) – 2:50 "The Stumble" (Freddie King, Sonny Thompson) – 2:54 "Another Kinda Love" – 3:06 "Hit The Highway" – 2:17 "Leaping Christine" – 2:25 Side two "Dust My Blues" (Elmore James, Joe Josea) – 2:50 "There's Always Work" – 1:38 "The Same Way" (Peter Green) – 2:11 "The Supernatural" (Green) – 2:57 "Top Of The Hill" – 2:40 "Someday After A While (You'll Be Sorry)" (King, Thompson) – 3:02 "Living Alone" – 2:23 #johnmayall