This day-by-day chronology of British blues-rock from 1965-70, compiled mostly from contemporary press reports, enjoys the endorsement of foreword-writer John Mayall. Rightly so – his archive of literature went up in (ahem) smoke in a Laurel Canyon house fire many years ago, so it must be comforting to find his story retold.
And not just his story, but also those of Eric Clapton, Peter Green, the Stones and The Yardbirds. You have the choice of following the individual bands/artists through the years, or just dipping in and enjoying a snapshot of a period. Given the received history of bands such as Cream (could do no wrong) and Blind Faith (the reverse), it’s interesting to see how they were perceived at the time. Indeed, Derek & The Dominos, who enter the timeframe at the very end, were mercilessly slagged by the press (acclaim would only come later with the success of the reissued Layla).
A helping of first-hand reminiscences is the icing on a substantial (352-page) cake, and one that’s likely to be avidly consumed by all British blues acolytes.
