Some
John Mayall fans might be disappointed to find that the radically expanded two-CD edition of
A Hard Road actually includes no previously unreleased material, even though it tacks on a whopping 22 additional tracks. It's more a complete document of
the Bluesbreakers' recordings with
Peter Green, of which
A Hard Road was just the most prominent part. It might be an awkward fit for
Mayall completists, since much of the bonus material also appears on other
Mayall releases, particularly the
Looking Back and
Thru the Years compilations. For those just looking for a comprehensive overview of the
Green-
Mayall era, though, it's excellent, with the extra tracks including several non-LP singles (among them the 1967 B-side
"Rubber Duck," which had never before appeared on CD); the
A Hard Road outtakes that first showed up on the 1971
Thru the Years LP; the
Green-sung and -composed
"Evil Woman Blues," which was placed on the
Raw Blues various-artists anthology;
"First Time Alone," the
Blues From Laurel Canyon track on which
Green guested; and all four tracks from the 1967 EP that paired
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with
Paul Butterfield.
A Hard Road itself was a good if uneven
blues-rock album, highlighted by
Green's incredible sustain on the instrumental
"Supernatural" (a clear influence on
Carlos Santana).
Green also took some of the lead vocal and songwriting duties, though
Mayall remained the dominant singer, whether on covers (the best of them being
Freddie King's
"Someday After a While (You'll Be Sorry)") or originals (highlighted by the uncharacteristically frantic
"Leaping Christine" and the moody
"Living Alone"). But some of the non-LP tracks are among the best recordings
the Bluesbreakers did with
Green in the lineup, like the supremely downbeat
Green-written and -sung B-side
"Out of Reach"; the quality outtake (again written and sung by
Green)
"Missing You"; the hard-edged outtake
"Please Don't Tell," cut in March 1967 months after the
A Hard Road sessions; and the haunting 1968 B-side
"Jenny," actually done in late 1967 after
Green had left for
Fleetwood Mac, but featuring a return visit from him on lead guitar. Other extra tracks are duller and more routine, but at least it accounts for everything done by
the Bluesbreakers with
Green in tow, with the unimportant exception of a 1967 session on which they backed
Eddie Boyd. Note, incidentally, that while
Green and
Mick Fleetwood briefly played together in the same
Bluesbreakers lineup, just two tracks here (the 1967 single
"Double Trouble"/
"It Hurts Me Too") feature
Fleetwood on drums. ~ Richie Unterberger
