A massive 35-CD collection of the early recordings of British blues-rocker John Mayall, titled The First Generation 1965-1974, was released on Feb. 12, 2021, on the Madfish label through Snapper Music. It’s available for order in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. The legend died on July 22, 2024, at age 90. After years of being overlooked, Mayall was finally selected for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2024.
Says a press release describing the collection: “It is the first time a set of this size has been released documenting John Mayall’s early years and not only does it have all the albums from his much-lauded formative career but it also has unreleased tracks aplenty. Featuring Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Blue Mitchell, Jon Mark, and many more superlative musicians, this mammoth package contains 35 CDs in all, plus a beautiful hardback book and much more.”
John Mayall in Laurel Canyon, 1968 (Photo from his website)
The press release continues with further details: “Not for nothing did John Mayall earn the moniker ‘Godfather of the British Blues.’ For a short but compelling time in the ’60s and ’70s he recognized raw talent when he saw it, he took it in, he nurtured it and everyone thrived and benefitted as the result. Many of the best musicians of the period passed through the hallowed ranks of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and all are on show here in a stunning set crammed with musical highlights. Put together with John Mayall’s full co-operation, the full list of contents is as follows:
35 discs (including 3 CD singles and 8 unreleased discs)—newly remastered versions of the original Decca & Polydor albums
Music from 7 unreleased gigs (including Windsor 1967, Gothenburg 1968, Berlin 1969, San Francisco 1970)
28 unreleased BBC tracks featuring Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor
Individually signed photograph
Hardback book including many rare photos and memorabilia and full gig listing for the period
Separate book including two years of fan club letters and correspondence
Two Replica Posters – Ten Years Are Gone and tour poster from 1968
Replica press pack for John Mayall Plays John Mayall
Watch the trailer for the collection
Related: Our Album Rewind of John Mayall’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationI love Mayall and really want this set, but I doubt I’d live long enough to listen to the entire collection.
Beware! There’s a wrong track on cd 20. Track 12 is Gasoline Blues instead of Suspicions. Just informed Madfish/Snapper of this. Hope they do a replacement disc!