| A Special Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 May 2014 | |||
| Recorded | November 2013 | |||
| Genre | Blues rock | |||
| Length | 48:38 | |||
| Label | Forty Below | |||
| Producer | John Mayall, Eric Corne | |||
| John Mayall chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
A Special Life is a studio album by British blues musician John Mayall. [1] It was released on 30 May 2014 by Forty Below Records, [2] and it is his first studio album since 2009's Tough .
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Why Did You Go Last Night" | Clifton Chenier | 4:50 |
| 2. | "Speak of the Devil" | Sonny Landreth | 3:20 |
| 3. | "That's All Right" | James Lane | 3:40 |
| 4. | "World Gone Crazy" | John Mayall | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Floodin' in California" | Albert King | 4:32 |
| 6. | "Big Town Playboy" | Eddie Taylor | 4:15 |
| 7. | "A Special Life" | Mayall | 4:06 |
| 8. | "I Just Got to Know" | Jimmy McCracklin | 4:04 |
| 9. | "Heartache" | Mayall | 4:42 |
| 10. | "Like a Fool" | Greg Rzab, Rocky Athas | 4:00 |
| 11. | "Just a Memory" | Mayall | 6:38 |
John Mayall is an English blues and rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians.
Michael Kevin Taylor is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, he appeared on Let It Bleed (1969), Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert (1970), Sticky Fingers (1971), Exile on Main St. (1972), Goats Head Soup (1973) and It's Only Rock 'n Roll (1974).
Blues Breakers, colloquially known as The Beano Album, is the debut studio album by the English blues rock band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, originally credited to John Mayall with Eric Clapton. Produced by Mike Vernon and released in 1966 by Decca Records (UK) and London Records (US), it pioneered a guitar-dominated blues-rock sound.
A Hard Road is the third album recorded by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, released in 1967. It features Peter Green on lead guitar, John McVie on bass, Aynsley Dunbar on drums and John Almond on saxophone. Tracks 5, 7 and 13 feature the horn section of Alan Skidmore and Ray Warleigh. Peter Green sings lead vocals on "You Don't Love Me" and "The Same Way".
Walter Trout is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.
Keith "Keef" Hartley was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted his own band, known as the Keef Hartley Band or Keef Hartley's Big Band, and played at Woodstock. He was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with Rory Storm, the Artwoods and John Mayall.
Blues from Laurel Canyon is a 1968 album by John Mayall, featuring British blues music. It was his first album after the breakup of his band the Bluesbreakers in May 1968, although others claim it was on 14 July 1968. It was also his last album with Decca before moving to Polydor.
Michael William Hugh Vernon is an English music executive studio owner, and record producer from Harrow, Middlesex. He produced albums for British blues artists and groups in the 1960s, working with the Bluesbreakers, David Bowie, Duster Bennett, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Climax Blues Band, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, John Mayall, Christine McVie and Ten Years After amongst others.
The Turning Point is a live album by John Mayall, featuring British blues music recorded at a concert at Bill Graham's Fillmore East on 12 July 1969.
The 1982 Reunion Concert is a live album from a concert by British blues musician John Mayall. His sidemen are Mick Taylor on guitar, John McVie on bass and Colin Allen on drums. The concert took place at the Wax Museum, Washington DC, on 17 June 1982. It was released in 1994 by Repertoire Records as a CD credited to John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.
USA Union is a 1970 album by blues musician John Mayall, featuring Harvey Mandel on guitar, Larry Taylor on bass and Don "Sugarcane" Harris on violin. The album was recorded on July 27 & 28th, 1970 at Larrabee Studios in LA and released by Polydor later in the same year John Mayall - Discography.
Blue Virgin Isles is the fifth studio album and international debut album by Swedish singer-songwriter Ted Gärdestad, released on November 1978 by Epic Records in the UK and Polar Music in Scandinavia.
Ten Years Are Gone is a double album by John Mayall. Record one was recorded at Sunset Sound, Los Angeles, and record two was recorded in concert at the New York Academy of Music. The album was released in 1973. Like its predecessors Jazz Blues Fusion and Moving On, it features Freddy Robinson on guitar and Blue Mitchell on trumpet.
The Blues Alone is a 1967 electric blues album recorded by John Mayall on which he recorded all the parts himself, with the exception of percussion which was provided by longtime collaborator Keef Hartley.
Empty Rooms is a studio album by English blues musician John Mayall, released in March 1970 on Polydor. It is a follow-up to the live album The Turning Point, released earlier in the year with the same musicians: Jon Mark on acoustic guitar, Johnny Almond on saxophones and flute, and Stephen Thompson on bass. John Mayall sings, plays harmonica, guitars and keyboards. Former Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor guests as second bass player on one track, "To a Princess," improvising with Thompson on an unusual bass duet. The absence of a drummer leaves the rhythm rather fluid and the resulting sound is unusual, even for a John Mayall album. The songs, all written by Mayall, mostly addressed his romance with photographer Nancy Throckmorton, a theme he would pursue further on USA Union. The album is dedicated to her.
Bare Wires is a studio album by John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, featuring Mick Taylor on guitar, Chris Mercer and Dick Heckstall-Smith on saxophones, Jon Hiseman on drums, Henry Lowther on cornet and violin, and Tony Reeves on bass. It was released in 1968 on Decca Records. The album was the last John Mayall studio album to feature the name "Bluesbreakers". The album was also Mayall's first successful U.S. album reaching #59 on the Billboard 200.
Tough is a studio album by John Mayall. Released in 2009, the album features Jay Davenport on drums, Greg Rzab on bass, Tom Canning on keyboards and Rocky Athas on lead guitar. Mayall sings and plays harmonica, organ and guitar.
Jon Davison is an American singer, musician and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes since 2012.
Thru the Years is a compilation album of music by John Mayall released in October 1971 by Decca Records in the U.K. and London Records in the U.S.A. The album was the second compilation to be issued by Decca/London with Mayall's blessing, although his contract with them had ceased. It features a mixture of previously unissued songs or non-album tracks that had only been released as singles.
Nobody Told Me is a studio album by British blues musician John Mayall. It was released on 22 February 2019 through Forty Below Records.
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