Album of the month

Three LPs of John Mayall in the record box are the living proof of my blues roots. In my moped years I went to Amsterdam to see him live in the Concertgebouw. Crusade’, ‘The Diary’ and ‘Bare Wires’ were played completely grey. Just straightforward 60’s blues, a musician without embellishments, Mick Taylor’s guitar solos to be proud of, an organ and mouth harp that cut through your soul. Every time I earned some money I went to the music shop van Wijnen in Doorn to buy a new LP. In one of the sleeves there is still a purchase receipt of F4.50 and discount stamps. Good times and sweet memories, like going with the whole group of friends from Wijk on mopeds to blues concerts in the ‘Weerwolf’ in Leersum. What fun we had. The foundation for BluesinWijk was laid there.

It was 1967 and I regularly went with friends to the ‘SOOS’ behind the Maranatha church in Driebergen. At a certain moment this brand new album was played… You have just discovered John Mayall, you hear the influences and you know that you have entered a new musical era. Far away from Elvis Presley and James Brown, to name but two extremes. But Young and Hendrix go on the turntable and of course Ten-Years After. And you play air guitar with the endless guitar solos … the blues is discovered.

An album that hit me like a bomb at the time (1971). As far as I am concerned, it is the high point of Livin’ Blues. There is not a weak song on it: LB Boogie was an (international) hit and Black Night is timeless and indestructible. Keep on and Hitch-Hikin’ are great too, just like the title track, of course. I still play the album regularly and still think it’s a great record. It was the 3rd LP from Livin’ Blues (after Hell’s Session and Wang Dang Doodle) with Ted Oberg on guitar, Nicko Christiansen (vocals and saxophone), John Lagrand on harmonica, Ruud van Buuren on bass guitar and Johnny Lejeune on drums. Since a few years Nicko Christiansen and companions call themselves Livin’ Blues Xperience and are still touring. In 2014, the live album Alive and Kickin’ was released. This shows that the band is still holding its own. This was also proven a few years ago when the band was recruited by BluesinWijk and performed in Langbroek.

Van Morrison launched his solo career in 1968 with the LP Astral Weeks. Astral Weeks was already hailed as a classic at the time, but never became a record industry mega-success. Them fans couldn’t really appreciate his departure and upheaval. I really appreciate him for the wide variety of styles he always manages to bring. Blues, Jazz, Soul, Country and Irish Traditional Celtic. Astral Weeks has always been known for its mysterious character, its poetic lyrics, its Jazz timing and its masterful singing. This has given the album a memorable spiritual image and allowed it to live on as a true classic album…

This is not so difficult for me, I was immediately impressed by C+B’s first LP Desolution. This was in 1966 a revolution in the music world and it is the best creation ever made in our little country. Desolution, what an emotion on this album. This record goes through marrow and bone. It is already 9 years ago that Harry Muskee passed away. My hero. I choose the song Five long years by E Boyd on this album. In 1968 this album was awarded an Edison. I was 16 years old at the time and was already camping on Texel with my Puch. I saw C + B perform in Sarasani, completely in the dark on stage. Eelco was dressed all in black and stood dead still playing his solos. Harry of course in his knitted jumper. I had goose bumps and listened with a lot of emotion. The atmosphere fitted in the 60’s time. It gave me energy, strength and hope for the future. C+B ran like a thread through my life since then…

Time for vinyl again and this time the double album of Buddy Guy and Junior Wels PURE RAW BLUES with recordings from the fifties, a pleasure to listen to again. Together with Frans Hoving I witnessed these blues giants at the Bluesestafette in Vredenburg Utrecht 1991. Goosebumps with the gangster of the blues harp Junior Wells in his beautiful black suit and white hat. Frans and I were very touched and never forgot it. Buddy Guy, a great guitarist, we saw perform several times in the Netherlands later. Unfortunately, Junior is no longer with us, he died far too early in 1998 at the age of 64, but fortunately he has left his mark on present-day blues harp players. I am very happy with his albums, which I play regularly and realize where the beautiful blues music comes from.