John Mayall – The Turning Point

This is my favourite incarnation of John Mayall's group. Even though a lot of stars passed through his band in the years before, he was largely doing excellent blues covers for a new generation of listeners. Once Johnny Almond joined the group, and Mayall largely began penning the majority of his material, I found that he was able to shape his sound into something distinctive that he could call his own. It's still largely steeped in the blues, but elements of folk, jazz and rock get in there as well. "Room to Move" is a classic, and it's this recording that was one of the major ones that made me want to practice playing blues harp. While he carried this sound to several of his studio albums, I find these untouched live recordings were by far the best way to hear Mayall and his group.

I'm not sure this version came with a printed lyric sheet. I bought my copy new (in the late 80s?) and it does not have one. The record is in the usual clear plastic sleeve.