The flurry of greatest hits collections showcasing John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers is exciting – and confusing. Here’s a quick primer.
The first Best of covers 1964-’69 and features many of the songs and band groupings Mayall is most famous for – Clapton on cuts from the “Beano” LP, Peter Green’s work, and the earliest Mick Taylor licks.
The two-CD Drivin’ On includes Mayall’s 1975-’82 albums on the ABC label with Mayall handling most of the guitarwork. A handful of songs feature guitarman Rick Vito.
Silver Tones features 14 cuts culled from Mayall’s three Silvertone albums dating from ’93 to ’97, and two previously unreleased songs. Guitarwork is handled by Coco Montoya and Buddy Whittington, among others.
This article originally appeared in VG‘s Jan ’99 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.