The Blues Alone

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AllMusic	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[3]

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.

The cover art and the original LP sleeve design are by John Mayall. Sleeve notes, including track notes, were written by noted DJ John Peel. The following quote is of interest regarding the album concept.

I was featuring his LP A Hard Road on the air and was amazed that, in addition to writing 8 of the 12 numbers on the record, playing 5 and 9 string guitar, organ, piano, harmonica and singing, he had written the sleeve notes and painted the portrait of the group on the front cover.
With this new LP, he has carried all of this to its logical conclusion and has produced a record featuring no other musician than himself except for the occasional aid of his drummer Keef Hartley.

Notable tracks

"Down the Line" is a sparse lament featuring vocals over a cold-sounding slide guitar and piano accompaniment. "Sonny Boy Blow" is a harmonica-driven boogie tribute to the then-recently deceased

• John Mayall – vocals, guitars (6- and 9-string), harmonica, piano, organ, celeste (track 9), drums (tracks 1, 5)
• Keef Hartley – drums (tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)

References