I'll always remember the first time I heard The Bear by John Mayall...

It was in the old Harker and Howarth's music shop in the arcade that used to run from Bradshawgate to Mawdsley Street (ask your parents). One of my friends

had ordered it and we all went to pick it up (yeh, Harkers used to sell records then).

Four of us crammed into one of those booths to listen to it, and after we'd had it played half a dozen times, Harkers got an order for three more....we had

become John Mayall's Bolton fan club!

In a world of blues long dominated by black America, John Mayall was Britain's shining light...still is in fact. He had a voice that competed with US

artists in terms of sincerity, but more importantly he surrounded himself with the cream of UK's musicians.

His band, the Bluesbreakers, was the spawning ground for such luminaries as Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, John McVie, Keef Hartley , Jack

Bruce and a whole load more...quite a list eh?

Anyway for this album Mayall made a slight departure from the usual blues format and wrote an album about a three week holiday in California. In theory it shouldn't have worked, but Mayall was never afraid to experiment and this album stands up very well indeed.

Mind you this was no ordinary package holiday. As detailed in the music, Mayall goes to stay with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Canned Heat (their singer Bob Hite was the bear) and generally falls in love with the lifestyle (and indeed a groupie!).

Now as we all know, its bad enough when friends insist on showing you their holiday snaps, so why then should an album featuring a dozen or so songs about a holiday be any less boring? I don't know (no idea at all in fact) but these were very magical times and this album is pure magic.

John Mayall's still touring despite the fact that he must be pushing 70.

How many of today's get rich quick merchants will be doing the same...none!

Get this album, then get all John Mayall's back catalogue. He deserves it, and so do you!