Week of January 31, 2010

Mahogany

Mahogany - Epic BN 26898, 1969 (US & Holland only)
CD: Walhalla, WH 90372

Personnel:
John Mackay (guitar)
Joe Southall (bass)
Paul Hobbs (drums)
Steve (harmonica and piano)

Though this is one of the better UK blues-based rock LPs of the late 60s, for some reason its proposed release on CBS was cancelled and it remains almost unknown. Highlights include the tremendous opener 'Coolin’', melodic 'Live Your Love A Lie', atmospheric instrumental 'For Jane' and punchy 'Two Trains', which starts as a snakey acoustic blues and ends up an electric raver. There's quite a lot of amplified harmonica and a few so-so blues numbers, but overall this is a solid record. Terrible cover, though.

Taken from: Galactic Ramble - The fullest ever study of the 60s and 70s UK music scene
Richard Morton Jack, Foxcote Books, ISBN: 978-1-905880-07-2


Mahogany was an excellent Chicago-style blues band, recognised with a recording contract from CBS Epic (USA) and no less a producer than Alan Clark, famous for producing The Moody Blues' concept albums and King Crimson. Collectors are still locating brand new copies of the Mahogany album in the United States. In Blues Matters magazine a correspondent wrote: "Having listened to the album recently, the sounds stand up well to other recognised blues bands of the era like John Mayall, Chicken Shack, Ten Years After and Savoy Brown".

From the liners notes of CD: Walhalla, WH 90372


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