Looking Back (John Mayall album)

Looking Back
Compilation album by John Mayall
Released	August 1969[1]
Recorded	February 1963 – May 1969[1]
Genre	Blues
Length	37:54
Label	Decca (UK) (Single L.P.) Decca (TELDEC) (GER) (Double L.P.)
Producer	John Mayall, Mike Vernon[1]
John Mayall chronology
Blues from Laurel Canyon (1968) Looking Back (1969) Thru the Years (1969)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[2]

Looking Back is the seventh album released by John Mayall in August 1969 by Decca Records. The album features songs by both John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and John Mayall solo work. The album reached No. 79 on the Billboard 200.[3] Confusingly, there are two different albums with the title "Looking Back": a Decca UK release as a single album (SKL 5010)[1] and a Decca Germany (issued by TELDEC) release as a double album (DS 3104/1-2).[4] Later issues on CD would use the Deram label.

Album description

The German Decca release was a double album, whilst the UK Decca release only featured Eric Clapton on one track. However, the German release did not have the title track in its track listing, and the songs are not as rare, with several songs ("Parchman Farm", "Double Crossing Time", "The Super-Natural", "Steppin' Out", "Ramblin' on my Mind", "The Death of J. B. Lenoir", "Checking Up on my Baby", and "I Can't Quit You Baby") already released on The Bluesbreakers' studio albums (Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton, A Hard Road, and Crusade).

Track listings

Decca UK release

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release[5]	Length
1.	"Mr. James"	John Mayall	B-side of Decca F11900	2:55
2.	"Blues City Shakedown"	Mayall	B-side of Decca F12120	2:23
3.	"Stormy Monday (live)"	T-Bone Walker	Previously unreleased	4:36
4.	"So Many Roads"	Paul Marshall, P. Williams	B-side of Decca F12506	4:46
5.	"Looking Back"	Johnny "Guitar" Watson	A-side of Decca F12506	2:37
6.	"Sitting in the Rain"	Mayall	A-side of Decca F12545	2:59

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original release	Length
1.	"It Hurts Me Too"	Mel London, Hudson Whittaker	B-side of Decca F12621	2:57
2.	"Double Trouble"	Otis Rush, M. Melka	A-side of Decca F12621	3:22
3.	"Suspicions (Part Two)"	Mayall	B-side of Decca F12684	5:29
4.	"Jenny"	Mayall	B-side of Decca F12732	4:38
5.	"Picture on the Wall"	Mayall	A-side of Decca F12732	3:02

Decca Germany release

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Third Degree"	Eddie Boyd	3:17
2.	"Stormy Monday"	T-Bone Walker	4:34
3.	"Jenny"	Mayall	4:33
4.	"Picture on the Wall"	Mayall	3:03
5.	"Chicago Line"	Mayall	4:39

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Steppin' Out"	Memphis Slim, James Bracken	2:29
2.	"Have You Heard"	Mayall	5:54
3.	"Ramblin' on My Mind"	Robert Johnson	3:11
4.	"The Super-Natural"	Peter Green	2:54
5.	"Double Crossing Time"	Mayall, Eric Clapton	3:06
6.	"Parchman Farm"	Mose Allison	2:24

Side three

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dust My Blues"	Elmore James	2:47
2.	"You Don't Love Me"	Willie Cobbs	2:47
3.	"Don't Kick Me"	Mayall	3:09
4.	"Brown Sugar"	Mayall	3:41
5.	"The Death of J. B. Lenoir"	Mayall	4:17
6.	"Stand Back Baby"	Mayall	1:48

Side four

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Checkin' Up on My Baby"	Sonny Boy Williamson	3:49
2.	"I Can't Quit You Baby"	Willie Dixon	4:28
3.	"Sandy"	Mayall	3:46
4.	"Blood on the Night"	Mayall	8:59

Personnel

• John Mayall – Lead vocals, piano, organ, guitar, harmonica

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

• Bernie Watson – Guitar on "Mr. James"[6]
• Roger Dean – Guitar on "Blues City Shakedown"
• Eric Clapton – Lead guitar on "Stormy Monday"
• Peter Green – Lead guitar on tracks 4 to 8, 10, and steel guitar on "Picture on the Wall"
• Mick Taylor – Lead guitar on "Suspicions (Part Two)"
• John McVie – Bass guitar on tracks 1, 2, and 4 to 8.
• Jack Bruce – Bass guitar on "Stormy Monday"
• Paul Williams – Bass guitar on "Suspicions (Part Two)"
• Martin Hart – Drums on "Mr. James"[6]
• Hughie Flint – Drums on "Blues City Shakedown" and "Stormy Monday"
• Aynsley Dunbar – Drums on "So Many Roads", Looking Back", and "Sitting in the Rain"
• Mick Fleetwood – Drums on "It Hurts Me Too" and "Double Trouble"
• Keef Hartley – Drums on "Suspicions (Part Two)" and "Picture on the Wall"
• Dick Heckstall-Smith – Tenor and soprano saxophones on "Suspicions (Part Two)"
• Chris Mercer – Tenor saxophone on "Suspicions (Part Two)"

Additional musicians

• Malcolm Poole – Bass guitar
• Colin Allen – Drums
• John Almond – Flute, saxophone

Production

• John Mayall – Producer
• Mike Vernon – Producer
• Tony Clarke – Producer on "Blues City Shakedown"[7]
• Bob Gordon – Photography

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1969	Billboard 200	79[3]
	UK Top 40 Albums	14[8]

References

1. Unterberger, Richie. "Looking Back". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
2. Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 428. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
3. "Billboard 200 - 3 October 1969". Billboard. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
4. "John Mayall – Looking Back (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
5. "Artists: J". 45-rpm.org.uk. 10 February 1910. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
6. Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 134. CN 5585.
7. "John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers – Blues City Shakedown". YouTube. 23 August 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2012.^[dead YouTube link]
8. "Search the UK Top 40 Hit Database". everyHit. Type in "John Mayall" under "Name of Artist" and change Format to Albums