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Track Listings
| 1. Barewires-Suite: Barewires/Where Did I Belong,... |
| 2. I'm A Stranger |
| 3. No Reply |
| 4. Hartley Quits |
| 5. Killing Time |
| 6. She's Too Young |
| 7. Sandy |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Sometimes underrated, Bare Wires follows on from a line of great but basic [in terms of composition] blues albums, the best of which I think were Hard Road [with Peter Green] and Crusade [with Mick Taylor], although the earlier Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton always seems to get most plaudits -perhaps mainly from the EC fanclub.
Preceding arguably the best Mayall Album, Blues from Laurel Canyon -where the excellent playing of Mick Taylor is at its peak before his move to the Rolling stones, Bare Wires is a far more varied and personal album for Mayall than its predecessors.
The lyrics could be regarded as fairly introspective but the musical composition and excellent musicianship in terms of skill, range and interplay of Mayall, Chris Mercer, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Henry Lowther, Jon Hiseman, Tony Reeves and Mick Taylor make Bare Wires a great and interesting listen.
Some really lovely tracks; and how can you go wrong at this price anyway?
10 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The only way to categorise the music on this album is to say that it is a mixture of blues, rock and jazz. Things start with the "Bare Wires Suite" which takes up about half of the CD and then follows a further selection of six shorter songs. Personally, I don't see the point of this. The suite is itself made up of seven songs and they seem to make more sense seen as songs than seen as some greater whole. The songs in the suite are less traditional blues style than the rest of the album but while that marks them out from the second half, it does not make them relate to each other. It must also be said that they are not as good as the others.
Seen then as a collection of thirteen blues/rock songs with a few moments of jazz, this is a very interesting album indeed. Listening to it today, I am struck by the number of riffs that have made it into other rock songs since. Clearly, Mayall is essential listening for a lot of other musicians.
In general, the mood is pretty mellow and laid back exemplified by "I'm a Stranger" which is the strongest song here. It is also the most blues oriented piece on the CD.
This is not Mayall's best album but it is certainly well worth a listen.
If you like this CD, it's well worth checking out music from the likes of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Grateful Dead and of course, Eric Clapton.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
22 reviews
30 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Major Mayall
4 Dec 1999
Format:Audio CD
A forgotten album that's a dark horse candidate for Mayall's best work. Savage guitar from Mick Taylor; killer horns and percussion. A sense of sadness seeps deep beneath the blues. Very adult music from a musician who was growing old before his time and couldn't do anything about it.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Touches A Nerve
10 July 2006
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
When I was in college, you just weren't any fun at parties if you didn't have a good Bob Dylan impression in your pocket, as well as a good John Mayall impression. Mayall's singing was so overtly unnatural that he was a perfect target, it seemed he was straining for every note. That said, Bare Wires is the album where he stays within his range most effectively. The result is that for once one does not have to politely avert one's eyes when he sings.
Bare Wires is certainly Mayall's most unusual album, and in many ways his finest. In addition to the standard blues fare for which he is famous it includes strange and brooding experimental numbers like Bare Wires, Fire, I Know Now, and Sandy. Invariably surrounded by other terrific musicians, this effort boasts one of Mayall's best bands ever, including an outstanding horn section - Chris Mercer and Dick Heckstall-Smith. Henry Lowther adds some particularly eerie, and appropriate, grace notes with his fiddle and coronet. Jon Hiseman is excellent on drums and Tony Reeves anchors the effort well on his bass.
Mayall plays guitar, piano, and harmonica, writes, arranges, sings, and probably puts up the posters too. But he is a not a virtuoso at any of them. His greatness lies in his dedication to the blues and his ability to find and groom talent. For many years Mayall's band was an unofficial Blues Graduate School, turning out such legends-in-the-making as Eric Clapton and Peter Green. When Bare Wires was recorded, Mick Taylor was the new hot thing. (Mayall had originally found Taylor through a newspaper ad when he was only 18, long before his stint with the Rolling Stones.)
The one time I saw Mayall, at the Fillmore East, he had Taylor with him. The kid was putting on a clinic, he was out of his head. That same energy and flare are present throughout Barewires, even on slow numbers like Killing Time. But when you get to the upbeat tracks like Start Walking and Hartley Quits, you'll see why many consider Taylor every bit as good as Clapton, which is saying something. A marvelously obscure and curious CD certain to delight the true collector.
Bare Wires is certainly Mayall's most unusual album, and in many ways his finest. In addition to the standard blues fare for which he is famous it includes strange and brooding experimental numbers like Bare Wires, Fire, I Know Now, and Sandy. Invariably surrounded by other terrific musicians, this effort boasts one of Mayall's best bands ever, including an outstanding horn section - Chris Mercer and Dick Heckstall-Smith. Henry Lowther adds some particularly eerie, and appropriate, grace notes with his fiddle and coronet. Jon Hiseman is excellent on drums and Tony Reeves anchors the effort well on his bass.
Mayall plays guitar, piano, and harmonica, writes, arranges, sings, and probably puts up the posters too. But he is a not a virtuoso at any of them. His greatness lies in his dedication to the blues and his ability to find and groom talent. For many years Mayall's band was an unofficial Blues Graduate School, turning out such legends-in-the-making as Eric Clapton and Peter Green. When Bare Wires was recorded, Mick Taylor was the new hot thing. (Mayall had originally found Taylor through a newspaper ad when he was only 18, long before his stint with the Rolling Stones.)
The one time I saw Mayall, at the Fillmore East, he had Taylor with him. The kid was putting on a clinic, he was out of his head. That same energy and flare are present throughout Barewires, even on slow numbers like Killing Time. But when you get to the upbeat tracks like Start Walking and Hartley Quits, you'll see why many consider Taylor every bit as good as Clapton, which is saying something. A marvelously obscure and curious CD certain to delight the true collector.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
One of my favorite Mayall albums.
8 Dec 2005
Format:Audio CD
Mayall is a throwback to the "big band leaders" of the early 40s. His greatest talents were recognizing and assembling great musicians; directing and leading those musicians; and arranging and creating great musical compositions. This album highlights all of those strengths and in my opinion is his best. I'm a big fan of Mayall and have all of his early works, 1980 and earlier. I rediscovered this album after I started switching my collection over to CDs...I had long lost or "misplaced" the vinyl. Oddly enough, I guess my aging has changed my taste a bit, because I now put Barewires at the top of the Mayall collection. There is more use of horns and the music is more--I guess "moody" is the right term. I love the suite; it has all the ups and downs of life..."I'm a Stranger" is one of the best songs done by Mayall, it has everything. "No reply", "Hartley Quits" lots of good cuts on this one. This album is so smooth; it's great for a laid back evening of cooling the soul! Jazz/Blues, when done right, isn't a struggle to listen to and this album can be listened to with your eyes closed and your brain set on idle...
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