Empty Rooms - JOHN MAYALL***

Don't Waste My Time/Plan Your Revolution/Don't Pick A Flower/Something New/People Cling Together/Waiting For The Right Time/Thinking Of My Woman/Counting The Days/When I Go/Many Miles Apart/To A Princess/ Lying In My Bed

Empty Rooms was the final top twenty album from British blues front man John Mayall. The appeal of blues based rock dipped in the early new decade as the progressive and heavy metal genres came more to the fore. (US:33 UK:9)

"Empty Rooms is one of my favourite albums of all time. It’s played low key, ashtrays overflowing with half smoked cigarettes, heavy curtains tightly drawn to keep out the day and set the mood. All of the songs sound as if they could have been written while sitting around a hotel room, whiling away the idle hours. These were blues songs to be sure, reflecting the loneliness of being on the road."

"This is a slower, more pastoral and acoustic entry from the elder statesman. He does a lot of finger pickin' with his top-notch band, and the songs reflect the happier state of mind he was evidently in at the time. Don't Waste My Time is a standout, as well as Don't Pick A Flower. Mayall's slightly off-pitch singing takes some getting used to, but this is well worth a listen."

"This is another great record from John Mayall. It might be somewhat underappreciated due to a sombre mood prevailing throughout, but it contains many great songs. My favourite might be To A Princess with dual bass solo by Larry Taylor and Steve Thompson. The record is distinguished by the consistency of the mood, but probably is not for fainthearted."

"After The Turning Point, John went to the studio with the same line-up and recorded Empty Rooms. They continued much in the same line without drums. Unfortunately, many of the songs are so short that the band's instrumental skills don't get a chance to stand out so much. However, in Something New Johnny Almond shows that he is in a key role, spicing up many of songs that would be fairly average without him."

"Empty Rooms is meant to be an album which confronts loneliness, possibly his own, but with a group of musicians. Mayall talks too much. Perhaps a set of songs with Mayall playing alone would have made for a lonelier album. But nevertheless, this effort is a much more cohesive album than previous works, and Mayall comes across as much more comfortable."