Behind The Iron Curtain - John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers (1985) (1LP Vinyl)

Behind The Iron Curtain by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers.

There is something electric about a live blues record captured far from home, and "Behind The Iron Curtain" delivers exactly that. Recorded at an open air concert in Szeged, Hungary on the 6th of June 1985, this album finds John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers bringing the deep American blues tradition to an audience on the other side of a political divide. The setting alone gives the music a sense of occasion, and you can feel the band rising to meet it.

By the mid 1980s Mayall had assembled a formidable version of the Bluesbreakers, and the lineup here is a big part of the appeal. Behind Mayall's vocals, guitar, harmonica, and organ sits a limber rhythm section of Bobby Haynes on bass and Joe Yuele on drums. Out front stand two lead guitarists, Coco Montoya and Walter Trout, both of whom would go on to significant careers of their own. Having two players of that caliber trading and stacking solos gives these performances a real edge.

The set opens with "Somebody's Acting Like A Child" and "Rolling With The Blues," an inviting pair that lays down the groove and lets the band settle into the open air. "The Laws Must Change" carries Mayall's long standing sense of purpose, while a reading of Mose Allison's "Parchman Farm" closes the first side with tight, propulsive energy.

Side two leans into the material that made the Bluesbreakers legendary. "Have You Heard" stretches out with slow burning intensity, giving the twin guitars and Mayall's organ plenty of room to breathe. It is the kind of extended blues meditation that live recording was made for, and the concert atmosphere only heightens it.

The album then builds toward its finale with "Fly Tomorrow" before landing on "Steppin' Out," the instrumental showpiece that has anchored the Bluesbreakers songbook for decades. In this setting it becomes a proper guitar workout, with Montoya and Trout pushing each other over Haynes and Yuele's steady swing. As a closing statement, it sends the audience home with the sound of the blues at full volume.

For collectors, "Behind The Iron Curtain" is both a fine live document and a snapshot of a particular moment: John Mayall, ever the bandleader and talent scout, arranging and producing a set built to spotlight the players around him. It captures a great band on a memorable night in Szeged, and it belongs on the shelf of anyone who loves the enduring story of British blues carried out into the wider world.

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Somebody's Acting Like A Child
A2. Rolling With The Blues
A3. The Laws Must Change
A4. Parchman Farm
B1. Have You Heard
B2. Fly Tomorrow
B3. Steppin' Out

Credits:
Bobby Haynes - Bass
Joe Yuele - Drums
John Mayall - Guitar
John Mayall - Harmonica
Coco Montoya - Lead Guitar
Walter Trout - Lead Guitar
John Mayall - Organ
John Mayall - Producer, Arranged By
John Mayall - Vocals

Notes:
Recorded at an open air concert in Szeged, Hungary 6th June 1985

Artist: John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers

Format: 1LP

Genre: Blues

Label: GNP Crescendo

Catalog Number: GNPS 2184

Release Year: 1985

Country: Germany

Condition: Sealed (New)