This is an album of live takes from club recordings oct-nov -67. According to Mayalls own cover notes he recorded them himself with a tape speed of 3 3/4 ips. There are some great gigs here, but the sound quality dampers the enjoyment - classic "bootleg" quality, very muddy and unfocused at parts. Sounds like nothing was re-mixed or added though so maybe it's the most honest fidelity you can get from the tour. I always thought this mono was right and the stereo fake, but according to Prof. Stoned (http://profstoned.blogspot.se/)it's the other way around. (For more on this check his comment below.) "VOLUME TWO" is more of the same, I guess from the beginning the two parts were planned as a double album. First US issue came -71, a single album with highlights of the two volumes - "John Mayall - Live in Europe" (LONDON PS589). Early UK with ridged label as shown here and laminated cover. (MÄH*)(LYBÖ*)
This too is not a real mono mix, while the stereo actually has a true stereo image, albeit quite crude. Mayall made these rough 2-track tapes himself by plugging his (consumer) reel-to-reel machine in the house mixing board. This is the reason why the guitar is often times hardly heard, because it didn't need amplification on the P.A. speakers.
SvaraRaderaLike you said, this is bootleg quality at best, but then I can't think of any rock live album from this era that doesn't sound crummy.
Do You have the UK stereo 1:st? The mono is quite rare, but I have never seen an unboxed stereo copy in real life. Maybe the stereo has better sound. Guess I just have to wait for one to show up. It's true sixties lives mostly comes tatty, but there are a few exceptions posted here - "Live Adventures..." is nice, both as stereo and fold down, and the Swedish "Hep Stars On Stage" wich wich sounds great to be as early as 1965.
SvaraRadera