The John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers song that gives Joe Perry “goosebumps”
Innovators are a rare breed in music. Classic rock ‘n’ roll, in particular, has a limited vocabulary, so any new adjustments to the rule book were and are often snaffled up quickly by an onslaught of inspired peers. However, as the leader of The Bluesbreakers, John Mayall launched music forward with a giant leap. His vision was to make the rock musician as prominent as their jazz counterparts.
“I always make it a point to pick songs on which players really shine,” he once said. While that might not sound all that revolutionary now, back when the band first emerged in 1963, there might have been rock luminaries like Little Richard being hailed for their brilliance, but rarely were those supporting the star given a share of the spotlight. However, Mayall selflessly figured that ensuring his band were a liberated group of virtuosos was the natural next step to elevating his Mose Allison-inspired songwriting.
With that in mind, he ended up assorting some of the finest musicians in history. Eric Clapton, John McVie, Mick Taylor, Jack Bruce, Mick Fleetwood, Hughie Flint, Peter Green and more all found themselves in the Bluesbreakers line-up—all of which now reside as some of the finest musicians in rock ‘n’ roll history. Mayall taught them an important lesson, too: while he was keen for the song to support their playing, the inverse of that was paramount. “I write songs about real things,” he said, “The subject dictates the mood and it goes from there, really.”
Well, the mood at the time wasn’t quite as happy-clappy as some of the commercial music was making out. Mayall and his band revolutionised this. By letting each player off the leash and serving great, honest songs to their fullest potential, things got earthier, heavier, and downright harder. Future musicians like Joe Perry would feel freed and inspired by this movement, and for the Aerosmith guitarist, one song personifies their sound: ‘Steppin’ Out’.
Even the title signifies the band’s intent, and according to Perry, they nailed it like no other. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard such intense playing and such a great solo with so much attitude on it,” he told Guitar World. “And the tone was revolutionary. Everybody else played with that country twang up ‘tiI then. The Beatles had some juice when it came to distortion, but Clapton was finally able to break through those early studio engineers’ fear of overloading.”
This vibrancy and heaviness was brand-new. The song’s success set rock off on a new path, surely inspiring The Beatles to even attempt things like ‘Helter Skelter’. “He defined the sound that guitarists spend the rest of their lives trying to get,” Perry added. “There’s so much expression in his phrasing and the harmonics. That song still gives me goosebumps.”
All of this was thanks to the guidance and vision of the late John Mayall.
