the aynsley dunbar retaliation

Rolling Stone Magazine made Aynsley Dunbar 27th in the greatest drummers of all time list. His work with Journey and Frank Zappa had gained him the highest plaudits but in the late 1960's and the time of the British blues explosion Dunbar had the ground work of his future in place when joining John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. The subsequent blues group that was to evolve from the Bluesbreakers is to this day one of the most underrated bands of the era.
Retaliation, later to become The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation with their second album made one of the great UK blues albums.
Entitled "To Mum From Aynsley and the Boys" and produced by John Mayall, it contained some of the finest individual musicianship and group playing on record at the time. The vocalist Victor Brox was probably to never better his performance than on this recording.
The album as a whole is understated and controlled yet with a drive and intensity that makes it stand outside from any jamming blues recordings of the time.
A perfect example from the album is 'Let It Ride' featuring the late Tommy Eyre on Hammond organ. With Dunbar's nailed on swing patterns, Brox's growling vocal and Eyre's attack to the keyboard it produces blues at it's most compelling.
The original vinyl is naturally enough a collectors item. The music though is priceless.