John Mayall
Back To The Roots

Listening notes

John Mayall’s Back To The Roots is a 1971 Polydor vinyl release (catalog number 2675 011) categorized under Blues. Presented across four sides (A through D), the album contains 18 tracks. Based on the listed timings, the program runs approximately 92 minutes and 40 seconds, averaging just over five minutes per track.

Side A comprises five titles—beginning with Prisons On The Road (4:16) and concluding with Blue Fox (3:41)—for a side total of about 23:12. Side B gathers four tracks, from Home Again (4:55) to Looking At Tomorrow (6:53), totaling about 22:53. Side C returns to five tracks, opening with Dream With Me (5:19) and closing with Boogie Albert (2:16), for approximately 24:09. Side D’s four tracks—starting with Goodbye December (5:23) and ending with Travelling (4:38)—sum to about 22:26.

Durations range from concise pieces to extended performances. The shortest track is Boogie Albert at 2:16 (C5). Several tracks surpass the six-minute mark, including Accidental Suicide (6:15, A3), Television Eye (7:31, B2), Looking At Tomorrow (6:53, B4), Force Of Nature (6:32, C4), and Devil's Tricks (7:45, D3). The longest is Devil’s Tricks at 7:45. This spread places the lengthiest selections on sides B, C, and D, while side A mixes one longer cut with shorter titles.

The full track list is as follows: A1 Prisons On The Road (4:16), A2 My Children (5:08), A3 Accidental Suicide (6:15), A4 Groupie Girl (3:52), A5 Blue Fox (3:41); B1 Home Again (4:55), B2 Television Eye (7:31), B3 Marriage Madness (3:34), B4 Looking At Tomorrow (6:53); C1 Dream With Me (5:19), C2 Full Speed Ahead (5:20), C3 Mr. Censor Man (4:42), C4 Force Of Nature (6:32), C5 Boogie Albert (2:16); D1 Goodbye December (5:23), D2 Unanswered Questions (4:40), D3 Devil's Tricks (7:45), D4 Travelling (4:38).

All details above reflect the supplied release information for this Polydor issue.