Mick Abrahams joined Jethro Tull in 1967 when Ian Anderson and his merry bluesmen relocated to Luton, replacing Neil Smith as guitarist. However his time with the band was short, and he departed the band after recording just one album. That album, 1968’s This Was mixed Abrahams electric blues, and jazz motifs with Ian Andersons theatrical vocal style, and saw the band make the top 10 in the UK. However, Anderson and Abrahams had very different plans for the future of the band, and once a replacement (Martin Barre) had been secured, Abrahams went off to form his own blues fusion band. Blodwyn Pig recorded two albums, Ahead Rings Out (1969), and Getting To This (1970), before Abrahams jumped ship once more, this time to go solo. Those two Blodwyn Pig albums along with a collection of BBC sessions made up The Recordings 1969-1974 3CD set which was released just one week before this set (reviewed elsewhere on this website). This later collection brings together his first two post Pig solo albums, Mick Abrahams (1971) and At Last (1972).
Although Blodwyn Pig showed flashes of blues, jazz, and R&B on tracks like Ahead Rings Out‘s ‘The Modern Alchemist’, once the shackles were off Abrahams took more control over the writing for the Mick Abrahams album (1971 – disc 1), with only one co-write in the shape of the countrified slide grooves of ‘Not To Rearrange’ written with Bob Sargeant. Despite being credited as a solo album this really was a team effort and really marked the first release for the Mick Abrahams “Band”, with Sargeant (keys, guitar, vocals), Ritchie Dharma (drums) and Walt Monaghan (bass) all fully onboard. A mix of blues shuffle on ‘Greyhound Bus’ and ‘Why Do You Do Me This Way’, and the solid R&B of ‘Big Queen’, the debut comes over as an amalgamation of Spencer Davis Group Hammond smoothness and Groundhogs progressive blues rock instrumentation, with the almost nine minutes of ‘Awake’ and the fifteen minute organ orgasm of ‘Seasons’, from where this set takes its title. But not everything is full throttle and Mick also takes the time to show off his singer/songwriter prowess on the emotional ‘Winds Of Change’ as he plucks, picks and slides his way over beautifully crafted harmonies. All in all, Mick Abrahams is a very consistent, competent, yet diverse collection to launch his solo brand.
At Last (1972 – disc 2) hits your ears in full on Quo boogie mode, with added horns supplied by Mick’s old Blodwyn Pig partner, Jack Lancaster on ‘When I Get Back’. This justifies the now fully expanded “Band” name featuring prominently on the circular front sleeve of At Last. On ‘Absent Friends’, and ‘Up And Down’ the progressive leanings once again pull heavily on the horns, contrasting with the mandolin led charm of ‘Time Now To Decide’ with both styles showing the versatility of the now enhanced five piece. Probably the thing that makes At Last stand above its predecessor is the mainstream appeal of tunes like ‘Maybe Because’, which mix the Abrahams blues backbone with giant swing and Santana style rhythms, and the slow blues and cool saxophone lament of ‘The Good Old Days’ giving a fully rounded commercial edge that a straight ahead trad blues run through may not have achieved. Top tracks come in the shape of the cha-cha-cha of ‘Whole Wide World’, and the pumping piano stomp of closer ‘You’ll Never Get it From Me’. At Last proves that by taking his searing guitar skills, strong vocal style, and adding a little help from his friends, then mixing just a spoonful of Blodwyn Pig with the Mick Abrahams Band, was the perfect blend. Unfortunately there are no bonuses added to either of the discs within this collection, which is a real shame, as a few live offerings or even a demo or two, similar to its Blodwyn Pig forerunner, would have made the compilation just a little more “must have”.
If all in life was fair, these two albums (along with the two BP releases) would have been a springboard to bigger and better things. But all is not fair in the musical world, and Abrahams found himself losing faith in the business, trying various alternatives, including driving, working as a lifeguard, and even releasing his own Have Fun Learning Guitar With Mick Abrahams vinyl album in 1975. Following a reunion with Blodwyn Pig in the 90’s he would continue recording and playing live, both solo, and with various line-ups of BP until his final album in 2015, Revived! His health however was in decline and on 19th December 2025 he passed away at the age of 82. He may not have had the profile of Clapton, Green, Page, or Beck, but there has never been a more fitting time to remember what an exceptional bluesman Mick Abrahams was. Here’s to Absent Friends.
- Reviewed By Peter Brockwell.
- Seasons – The Recordings is released via Esoteric/Cherry Red Records on 27th March 2026
- (3) Facebook
- Mick Abrahams 1943-2025 – Jethro Tull
Track List:
Disc One: Mick Abrahams
1. Greyhound Bus
2. Awake
3. Winds Of Change
4. Why Do You Do Me This Way
5. Big Queen
6. Not to Rearrange
7. Seasons
Disc Two: At Last
1. When I Get Back
2. Absent Friends
3. Time Now To Decide
4. Whole Wide World
5. Maybe Because
6. The Good Old Days
7. Up And Down
8. You’ll Never Get it From Me
