Doctor Dunbar's Prescription

Aynsley Dunbar's early progress from youthful drumming prodigy in Mersey beat-era Liverpool to a bandleader with a Top 30 LP has been covered in the sleevenote to first album 'The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation' (BADCD002). Briefly, that album - recorded by the same quartet of Dunbar (drums), Victor Brox (vocals), John Morshead (guitar) and Alex Dmochowski (bass) - reached some versions of the UK chart thanks to heavy live promotion.

 

The drummer might not have been around to lead his band in a second studio foray that year had he taken up an opportunity to join the New Yardbirds - soon, of course, to be renamed Led Zeppelin. It wasn't the first time he'd turned down a supergroup, having asked Jimi Hendrix for a £30 weekly wage instead of the offered £20 and losing out to the less expensive Mitch Mitchell.

 

November 1968 was the release date, and on the 16th of that month the Retaliation were enthusiastic participants in a one-day festival held at London's Royal Festival Hall. Others to be seen and heard at 'The Blues Scene '68' included Muddy Waters, Champion Jack Dupree and John Mayall. Dunbar had featured in Mayall's band the Bluesbreakers alongside John McVie and Peter Green, the quartet recording seminal album 'A Hard Road'; legend has it Retaliation were so-named as a consequence of Aynsley getting the sack!

 

The new album featured a generous ten tracks, five per vinyl side, and 'Low Gear Man', 'Call My Woman' and 'I Tried' were all in the live set as performed at the RFH. Interestingly, the album's running order was changed by US label Blue Thumb, with 'Change Your Lowdown Ways' promoted over 'The Fugitive', and we have reflected this ...