Thru the Years

Thru the Years is a compilation album of music by John Mayall released in October 1971 by Decca Records in the U.K. and London Records in the U.S.A. The album was the second compilation to be issued by Decca/London with Mayall's blessing, although his contract with them had ceased. It features a mixture of previously unissued songs or non-album tracks that had only been released as singles.
The album reached No. 164 on the Billboard 200. It was re-released by Deram on CD in 1990.
A grab bag of rare tracks from the '60s, some of which stand among Mayall's finest. His debut 1964 single "Crawling Up a Hill" is one of his best originals; this comp also includes a couple of 1964-1965 flipsides. The eight songs featuring Peter Green include some top-notch material that outpaces much of the only album recorded by the Green lineup (A Hard Road), particularly the Green originals "Missing You" and "Out of Reach," a great B-side with devastating, icy guitar lines and downbeat lyrics that ranks as one of the great lost blues-rock cuts of the '60s. The set is filled out with a few songs from the Mick Taylor era, the highlight being the vicious instrumental "Knockers Step Forward."

John Mayall – guitar, harmonica, keyboards, organ, vocals
Roger Dean – guitar (1, 2)
Bernie Watson – guitar (3)
Peter Green – guitar, harmonica, vocals (4–11)
Mick Taylor – guitar (12–14)
John McVie – bass (1–4, 6–11)
Paul Williams – bass (12)
Tony Reeves – bass (13–14)
Hughie Flint – drums (1–2)
Martin Hart – drums (3)
Aynsley Dunbar – drums (4, 6–11)
Keef Hartley – drums (12)
Jon Hiseman – drums (13–14)
Dick Heckstall-Smith – tenor saxophone (12–13), soprano saxophone (12)
Chris Mercer – tenor saxophone (12–13)
Henry Lowther – trumpet (13)