Mick Abrahams - Revived!

It’s been a good while since I’ve listened to some good music lately, both old and new. Whether it’s from the realms of Progressive Rock, Metal, and Jazz Rock, something special and magical is about to happen. Mick Abrahams, guitarist as with his work with Jethro Tull, Blodwyn Pig, and as a solo artist, he is often overlooked in the history of the guitar players. When people think of guitarists, they think of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Brian May to name a few. But Mick Abrahams himself deserves some recognition in the history of the sounds of the blues in his DNA that would have made Robert Johnson very happy for.

This year, he’s brought along special guests including Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones), Paul Jones (Manfred Mann), Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake), Jim Rodford (The Kinks), and his successor Martin Barre from Tull to name a few. All have come together to lend a helping hand for Abrahams for an album entitled, Revived! This is a wonderful touch for Mick himself to get on the groove on his guitar and bring the Blues Rock sound with a driven, strong, powerful rhythm that he comes up with. 50% of the royalties and the sales for the album will proceed to the children’s charity of Kids ‘n’ Cancer in which they are going through to help them in the UK saving Proton Therapy treatment for their cancers and tumors. 

And this is a wonderful benefit for Mick to help out for the charity and lending a helping hand on what the children are going through and Mick himself isn’t doing this for the money, he’s doing this because he is lending help for support and knowing that he’s got their back. The DVD features an interview with Mick himself about the making of the project and you could he has an excellent sense of humor in him and shows no sign of stopping. There’s also sessions during the rehearsals including practices between songs such as: Chuck Berry’s Nadine, Canned Heat’s On the Road Again, the ‘50s rock essence for What About Love?, and Hungry for Love.

Watching these outtakes shows Mick along with Patrick Walshe in which he’s helping him through guide vocals and George Muryan doing some Blues improvisations on the Hammond Organ, they are having a wonderful time working on the tracks that inspired and influenced Mick’s playing and his roots.

Hungry For Love has this wonderful reminiscent of the Beatles first album Please Please Me while the opening track of Blodwyn Pig’s Summer Day sees Mick nailing his adaptation of the song in the heavy rock bursting crunch in a mid-tempo beat. Organists Josh Phillips and Chris Gore take the keyboards for a driving down the blues highway for some amazing solo work and improvisations to get into the groove and tapping their feet on the rhythm for Eliz. & Abys Jam and the drive down for a different version of Summer Day with Hammond.

Dragonfly in which his son Alex wrote, both he and Mick do a beautiful father-and-son duo. The composition is very much a laid-back acoustic beauty. And you can imagine the sun rising into the right moment but it’s the country-tinged waltz take of Goodnight Irene shows Mick going in the 1950s and the styles of George Jones and Hank Williams. Not to mention Paul Jones bringing wonders to his harmonica to capture the atmosphere.

But he and Mick share vocals on the 12-bar walking blues take of Jimmy Reed’s Bright Lights, Big City. It’s a great touch to have a slowed down groove followed by former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden creating amazing riffs on his instrument and Jones harmonica both sharing turns on what will happen next and their touch of Reed’s song makes it spot on.

I really enjoyed listening to Revived and it shows Mick’s return to the Blues Rock adventures. And I hope we get a chance to see more of Mick Abrahams return to the spotlight anytime soon and this is a wonderful take of the ‘50s Rock and Blues/Soul influences. This is my fifth time listening to Revived! Mick Abrahams and his friends showed how much support and honor that knowing he will be back.