Mike Bloomfield: "Dark Road Blues: Santa Cruz 1981" (2026) CD Review

Mike Bloomfield is known for his work in The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Electric Flag in the 1960s, and for playing on Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited album, as well as for his subsequent solo career. In 2012, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (the same year that Lazy Lester and Furry Lewis got in), and in 2015 he was also inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band). He died in February of 1981, at the age of 37, apparently from an overdose. His final recorded concert performance was just two weeks earlier, at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, California (there were a couple more shows after this one, but no known recordings of those shows exist). That concert, held on January 31st, has now been released on CD as Dark Road Blues: Santa Cruz 1981. This show was a solo performance, with Mike Bloomfield playing both acoustic guitar and piano.

The album opens with a cover of "Dark Road Blues," with Mike Bloomfield playfully singing "I got loaded last night/Then I pissed on the floor/Brushed it up with my toothbrush/Don't brush my teeth much anymore" at the beginning. Then he gets into the main body of the song. He delivers this one on piano. There is a wonderfully loose feel to this song, and I love when his voice falls nearly into a growl at certain key points. "I ain't going down the dark road by myself." Mike Bloomfield is known for his guitar work, but here he shows his skills on piano. And he delivers some seriously cool stuff on piano on "Mean Mistreater Mama," easing into it with that wonderful piano introduction, and coming in on vocals after a minute or so. He gives us a delicious performance, both vocally and on the keys. "Do you remember, mama/I knocked upon your door/You had the nerve to tell me, baby/You didn't want me no more/Do you remember." Those lines are a key moment of the song, Mike's delivery heartfelt and moving. Soon after that, he moves into a piano solo. This is one of my personal favorite tracks.

With "I Don't Know," it is clear Mike is now he's having fun. "Sometimes I wish my true love was gone/She said, You shouldn't say that/I said, What shall I say this time, baby." He gives a tremendous performance. It must have been something to see him in concert. Chris Morris, in the liner notes for this release, writes, "In early '81, it appeared that Mike Bloomfield was again on the ascendant." Indeed! And it makes me wonder what he could have done over the next several years if he'd had that time. After "I Don't Know," Mike announces he's going to do one more song on the piano. That song is a very cool rendition of "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out," and here too he gets into the vibe on piano before starting the vocals. This is an especially remarkable vocal performance. Just listen to the way he delivers the lines, "When did I begin to fall so low/I didn't have no money/And no place to go." We can feel every syllable. This is coming from the heart, coming from experience. What a performance! There is a bit of popping right near the end, but it might be from him bumping into the microphone. At any rate, this track is a highlight of the album.

Mike Bloomfield then switches to guitar for the rest of the set, beginning with a delicious rendition of "Kansas City Blues," which has a great classic blues feel. He's grooving within this number, and the results are wonderful. He then covers Jimmie Rodgers' "T.B. Blues." The guitar work at the beginning is interesting, for he seems to be trying various different things before settling into a nice, slow groove. "I think my baby is trying to make a fool of me." Mike doesn't quite do the yodeling thing that Jimmie Rodgers did, but does something approaching it, which actually has a pretty sound. There is a bit of popping toward the end of this track. That's followed by "Country Mechanic," a song written by Nick Gravenites, a fellow member of Electric Flag (and who also played in Big Brother And The Holding Company after Janis Joplin had left). This is a particularly playful number, with lines like "Gonna mess around with your engine" and "All I want is to get my dipstick/I will fool around, baby, in your oil." This is such a cool set. According to the liner notes, this was the opening set of the show, Mike Bloomfield supporting Sir Douglas Quintet. What an opening set!

Mike then tackles the traditional folk number "Frankie & Johnny," delivering wonderful guitar work that receives some cheers from the audience. This track is a delight, in large part because of his guitar work, but also because of his vocal delivery. He gets softer as he repeats "She said bye, bye-bye," and it seems like maybe he's doing his own fade-out at one point. But really he's just drawing us all in closer. That's followed by a medley of "Fool For A Cigarette" and "Feelin' Good." Ry Cooder had played that combination on his 1974 record Paradise And Lunch. It begins with some cool guitar work. He sings, "Lord, I'm a fool for a glass of wine/And when I finish drinking/That's when I begin stinking," and then, "If I was a wino/I tell you just what I'd do/I would put my bottle away/Baby, just to feel good with you." He wraps up the set with Robert Johnson's "Come On In My Kitchen," introducing it as "one of my favorite slow blueses." His rendition is so damn cool. Someone in the audience reacts, letting loose a wild cheer, which makes Mike laugh. But he doesn't miss a step. This is an excellent rendition to conclude the disc.

CD Track List

1. Dark Road Blues
2. Mean Mistreater Mama
3. I Don't Know
4. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out
5. Kansas City Blues
6. T.B. Blues
7. Country Mechanic
8. Frankie & Johnny
9. Fool For A Cigarette/Feelin' Good
10. Come On In My Kitchen

Dark Road Blues: Santa Cruz 1981 was released on CD on October 9, 2026 through Liberation Hall. There was also a special vinyl edition released.