Muddy Waters
The Lost Tapes
Blind Pig B00000J7V3
The question is not whether I recommend this
collection of lost tapes; that's a no brainer. If you are a fan of the "Mud" or
even a fan of blues in general, this should be spinning on your CD player when it hits the
United States in February. If you go into your favorite restaurant hungry, you know you're
going to eat. The real question here is what is on the menu? What is Muddy Waters serving
up? This is not the Muddy Waters you've heard on those late sixties Chess releases; this
is a man in his element playing the music that defined him. Mr. Morganfield, also
sometimes known as Muddy Waters, does the things he does best in front of a crowd and
that's one of the reasons this is a fabulous CD. These are all the tracks you want to hear
him work on and the sound quality is surprising considering the time period. The menu here
is full of goodies; from Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man," to Foster's "Got My
Mojo Working," around to a long version of the Oden song "19 Years Old,"
all the way to the song I defy you not to crank the volume up when you hear it,
"Manish Boy." On the ala Carte side, there is a short interview and dialogue
with the audience. The true beauty of this collection is that it documents something most
of us knew all along: the man from Rolling Form, Mississippi was more than just a legend,
he was a remarkable live performer. The Top Cat release shows solid evidence that the
"Mud" who modernized the blues by adding an electric guitar and developed the
ensemble-driven Chicago style was more than some footnote in a Who's Who of Blues. The
repertoire here is smooth and fulfilling, with just a hint of spontaneous rawness to it.
You can't listen to this disc without gaining new respect for a fantastic gathering of
artists: George "Harmonica" Smith blowing the harp, "Pinetop" Perkins
banging the ivories, Sammy Lawhorn and Pee Wee Madison swinging axes, Calvin
"Fuzz" Jones on the bass and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on the skins.
These weren't the wide-eyed youngsters that would come later on to worship at the Muddy
Waters Touring Altar; these were seasoned professionals who knew how to bend sound to
perfection. This CD is as much a testament to their skills as to Muddy Waters. If the
blues were a college class, this CD would be required material.
- Bill Fountain -
Southwest Blues CD Review - December 1998
Current Reviews - 1998 Reviews - available at our store
