Muddy Waters - Mud In Your Ear

A repost by request: 

Muddy Waters - Mud In Your Ear
Muse 5008, 1967

A1 Diggin' My Potatoes     3:08    
A2 Watch Dog     3:03    
A3 Sting It     2:30    
A4 Why'd You Do Me?     3:22    
A5 Natural Wig     3:15    
B1 Mud In Your Ear     2:50    
B2 Excuse Me Baby     2:04    
B3 Sad Day Uptown     4:09    
B4 Top Of The Boogaloo     4:09    
B5 Long Distance Call     3:51


    Drums – Francis Clay
    Guitar – Muddy Waters, Sammy Langhorne
    Guitar, Vocals – Luther Johnson
    Harmonica, Vocals – George "Mojo" Buford
    Piano – Otis Spann

Here is one of those incidences where the Muse showed some very sketchy Record Exec type morality. THIS IS NOT A MUDDY WATERS ALBUM!! This is a Muddy Waters Band album featuring his guitarist Luther 'Snake' Johnson as the band leader and Waters' alleged participation is, at best, inaudible, if he is there at all! Given the level of the players this is totally worthwhile stuff but the packaging represents the automatic sales cache' of Waters in the early 70's rather than the actual content of the album. The album was initially on the old Douglas label under Luther's name.

Muddy Waters - Live (1971, 76 & 79)

Following on from my previous post...Here are some other very good rare live performances from Muddy Waters...who epitomises The Blues ! You can never tire from his uniqueness, talent and influence !

Muddy Waters - Mojo - The Live Collection (1971&76) :
This is a compilation of other rare MW live perfomancces that have appeared on earlier independent labels...From my searches Tracks 1 to 7 are the gathering of all Muddy's vocal/guitar tracks from a gig in Switzerland April 1976 that have appeared on Jazz Helvetica CD 02 (?)

Tracks 8, 9, 10, 12 recorded at Washington University, 1971
Tracks 11, 13, 14 recorded at Oregon University, 1971
Issued under license from Red Lightnin' Ltd and courtesy of Top Cat Records...and are from a selection on the album 'Muddy Waters - The Lost Tapes' released on Blind Pig Records.
The personnel is given in my scans provided.

Muddy Waters - Windy City Blues (Live 1979) :
This is just a copy of an obscure album from Charly Records (art gathered from the net) and licensed to a small cut-price label where I stumbled across it...(and have added the cover for what its worth...with no details)...but a fine recording. Here is some info from a MW discography :
Live recording, possibly at Harry Hope’s Club, Cary, Illinois, Thur. to Sat. 22to 24 March 1979 or Fri. to Sun. 26 to 28 Oct 1979.
Muddy Waters vcl, gtr; Luther ‘Guitar Jr.’ Johnson gtr, vcl; Bob Margolin gtr;Jerry Portnoy hca; Joe ‘Pinetop’ Perkins pno, vcl; Calvin Jones bass; Willie Smith drums...
It's a gem ! - Gus
Both here as flac & mp3@320

Muddy Waters - Hoochie Coochie Man (Live 1964)

It's been a while since we've had a Muddy Waters album here...I didn't want to post the obvious classics as I'm sure we all have those in our collections (or should !).
Here is a very good live recording that is perfect for listening in the late hours with a beer (or...Champagne & Reefer...?) in hand !
...And is slightly more obscure than his Chess live sets. It's a favourite of mine from the greatest Bluesman of them all (along with Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf and B B King...of course !)
The band consists of Muddy - Guitar and vocals, Otis Spann - Piano, George Smith - Harmonica, Sammy Lawhorn - Guitar, Luther Johnson - Bass and Francis Clay - Drums...Or so we are told from the lack of proper detail and info re where these recordings originate from. But don't let this put you off...It's a unique chilled Muddy with plenty of his slide-guitar and wonderful voice.

Robert Gordon in his book 'Can't Be Satisfied - The Life And Times Of Muddy Waters' (2002) has this to say about this recording : 
'...Hoochie Coochie Man (Laserlight) is notable both for its raucous slide guitar and its interesting set list (including 'Rosalie', an obscure track from the Library of Congress recordings). Recorded in 1964, the CD captures Muddy at his mightiest; during 'Tiger In Your Tank', when the guitar is about to overcome the vocals (as it rightly should, growling), the soundman abruptly adjusts it - it pains me every time. Nonetheless , among Muddy's live discs, this one's the one.'   

Note : on this CD 'Tiger In Your Tank' is wrongly titled as 'Sittin' And Thinkin' (track 4) amongst other errors ...I do believe that this label was a cheap release-anything-that-might-sell company...but this is a diamond for MW fans...his performances and voice are superb ! - Here as flac & mp3 with complete scans - Enjoy Gus

Muddy Waters - With Little Walter: 1950-1952

When most people think about the legacy of Muddy Waters, the first songs that come to mind are probably those macho Willie Dixon-produced shouts from the mid-1950s: Hoochie Coochie Man, Mannish Boy, I'm Ready, I Just Want to Make Love to You, Got My Mojo Working, etc.   But as far as I am concerned, the pinnacle of Muddy Waters' recorded output unquestionably lies here, in the records that he made with Little Walter in the early 50s before Willie Dixon entered the picture.  This is Muddy Waters playing his own music his own way in a manner that helped mold the evolution of Chicago and Mississippi blues in the 1950s and beyond.   It just doesn't get any better than this.  If I could only own one blues collection, I would choose this one.   I can't begin to describe here how much satisfaction and inspiration these recordings have given me over so many years.

I took these recordings from two sources:  The first 22 tracks come from the 2-CD set, The Anniversary Collection, released on Chess (MCA) in 2000.  The final 3 tracks come from the Hip-O-Select collection "Hoochie Coochie Man."  Together they present all of Muddy Water's recordings from June, 1950 to the end of1952.   The first session here marks the time when Leonard Chess finally honored Muddy's wish to allow him to record with Little Walter, and the result marked a milestone in recorded blues history.  (Parkway records had already recorded the two together in 1951, but Muddy Waters was essentially confined to guitar accompaniments for contractual reasons.)  Little Walter is co-featured on almost all of these tracks, although many believe that it is actually a teenage Junior Wells who takes care of the mean harp work on the last four tracks.  Jimmy Rogers is also present on many songs in this collection.

There are no weak tracks here (IMO), and the number of masterpieces is mind boggling:  Long Distance Call, Honey Bee, Louisiana Blues, She Moves Me, Still a Fool, Too Young to Know, Standing Around Crying, Iodine in My Coffee to name a handful.   I will stop here at the risk of sounding too fanatical.  When it comes to Muddy Waters, I am indeed a fanatic, and these recordings are IT for me.     

The Chess Story 1947 - 1975: Part 3 1965 - 1975 (Discs 11 - 13)

Well... this concludes The Chess Story.  I find the latter years to be the weakest in terms of quality.  Clearly compromises were made in pursuit of making money.  Combined with changes in ownership, we are left with really dated and unimportant music.  Still, there are some worthy tunes and overall it's a decent listen.  I guess the point is that, even the worst Chess offerings were better than alot of the music being released during that time.

I have gone through the previous posts and reloaded all of the links.  I hope this will benefit anybody who missed any.  There's a 14th disc featuring interviews with Phil and Marshall Chess, if there's interest I can post it as well... enjoy!!!

The Chess Story 1947 - 1975: Part 2 1957 - 1964 (Discs 8 - 10)

More from the heyday of Chess and the last installment of Part 2...  enjoy!!!

The Chess Story 1947 - 1975: Part 2 1957 - 1964 (Discs 6 & 7)

Hey Gang!!  Sorry about the large delay with this series.  I suppose I have lost some of you but I assure you, I will keep things movin on this one.

We have reached part 2 of the box, and discs 6 & 7 are really representative of the Chess heyday.  Now the label is firmly established and has found its way.  This means they are pumpin out the hits from their now famous roster.

As far as who's who, the list is much like the last couple of discs we heard.  These artists had much to say and the recordings flowed like wine.  I will give you guys some time to absorb these before unleashing the next batch... enjoy!!!

The Chess Story 1947 - 1975: Part 1 1947 - 1956 (Discs 3-5)

With all of the amazing music coming through Chitlins, it's hard to find the right time for a substantial post like this.  Translation:  The time is never right, so here it is!! 

I hope you all enjoyed the first two discs, the next three are even more intruiging as Leonard Chess expands his roster and aspirations.  Individual players from Muddy Waters' band begin succesful recording careers of their own.  New and creative artists like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry arrive, and by disc 5, Chess is a varied and multi faceted label.

Something that you should know, Leonard Chess also began recording jazz around this time as well.  Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt and even the great Benny Goodman were some of the first artists to record jazz on the Chess imprint.  I think it would have been a great idea to include the Chess label jazz sides, just as a measure of Leonard Chess' great taste.  Another area which is omitted, would be comedy LPs.  Pigmeat Markham and Moms Mabley were frequent releases during these early years at Chess.  Most of the sides were recorded live, but the comedy album held much esteem back in the day.

For my personal tastes, these 3 discs are the strongest in terms of all around impact.  Musically, creatively and what would eventually be, historically too.  The next few discs are also incredibly strong, so buckle up...  Enjoy!!!

The Best Of Little Walter

This is a blues classic by one of the most legendary harp players, Little Walter.  Unlike the suggestion that the title makes, this was his first album.

Generally when we see "Best Of", we are led to think that a few albums have come before.  In this case, the Checker label had signed him and decided to go with the title.  The album was infact a compilation of songs which Walter had recorded as singles.  Shortly after the album's release, Chess bought the contract and decided to keep the album intact, even using the same call number in their catalogue.

Walter has an extremely soulful style and is technically proficient to boot.  My favorite tracks are Juke and Mean Old World  There's no doubt that this is one of the greatest harmonica albums ever put on wax, if not one of the greatest blues/r&b sides.  If you haven't heard this, you better skip to it and thank poppachubby later!!  A stone cold classic... enjoy!!

Chess Masters CH-9192
1986

Originally released on Checker LP-1428, 1958
Re-issued on Chess LP-1428 1958

A
1. "My Babe" (Willie Dixon) 2:44
2. "Sad Hours"   3:15
3. "You're So Fine"   3:07
4. "Last Night"   2:46
5. "Blues with a Feeling"   3:10
6. "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"   3:03

B
1. "Juke"   2:47
2. "Mean Old World"   2:57
3. "Off the Wall"   2:52
4. "You Better Watch Yourself"   3:04
5. "Blue Lights"   3:14
6. "Tell Me Mamma"   2:47

Little Walter – lead vocals, harmonica
Muddy Waters – guitar on "Juke" and "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
Jimmy Rogers – guitar on "Juke" and "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
David Myers – guitar
Louis Myers – guitar
Leonard Caston – guitar on "My Babe"
Robert Lockwood, Jr. – guitar on "My Babe"
Willie Dixon – bass, producer
Elgin Evans – drums on "Juke" and "Can't Hold Out Much Longer"
Fred Below – drums

Recorded in Chicago

Muddy And The Wolf

This is a great album.  Side one is tracks from a Muddy session, originally released as Fathers And Sons.  Side 2 features the Wolf, tracks taken from his album The London Howlin Wolf Sessions.

I actually had a mint copy of Fathers And Sons but sold it when I was offered too much to refuse.  As you can see from the cover, Howlin Wolf is jammin with some British rock types.

Overall a really fun album.  Ripped from my minty vinyl, but only at 320 mp3 (older rip)... Enjoy!!!


Chess CH-9100
1984




MUDDY WATERS:

Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocals, slide guitar); Michael Bloomfield (guitar); Paul Butterfield, Jeff Carp (harmonica); Otis Spann (piano); Donald "Duck" Dunn, Phil Upchurch (bass); Sam Lay (drums).

Engineer: Ron Malo, Reice Hamel.

Recorded at Ter-Mar Studios, Chicago, Illinois; Live at Super Cosmic Joy-Scout Jamboree, Chicago, Illinois, April 24, 1969. Originally released on Chess (127).

 1 All Aboard  2:50 
 2 Blow Wind Blow See All    3:36 
 3 Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had  3:04  
 4 Walkin' Thru the Park  3:18   
 5 I'm Ready   3:35   
 6 Long Distance Call  6:22



HOWLIN' WOLF:

Personnel: Howlin' Wolf (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica); Eric Clapton, Hubert Sumlin (guitar); Jeffrey M. Carp (harmonica); Steve Winwood, Ian Stewart, Lafayette Leake, John Simon (piano, organ); Bill Wyman, Phil Upchurch (bass, shakers, cow bell); Charlie Watts (drums, conga, percussion).

Engineer: Glyn Johns

Recorded at Olympic Sound Studios, London, England. Originally released on Chess (6008).

 7 Rockin' Daddy   3:40   
 8 What A Woman!   3:01  
 9 Who's Been Talking?   3:05  
 10 Red Rooster    1:28  
 11 Red Rooster  2:47   
 12 Highway 49   3:51   
 13 Do the Do   2:17