Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters

"The Lost Tapes"

Blind Pig BPcD 5054

Muddy Waters is the basis for the blues as we know them today. In this live recording over two 1971 dates in the Great Northwest, Muddy Waters and his band lay down a foundation on which any and many bluesmen did and do build upon. Supported by a group of journeyman legends, foreman Muddy and these skilled artisans cut, hammer and paint their own house of blues. Muddy shows up with a truckload of blues greats plying the tools of the trade - Pinetop Perkins on piano, Peewee Madison and Sammy
Lawhorn on guitars, George Smith on harmonica and a rhythm section of Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on drums and calvin Jones on bass. Together they use Muddy's "bluesprint" to put together a rock solid structure with each player's own personal accents added. This cD is hardhat and lunchbox material.

While Muddy's worn, red telecaster lacked the technology and gadgetry of the period, it was the tool of choice for this master craftsman. Like a prized tool from your grandpa's workshop - it ain't pretty, but it gets the job done. It feels good in your hand. Muddy knows how this tool works. The opening track, Honey Bee, is slow and methodical. Muddy's slide solo sounds like the first cut into a length of pipe - metal on metal. Pinetop's piano and "Harmonica" Smith add great detail to this ground floor project. Hoochie coochie Man is next. Muddy at his vocal best. chest out, chin up. Blues nailed down with an attitude - cocky and arrogant; matter of fact. John Mayall could have used the shuffling style of Walking Through the Park as a model to build his English blues. The Allman Brothers built around blues standards like Trouble No More presented here with strength and purpose.

Muddy never shied away from the sexy, steamy side of the blues. The "upstairs" of this cD attests to that. When he introduces and then sings She's 19 Years Old, you know it ain't no lie -this man in his mid-60's is still bringing home the young ladies. The testosterone continues to flow through a pounding Mannish Boy followed by a slithering rendition of Hooker's crawling Kingsnake. Finally, the band plays from the rooftop in a celebratory, show stopping Got My Mojo Working. This house is done! But a small problem arrives with the decorator. This is an "enhanced cD"-audio and video plays on your home computer. Pretty cool, but something is not quite right about watching Muddy Waters doing Long Distance call on your laptop. The cD also has one-second gaps where the disc is marked between tracks. Sounds like it was burned on your home office cD-R writer. Aficionados of the live concert recording will find this annoying. Luckily the Lost Tapes are structurally sound. Blues fans will enjoy all the rooms of this house of blues, even if they have to look past some ugly wallpaper.