Customer Reviews

At Newport 1960

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Recorded at the 1960 Newport jazz festival, this album is a superior set of live blues. Muddy is backed for the set by James Cotton on harmonica, the great Otis Spann on piano, Pat Hare on rhythm guitar, bassist Andrew Stevenson, and drummer Francis Clay. The performances are straightahead Delta favored Chicago blues highlighted by an explosive take and reprise of Muddy's set closer "I've Got My Mojo Working". From the sounds of the crowd Muddy nearly brought the house down before he wrapped up his set. This is a good live disc of exciting high energy blues by one of the music's masters, recommended.

This is the concert that inspired the likes of Eric Burdon, Clapton, Winwood, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page...this is a must for blues and rock n' roll collectors. The sound is live, probably Muddy's best live recording. I would like to find the video/35mm film to this. I also recommend "Hard Again" by Muddy with the help of James Cotton (who is also on this live recording) and Johnny Winter. The man is missed.

According to the liner notes from this one, Muddy had a tough time with Blues festivals. First he was too electric and loud. The next year he was too acoustic and quiet. From the sound of this one, he finally got it just right.

This is not a barn-burner. Oh, it has plenty of energy, but if you're looking for the jolt found on his Blue Sky-era recordings, you're going to be a bit disappointed. This is smoother blues. Not mellow, but not as rowdy. Remember, the younger Muddy Waters was trying to find wide-acceptance of his misic. (It is a shame he didn't find that until the last few years of his life)

The song selection is fantastic. "Tiger in your tank" is fun. "Got my mojo working" is a foot-stopmper. But, my favorite is "Goodbye Newport Blues", which was allegedly penned on the stairs to the stage and ad-libbed by the band. But, what a band to have ad-lib!

This one is must for those who want to move beyond blues/rock.

Muddy Waters' July, 1960 appearance at the Newport Folk Festival was recorded and issued as one of the first live blues albums, and one of the very best as well. A bit short at only nine songs (plus four studio recordings), but that's just about the only complaint you could possibly lodge against this classic recording.

The sound on the remastered 2001 edition is simply excellent...the original masters have been transferred in high-resolution digital audio, bringing up Andrew Stephenson's bass overall, and moving Muddy's singing several layers forward in the mix.
And the result is superb. The Muddy Waters Band of 1960 included top-notch harmonica player James Cotton, guitarist Auburn "Pat" Hare, drummer Francis Clay, and the great Otis Spann whose superb piano playing graced almost all of Muddy's 1960s recordings (listen to the swing he adds to "I Feel So Good"). And Muddy Waters himself is in his prime, his big, confident voice possessing tremendous power.

Talking about highlights is a meaningless excercise..."Muddy Waters At Newport" features the definitive renditions of the classic "Got My Mojo Working" and the swaggering "I Feel So Good", but literally everything is superb, from the hits ("Hoochie Coochie Man", Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go") to the little-known songs ("Soon Forgotten", the then-newly recorded "I Got My Brand On You" and "Tiger In Your Tank"). And the live portion of the album winds down with the slow lament "Goodbye Newport Blues", which is pretty generic and obviously slapped together for the occation, but it actually works quite well (and pianist Otis Spann provides a good lead vocal).

The original live recordings have been augumented by four bonus tracks recorded just prior to Muddy's Newport appearance, three of which appear "live" as well. Notice how the live recordings of "I Got My Brand On You", "Tiger In Your Tank" and the slow "Soon Forgotten" are almost twice as long as the studio versions.
The fourth song is one of Muddy's least-known songs...a mid-tempo blues shuffle anchored by a great rhythm section and with some superb harmonica playing by James Cotton. A fine little gem.

"Muddy Waters At Newport" is a must-have for any self-respecting blues fan, casual or fanatical, and one of the greatest items in Muddy Waters' catalogue.

I was a kid when this record came out, in school at Bancroft Junior High in Lakewood California. Unlike the others in my all white neighborhood, my dad worked in the record business and was always bringing me stuff he thought I should hear. This one, Muddy Waters singing live, it was something, really something. I liked Billie Holiday and her brand of blues, but this was different. This one had me up and groovin' in my room. Pat Boone, Muddy Waters wasn't. You didn't have to tell me what a Mojo was and Lord above did I ever want to be a Hoochie Coochie man.

I'm a lot older now, have gone though several copies of this record. I've had it on four track, eight track, cassette and CD and now on iTunes. This record was my intro to Muddy Waters and what an intro is was. Otis Spann's piano playing seems to be pulling the band into the stratosphere. If this record doesn't get you out of your chair and dancing, nothing will and that's why it's on my list as one of the ten best records of 1960

This is one of blue's seminal albums -- a must-have for any blues fan. Simply put, it defined the Chicago style. Muddy's vocals are sensational -- he's in top form here -- and the band steams along like a locomotive. Don't expect high-quality sound, though. This 41-year old gem was recorded live and the sound gets pretty thin at times. No matter. It's the historic performance that you get.

Muddy Waters was 45 years old when this recording was made in 1960. At that time, Muddy had already logged in over 15 years as a professional musician, working mainly in the rough-and-tumble blues joints on the South Side of Chicago.

He was well known by blues musicians and fans around the world and was considered by many to be the "father" or "king" of the electric Chicago blues style. Of course, he is now immortal.

This excellent recording features Muddy playing mostly Chicago standards with a tight group of musicians who are also well known to blues fans. Most of the songs Muddy Waters recorded during his career were slow-to midtempo blues and, with a couple of exceptions, this set is no different.

The moderate tempos allow the listener to absorb the deeply soulful singing, licks, solos, and overall arrangements. In addition, these are excellent reference recordings for emerging blues musicians.

The arrangements played by the classic Chicago blues bands were mostly "head arrangements," which tend to be raw and earthy when contrasted with Kansas City or Memphis blues bands.

As a musician Muddy Waters stayed with what he knew and loved, while watching others with far less talent scoop up lots of money playing lightweight pop-rock songs. For this, and his supreme talent, his memory deserves to be preserved and honored.

Muddy Waters at the Newport Jazz Festival. Seems like a match made in heaven! And, indeed, this is a fine live work, featuring some of Waters' greatest hits. One interesting feature is four extra tracks from studio recordings. Three of these are also sung at Newport, so some interesting comparisons can be made.

The band: Muddy Waters (born McKinley Morganfield), vocals and guitar; James Cotton, harmonica; Otis Spann, piano and vocals on "Goodbye Newport Blues"; Pat Hare, guitar; Andrew Stephenson, bass; Francey Clay, drums; Langston Hughes, Emcee and lyrics for "Goodbye Newport Blues."

A few samples of the music. . . .

The lead song is "I got my brand on you." The blues sound from the band is, for want of a better word, exquisite. Classic blues. The opening lines:

"I got my brand on you
There ain't nothin' you can do."

The sound is wonderful.

Then, one of his all-time greats--""I'm your hoochie coochie man." The opening lines--

"The gypsy woman told my mother
Before I was born.
You got a boy child comin'
Gonna be a son of a gun."

Once more, great blues licks from guitar and band. Waters' voice is in fine form indeed.

Another classic, "I've got my mojo working." This starts with the rollicking piano work of Otis Spann. Cool lyrics at the outset:

"I've got my mojo working
But it don't work on you."

Another terrific live version of one of his classics.

"Goodbye Newport Blues." Because of a riot, the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival shut down early and was suspended for awhile. Langston Hughes, the poet, jotted some lyrics about the unfortunate close of the event. Otis Spann sang those lyrics in this piece. A couple lines give a sense of the sentiments in the lyrics:

"Oh what a gloomy day in Newport.
Everything is sad, sad, sad."

In the final analysis, this is a satisfying experience. The live songs are played with energy and style. And comparing the live versions with three studio versions is itself an interesting sidebar here. Want to get a sense of Muddy Waters live? This isn't a bad place to check.

This album is so good it should be mandatory listening before any young punk even thinks about playing guitar.

Great songs, great recording, even greater artist.

Buy it, play it and share it with folks who think rock and roll started with Elvis...

Muddy Waters is, and probably always will be, the very epitome of the blues to me. Any blues fan knows that the blues is best when performed live. Newport 1960 is probably Muddy Waters' best live recording. It comes from the era when he was at his creative peak. This CD is a must-own for blues fans. Muddy goes through such classics as Hoochie Coochie Man, Baby Please Don't Go and Got My Mojo Working as well as newer (then) material such as I Got My Brand On You and Tiger In Your Tank (the studio versions of which are also included on this remastered version). If you like Muddy Waters or blues, be sure to pick up this CD.