Customer Reviews

Best of Little Walter

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In his twenty-odd year career as a blues icon, Little Walter moved fast, lived hard, and died young. Because of his hard drinking, hard brawling nature, he was already an old man when he died at 38, and he had not made a good recording or played a decent gig in years. It's a tribute to this incredibly powerful musician and his abilities that he was able to give us so much truly great music. In his two biggest hits, "My Babe" and "Juke," you find rock and roll taking it's first baby steps. "Last Night" is one of those very rare songs that works just as well as an instrumental as it does with vocals. The bouncing percussion of "Tell Me Mama" heralds a situation that has been told in countless other blues songs from "Meet Me In The Bottom" to "Running Shoes," that of the lover making his escape out the back door while hubby is coming through the front. Overall, the sound on this album is stark, with both the Myers brothers and Muddy Water's band giving Walter plenty of room to show off his incredible harp improvisations. And don't ignore Walter's fine vocals: cautionary on "You Better Watch Yourself," soulful on "Last Night." After you get this CD, spend a little more money and get the book Blues With A Feeling: The Little Walter Story by Tony Glover as an accompaniment. That way, you can read about Walter's often sad life while jamming to his ultimately joyous music. This is truly blues at it's best!

This is one of the greatest collections of blues harmonica recordings ever made available. Little Walter is the Muddy Waters of the Blues Harp. In his day , there was NO ONE who could touch him, and now there is no one who can truly take over his place as the greatest blues harmonica player ever (although Sugar Blue, in my opinion, is the sole heir to Walter's brilliant legacy.) Buy this CD, call your best blues fan friends over to your house, have them bring the beer and crank it up!

This 1986 12-selection CD replicates the 1958 Checker LP 1428 which pulled together eleven of his R&B hits plus one uncharted flipside [track 11].

A much better bet is the 1997 Chess 50th Anniversary Collection, also available through Amazon, and which I also review, but in more depth. What you DO get here, however, is his 1954 hit You'd Better Watch Yourself and its flipside, Blue Light, neither of which was included in the 50th Anniversary collection.

This does contain one page of liner notes by Bob Schneiders and two by the renowned Studs Terkel, author of Giants of Jazz, which provide additional interesting background on Little Walter. If you can find a copy it makes a nice companion to the afore-mentioned Anniversary collection.

If you are a casual fan of the blues, you may not have heard of Little Walter. If you listen to the blues live, you have heard some of his music. The music is full of energy and is a treat for your ears.