Customer Reviews

Electric Mud

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

While I prefer the younger, funkier Muddy Waters with his moaning voice in full swing, this album is by no means the abomination that it has been lambasted as for so many years. In fact, I prefer it to the much-hyped "Fathers and Sons" Waters-partial Butterfield Band team-up of several years later.

Is it experimental? Sure, there's plenty of 60's fuzz, reverb/echo and effects going on here.
Is it still blues? Absolutely, blues is not defined as an idiom by the way one amplifies guitars or filters vocals.
Is it good? Yes, in fact it apporaches greatness at several points in the album, particularly when compared to the "classic" albums of rock psychedelia of its era.

If you enjoy Muddy Waters with his bands and dislike late 60's rock and roll, you will not like this album. Unfortunately, most of the blues critics of the time fell into this catagory and hence this album's ridiculous reputation. If you can see beyond the rigid catagorization of musical artists, this album is for you.

According to the liner notes of the four-disc Led Zeppelin boxed set, bassist John Paul Jones came up with the basic riff for Zep's song "Black Dog" after being inspired by the album Electric Mud. This definitely piqued my curiosity, so I decided to hunt down the much-maligned Muddy Waters' album-a recording that has been decried by blues purists since its release over thirty years ago-to check out what Electric Mud was all about.
I admit, I also was kind of taken aback on first listen. This thing is pretty far removed from Muddy's rollicking Mississippi Delta-meets-the-Windy City output from the 1940s-50s. It also isn't like latter albums from Muddy's canon, such as the Johnny Winter-produced Hard Again (a classic, by the way, with some of the best musicianship ever put down on wax. Buy it.)
In actuality, this isn't even a "Blues" album, per se. The "Blues" merely serves as the framework for this weird dayglo fantasy where some pretty talented musicians let their "freak flags fly."
But, I still like Electric Mud because it grooves hard. In fact, what truly anchors the whole record--and what makes it work ultimately--is the rhythm section backing Muddy. From the opening break of "I Just Want To..." to the last bar of "The Same Thing," Morris Jennings (drums) and Louis Satterfield (bass) lock in the groove so tight that even the sometimes gruesomely off-key, fuzzed-out warbling of electric guitars over the top can't derail the freight train. (Just try not nodding your head to the beat on "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" or "Mannish Boy.")
That said, even the guitar work is somewhat impressive at times, if for no other reason than its mix of gritty soulfulness and wild psychedelia. (Check out the Stones' "Let's Spend..." or "Herbert Harper's Free Press News" for examples.)
What's more, I disagree with the criticisms that Muddy sounds kind of lost in the midst of the wah-wah guitars and other psychedelic trappings. In fact, there's even a quote from blues legend Buddy Guy in the liner notes that asserts, "Muddy can't feel this psychedelic stuff at all..." To me, Muddy sounds as forceful as on any of his other records. He also sounds like he's having a ball. (Just listen to him vamping and clapping along during "Let's Spend..." if you disagree.)
So, if you're looking for something closer to Highway 61, this ain't it. This isn't even South Michigan Avenue. This is more like some spaceship landing at the imaginary crossroads of Carnaby and Haight streets: Some spaced-out, alien version of Muddy Waters struts out with patchouli oil in hand ready to funkify and "turn-on" the hippy kids to the fact that Muddy and his contemporaries had, for all intents and purposes, invented the music that groups like Cream and the Yardbirds were peddling at the time...
Take it for what it is: A funky little time capsule from 1968. And just enjoy it.

For some people this album just does not work, but for me it's an unappreciated classic. Frankly, it is neither a blues nor a rock album - it's more like a "psychadelic soul blues" record. The purists hate it (and claim that Muddy did, too) but if you can manage to listen to the story that the American Routes radio program did on this record, you will get a better appreciation for it. The musicians backing Muddy on these sessions are the same guys who played with Chicago soul artists like Curtis Mayfield and also on some Motown records - they were simply the best session musicians working on urban black music at the time.
I think you will also get a better appreciation for it if you listen with an open mind and recognize that it's going to be a different experience than say "Muddy Waters, The Real Folk Blues". Consider it to be more closely related to things like the Jimi Hendrix song "Red House". Really, there's only one bad cut: Muddy's version of the Stones' "Let's Spend The Night Together".

By the way, I saw Muddy play a number of times in the '60s and on several occasions he performed a portion of his set in the style of Electric Mud.

Warning: "Electric Mud" is a blues album with heavy psychedelic rock influences! If you consider yourself to be a blues purist, then I would encourage you to look elsewhere for something that will be more compatible with your musical tastes. With that disclaimer out of the way, let me invite those who are seeking something unusual--and especially those who like sixties rock music--to continue reading on.
I consider this to be one of most original albums that I have ever heard. It is not a true blues album, but rather a concept album of blues with a heavy psychedelic rock influence. The idea for this album had its genesis with Marshall Chess, the son of Leonard Chess of Chess Records. Marshall Chess had just founded a new label named Cadet Concept, and this was the second album produced under the new label. When this album was recorded, Waters' career was in a slump; it had been a decade since he had a top ten hit. Marshall Chess was seeking out a new audience for Muddy Waters. The CD booklet (which is extremely well written) goes on to explain that this was one of Waters albums that "effectively revived Muddy's recording career at a time when he was in danger of becoming an elder statesman who couldn't sell to his own community and who was revered exclusively by a small coterie of collector-purists, not a large enough audience to sustain a career."

This album was recorded in April 1968, and here's what was happening on the music scene at the time. On 1 July 1967, the Beatle's reached number one on the charts with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"--a psychedelic rock album that won the 1967 Album of the Year Grammy Award. The Beatles reached number one on the charts again on 6 January 1968 with "Magical Mystery Tour." A new artist, Jimi Hendrix, had exploded onto the psychedelic rock scene with "Are You Experienced?" (chart debut 9/16/67; top position #5) and "Axis: Bold As Love (chart debut 2/17/68, top position #3). (All chart data is from "The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Albums, Revised and Enlarged 3rd Edition" by Joel Whitburn, 1995.) Jimi Hendrix is mentioned a number of times in the CD booklet. Hendrix was noted for his use of new electronic gizmos to modify his guitar tone, including the wah-wah pedal and the fuzz box. "Electric Mud" was not meant to be a direct copy of the Hendrix sound, but it was definitely influenced by it.

The basic instrumentation on this album includes a heavily distorted guitar (often with wah-wah pedal), fuzz-tone electric bass, saxophone, synthesizer, and drums. This is quite a stretch from the trademark Muddy Waters sound! The CD booklet points out that "five of the eight songs on 'Electric Mud' were 'classics' from his catalogue, songs he had sung hundreds, perhaps thousands, of times. So the Main Man sang as he always had. His accompaniment, however, was very much of the moment." It is well known that many of the rock musicians of the sixties had blues influences. Now, here is a genuine bluesman cutting an album with new renditions of his songs, such as "I Just Want To Make Love To You," "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man," and "Mannish Boy," in more of a rock style. There is even a cover of the Rolling Stones hit "Let's Spend The Night Together." Wouldn't you agree that's a cool concept for an album?

The vocals are one of the strong selling points of this album, and Muddy Waters has a great voice. The lyrics include occasional social commentary appropriate for the times. All of the musicians on this album were highly regarded studio players. It has been pointed out in another review, as well as in the CD booklet, that Waters felt that the drums were too "busy" on this album. I would like to comment on that, because I am a drummer myself. The drumming on this album was done by a studio drummer named Morris Jennings. Although he was a jazz drummer, his playing on this album is very true to the psychedelic rock concept. Mitch Mitchell, of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, was himself a very "busy" drummer. When the Beatles hit the music scene in 1964, Ringo Starr played a very "unbusy" style, but times had changed by 1968, and even Ringo had somewhat changed his own style to accommodate.

I have tried to be as helpful as possible by warning the prospective buyer about what this album is about, but I hope that blues purists will not be offended by my saying that I really like this album. To be sure, it is not for everyone, but it is for me. I think that "Electric Mud" is very original and unique, and I value having it as a part of my collection. My primary musical interest is classic rock, although I do have a modest collection of blues, including some of Muddy Waters' mainstream works. For those who have enjoyed reading my review, I invite you to click on "rss28" above and visit my member page, where you can read some of my other reviews. In any case, I thank you for taking the time to read my opinions about this album. (review: By"rss28" (Detroit, Michigan)

1. I Just Want To Make Love To You
2. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man
3. Let's Spend The Night Together
4. She's Alright
5. Mannish Boy
6. Herbert Harper's Free Press News
7. Tom Cat
8. The Same Thing

A great combination of Muddy's powerful blues growl, and the musicianship of some of the best psychedelic players-Phil Upchurch, Pete Cosey(both who later played with Miles Davis), etc.. Howlin' Wolf did an even wilder album at the same time(1968), with the same musicians, which I would like to see released on cd. I know a lot of people consider this a stinker, but I like this strange compelling mixture of tradition and modernism. FOUR STARS!!

It's funny how when it comes to the products that Amazon sells, company reviewers just happen to always write glowing reviews -except in this case. Here, Steven Stolder really picked the wrong recording to knock. "Electric Mud" isn't for everybody, but it's great for what it is. It sounds like the spirit of Jimi Hendrix possessed Muddy Waters for a session at Chess Records. This important album turned new generations of listeners onto the Blues. If you dig this album, then you must watch "Godfathers and Sons," a film which is the fifth disc in Martin Scorsese's "The Blues: A Musical Journey." In this documentary, Marshall Chess (the producer for "Electric Mud") explains the history of the project to none other than Chuck D. Furthermore, the film captures the reunion of the Electric Mud band with the addition of a DJ and rapper. If you've been able to put aside the negative reviews and find a place in your heart for "Electric Mud," the film is essential. As for me, I picked the disc up after watching the film. I am happy that the film turned me onto such a unique recording.

This is a blues purist's nightmare. SOmeone decided in the late 1960s to make Muddy Waters psychadelic, and the result was ELectric Mud.

This is Chicago Blues with phase shifting, wha whas, any effect you can throw in--done and done badly, like zooming the camara in and out fast to simulate an acid freak out. This is like hearing 60s electronics with 50s know how.

But for sampling, novalty appeal, or just plain love of 60s wierdness, you probably want to get this.

WARNING: If just getting into the great Muddy Waters, DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, START WITH THIS. Hard Again or At Newport are no lose bets.

a friend bought this album when it came out...and we damn near wore the grooves out...

sadly...that original vinyl went up in smoke in 1970...

if for nothing else but to hear "Herbert Harper's Free Press News" again...i had a cassette tape dub made from an old copy of the vinyl lp...

since it's release by MCA...i've bought two copies...one for myself...and one for the friend who bought it in 1968...

no...contrary to the beliefs of some...Muddy did not think that the album was awful...

listen to the man...his in his prime...and the FORCE of his vocals are better than anything he did before or after...

and...he's having fun...

no...the man was a consumate artist and there's no way in hell anyone forced him to record "Electric Mud"

if he did depreciate it in later years...i think it's because he had so many misguided individuals telling him it was no good...

so where else are you going to listen to such a heart-felt rendition of "The Same Thing"?

i'm giving it ten stars...

As many of the previous reviews have emphasized, Electric Mud is indeed a departure from Muddy's more familiar Delta and Chicago blues style. However, for die-hard Muddy fans, such as myself, this album has much to offer. First off, the album is by no means a thrown together novelty, but is a very well produced and performed work, featuring some of his most famous songs in a style that new and younger generations of Muddy fans like me can relate to. For those who only wish to hear Muddy in his "pure" blues stlyes, I'd recommend getting "His Best: 1947 to 1955". However, for those who can appreciate hearing him backed with fine psychedelic rock, this is a must own.

This CD has recently had a cult following on hip FM stations here in Australia. It is a CD that would go nicely up against Cream, Hendrix or bands such as this.
With Muddy's great vocals it's not a bad disc.
The only complaint is lack of bonus tracks at 37 min it's too short.