Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters, Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues (Series) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 9, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Chess
• ASIN: B0000A0VA7
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,259 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Full title - Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues. From the PBS series produced by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, this release is packed with 16 'Muddy' classics including 'I Can't Be Satisfied' & 'Got My Mojo Working'. Hip-O Records. 2003.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get It. Love It., February 13, 2004

By 

whoopycat (Des Moines, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Muddy Waters (Audio CD)

This is a very well chosen set for a single disc Muddy comp. Kudos to the compilers for including a couple pre-Chess cuts as well as a track from his highly underrated recordings on the Blue Sky label. The thought of a new blues fan picking up this disc and discovering Muddy for the first time quite frankly gives me goosebumps.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars essential, January 1, 2004

By 

john hindsfoot (Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Muddy Waters (Audio CD)

Muddy Waters is one of the most popular bluesmen for a reason. He was a leading influence in the infusion of blues into rock and roll, and there are a number of songs on this CD that demonstrate that. The strongest blues song made into a classic rock track is "You Shook Me" written by Willie Dixon. If you want to be amazed, listen to Waters' You Shook Me and then Led Zeppelin's cover of it. There are also a couple of dubs of Son House songs like Death Letter and Walkin' Blues which are more powerful musically, if not as raw and emotional vocally as the originals. The only reason you should buy this CD instead of any other is the information that comes with it about Muddy Waters. A brief well-written biography is what makes this a necessary purchase for rock and blues fans alike.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good attempt at making a career-spanning overview, December 7, 2003

By 

Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Muddy Waters (Audio CD)

The two-disc "The Anthology: 1947-1972" and the lavish Chess Box remain the best Waters compilations, but this CD is pretty good if you can be satisfied (so to speak) with a single-disc collection.

It focuses mainly on Muddy's tenure at Chess Records, but also includes one of his early Library of Congress recordings, a 1946 waxing for Columbia Records, and a number - albeit not one of the very best - from his Johnny Winter-produced 1978 Hard Again album ("The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock & Roll").

Almost all of the songs that casual Muddy-fans would consider "essential" are here, including "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "Got My Mojo Working", and "Mannish Boy", but "I Live The Life I Love (I Love The Life I Live") is missing, which is a shame.
There are many great tracks that didn't make the cut, obviously, but those are readily available to anyone who wants more. This is a fine starting point.