4.0 out of 5 stars
Muddy Becomes Muddy, January 13, 2009
This review is from: Muddy Waters 1941-1950 (Audio CD)
I have spent very little ink over the past year as I go through some of the great acoustic and electric blues guitars and performers on the iconic Muddy Waters. I have explained elsewhere some of my reasoning for this as well for my personal preferences in highlighting other blues artists first. Nevertheless, when all is said and done no one who loves the blues in its various incantations can avoid the influence and importance of Muddy's work. I will argue here that this little compilation of early, mainly pre-Chicago electric blues, Muddy is a worthy historical document on two counts.
First, because it is in chronological order it shows the evolution of Muddy's style away from the traditional country blues sound of the Delta that was becoming passé. Secondly, because some of this pre-Chicago sound is, to this reviewer's ear at least, better than many of his later pieces. As evidence I would point to the pure jam efforts on the classic "Joe Turner's Blues" and "Pearlie May Blues". Then move down to "Mean Spider Blues" and "Come To Me Baby". None of these are in the league of "Mannish Boy" when he got it going but I think this is worthy Muddy. The argument continues.
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