Whose Muddy Shoes

Elmore James, John Brim, Elmore James & John Brim | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 9, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002O90
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,788 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Ice Cream Man

2. Whose Muddy Shoes

3. Madison Blues

4. I See My Baby

5. You Got Me

6. My Best Friend

7. The Sun Is Shining

8. Lifetime Baby [*]

9. Talk to Me Baby

10. Rattlesnake

11. Be Careful

12. Dust My Broom

13. Tool Bag Boogie

14. Tough Times

15. Stormy Monday

Editorial Reviews

From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD

Fifties Chicago blues brethren James and Brim share the spotlight on the return of a long-unavailable 1969 Chess album. James's rousing vocals perfectly suit the racy mood defined by the Broomdusters on nine songs, from the famous "Dust My Broom" to the little-known "Tool Box Blues," His guitar, of course, plays a big role, showcasing the intense drama and portentous technique of a postwar twelve-bar blues paladin. Singer/guitarist Brim's six sides, made in 1953 and 1956, tell of his honesty and modest skill, with only "Tough Times," elbowed along by Snooky Prior's harmonica and Eddie Taylor's guitar, leaving a lasting impression for its edgy music and timelessly pertinent lyrics. -- © Frank John Hadley 1993

Product Description

This CD is an out of print collectible! It is the original Chess MCA release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ****1/2 - all of Elmore's hard-to-find Chess singles, October 23, 2004

By 

Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whose Muddy Shoes (Audio CD)

This album brings together slide guitar legend Elmore James' and guitarist John Brim's waxings for the Chess label. It is not a collaboration between the two, but rather than put out two very brief CDs, MCA/Chess has opted to combine the two, much as they did on the Albert King/Otis Rush-album "Door To Door".

John Brim's fine "Ice Cream Man" is the leadoff track, and he is the featured artist on five more numbers, including "You Got Me", the "Hound Dog"-knockoff "Rattlesnake", and the menacing "Be Careful What You Do", all of which feature Robert "Jr." Lockwood on guitar, drummer Fred Below, and Little Walter Jacobs playing the harmonica.

But Brim's contributions mostly pale next to the power and intensity of the great Elmore James, whose "Madison Blues", "Talk To Me Baby (I can't hold out)", and "Whose Muddy Shoes" are among his best songs. Backed by his fiery "Broomdusters"-combo, which features pianist Little Johnny Jones and the braying sax of J.T. Brown, James rocks on "Madison Blues", grooves on "The Sun Is Shining" and a heavily reworked "Dust My Broom", and smoulders on the slow "I See My Baby" and the soulful "My Best Friend". And you'll also find his version of T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday" here, a truly powerful, dramatic rendition, perfectly suited to James' huge, expressive voice and fiery slide playing.

This is a must-have for any Elmore James fan, John Brim or no John Brim. Many of these songs are among James' best, and only a couple of them are available on the various career-spanning Elmore-compilations.

4 1/2 stars - highly recommended.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God-like, January 16, 2003

By 

adrian (Stockholm) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whose Muddy Shoes (Audio CD)

If you own one blues album, let it be this. You will fall down and adjure: 'We are not worthy.'
Save your mortal soul and buy it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One For The Ages, June 29, 2010

By 

Mr. Mambo (Burnsville, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Whose Muddy Shoes (Audio CD)

I had the vinyl of this album about forty years ago. But it did not contain the same songs as this CD. It had about ten tunes featuring the legendary Elmore James, and one song with another singer who was not identified. I knew it wasn't EJ. I could never quite figure out why only one John Brim tune was on that old record: Be Careful was the song, and it featured the absolutely supreme and powerful harp playing of Walter Jacobs, the man who "invented" amplified harmonica.

The EJ songs on this album are must-have; they are some of the best things he's ever done, and somewhat hard to find on any of the other EJ compilations.
The bonus with the John Brim numbers is that you get Little Walter wailing on backup harp, and sounding as good as he's ever sounded. I much prefer electric or amped harp to acoustic, and there is only one acoustic harp number on this record. John Brim is a fine vocalist as well.

All-in-all, a very, very fine blues album, definitely worth it. Little Walter fans will have to have it, as will Elmore fans. There aren't many John Brim albums out there....so, all that said, why would you not own this, if you are a blues fan??