His Best, Vol. 2 [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Howlin' Wolf

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 27, 1999)
• Original Release Date: July 27, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Chess
• ASIN: B00000JNNX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,209 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Do we really need a second His Best collection from Howlin' Wolf? Absolutely. An artist about whom everything was larger than life surely deserves a second volume of his finest Chess Records work. Although this is volume 2, one should not consider the content secondary to the first His Best, even though that one contained classics like "Moanin' at Midnight," "Smokestack Lightning," "Howlin' for My Darling," "Spoonful," "Red Rooster," and more. Vol. 2 contains its own delights, including the almost-rock & roll "Howlin' Wolf Boogie," the rollicking "All Night Boogie," the energetic shuffle of "Rockin' Daddy" (complete with some stellar piano work from Otis Spann), and the slow, intense drawl of "The Natchez Burnin'." And "Tail Dragger" alone is worth the price of the CD, while the false start at the beginning of "The Red Rooster" provides an amusing coda. --Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ****1/2, November 16, 2003

By	Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

An excellent companion volume to MCA/Chess's must-have "His Best" collection, "His Best vol. II" focuses mainly on Howlin' Wolf's lesser-known songs.

The first "His Best" CD contained almost all of Wolf's best-known material, as if the label never planned a sequel, but these second-tier songs aren't cast-offs, they are merely forgotten or unappreciated classics. They might not all be as monumental as the songs on "His Best" vol. I, but songs like "The Natchez Burnin'" and the fiery slide guitar workout "Down In The Bottom", which didn't make the first cut, rank among Howlin' Wolf's best.
Other highlights include Wolf's self-penned latter-day songs "Louise", "Don't Laugh At Me" and the menacing "Commit A Crime", as well as an awesome version of the classic "Crawlin' King Snake" with blaring horns, smouldering lead guitar, and an incredibly raw vocal by the Wolf.
Hubert Sumlin's superb guitar playing is even more prominent than on "His Best" vol. I, and the Wolf's huge, gravelly voice is as powerful as ever.

"His Best vol. II" ends with a great live-in-the-studio performance of "The Little Red Rooster" from the London Sessions album, including a false start during which the Wolf (supposedly) teaches Eric Clapton to play the main slide guitar riff.
If you don't want to spring for the Chess Box, go for "His Best" and this fine, well annotated and attractively packaged follow-up. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The genius of Howlin' Wolf, continued, December 16, 2000

By	Lee Hartsfeld (Heath, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Howlin' Wolf made nothing less than the best blues recordings of all time, and no collection of Wolf merits fewer than five stars. Having said this, I would like to see a volume three of this series, one that departs from the "Roots of the Yardbirds" approach to feature "Saddle My Pony," "Going Back Home," "I'm Not Joking," and "Bluebird," among others. Meanwhile, grab this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST, July 22, 2006

By	COMPUTERJAZZMAN "computerjazzman" (Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

HOWLIN' WOLF IS MY FAVORITE R&B ARTIST FROM THE 50'S. ALL OF THESE RECORDINGS ARE FROM THE CHESS LABEL IN CHICAGO. SINCE LISTENING TO HIM FOR YEARS, NONE OF THESE SONGS ARE "LESSER KNOWN RECORDINGS". ALL OF THEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN A 2 DISC SET WITH VOLUME ONE, IT WOULD HAVE MADE MORE SENSE. INTERESTING VERSIONS ON HERE OF JOHN LEE HOOKER'S CRAWLIN KING SNAKE BLUES AND SUGAR MAMA.