Little Walter His Best CD

This is part of Chess Records' 50 Anniversary series.
Personnel: Little Walter (vocals, harmonica); Muddy Waters (guitar, slide guitar); Dave Myers, Fred Robinson , Jimmie Lee Robinson, Jimmy Rogers , Leonard Caston, Louis Myers, Luther Tucker, Robert Lockwood, Jr. (guitar); Otis Spann (piano); Fred Below, Billy Stepney, George Hunter (drums).
Liner Note Author: Billy Altman.
Recording information: Chicago, IL (05/12/1952-12/??/1960).
Photographers: Ray Flerlage; Mary Katherine Aldin.
As MCA reconfigures their Chess catalog, this 20-track single-disc compilation now takes the place of their original 12-track Best of Little Walter collection, a landmark blues album which had remained in print for over three decades. His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) reprises ten of those seminal tracks (leaving off the echoey "Blue Light" and "You Better Watch Yourself," the latter being available on the two-disc anthology The Essential Little Walter) and brings ten others cherry-picked from the catalog to the mix. If you've never experienced the innovative instrumental genius of Little Walter, classics like "Juke," "Off the Wall," "Mean Old World," "Sad Hours," "Blues with a Feeling," "My Babe," "Boom Out Goes the Light," "Last Night," "Mellow Down Easy" and "Roller Coaster" (written by Bo Diddley, who also guests on guitar) will come as a major revelation. These are the recordings that changed the sound and style of blues harmonica forever, and everyone who came after him was as influenced by him as jazz saxophonists were by Charlie Parker. Everyone who fancies themselves a blues harmonica player should have this one in their collection as a textbook instructional tool, while the rest of us can just bask in the glow of his genius. "Essential first purchase" doesn't even begin to describe it. ~ Cub Koda
Few would dispute that this collection is the Holy Grail of blues harmonica. Like the other entries in Chess Records' HIS BEST series, the Little Walter compilation is beautifully selected, sequenced, remastered, and packaged. At 20 tracks, HIS BEST gives a satisfying, economical summary of Walter's genius, and defends his title as the king of blues harp men. As a member of Muddy Waters's band, and on his own, Walter was one of the architects of the original Chicago sound. His propulsive chording, high-leaning notes, inventive use of amplification (he used a close-up hand-held microphone and effects like distortion and echo), and endless stream of ideas expanded the possibilities of the harmonica.
With the help of such Chicago heavy-hitters as pianist Otis Spann, bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Fred Below, Walter's own group displayed ferocious chemistry and instrumental prowess. Naturally, Walter's vocals and exceptional harp are at the fore here. Whether on signature tunes ("Juke"), slow burners ("Mean Old World"), or classic rockers ("Boom, Boom Out Goes the Light"), this is old-school electric blues at its absolute finest. In addition to its status as a textbook for harmonica players, HIS BEST is a ground-floor necessity for any blues library.