Recorded between 1976-1980. Includes liner notes by Charles Shaar Murray.
From 1977 to 1980, Johnny Winter undertook a mission to counterbalance Muddy's iffy crossover attempts of the last decade. By recording in an atmosphere designed to emulate a live stage environment, with the right musicians and loads of enthusiasm, Winter pulled the old fire out of Muddy, the kind of energy he'd generally been emitting only in live performance. Like its companion collection BLUES SKY--with which there's no overlap--KING OF THE ELECTRIC BLUES cherry-picks those sessions recorded for CBS imprint Blue Sky, resulting in an anthology nearly as satisfying as any from Muddy's Chess days.
The live cuts from MUDDY "MISSISSIPPI" WATERS LIVE showcase Muddy and his band at their most unfettered. Unhinged slide solos intersect with pounding, near-primal drums, and Muddy's own razor-sharp growl. The studio recordings are equally impressive; just when you thought you'd heard it all from Muddy, he's promoting the use and bemoaning the illegality of marijuana on "Champagne & Reefer." Despite his usual randiness, he sounds like the soul of sorrow on a track like "Sad sad Day." "No Escape from the Blues," the final studio recording of Muddy's life, is more manifesto than elegy.
Mind Blowing If you ever thought that anybody other than Muddy Waters was the baddest slide player in the blues....this will change your mind. The take on "She's 19 Years Old" give me goosebumps just thinking about it. I am too young to have seen Muddy live and understood it, but this is the closest I've experienced and it kills me everytime. If you are obsessed with music, it's hard to rank your favorite album, but this one will always be #1 with me. The whole thing is raw, flawless, and so powerful that I can put the CD in my car stereo and the car just starts up on it's own. I'm writing this review cause my 10 yr old CD is beyond repair and I must replace it...I saw the review box, and felt like I had to say something. If you are even thinking about buying this CD...do it, you won't be sorry. Submitted by Vince (All Over, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
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