Search - Muddy Waters :: Goin Way Back

A hidden treasure

09/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this CD up on a whim. A have had little success with other "And Friends" style collections, so I was a little leery when I read the liner notes. A musicologist caught Muddy's band live in '67 at a club in Montreal. After the show he mentioned that it would be nice if they would have a "porch party" at the Rooming house they were staying at. To his surprise the band thought it would be a good idea and set it up for the next day. The fellow showed up with a tape recorder and one tape. The sound is not great on this, but the music is magical. Muddy, his voice and an acoustic guitar sitting around jamming with the rest of his band who are all playing acoustic guitars, including Keyboard player Otis Spann. The tape just keeps rolling and catches the dialogue, the coughs, the bottleneck slide banging against the neck. But most of all it catches the Delta roots of the man who invented Chicago blues. It is fresh and heartfelt. It put me in mind of what it must have been like when Son House, Willie Brown, Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson decided to play a few tunes for their own enjoyment as opposed to performing. I would recommend this CD strongly to anyone who likes acoustic blues."