Muddy & The Wolf

Performer: Muddy Waters
Artist: Eric Clapton; Steve Winwood; Bill Wyman; Charlie Watts; Ian Stewart
Engineer: Reice Hamel; Ron Malo
Producer: Norman Dayron
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Selections on this compact disc have been previously released as part of two separate Chess albums: FATHERS & SONS/THE LONDON HOWLIN' WOLF SESSIONS. MUDDY WATERS: Personnel includes: Muddy Waters (vocals, slide guitar); Michael Bloomfield (guitar); Paul Butterfield, Jeff Carp (harmonica); Otis Spann (piano); Donald "Duck" Dunn, Phil Upchurch (bass); Sam Lay (drums). Engineer: Ron Malo, Reice Hamel. Recorded at Ter-Mar Studios, Chicago, Illinois; Live at Super Cosmic Joy-Scout Jamboree, Chicago, Illinois, April 24, 1969. Originally released on Chess (127). HOWLIN' WOLF: Personnel: Howlin' Wolf (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica); Eric Clapton, Hubert Sumlin (guitar); Jeffrey M. Carp (harmonica); Steve Winwood, Ian Stewart, Lafayette Leake, John Simon (piano, organ); Bill Wyman, Phil Upchurch (bass, shakers, cow bell); Charlie Watts (drums, conga, percussion). Engineer: Glyn Johns Recorded at Olympic Sound Studios, London, England. Originally released on Chess (6008). Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocals, slide guitar); Howlin' Wolf (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, harmonica); Eric Clapton, Hubert Sumlin, Michael Bloomfield (guitar); Paul Butterfield (harp, harmonica); Jeffrey M. Carp (harmonica); Steve Winwood (piano, organ, keyboards); Ian Stewart, Lafayette Leake, Otis Spann, John Simon (piano); Bill Wyman (bass guitar, cowbells, shaker); Donald "Duck" Dunn, Phil Upchurch (bass guitar); Charlie Watts (drums, congas, percussion); Sam Lay (drums). Liner Note Author: Peter Guralnick. Recording information: Olylmpic Sound Studios, Longon, England; Super Cosmic Joy-Scout Jamboree, Chicago, IL; Ter-Mar Studios, Chicago, IL. The title is a bit of a ringer, since this isn't a collaborative effort in any way, shape, or form. Muddy & the Wolf contains a half-dozen live Muddy Waters tracks with backing from Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Otis Spann, the material culled from the Fathers & Sons sessions. The set also features tracks by Howlin' Wolf from his London sessions with Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr. File under "just OK." ~ Cub Koda Waters and Wolf do not perform together on this disc. The first half, recorded in Chicago, features Muddy backed by some of his regular '60s band members plus '60s U.S. blues-rockers Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Wolf occupies the second half, taken from the LONDON HOWLIN' WOLF SESSIONS album. He's backed by British blues-influenced rockers including Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, and the Stones' rhythm section. Despite the booklet's photo of Muddy and Wolf together, the notoriously paranoid Wolf had always regarded Muddy as a rival. Despite their personal differences, Waters and Wolf were linked by their undeniable status as the prime architects of Chicago blues. The thematic tie here is their interaction with the generation of players who they inspired. As Muddy retains most of his usual band, his cuts differ little from his other late-'60s recordings (which is to say that they are eminently soulful and cathartic). Wolf's cuts are marked by the rock supersession vibe, but the assembled rock royalty manage to keep their egos in check, ably providing their hero with the angular, biting attack that is his trademark sound. This isn't the place to start with either Muddy or Wolf, but it's a more-than-interesting sideline to their careers.

Originally a Delta bluesman in the vein of Son House, Muddy Waters moved north in the 1940s and became the leader of the first--and greatest--electric Chicago blues band. Waters' abrasive guitar, impassioned singing, and commanding stage presence inspired generations of disciples, and hits like "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I've Got My Mojo Workin'" are now indisputable classics.

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