Amazon.com essential recording

For the completist, this three-CD, 72-song box remains the definitive collection of one of the leading lights of Chicago blues. The collection spans 25 years, beginning with rare early recordings with pianist Sunnyland Slim and moving through Waters's peak '50s period, which offered the legendary support of Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter, and Otis Spann. Luminaries including Pat Hare, James Cotton, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, and Pinetop Perkins all make valuable contributions to his '60s work. Along with his original hits and his noteworthy Willie Dixon interpretations, Chess wisely includes his lesser-known covers of Big Bill Broonzy, Howlin' Wolf, Guitar Slim, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, and Sonny Boy Williamson. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The best from the best
This is the only box set that I can think of that could be essential. All of these historic recording, represents one of the greatest achivements of popular music in the 20th century. Muddy Waters changed music forever. The first half of disc one alraedy delivers some of best performance ever, like 'feel like going home'and 'cant be satisfied', Muddy's first big sellers that turned him into a star. He was still playing very much in the Delta style, although by that time he was cooking in juke joints with one of the best blues band ever. The recordings included in the second half of disc one and practically all disc two are simply in a league of its own, comparably only perhaps to Elvis sun sessions and Loui Armstrong hot five and sevens in terms of perfection and influence in music. Disc three proves that the man could not make a bad record, and includes a live track from Live at Newport, your next essential purchase.
The box includes a booklet with details of every session, and essays on Muddy the man and the musician. This is as good as blues music can get.

If You Only Had One Blues Album.....Yep, This Is It!
A comprehensive collection from the best bluesman ever. Sure, others have done significant recordings, established new sounds, forged creative sounds, but no one has been *the man* for decades, like Muddy has. Regardless of whether it is these priceless early recordings where the genius was just starting to come through or whether it is any of the numerous eras Muddy went through, they are all well represented on this set.

The supporting book is one of the best I've seen ever. It is comprehensive, has new and unusal photos, and gives a good history of Waters' recordings.

The one belongs in the "if I was on a desert island and take only one CD, which one would it be" category.

The most complete overview of Muddy Waters' Chess sides
More casual fans will probably be better served by MCA/Chess's much cheaper (but very good) two-disc compilation "The Anthology: 1947-1972". But if you're looking for the best and currently most thorough available overview of Muddy's recordings for Aristocrat and Chess, this is it.
It is not the final word on Muddy Waters - his excellent latter-day recordings with Johnny Winter as producer aren't here, and you'll need some of his live stuff as well - but these 72 tracks do include the vast majority of his best songs from 1947 and twenty-five years on.

Disc one spans 1947-1954, and most of the 24 tracks feature just Muddy Waters on slide guitar and bassist Ernest "Big" Crawford backing him, although the great Sunnyland Slim rolls the ivories on a few songs, like the delightful 1947 single "Gypsy Woman".
Muddy's arsenal of slide guitar riffs may seem limited, but his playing on the 1948 hit "I Can't Be Satisfied" and the mellow "Train Fare Home" is really great, demonstrating what a fine guitarist he actually was.

Percussion doesn't show up until two-thirds of the way through the disc, when the "classic" Muddy Waters band begins to take shape: Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on second guitar, drummer Elgin Evans, and Otis Spann playing the piano.
Along with the songs already mentioned, the lean, mean "I Feel Like Going Home" and "Rollin' And Tumblin'" are among the highlights on disc 1, which ends with the tough, swinging "Blow Wind Blow" and the classic "Hoochie Coochie Man". Big Walter Horton plays superb harmonica on "Blow Wind Blow".

Disc 2 includes the majority of Muddy's classic 50s singles, from "I'm Ready" and the thumping "I Just Want To Make Love To You" to "Got My Mojo Working", the Bo Diddley-ripoff "Mannish Boy", and the superbly swinging "I Love The Life I Live, I Live The Life I Love". Harpist James Cotton appears for the first time on "I Love The Life I Live", blowing a truly inspired harmonica riff.

There are several lesser-known songs here as well, including previously unreleased takes and singles which make their LP/CD debut on this album. Most of them are good, although not quite great, with the exception of a very fine rendition of Jimmy Oden's "Take The Bitter With The Sweet".

Disc 3 covers 1960-1972, and includes a few live recordings, as well as two alternates from the sublime "Fathers And Sons" sessions. Opening with the great live "I Feel So Good" from the Newport album, it is highlighted by Muddy's version of Eddie Boyd's "Twenty-Four Hours", the definitive renditions of his mid-60s hit singles "The Same Thing" and "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had", and a hornless version of "Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man When I'm Gone", one of the few good cuts from the otherwise forgettable "London Sessions" album.

There is nothing here from the misguided and completely superflous "Electric Mud", or from Muddy's last Chess-effort, "The Woodstock Album", but that detracts nothing from the greatness of this compilation, the finest overview of Muddy Waters' Chess sides available.

Great place to start.............
For those of you who like the old blues,then I suggest that you get this one.It may not have everything he ever did and there may not be very many rare tracks,but why quibble? Great playing,soulful singing and memorable melodies......Listen to this legendary bluesman who inspired The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton,among others....BUY IT!!!

In short: all you need
Okay, that's it, that way my review right there in the title.
These three CDs have every important studio recording that Muddy Waters made for Chess - all you need besides this is "Live at Newport", and you're set. Well, that, and maybe the acoustic "Folk Singer" album.
Having said that, this is an expensive set, and in spite of some extra tracks (most of which aren't absolutely necessary), it may be too expensive.
The double-disc "The Anthology: 1947-1972" costs almost twenty bucks less, and serves its purpose almost as well. And you can use the money you save to buy Waters' three Blue Sky-albums :o) ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The best!
The JSP label's blues box sets featuring Charlie Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell and Big Bill Broonzy are among the best-sounding prewar blues compilations on the market, and this is without a doubt the best Patton-collection of all. Just look at the price! All of Charlie Patton's awesome recordings, as well as several sides featuring him as a sideman, and a number of recordings by Patton-associates like Willie Brown, Louise Johnson and Son House (all of House's 1930 Paramount singles are included). And this music have never sounded better than it does on this exquisitely remastered and well-annotated collection.
Patton and Son House were the two most important and certainly most influential prewar blues singers, as well as being two of the most impressive. All serious blues lovers should have this fine boxed set in their collection.

POOR RECORDING BUT GOOD
ITS HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY WHAT PATTON IS SAYING BUT ITS THERE SO WITH THAT BEING SAID I HAVE TO SAY IT IS A GOOD RECORDING. THAT DARK HAUNTING AND EERIE SOUND IS PART OF THE BLUES AND NO ONE DID IT BETTER FOR HIS TIME THAN CHARLEY PATTON HIMSELF. HE WAS THE BEST AND THE PEOPLE THAT FOLLOWD AFTER HIM INCLUDING ROBERT JOHNSON SHOW HE WAS A MAN OF GREAT IMPORTANCE IVE WALWAYS SAID IF ANY ONE WANTS TO LISTEN TO MUSIC THEY SHOULD LISTEN TO THE GREATONES AND CHARLEY WAS JUST THAT SO ILL GIVE 3 1/2 STARS TO A VERY GOOD COLLECTION. OH AND IF ANYONE WANTS TO BUY OTHER RECORDINGS OF HIS WORK FORGET IT THIS IS THE BEST REMASTERD AND RESTORED COLLECTION OF HIS WORK ON THE MARKET.

nice, for the price.
i have another 5-disc compilation from this same company, and both were 25 bucks for 5 cds. very nice.

the mastering is decent, and the liner notes tell the story of charley patton in five parts. since describing the tracks or music that is actually contained on the cd is nearly impossible, i will spare you a lengthy bunch of confusion. i can tell you that charley patton was doing blues before most people were doing blues. he was one of the first recorded artists in this style, which is why these cds say he is the "acknowledged king of the delta blues" all over them.

Blues With A Feeling
Blues composer and performer, Sleepy John Estes claimed that you could hear Charley Patton's unamplified voice and guitar at a range of 500 yards. Estes may have exagerated a tad but think about the power of a voice you could hear even at the range of 100 yards. Charley Patton's recordings were made out of the cheapest available vinyl (used to make bowling balls) and were scratchy sounding even when they were released. Paramount felt that their "race records" didn't warrant high quality vinyl. One of my childhood preoccupations was listening to the Yahoo releases of Charley's material and trying to figure out what the guy was signing under the white noise buzz and pop of surface noise. Such a powerful voice and such awful recording technology. Now going on 80 years since their orginal releases, someone has finally made all of Charley's releases listenable. I could go on about Patton's widely imitated guitar playing, his dark allegorical lyrics, his consumate performing style or his carefully crafted image as a rebel, but you still will go back to that powerful voice. And now justice has been done to his awesome legacy of music... and justice has been done to the listener with the release of "The Complete Recordings" which offers this amazing 5 volume CD set at a price only slightly above the cost of a single CD. Maybe there is a Santa Claus, Virginia.

Outstanding value; good remastering
For anyone who wants Patton's complete recorded works, but who doesn't want to spend half a paycheck on the Revenant Box Set, this 5 disc JSP collection is an unbelievable value. I was flabbergasted when I discovered it online the other day; I couldn't believe it was so cheap. It contains everything on the Revenant set except the interviews and the bonus disc of music by Patton's contemporaries. It does, however, contain Son House's overpowering 1930 recordings (everytime I listen to them my stomach drops). What else is there to say? This is glorious, intense, and important music.

The remastering is very good, but not without its drawbacks. I love JSP's Django Reinhardt and Louis Armstrong remasterings. The Patton recordings here have the same full, glowing sound (with more hiss and crackle, of course, because of the atrocious quality of the original Paramount 78s). Patton's voice is remarkably intense; one can gain a sense of what a powerful instrument it must have been live. Turn up the volume, and it will hit you in your gut. You can literally feel his throat's rough vibrations, his subtle bending of pitch. The slide guitar pieces ("Oh Death" and "Spoonful," for example) come through quite well. They are deep and resonant.

At the same time, as with every remastering of old 78s, something is lost in the transfer. These remasterings seem vacuum-packed, as if all the all the air in the room had been sucked out. Patton's voice is brought forward, but as a result, some of his guitar work seems muffled. It is as if the remastering aimed to simulate a modern recording studio, allowing only sound from the the guitar and voice to come through. This eliminates one of the best aspects of 78s: their open, echoing sound. (This problem, however, is not nearly as bad as on the Catfish reissue.)

Compare this with the Yazoo reissues (my favorites). There is more surface noise on the Yazoo albums, but this also allows more room for the sound to breathe. One can hear the full range of the sound. There is also a more vivid, lifelike tone on the Yazoo Patton, even if he seems a little distant at times. It is easier hear the wistful echoes that Patton built into his work. By contrast, the JSP recordings are much more intense; Patton's growl is right at the surface. In short, the intensity of Patton's voice on JSP is a revelation, but the set does not convey the full, sparkling range of sound found on Yazoo. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent! But then again, it always was
Most artists in their 60s would just have rested on their laurels, being admired and cited as a major influence by legions of younger musicians.
But not Muddy Waters. He recorded and toured right up until the end of his life, and this gritty 1977 album, the first of three studio albums produced by Texas guitarist Johnny Winter, recharged his career as well as winning Muddy a Grammy (in the "Traditional Folk" category!).

This 2004 reissue has been remastered, but not remixed (there was no need, says former Muddy guitarist Bob Margolin, who has written the excellent, warm and informative anecdotal liner notes). And one bonus track has been added to the original nine songs, a great rendition of the classic "Walking Through The Park" which was omitted from the original album release (probably because of the limited playing time of the LP).

If you already own "Hard Again" on CD you don't need to run out and secure a copy right away...the sound on the first CD reissue was good enough, and if you're a Muddy fan you probably have "Walking Through The Park" somewhere in your collection already. And this 1977 re-recoring is not particularly different from the original.
But if you don't have it, go get it right away. These recordings usually don't show up on the various Muddy Waters-compilations (they only chronicle his Chess years), and while some of the songs are "only" new versions of 50s and 60s numbers, the album as a whole remains one of the strongest Muddy Waters ever recorded. The band is magnificent...Waters himself only sings, according to Bob Margolin, so all the Muddy Waters-like slide guitar riffs are actually played by Johnny Winter.
But there's no mistaking the great James Cotton, Muddy's former harmonica player drafted to play on this album, or the supple, muscular groove laid down by the great Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, one of the best-ever blues drummers (alongside Fred Below, of course). He and bassist Charles Calmese form a top-notch rhythm section all the way through.

The album has a wonderful "live" feel, and literally everything is great, from the opening holler of the one-chord "Mannish Boy" over the magnificent acoustic slide guitar blues "I Can't Be Satisfied" (originally the flip side of Muddy's first single), to the seven-minute slow grind of "Little Girl".
"Hard Again" (the origin of the title is explained in lurid detail by Bob Margolin) should not be missing from any collection of electric Chicago blues. It is one of Muddy Waters' finest moments, alongside the Newport album and 1969's "Fathers And Songs".

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL AND REQUIRED, PART 1
If you are a fan of the blues, and more importantly, Muddy Waters, this is the beginning of an essential triad that marked the grand finale of a long and storied career of the seminal blues figure of American music. For all the talk about Robert Johnson and Charlie Payton, the blues would never have evolved without Muddy Waters. There are any number of great CDs available from his career, but none as protean as the final three he did with Johnny Winter, plus the MUDDY MISSISIPPI WATERS LIVE CD and THE WOODSTOCK ALBUM guided by Levon Helm. These are the very last of his efforts and they are precious documents of the man who plugged the guitar in. Think about that just for a moment.
The remastered LIVE CD is an honest and uncompromising document of the Waters band in full flight, and while what was the official release suffers from Winters' presence, the second disc of the set is just so amazing that words fail to convey its power. While I am no fan of Johnny Winters, his work at the controls and in the studio with Waters through the course of these recordings is truly genius. This particular disc is as raw and as primal as the blues gets. It features Muddy's band, including Pinetop Perkins, Bob Margolin, Willie Smith, Calvin Jones Luther Johnson in a fired up, red hot, incendiary mood, and they simply burn through the catalog. This version of "Mannish Boy" is the most feral you'll ever hear. "Deep Down in Florida" steams like the Everglades in August. "The Blues had a Baby" rocks with a hip grinding intensity. "I can't Be Satisfied" threatens all sorts of promiscuity, and "Crosseyed Cat" is as quintessentially a part of African American humour (which is also a key element of the blues) as it gets. A bonus track is added from the sessions.
The remastering is incredible: this sounds as though it was done live, first take, and they all nailed it. Were he to have passed away right here, Muddy would have left us with an endearing ememory of his force. But the best was still to come.
Make no mistake, get this. This IS the blues. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Having achieved success with his landmark 1941 recordings for John and Alan Lomax and the Library of Congress (released under his given name, McKinley Morganfield), Muddy Waters moved to Chicago two years later--and took the future of American popular music with him. In 1947, he began recording for Aristocrat Records with piano wizard Sunnyland Slim and band, then alone with bassist Ernest "Big" Crawford and sometimes two or three more sidemen, turning out a body of work unmatched by any other postwar bluesman. This brilliant compilation, produced by Andy McKaie, spans the five years during which Aristocrat became the legendary Chess Records and Muddy emerged as a preeminent blues master known for his raw vocals and vital guitar. Showcased here are such seminal gems as "I Can't Be Satisfied," "Feel Like Goin' Home," "Mean Red Spider," "All Night Long," and "Long Distance Call," plus two takes of the cultural cornerstone "Rollin' Stone." --Alan Greenberg ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Very good, but not the place for newcomers to start
This excellently remastered MCA compilation presents every known track Muddy Waters recorded for the Aristocrat and Chess labels between 1947 to 1952, which means that "Rollin' Stone" is a find for serious Muddy scholars, but not a good choice for those who are just looking for a comprehensive career overview.

Most of Muddy Waters' best-known songs are missing...signature tunes like "Got My Mojo Working", "Hoochie Coochie Man", and "I Love The Life I Live" were all recorded after 1952, and some will certainly find that these fifty songs are too similar to be listened to in one long sitting. Most of the songs on disc one feature just Waters and bassist Ernest "Big" Crawford, and percussion doesn't show up until disc two has almost run out.

But these early tracks have a lot going for them as well. They show what a great slide guitarist Muddy Waters used to be, and songs like "Gypsy Woman", "I Can't Be Satisfied", "Country Boy", "Honey Bee", and Muddy's rendition of "Rollin' And Tumblin'" are essential parts of the bedrock of Chicago blues.
If you already have the electric stuff, this is where you go for the rest. If you don't, get "The Anthology 1947-1972" or "The Chess Box" first, and then come back to this fine collection.

Genius of Muddy Waters
not many Artists can say that the first time they Recorded that it was truly a Ground-Breaking Experience but then again not many can claim to having the Impact of Muddy Waters.His Guitar Playing&Tone have such a Strong Sonic force that you can't get it out of your system.His Vocals hit you as well without missing a beat."I Can't Be Satisfied"&"Rolling Stone are two Cuts that you will have buzzing in your Head for days&Nights easily.when the Blues is doen truly right you can feel the Whole World vibe of it&Muddy Waters gave you the World&thensome.once you hear these Songs you will be come Hooked on the Genius that is Muddy Waters.

The Genesis of Muddy's Career at Chess
Not counting his 1941-42 field recordings for the Library of Congress (available on The Complete Plantation Recordings) and a few tracks he recorded for Columbia in 1946, this two-disc collection represents the beginning of Muddy Waters' recorded legacy on the Aristocat (later to become Chess)label between 1947 and 1952.

Waters' powerful vocals and stinging slide guitar playing would become his trademarks on such singles as "I Can't Be Satisfied," "I Feel Like Going Home," "Mean Red Spider" and "Streamline Woman"--all released in 1948. On disc one (1947-1950) Waters is accompanied only by Sunnyland Slim (bass) and Leroy Foster (second guitar on nearly half the tracks). The only exceptions are the addition of drum and piano on "Screamin' and Cryin'," "Where's My Woman Been" and Last Time I Fool Around with You."

On disc two (1950-1952) Waters has added Little Walter on harmonica and Jimmy Rogers is in the second-guitar seat. This disc features classic blues like "Rollin' Stone," "Louisiana Blues," "Long Distance Call," "Honey Bee" and "All Night Long."

This is powerful music and belongs in any serious music fan's library. You can't own too much Muddy Waters. And even if you bought the Chess Box Set, only a third of these tracks were included. ESSENTIAL

There Was But One Muddy Waters...
And by putting onto a single disc the first fifty recordings he produced for what began as Aristocrat Records and soon enough became Chess, MCA/Universal has done an even stronger service than with that luminous "Chess 50th Anniversary Collection" of a couple of years ago. The moment Muddy Waters plugged his guitar in was the moment the blues graduated from merely American earth music to a universal feeling of the soul, though of course it took some time and tribute to bring material fact in line with actuality. To have heard these recordings in any context was revelatory enough; but to have them now, in just about the order in which the man produced them, is the music gift of the year and then some. The earliest and in many ways most revelatory exercises of his barely-urbanized, drawling vocal style, amplified Delta-cured guitar throb (Waters, almost alone among his disciples, never really left the Delta entirely behind, no matter how advanced or more polished he may have become as the years rolled by), and vivid, near-poetic songwriting get perhaps the most elemental hearing you will ever have at ready hand. If this were a court session, here would be the final argument to the jury that Muddy Waters was the most important bluesman to emerge in full flower after World War II. But you should not need a jury to tell you that he was, at least, the true father and, in only too many ways, the never-equaled godhead of Chicago blues. ... Read more

Album Description

Full title - Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues. From thePBS series produced by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, thisrelease is packed with 16 'Muddy' classics including 'ICan't Be Satisfied' & 'Got My Mojo Working'. Hip-O Records. 2003. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Get It. Love It.
This is a very well chosen set for a single disc Muddy comp. Kudos to the compilers for including a couple pre-Chess cuts as well as a track from his highly underrated recordings on the Blue Sky label. The thought of a new blues fan picking up this disc and discovering Muddy for the first time quite frankly gives me goosebumps.

More low-key than I would've liked
I only had one Muddy Waters album before this (simply called "Muddy Waters In Cocnert") and rather than buy a 2-disc collection, I wanted a real basic primer on his career, something to start off with so I can pick up more discs. This disc covers Muddy's Chess years, sticking to versions of some of his better known, studio-recorded songs. I only gave this four-stars because I was hoping for a little more punch when it came towards the end of the disc, but the studio recordings lack in comparison to Muddy Waters live. It covers a lot of ground and there is some great music here, but it seems more tame then what you'd get seeing, hearing it live.

essential
Muddy Waters is one of the most popular bluesmen for a reason. He was a leading influence in the infusion of blues into rock and roll, and there are a number of songs on this CD that demonstrate that. The strongest blues song made into a classic rock track is "You Shook Me" written by Willie Dixon. If you want to be amazed, listen to Waters' You Shook Me and then Led Zeppelin's cover of it. There are also a couple of dubs of Son House songs like Death Letter and Walkin' Blues which are more powerful musically, if not as raw and emotional vocally as the originals. The only reason you should buy this CD instead of any other is the information that comes with it about Muddy Waters. A brief well-written biography is what makes this a necessary purchase for rock and blues fans alike.

A fine attempt at making a complete career overview
The two-disc "The Anthology: 1947-1972" and the lavish Chess Box remain the best Waters compilations, but this CD is pretty good if you can be satisfied (so to speak) with a single-disc collection.

It focuses mainly on Muddy's tenure at Chess Records, but also includes one of his early Library of Congress recordings, a 1946 waxing for Columbia Records, and a number from his Johnny Winter-produced 1978 Hard Again album ("The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock & Roll").

Almost all of the songs that casual Muddy-fans would consider "essential" are here, including "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "Got My Mojo Working", and "Mannish Boy", but "I Live The Life I Love (I Love The Life I Live") is missing, which is a shame.
There are many great tracks that didn't make the cut, obviously, but those are readily available to anyone who wants more.
4½ stars. This is a fine starting point. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 1998

Othar Turner is the living master of the cane fife, a short piece of hollowed-out sugar cane with holes. The simplistic, tranced-out party music known as fife and drum--the most clearly African-sounding of all traditional blues--remained all but hidden to most listeners until 1959, when Alan Lomax first encountered and recorded it in Mississippi. There are but a handful of records of real fife and drum music, and this clear-sounding document, with multiple versions of the classic "Shimmy She Wobble," might be the best record yet made of this intoxicating sound. --Mike McGonigal ... Read more

Reviews (4)

one great hypnotic groove
Othar Turner, if you were lucky to ever seem him perform, was an amazing performer and a gentleman to boot. The full energy of one of his famous annual summer goat fryups at his home in Senatobia, Missisipi is captured here. The nearest muscial form to "drum and fife" comes from the west coast of Africa, that's how old this musical form is, although there is some blues guitar mixed in on some of the tracks. The fife gives a very primordial, birdcalling edge to the drums. "Drum and fife" is an acquired taste, but like eating spices, once you've acquired that taste, you cannot get enough. Although Othar died last year, apparantly his granddaughter will keep the tradition alive.

Otha Rules!
This isn't for everyone, but if you're into deep blues roots, it is a must have. Blues, soul, funk, mother Africa, barbequed goat, cold beer and hot sweaty bodies: you can feel it all on this one!

Wellsprings of music is right here
If you are looking for the wellsprings of music, this CD might be a good place to start. This is as close to Africa as American music gets. The Mississippi fife-and-drum tradition has been explored on record by Alan Lomax and others, and it is always surprising to people unfamiliar with this music that such things exist. This CD is a powerful addition to the recorded heritage of Mississippi and the United States. Since 1923 or so, 90-year-old Othar Turner has been playing cane fifes of his own making, and family and friends accompany him down on his farm with drums--bass and snare. He holds 2-day picnics filled with fife-and-drum music, traditional blues jams, barbecued pig and goat, moonshine whiskey, beer and pop. Fife playing is an art in the oral tradition, passed on from generation to generation. Turner learned it from R.E. Williams, and taught it to his children and grandchildren. You might want to start with track five, one of three versions of "Shimmy She Wobble" on the CD. Turn up the volume and lose yourself in the sounds of hypnotic drumming, shouts, chants and screams, and fife. Then listen to the cricket-saturated "Roll and Tumble," one of several slide-guitar blues on the CD. Then roam freely and take it all in. If you really want to know the roots of music--all music--this is a place to start. Turner and friends make music from someplace deeper than we experience most of the time; but you can find it in yourself if you allow yourself to get lost in this stuff. Especially recommended for those who want to know blues and rock's beginnings.

Absolutely cool!
Mr. Turner, a 91 year old former sharecropper from Senatobia, MS. is the last person playing a type of music called "African American Fife and Drum" music. It predates, and is one of the foundations for, the Blues. The music is a combination of African, Blues and march rhythms. You have to hear it to believe it and understand what I am talking about.

The recordings on this CD are primarily "field recordings" that capture the atmosphere in which this type of music is played, i.e., a picnic or party-type setting. To fully appreciate what a picnic is, go to Mr. Turner's home in Senatobia Mississippi on Labor Day weekend and attend his annual picnic, which has been a tradition at his home for over 25 years. You will never forget the experience and you will never forget the hospitality of Mr. Turner and his family.

Alan Lomax called African-American fife and drum music his most important discovery, and Mr. Turner has been honored by the Smithsonian, the National Endowment for the Arts, and has been featured in the Oxford American and on ABC's Good Morning America. Listen to this incredible and unique album and you will see why! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Peak performance by a legendery entertainer
A true standout, especially when you compare the performances on this album to some of Mr. Hooker's other work. The studio musicians all seem to blossom here, with J.L.'s incredible vocals, in creating this classic. It ranks with my personal top 10 alltime albums, way up there. Universal and current messages abound, and is a lot of fun too (check out "House Rent Boogie"..."Hit Kix U").

Endless Blues
I bought this album soon after its initial release in 1971 and was blown away. It holds up even after 30 years and will continue to do so. Some critics have dismissed this album as another example of aimless jamming by some white guitarists in awe of a blues icon. I completely disagree. Sure, many of the tracks are over 5 minutes: and yes these are jams. But they anything but chaotic and unstructured as some listeners have suggested. There are fine contributions from the likes of Steve Miller, Mel Brown and the late Jesse Ed Davis (listen to Davis' snake like notes and brittle playing on the jam Pots on, gas up high). For the blues mood in extremis check out Kick Hit 4 hit Kix U and Sheep out on the foam. The rhythm section of Gino Skaggs (you want to learn blues bass playing, listen to this cat's clean playing) and Ken Swank (fine drumming) on most tracks (late Carl Radle and Jim Gordon of Derek and the Dominos appear on the remainder) is rock steady. I emigrated to Canada as a 15 year old in 1971 and this was the album that got me into blues. I have worn out two double albums and have presented copies to numerous friends to illustrate how joyful blues music can be. Its wonderful that the CD is available once more to delight blues fans every where. The 5 stars are for the content and for the seminal role this CD has played in shaping my musical education.

Driftin' and driftin'...
Do you like your blues sleazy? I mean with sleaze just dripping off it and oozing out of every nook and cranny? Do you like your blues without chord changes, droning and building emotional intensity as it burrows into your soul like a thousand nights in a shotgun shack on the delta? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, Endless Boogie is your type of album. It's John Lee "jamming" with a group of, mostly, young white blues dudes in an essentially live session recorded in studio. All the tracks are extended by today's standards, and all have some decent guitar, piano, and electric piano solos. What really makes this disc special is the alchemy, that special "something" that you hear sometimes at the Monday night blues jam, when the players catch fire and everything transcends. Hooker's voodoo guitar doesn't get much of a showing, but his singing is definitely in top form: brooding, evocative, and, quite frankly, somewhat disturbing in its urgent melancholy. Listen to this, you will come away changed.

Jus' Jammin'
If you like yer 12 bar blues to be exact, down to the beat and measure - turn away from this one. But if you dig the raw, improvisational nature of The Jam - just a bunch of talented musicians getting together for the love of making music - then this is the quintessential John Lee collection. Savor it, enjoy, because this type of CD/album comes along very rarely. Most studio work is usually pretty scripted, which is fine. But I love the power of a live blues jam - I cut my teeth in blues hanging onto the stage watching the greats like Mighty Joe Young and Albert Collins tear it up. This work has the strength and energy of a live show but the intimacy of a guitar circle (a living room-style jam where everyone sits and trades licks) - in the title song, at one point during a scintillating acoustic solo, you can hear 'em just shout out with pleasure. It's like John Lee sings: "All the cats, getting together in the studio, just cookin' They call it...The Jam....Look out!" RIP, John Lee. I know they're boogyin' in heaven right now.

One of his best!
As a longtime fan of Johnny Lee (I have, over the last 20 years, collected many of his CDs, as well as albums and tapes), I LOVE this CD, it is my favourite! It never disappoints, day after day! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great music, no liner notes
This is an excellent recording with almost no context. The liner notes (all of two paragraphs) don't say anything about when the songs were recorded of how Lomax got access to the prisoners. The sound is excellent. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent music; serious production problems though
I'm a huge music fan and love all kinds of music, especially The Blues, owning around 100 blues CDs, including a few others by Corey Harris; I've even seen him perform live, and would consider myself a fan.

This CD is related to Corey's participation in Martin Scorsese's PBS documentary about The Blues, and attempts (rather successfully) to draw the links between American Blues and its African roots through collaboration with modern-day African musicians. There are new originals, a tribute to recently-passed Otha Turner (who was to have played on the album), and a number of excellent covers of classic blues tunes (Big Road Blues, Special Rider Blues, Station Blues, 44 Blues, Catfish Blues, Dark Was The Night...) that many blues fans will be familiar with, collaborations with African music star Ali Farka Toure (a superb guitarist/vocalist) and others, along with American blues artists like Bobby Rush.

OK, so far so good -- a good concept for a blues journey, and quality music performed by quality musicians all converge towards excellent music and performances.

But there is a MAJOR problem with this album -- about 1/2 of the songs (any songs that have Souleyman Kane playing percussion on them) were extremely poorly recorded. The problem is that the percussionist plays some very loud percussion instruments (I have no idea what exactly they are) that sound exactly like people playing ping-pong. And he plays them loudly and constantly throughout the entire song -- so much so that it sounds like someone is playing a ping-pong game in front of my stereo, obscuring the vocals, guitars, and whatever else is on the recording! Those songs should be labled as "Souleyman Kane featuring other musicians and vocalists far in the background". He is a talented and interesting percussionist, don't get me wrong, but he's not the reason I'm listening to this music.

This sort of recording quality problem might be excused from a classic field recording made in the 1920's or 1930's, but there is absolutely no excuse for this sort of problem to be heard on a recording made in 2002 & 2003! OK, I realize that they made many of the recordings in remote Mali, but that is no excuse for the engineers not to listen back to the recordings and adjust the setup so that you can hear the instruments in proper balance (I've done a bit of recording engineering myself in the past, so I know a bit about the subject). I could even excuse this issue if it only existed for a song or 2 if they noticed and then corrected it, but it is really problematic throughout 8 of the 15 songs!

You may think I'm just a stickler for a good recording, but I am not -- it REALLY detracts from enjoying the music -- after a while you'll find that the only thing you're hearing on the songs is the ping-pong sound. Check out some of the other reviews if you don't believe me -- I'm not the only one commenting on this.

If you decide to buy this CD, you will probably find yourself listening to the whole thing once and then subsequently programming your CD player to play only the 7 songs on the disc without the percussionist. Then you'll have a 5-star (if short) CD. Otherwise I give this 5 stars for 7 of the songs, 2 stars for the other 8, averaging out to about 3 stars.

A rich blend of Delta Blues and African folk influences
Mississippi to Mali was the second Corey Harris CD I have purchased after buying "Downhome Sophisticate", which was good, but not as influential as this one. His music combines African-American Delta Blues with that of the Traditional Folk of the Old World (Africa). Being an african-american myself the musical journey is most refreshing and permits me to look on life at a better perspective than I would off some crappy violent urban rap/hip-hop that pollutes America's airways along with pop culture of corporate America. The cd insert gives information on the background of the various pieces, but the album itself has heightened my interest in learning more about the international context. I recommend it most highly to anyone.

Searching for the source
Corey Harris is my hero. At a time when radio serves McMusic Mr. Harris went to Mali and made field recordings and then got the album published! Who else could do such a thing now that Alan Lomax is gone?

This CD is brilliant and real and reassuring that there remain true artists in music today.

Be prepared, the mixing is rough and through most of the songs it sounds as if someone is playing ping-pong by the mic. The guitars, kore and other instruments are often obscured by percussion, but that also adds to the authenticity of the recording.

This is a 5 star release and I can not wait for the next release from Corey Harris.

Another Great Effort!
I didn't know who Corey Harris was before "Downhome Sophisticate". I was blown away by that album and the skillful melding of so many different styles of music. When I saw that he had a new album out, I had to have it. Didn't bother to read anything or find a way to hear it first. I was that sure that I needed it in my collection. I wasn't wrong. These are field recordings so the sound and mix is not always perfect. It doesn't have to be. This is music with a pulse, music that stirs something in your blood. It's as if you're sitting right there, savoring the pleasure of being in the company of talented men making music. Corey just seems like a man who's on an incredible voyage of discovery. It's really cool that he's letting us tag along. Don't miss thr trip from "Mississippi To Mali".

My new favorite CD
I love Mississippi to Mali. Corey Harris has been a favorite of mine for years, but I am so enthusiastic about this CD I feel like proselytizing from the treetops. While most of us know that the roots of the blues is in W. Africa, I don't think anything so far brings this home so seamlessly and naturally. This is a great CD, close to perfect in the way you hear the rhythms and sounds intertwine and learn something without being told.

The first segment of the Martin Scorsese's PBS series "The Blues," with Corey Harris was wonderful, and this CD comes from that. The segment with Otha Turner was my introduction to fife and drum music and I immediately came to Amazon to find more of it. There is a good helping of it here, not isolated, but in a rich context. Otha Turner passed away before he could be recorded for this album, but his grand-daughter Shardé is on it -- heir to his music and his talent and brilliant on this (I loved the vocal touch). I also love the sound of the njarka (one string violin) and the way these simple instruments and rhythms can hypnotize.

All the music here stays close to the roots of musical expression, not just that of the blues. It is good listening from beginning to end, not academic or intellectualized, but a collaboration of great musicians. An "essential" CD if I've ever heard one. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

As with 1999's Respect box, which chronicled women recording artists, Rhino again attempts to capture and condense a mighty field with the six-CD Say It Loud! And again, it largely succeeds. A companion to the VH1 series of the same name, Say It Loud! tells one story and many. It covers the development of many related genres, the business of locking many outsize talents and personalities into the grooves of records, and the music as it mirrored a rustling, ever-changing society--that last underscored by the inclusion of spoken sound bites (everyone from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Sammy Davis Jr.). But within these larger themes move many smaller but no less compelling tales. The roughly chronological programming allows for accidental, startling juxtapositions--disc one places Paul Robeson's pained, dignified reading of "Ol' Man River" just a few tracks away from bluesman Son House's insistence in "My Black Mama (Part 1)" that "there ain't no burnin' Hell." From there, pop ballads, big bands, bop, gospel, doo-wop, rock & roll, soul from Motown! Memphis! and Philly!, gorgeous civil-rights-era jazz, funk, and rap cohere and speak to one another in a selection about as good as can be expected given its length and various legal restrictions. (The most glaring omission is Stevie Wonder.) Any taint of "this stuff is good for you" is lost in the parade of great gifts, personalities, statements, dance crazes, poetry, and word games. If the above track listing contains lots of names you don't recognize, Say It Loud! will offer you a topnotch one-stop survey course. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A History of Black Music in America
When I found this collection on Amazon.com, I nearly cried (okay, I did cry). This includes much that anyone who truly loves African American music could ever want. It's not only entertaining, it's educational. How pleased I was when it arrived that there were not only six exceptional CD's, but a beautiful book included also. Additionally, I love the excerpts of famous speeches and quotes, etc. that are included between songs. If you truly love R&B as well as it's roots, buy this compilation and be satisfied that this was money well spent.

an absolute must have!!
To any black person who wants educate their child musically, this is a must have, yes there are some omissions, but the depth and breadth of the artists represented is astonishing. I will listen this with my child very often, as a history lesson.

What.....No Stevie????
Stevie Wonder has to be the epitome of stylistic uniqueness among song writers, African-American or otherwise. He is also one of the most proliferate, with a body of work that spans nearly 4 decades. The influence of his genius upon the music world is unquestionable. How, then, could this musical phenomenon been omitted from an otherwise outstanding collection?

No James Brown???
They really have a History of Black Music Compilation and leave out James Brown? No James Brown? Uh...what's going on here? One of the most important figures in music of this century and he's excluded...for shame

A phenomonal collection, however...
This is truly a terrific set. I'd buy each of these CD's separately if they weren't available together. But stop and think about this for a minute.

Can you imagine a box set called "A Celebration of White Music in America"? Would anyone put together a collection that included tracks from, say, Rudy Vallee, Backstreet Boys, The Beach Boys, Garth Brooks, Glen Miller, Elvis Presley, Meat Loaf, Patti Page, Sons of the Pioneers, The Captain & Tennille, Vaughn Monroe, Limp Bizkit, Carole King, Itzhak Perlman, Green Day, Pat Boone, Pat Benatar and about a hundred other artists? Of course not.

Why? Because these acts have nothing in common!

Now the tough follow-up question: Why should being black give the artists on this set anything more in common?

Let's call this what it truly is: A Celebration of GREAT Music In America, and hope the day arrives soon when no other label need apply ... Read more

Amazon.com

The blues-Mali connection has been much pondered, and Mali to Memphis attempts to illustrate the tie with selections of both Malian artists and American bluesmen (and women). The Malian cuts, especially those from Rokia Traore, Boubacar Traore, and Lobi Traore, are the most persuasive, setting up long, monochromatic, loping grooves not dissimilar to John Lee Hooker's, over which are laid some spine-chilling vocals, tinged with the Arabic influences of Islam. Hooker himself, who comes in with an acoustic "I'm in the Mood for Love," is the most obvious U.S. stylistic link. Muddy Waters, Eric Bibb, and Jesse Mae Hemphill also provide interesting comparisons, but some of the other blues choices, nice as they are, aren't as convincing examples of musical similarity. The point is well made that it is within the vocal styles that any cross-cultural pollinations are found, not in the 8-, 10-, 12-, or 16-bar structures that dominate the blues idiom. The blues are a vehicle for stories, emotion, and tradition, and the griots of Mali share the same responsibility, only they are much more deeply embedded in, and fundamental to, the culture of the land, something that oozes out of every note they play. --Derek Rath ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Africa. America. Less Different Than I Imagined.
Jeanette Belliveau seems a little disconnected about the source of the connection of the sounds in the two contrasted styles of music. Although the attitudes of blues originated in Africa, the sounds originated when black musicians picked up white instruments and tried to win acceptance through music. The only African instrument to make the journey from Africa to America and gain wide acceptance is the banjo -- which is almost never heard in black music, but rather has been adopted wholesale into white music.

On the whole, however, the sound you hear in the blues music on this CD is examplary, and the Malian sound, though influenced by blues and played partly on Western instruments, is magical. My girlfriend, Sarah, was so influenced by this CD that she bought Taj Mahal's album _Senor Blues_ (q.v.) and I invested in some John Lee Hooker and am fishing for some Muddy Waters. As a way of finding out about black music, either in Africa or in America, as well as examining how the two cultures have traded off one another, this CD is unmatched and unmatchable. A definite five stars.

African Culture Across the Atlantic
When many westerners think of African music, they expect something exotic, something primitive, something mysterious. Yet for all their expectations, few Americans seem to realize that they are sitting on a goldmine of African traditions. The African musical traditions served to feed what would develop into the traditions of Blues, Jazz, Rap, Reggae, Rock, Gospel, Salsa and the like. And the purpose of this particular CD is to explore the African roots of the Blues.
Like most Putumayo CDs, this one jumps from Mali to the US, back to Mali (and neghboring Guinea), and to the US again. However, this only serves to show the similarities between these two musical traditions. Excellent selections from big namessuch as John Lee Hooker, Habib Koite, Muddy Waers, Taj Mahal, Rokia Traore and Boubacar Traore characterize this CD. The music, whether Mande or southern, always maintains a uniquely Blues feel to it.
And, as an added bonus to Blues fans, this CD really expands the entire genere. Compare John Lee Hooker's "I'm in the Mood" to Taj Mahal's "Queen Bee" and you'll see what I mean.

awesome
This cd is smooth and mellow. I've been addicted to it since I first got my hands onto it. A real pleasure.

I really love this CD
I love the music of Mali--the home of Timbuktu and some really amazing musicians. Their music and its five-tone scale is supposed to be the roots of the Blues. Though the slave trade was mostly a coastal event (Mali is land-locked), wars in the area resulted in prisoners who ended up on slave ships heading for America. The rich Mali music tradtion may have created our American blues.

Here, side by side, Mali musicians play their music with a mix of electric guitar and traditional harp-lute along with cuts by John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. The music is arranged cleverly--you can hear the similarities quite clearly. But aside from being interesting historically, this music is just plain great to hear. The cd has fascinating liner notes, too.

I've already played this twice through just out of the box, and I know this is going to be one of my play-all-the-time CD's.

awesome
this album is unbelievable. the transiion from the african rythms to the delta blues is incredible. It evokes an indescribable emotion when you listen to it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

These are the sounds of the American melting pot in full boil, a vibrant study in musical and cultural collision. The companion box set to the four-part PBS documentary, this four-disc set skims the cream of 20th-century American "roots music"--music based in its own rich ethnic, geographical, and cultural traditions yet malleable and responsive enough to accommodate elements borrowed from other traditions. The 68 songs here traverse country, blues, folk, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, Tejano, and Native American styles, and while there are obviously huge differences between these songs, it's the similarities that are truly remarkable. Thanks to a cross-pollination facilitated by radio, recording technology, and the highway system, traditional American musical forms bounced off each other like atoms--European tradition met African tradition, urban met rural, Northern met Southern, secular met spiritual, and so it goes. This project allows you to trace each genre's development while simultaneously illustrating its connections to other forms. Like any project of this nature, you can lament all the great music that didn't make it--jazz, in fact, is completely ignored except for one boogie-woogie piano duet, presumably because Ken Burns already covered this territory--but it's difficult to find fault with what did make it here. The producers balance well-known original recordings with 20 newly recorded tracks and nine songs taken from archival film sources. Housed in a stylish hard-bound case and boasting detailed song-by-song notes and great photos, the American Roots Music box makes for a valuable gateway into America's musical heritage and a springboard for further investigation. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Nearly Perfect
The PBS American Roots Music series - both the 4 part documentary on DVD and 4 CD boxed set - is a commendable work. It is an incredible education in not only popular American music and culture, but history, and should be required viewing and listening in high schools.

Many of the problems in American Society and its youth today stem from a complete lack of pride and self-awareness. A quick survey of popular music and culture reveal a frightening level of ignorance of America's history, values, and ideals. In short, while the series focusses on America's musical traditions, it does a fantastic job of conveying a sense of America's "roots" in a positive, enriching manner.

The DVD documentary strikes a perfect balance between glossing over, and becoming bogged down in, the material. Unlike the Ken Burns' projects that exhaust the viewer's interest and collapse under their own weight, the series is informative and educational, yet entertaining. It is not MEANT to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject - and so some reviewers here are missing the point - that would take 40, not 4, episodes. Rather, it is an introduction and a sampler; peaking our curiosity and prompting us to investigate and research further the wonderful heritage of music out there. And in that, it succeeds marvelously.

What also impressed me was the documentary's remarkable objectivity. While it eschews political correctness, it doesn't necessarily candy coat anything either. What it does do is present the material in a respectful, thoughtful, intelligent, and unbiased manner - something so lacking in today's political and social discourse. So in this sense, folks looking for something with an "agenda" - conspiracies, skeletons in the closet, and historical revisionism - may be disappointed by the documentary.

The CD boxed set is equally well-done: a fantastic booklet, thorough liner notes, and collection of songs that is a music lover's dream. Again, it is intended to be a sampler - great songs by landmark artists - not an exhaustive account of American Roots music. And also like the documentary, its meant to be a enriching, uplifting - not deconstructing - experience.

If the series has a shortcoming, it is the absence of one of the major "roots" - Jazz - which was no doubt and most unfortunately excluded, because of the recent Ken Burns' PBS documentary. But to exclude Jazz from the discussion of American Roots music, means we do not have the entire picture. And so in that sense, the series is somewhat flawed.

Still, its hard to find any other fault with the series. This is a work that TRULY embraces and celebrates America's cultural diversity. Entertaining and enlightening, I would heartily recommend owning the box set and DVD for one's own edification as well as a way to help introduce friends and family to REAL American music - in all its forms.

American Roots Music
An Awsome Collection Of Hard To Find Roots Music In A Box
Set Thats Worth The Money

Gotta have it
Excellent collection, except I wish they could have picked another B.B. King tune than the overrated "The Thrill Is Gone."

scattered roots
One doesn't envy anyone charged with the task of assembling a collection of essential recordings in America's many folk and vernacular genres. As such things go, American Roots Music is decent enough, though inevitably anyone who knows the music will wonder at the omissions (for example, of Dock Boggs or any of the classic old-time string bands). Perhaps the major problem here is that the four discs encompass such a range of styles that they can hardly begin to do justice to any one of them. The serious listener will already have much of this in his or her collection. Of course it's not exactly a painful sacrifice to hear "Waiting for a Train," "Uncle Pen," "Black Snake Moan," "Cross Road Blues," or any of a number of other warhorses, yet again. I was least familiar with the music on Disc #4 (Cajun/Zydeco/Tejano/Native American) and so enjoyed it the most. A particular treat is Mingo Saldivar's lively version of the old Johnny Cash hit "Ring of Fire." Saldivar doesn't just sing the lyrics in Spanish; he reinvents the melody, making it sound as if "Ring" were always supposed to be a conjunto tune. The disc ends anticlimactically, however, with the inexplicable inclusion of a New-Ageish composition, when a reprise of the wonderful series theme song (a movingly organic rendition of "Worried Man Blues" by performers representing a variety of traditions) would have been a more proper send-off. As a primer set in an unusually attractive package, American Roots Music will do, more or less, but seasoned followers of our homegrown sounds will seek their pleasures elsewhere.

American Roots Music
As an attempt to present a primer on roots music, this set is very well done. With the exception of jazz, all of the bases are covered and most are covered pretty well. However, anyone with some knowledge of roots music who is looking for a "new jem" is probably going to be disappointed. On the plus side, the version here of "We Shall Overcome" is the best recorded one I have heard and the Tejano and Native American sections are a welcome addition. However, the omission of white mountain gospel or shape notes songs is puzzling. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Using the simplest melodies as his canvas, Delta bluesman Bukka White painted vivid pictures of his own life in the rural South, punctuating his words with a highly percussive steel-guitar attack. Among his subjects: trains, booze, sex, prison, and death. After shooting an old Mississippi rival during a roadside showdown, White had allegedly jumped bail to record his first two songs in 1937. The bawdy "Shake 'EmOn Down" was a hit, but White spent two years in prison for his indiscretion. When White returned to Chicago in 1940 to record again, producer Lester Melrose rejected his roster of cover tunes, giving him two days to come up with his own material. Under the gun, White created the 10 autobiographical gems that round out this collection. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Bukka White the MAN
I couldn't belive this was Bukka White the first time I listened to this cd . Because the first time I heard him was on "Masters of the Delta Blues friends of Charlie Patton" (a must cd 4 any 1 interested in getting involed in acoustic delta blues) the reason 4 this is I didnt really enjoy those Victor recordings of him I would always skip those songs (no offense Bukka) but when I heard the complete VOCALION recordings (ring a bell any 1) I was blown away I listned to the cd over and over I freakin love trk.2 Shake em On Down . Bukka is a down and dirty blues man he sounds nonthing like those religous Victor recordings on this cd . If your a fan of acoustic blues or blues period you will enjoy this cd very much.

A brilliant recording of Mr. Booker White in his prime.
If you are looking to identify one Bukka White CD to own, this is the one, IMHO. He was a legendary slide guitar stylist with an ability to compose great blues songs for his style. He was a notable singer. This recording captures him in peak form, and, in addition, represents one of the last important country blues recording sessions to have taken place before WWII.

By the early 40's, musical tastes were changing. Electric guitars, big bands, pre-bebop, etc. were all hitting. There was a huge exodus of southerners from the rural south to northern cities, and the country blues was out of fashion as a musical form.

To his credit, Booker, when presented with this opportunity to record, stuck to what he did best and did not get trendy. The result was a legendary country blues session, and this CD documents that.

Every song on this recording sounds great, & the sound quality is pretty good to boot (compared to other early blues recordings). The thing that always gets me is the rhythmic creativity. Even though this was an old time country blues recording, Mr. White was a true funkster, & his rhythm sense still sounds contemporary & exciting.

A Consumate Blues Man
The first song I heard by Bukka White was 'Fixin' To Die Blues' on a blues anthology disc. With his rhythmic playing and voice that expresses a wide range of emotion, he was one of the consumate blues men. He had quite a story to tell, and there isn't a single song on this disc that doesn't lure you in to his telling of the human condition. A must for anyone that can appreciate what this Black American art form truly is...emotions and strife set to music. Recommended!

Songs from a Blues Master
I first heard Booker "Bukka" White on a compilation and finally got around to picking up this CD awhile back. What the listener is treated to is good, old-fashioned, country blues, highlighted by White's strong, straight-ahead rhythms and vocal intensity. His raspy/quavery vocals are a perfect accompaniment to his chugging guitar style, and White is backed up on most of these songs, recorded mainly in 1940, by Washboard Sam, who provides strong rhythmic counterpoint to the sound White gets from his National steel guitar. Although I like all the tracks on this CD, "Parchman Farm Blues", the first Bukka White song I ever heard, is still my favorite.

Bukka White the complete recordings
Hi, Len here!
This is blues at it's purest form. I think even someone that don't care for it & know's blues would say it is.
Len! ... Read more

Album Description

21 classic blues tracks that inspired the rock gods. Listen to 'Shake 'Em On Down' by Bukka White and compare it to Zep's 'Hats Off To Roy' or Memphis Minnie's original take on 'When The Levee Breaks'. Third in the popular series. Remastered by the Catfish label. A Must for all Led Zeppelin fans. 200 release. Standard jewel case. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

It's Not What You Think!
First of all do not get the impression that this is a remake of Zeppelin tunes. This is the raw source from where Jimmy and the boys had cut their teeth on. If you are a stanch blues fan like I am, you will appreciate this disk for what it represents. If not, then you will find no use for it. I personally like knowing what inspired certain artists and enjoyed this copulation. If you weren't a blues fan before, it will introduce you to a new (old) area of music field that is very entertaining and satisfying, compared to the norm.

I gave this a 3 star rating because I owned most of the selections, prior to listening to "The Roots of Led Zeppelin". ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Right On the Money...
Man, I wish everyone could hear these CDs...If you're even thinking about it, do it! These CDs contain high-fidelity, modern recordings of time-tested songs and other wonderful compositions. Deep, deep blues played by authentic blues musicians who are remarkable for their feel, rawness, and flashes of technical sheen.

****1/2
This "box set" isn't really a box set, in that it doesn't include any rarities, bonus tracks, or anything else which wasn't on the original albums.
But if you don't have any of Muddy Waters' three Johnny Winter-produced late-seventies/early eighties studio albums, this is a really good way to acquire all of them, and they really do belong in any Muddy-lovers collection.

"Hard Again" is the best, followed by "I'm Ready", but all three CDs are more than worth a listen. Superbly produced and arranged, featuring great musicianship, these three albums are an important part of Muddy Waters' legacy.

A great collaboration
Muddy Waters, tried and true, playing a variety of venues -- winding down a long career, with lots of miles under his belt . Johnny Winters- a blues aficionado who knows his way around the rock scene and a recording studio. What happens? These two experienced musicians pull together and put out 3 exceptional releases. Cataloging the early bread and butter numbers Muddy has established over his long and esteemed career. Plus a few more, lots of live shots in the studio, minimal overdub (if any) and BAM! Great renditions of timeless masterpieces superb Bluesmanship all captured with solid studio engineering. If you like the blues, you owe it to yourself to have this box set in your collection!

Three of the best.
When Johnny Winter hooked up with Muddy in the late 70's he coaxed him into playing some of the finest music of his illustrious career. The first of the three recordings, Hard Again, got it's title from Muddy exclaiming "..this sounds so good it makes my little peepus hard again." All of this music presents a genius of the blues in his 60's playing with the power of a man half his age. It's timeless, it's brilliant and the band is more than up to the task. This collection should be in any self respecting blues fan's collection. Pick up the equally(if not more so) terrific live album titled, Muddy "Mississipi" Waters Live (also on Blue Sky) add the Muddy Waters Chess Box Set and you are all set. Muddy was it...Simon

Excellent! All 3 of Muddy's Johnny Winter Era CDs
I was wondering when somebody was going to repackage these three great Muddy Waters albums. The combination of Johnny Winter and Muddy Waters produced what will inevitably come to be considered as some of the best recordings of some of the old Muddy classics, as well as some very fresh new material.

My favorite blues harminica song of all time is "Crosseyed Cat." Johnny Winter's production of "I'm Ready" is outstanding, as is his treatment of "Mannish Boy." No one can holler "Yeah!!!" better than Johnny Winter in response to the "Main Man" crooning "I'm a maaaaaan"

I can't say enough about these recordings so I'm not going to waste words. Buy this set and listen for yourself.

This is a must have! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

my search is over !!!!!!!!!!!