Search - Muddy Waters :: Best of Father of Chicago

A solid collection from the original Rolling Stone

T. Fisher | 04/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was happy to see this collection of music by Muddy Waters come up as one of Amazon's MP3 Daily Deals. Like the collection's title says, he is basically regarded as the father of Chicago Blues and one of the most important early users of electric guitar in blues -- he said it was so the guitar could be heard above the noisy crowds he was playing for.



This is a set of mostly early Muddy Waters music from the Chess label up to the mid-1950s, but it also includes a handful of tunes from the late 1960s and early 1970s. It does not include any of the comeback "Johnny Winter" sessions music from the late 1970s.



I won't call this a "greatest hits" collection, because some of his major successes aren't here, the most important being "Mannish Boy" -- probably Muddy Waters' best-known tune overall and one of his four songs named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as among the "500 songs that shaped rock and roll". The other three are here, although only one of them, "Rollin' Stone" (from which the Rolling Stones took their name), is the original studio recording. The other two are later live recordings -- "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Got My Mojo Working".



There are plenty of other hits as well, including the original recording of "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and his early version of "Baby Please Don't Go". "I'm Ready" "Forty Days and Forty Nights", "Mad Love" and "Honey Bee" were all in the Top 10 on the Billboard R&B chart in their day.



Although not necessarily all his greatest, this is a really solid collection of great blues, and is a real bargain at the $1.99 "Daily Deal" price on April 17, 2010. I used to have Muddy Waters LPs way back when, but it's been a while since I've had any of his music in my collection, so this was a really welcome set. Highly recommended!"

Chess Blues from the Roots

Michael Weber | Coast 2 Coast | 04/17/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love these mono classics from the 50s and 60s, especially Little Walter's insane harmonica solos. A proud addition to my collection.



Go see "Who Do You Love", the story of Chess Records, opening this weekend in theaters."

Muddy Waters Invented Electricity

Damian P. Gadal | Santa Barbara, CA USA | 04/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The world of music changed (for the better) when Muddy plugged into an amp. Just ask the Rolling Stones! What a great way to start the day, waking up and seeing this collection as the daily special on Amazon! :-)



It's hard for me to pick a definitive set of Muddy Waters songs, there are so many great ones, and any selection is so subjective, but if you're looking for some great blues to add to your music collection this release is a good place to start.



Good stuff that just made its way to the top of my current rotation.

"