Search - Muddy Waters :: At Newport 1960

One of the all-time classic live blues albums

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 01/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Muddy Waters' July, 1960 appearance at the Newport Folk Festival was recorded and issued as one of the first live blues albums, and one of the very best as well. A bit short at only nine songs (plus four studio recordings), but that's just about the only complaint you could possibly lodge against this classic recording.



The sound on the remastered 2001 edition is simply excellent...the original masters have been transferred in high-resolution digital audio, bringing up Andrew Stephenson's bass overall, and moving Muddy's singing several layers forward in the mix.

And the result is superb. The Muddy Waters Band of 1960 included top-notch harmonica player James Cotton, guitarist Auburn "Pat" Hare, drummer Francis Clay, and the great Otis Spann whose superb piano playing graced almost all of Muddy's 1960s recordings (listen to the swing he adds to "I Feel So Good"). And Muddy Waters himself is in his prime, his big, confident voice possessing tremendous power.



Talking about highlights is a meaningless excercise..."Muddy Waters At Newport" features the definitive renditions of the classic "Got My Mojo Working" and the swaggering "I Feel So Good", but literally everything is superb, from the hits ("Hoochie Coochie Man", Big Joe Williams' "Baby Please Don't Go") to the little-known songs ("Soon Forgotten", the then-newly recorded "I Got My Brand On You" and "Tiger In Your Tank"). And the live portion of the album winds down with the slow lament "Goodbye Newport Blues", which is pretty generic and obviously slapped together for the occation, but it actually works quite well (and pianist Otis Spann provides a good lead vocal).



The original live recordings have been augumented by four bonus tracks recorded just prior to Muddy's Newport appearance, three of which appear "live" as well. Notice how the live recordings of "I Got My Brand On You", "Tiger In Your Tank" and the slow "Soon Forgotten" are almost twice as long as the studio versions.

The fourth song is one of Muddy's least-known songs...a mid-tempo blues shuffle anchored by a great rhythm section and with some superb harmonica playing by James Cotton. A fine little gem.



"Muddy Waters At Newport" is a must-have for any self-respecting blues fan, casual or fanatical, and one of the greatest items in Muddy Waters' catalogue."

Stratospheric Blues in Stereo, Stereo, Stereo

Ken Douglas | Landlocked in Reno | 03/02/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was a kid when this record came out, in school at Bancroft Junior High in Lakewood California. Unlike the others in my all white neighborhood, my dad worked in the record business and was always bringing me stuff he thought I should hear. This one, Muddy Waters singing live, it was something, really something. I liked Billie Holiday and her brand of blues, but this was different. This one had me up and groovin' in my room. Pat Boone, Muddy Waters wasn't. You didn't have to tell me what a Mojo was and Lord above did I ever want to be a Hoochie Coochie man.



I'm a lot older now, have gone though several copies of this record. I've had it on four track, eight track, cassette and CD and now on iTunes. This record was my intro to Muddy Waters and what an intro is was. Otis Spann's piano playing seems to be pulling the band into the stratosphere. If this record doesn't get you out of your chair and dancing, nothing will and that's why it's on my list as one of the ten best records of 1960"