The Super Super Blues Band

Document of a Day When 3 Geniuses Jammed Together

I can't believe how this album could have had any negative reviews on it. I can't think of another album off the top of my head that has three masters of their genres getting together and jamming. The people that wrote the negative reviews must have been expecting songs that were written together and rehearsed, but I don't think the project would have worked if they took more than one day. As legendary as these guys are, we should just be thankful that ego didn't prevent them from getting together just for one day and having a good time jamming. And that's what this album is: a document of a day that three geniuses got together and had a great time doing what they love, playing the blues.

So no, these songs aren't tightly written and rehearsed. These songs are somewhat long, freeform jams that these three titans of the blues just got together one day and jammed on with no preparation. There's "hooting and hollaring" and joking around, and they're all having a good time and giving each other a good natured ribbing from time to time. But they seem to still be respectful of each other so no one really seems to try to jump out and steal the show. Just jamming and having a good time playing the blues like only they know how. Just understand that, and if you're still interested in hearing what happened that one day that the planets aligned *just right* and got these guys together (despite the well known rivalry between a couple of them), plunk down the roughly seven bucks this gem can be found for. Its a *steal*!

Oh! Did I mention Hubert Sumlin (legendary blues guitarist and one of Jimi Hendrix's favorite guitarists) and Otis Spann (legendary blues piano player) are in on this jam session? C'mon people... Who's writing a negative review on this?! Appreciate things for what they are, not what you expect them to be! October 11, 2008

Tons of fun... but not with Chuck Berry

Having just purchased and listened to this album all the way through, I'd like to point out three things not mentioned in any of the previous reviews...

1) Chuck Berry does not sing on this album. I don't know why the description includes him, but he wouldn't have fit in with this group at all. However,

2) Beyond "the big three" vocalists featured on the album cover, the liner notes also inform us that the backing band included Buddy Guy on bass, Hubert Sumlin on rhythm guitar, and Otis Spann on piano-- three bona fide musical legends in their own right. Folks, that's $1 for every blues legend on this disc! That's what I call a bargain!

3) Although many of the songs here were sung on other recordings by these musicians, this is, in effect, a cover album. None of the songs were actually composed by any of the performers mentioned above. This is quite interesting, since one might presume that a meeting of major blues egos of the kind assembled here would have resulted in some serious jockeying over whose tunes would get sung, by whom, and in what order, etc. I know next to nothing about how this session was organized, but listening to some of the banter between and during the tracks, one gets the sense that even when they were at their most competitive, these guys had alot of respect for each other, and were able to let down their guard and their egos for this one moment in blues history order to just have some fun. Now I would agree with some of the previous reviewers that, individually, the performances are not particularly stellar. But you get the sense that these were pretty loose jams to begin with, and I doubt that they would have been able to produce the kind of spontaneity that is evident throughout this album had they gone into the studio planning to construct the ultimate blues supergroup studio album. In fact, its hard to come up with examples of supergroup albums that sound nearly as much fun as this. So whatever your opinions are regarding the technical execution of the songs, this album must be regarded as a positive achievement. The only reason that I didn't give it a 5 is that I had hoped to hear more instrumental soloing from Bo and Muddy... but that's just me being greedy. February 13, 2008

The other half of this album...

Since most of the reviews here seemed to be about the second, more blues-oriented half of this album, I decided to put my two cents in on the first, more Bo Diddley-beat side. If "tight" is what you're after, this is most definitely not for you. If you want a cool snapshot of two guitar icons at their respective primes, grab this disc. I had a copy of "Two Great Guitars" back from when it was available on Chess all by itself, and I played it all the time, especially at parties. It also makes for interesting mix tape/mp3/cd contributions, including a really cool (no kidding) version of "When The Saints Go Marching In." Something interesting to think about as you listen is exactly how loose and jammy the playing really is, not the contrived BS of current-day so-called "jam bands" and other misbegotten lovechildren of the truly wonderful Grateful Dead. The situation that led to this album was a contrivance on the part of the Chess brothers to try to parlay the success of two of their biggest artists into an easy commercial success. Despite that, "Two Great Guitars" is fun, spontaneous and full of personality. October 21, 2005

A must have collection

I first heard this record when a friend checked it our from the library many years ago-about 1974. I thought it was a lot of fun then (I recorded it to a reel to reel tape that has all but worn out) and I find it just as appealing today. I'm glad to see it reissued on a cd. If you want to hear Muddy, the Wolf, and Bo Diddly playing around with the music, talking the talk, and having fun together, then this is a must have album. It's three greats playing around like they were sitting in a living room with a couple of beers and having fun. July 26, 2005

A REAL TREAT

Despite what some of the reviewers state, this album is a real treat for fans of Muddy, Wolf and Bo. It's just alot of fun to listen to . I am a huge fan of Muddy and Wolf and to hear them interact and have fun with Bo Diddley is worth the price of admission. Any Blues fan should buy this album. June 28, 2005

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