Muddy Waters - Hoochie Coochie Man: Complete Chess Masters, Vol. 2: 1952-1958

Its hard to overestimate the impact of McKinley Morganfield on the Chicago post-war blues scene, and by extension on rocknroll itself. Having come from the heart of the Mississippi Delta (Rolling Fork), he spent the first 28 years of his life close to his birthplace, leaving for the Windy City in 1943. With this set of recordings, which covers the years 1952-1958, we continue the survey of the complete recorded works of Muddy Waters in chronological order. The first fifty tracks of his Aristocrat/Chess career appear on Muddy Waters, Rollin' Stone: The Golden Anniversary Collection (MCA/Chess 2301-2); the present set continues to follow his musical development, and showcases the second fifty sides, picking up where the previous collection ended and spanning an important seven year period in his career.Packaged in a bound booklet, replete with rare photographs and extensive liner notes, this set captures Muddy Waters at the height of his commercial success, and includes literally dozens of songs that influenced rock and blues performers right up to the present day. Product Description

If you like Muddy, you'll love Sonny Boy

Imagine, it is 1931 and Robert Johnson comes home to Robert Lockwood Jr.'s home in Helena bringing a young man who calls himself "W. M." (actually, if you pushed him young Alex "Rice" Miller would have told you that he was "Willie Miller" actually his brother's name. Robert, Robert Jr. and Sonny Boy live on the Helena, Arkansas side of the Mississippi River. By the late 1930s W. M. now calling himself "Sonny Boy" and Robert Jr. are playing electric guitar and harmonica through car radios and juke boxes. Later they would call it "Chicago Blues." In 1941, Sonny Boy began a radio show on a new radio station KFFA in Helena and soon invited the now recording artist Robert Lockwood Jr. to join him. King Biscuit Time took the delta by storm as it was the only radio show in the area featuring a local black artist. Sonny Boy would play Muddy Waters' wedding and a few years later Muddy would move to Chicago because Sonny Boy had all the good gigs. Robert Jr. would follow him and in the 1940s remind him of Robert Johnson's repertoire which Muddy would rewrite and record. In the mid-1940s Muddy Waters would buy his first electric guitar long after "Chicago Electric Blues" was "invented".Sonny Boy would stay in the delta where he ruled the roost and Robert Jr. would end up heading the house band at Chess/Checker studios. Sonny Boy would not record until 1950 for Trumpet and 1955 for Checker where he would be reunited with Muddy Waters and Robert Jr.When Sonny Boy went to Europe for the American Folk Blues Festival in 1963, Muddy Waters had not had a hit in America in eight years. Sonny Boy was the inspiration for more English blues rockers than any one and more tributes to him were written than any other blues man including Muddy Waters. He just died in 1965 and Muddy was blues king by default. One was not better than the other; they were both equally brilliant and unique as was Little Walter (who drank too much) and Howlin' Wolf (who was sitting down to play by then). Explore the whole history which is much deeper than just Muddy Waters who had the best promoter at the right time and outlived most of them.Enjoy this and hope they do the same for Sonny Boy Williamson II. June 22, 2008

a case where 5 stars doesn't feel like enough

I do have one complaint with this release from Hip-O Select, and it deals with the packaging. Although it LOOKS incredibly handsome on the surface, they have the discs fitting into these tight cardboard slots that are tailor-made to get the discs scratched up, and that's just ridiculous. In this day and age, these guys should really know better.

Still, I say hunker down and grab a couple spare jewel cases to put the two discs of this set in. Because they are truly incredible discs. Muddy was playing with a rhythm section by the time where this set begins--he was in absolute peak form, and innovating in ways that may go underappreciated nowadays but shouldn't be dismissed.

Due to the strict chronological sequencing and thoroughness of the set, there are cases where the same song appears twice in a row, but it's hardly a problem, because songs like the riffy "She's All Right" and the stomping "Baby Please Don't Go" are so great that you won't mind hearing them twice in a row, and the little differences between the two versions are intriguing.

A case can be made that Muddy Waters paved the way for rock & roll more than any other performer. Beyond that though, his music is simply timeless, and resonates in a way those who followed in his footsteps (i.e. the Rolling Stones) have been woefully unable to duplicate. Yes, Muddy's vocals are obviously the REAL DEAL. But also a key 'secret weapon' was Little Walter's brilliant, utterly natural and earthy harmonica playing--just listen for his absolutely hair-raising solo on "I Just Want To Make Love To You" to cite one example.

This wonderful two disc set piles up one soulful classic after another, whether it's the irresistibly swaggering "I'm Ready", "Don't Go No Farther", and "Rock Me", the mind-blowingly swinging-yet-gutsy "Trouble No More", or mournful slow blues numbers like "Standing Around Crying" or "Sad, Sad Day", just to name half a dozen more in addition to the ones mentioned previously.

A couple songs, particularly "Hoochie Coochie Man", have absolutely been done to death, both by Muddy's own endless re-recordings, not to mention all the other artists' covers, but that's a minor gripe.
Ultimately, this set is a treasure. Just buy it, it's beyond essential. October 31, 2007

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