Muddy Waters In Concert

Muddy Waters was the father of contemporary blues and arguably the most important artist in the history of American blues music, so any opportunity to see him perform in concert is worth checking out. This video captured a 1971 gig and features eight songs, including "Long Distance Call," "Crawlin' Kingsnake" and "Got My Mojo Working." The hottest numbers are back-to-back renditions of two of Muddy's classic stop-time blues tunes, "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Manish Boy." The band includes Pinetop Perkins, Sammy Lawhorn, George "Harmonica" Smith, Pee Wee Madison, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, all in all, one of Muddy's best band lineups. The sound quality of the tape is only so-so. Basically, the rhythm section sounds fine, but the guitars are buried in the mix, which is unfortunate, especially since Muddy actually plays guitar on several songs. As a visual presentation too, it's nothing special, but the point is getting to hear Muddy Waters and his band in a live setting. What setting, you ask? Good question. There is no mention in the video or on the sleeve as to the location of this concert, a rather sloppy oversight on the part of Vestapol. Libraries with large blues collections will want; for others, this is an optional purchase. (P. Van Vleck)