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"...Deep As The Ocean... "
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After 27 years recording for Chess Records, this April 1975 American album was Muddy's last for the label (never got a UK release) and I think it's a bit of a forgotten gem.
"The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album" is also one of those CDs that actually received an official British and European release by MCA as part of 'The Original Chess Masters' Series. Here is the love, deep as an ocean...
UK/EUROPE originally released 24 October 1995 - "The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album" by MUDDY WATERS on Chess/MCA MCD 09359 (Barcode 076732935927) is an Expanded Edition CD Reissue with One Bonus Track and is part of The Original Chess Masters Reissue Series. It plays out as follows (43:54 minutes):
1. Why Are People Like That [Side 1]
2. Going Down To Main Street
3. Born With Nothing
4. Caldonia
5. Funny Sounds [Side 2]
6. Love, Deep As The Ocean
7. Let The Good Times Roll
8. Kansas City
Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album" – released April 1975 in the USA on Chess Records CH 60035 and was produced by HENRY GLOVER.
BONUS TRACK:
9. Fox Squirrel – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED CD-Only Bonus Track
MUSICIANS:
MUDDY WATERS – Vocals and Guitar
PINETOP PERKINS – Piano and Additional Vocals on "Kansas City" and "Caldonia"
PAUL BUTTERFIELD – Harmonica
BOB MARGOLIN – Guitar
HOWARD JOHNSON – Saxophone
GARTH HUDSON (of The Band) – Organ, Accordion and Saxophone
FRED CARTER – Bass and Guitar
LEVON HELM (of The Band) – Drums and Bass
As you can see from the list provided above, an impressive array of musicians were involved in the sessions recorded across two days in February 1975 at Bearsville's Studios in Turtle Creek, New York (the 6th and 7th). Paul Butterfield of Elektra Records' The Butterfield Blues Band provides fabulous bluesy Harmonica throughout; the legendary (Joe Willie) Pinetop Perkins tinkles the ivories and guest vocals on "Kansas City" and "Caldonia" with both Garth Hudson and Levon Helm of those Americana champions The Band throwing in Keyboards/Accordion and Drums/Bass respectively.
While "The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album" is a straight-up blues record for the most part, Hudson's Accordion playing gives some of the tracks a slightly Swing/Cajun feel - and is a genuine surprise and treat for it too. Special mention should also go to Butterfield's harp warbling which is typically fantastic throughout - clearly enthused by the mere proximity of the great blues man. In fact you can 'feel' the love of each musician towards Muddy in each and every recording.
Five of its eight tracks are Muddy Waters originals topped up with three cover versions - Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller's peach "Kansas City", made famous by Wilbert Harrison and done by hundreds of others since, with the other two being Louis Jordan R 'n' B classics, "Let The Good Times Roll" and "Caldonia" - penned by his wife Fleecie Moore. The original vinyl album was afforded the luxury of a colour gatefold sleeve picturing the famous Blues and Rock World guests on the inside - the 12-page booklet reproduces those photos (smiles all around) and adds new liner notes from CHRIS MORRIS of Billboard Magazine.
Producer-Songwriter Henry Glover had cut albums on King Records in the Fifties and Sixties with some amazing names – James Brown, Little Willie John and Hank Ballard - whilst Drummer and full-on Muddy enthusiast Levon Helm had been the catalyst for the Rock-Blues album – emulating what Howlin Wolf had done with The Rolling Stones on their label for the stunning 'London Sessions' series of albums (Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and so on). I have reviewed "The Howlin Wolf London Sessions: 2CD Deluxe Edition" reissue (check that out).
This 1995 ERICK LABSON remaster has typically ace sound from one of Universal's primo engineers (over a thousand transfer credits to his name including huge swathes of the Chess, Cadet and Checker catalogues). What is cool too is that "Fox Squirrel" - a CD-only bonus track – is just that - a genuine discovery and bonus (astonishing that this McKinley Morganfield original was left off the record nor ever used as a B-side?).
"The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album" divides some fans, but I feel it's a forgotten gem from a golden age that deserves a rethink. For sure it isn't the hard-hitting Chicago Blues-Rock that the later Johnny Winter/Muddy Waters collaborations on Blue Sky Records would produce - "Hard Again" in 1977, "I'm Ready" in 1978 and the "Live" Album in 1979 - stuff that revitalised the great man's career. But it is good, just in a different way, criminally overlooked and like almost all of his 70's recordings - I have always loved it to bits.
I know there are those who would say that his 40ts, 50ts and 60ts Aristocrat and Chess sides are the only Holy Grail worth sipping from - but I say knob to that.
Test out "Going Down To Main Street" on iTunes or any streamer service and you'll get to a deeper part of an ocean you will want to swim/drown in...
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