Muddy Waters - The Real Folk BluesMore Real Folk Blue

Muddy Waters - The Real Folk BluesMore Real Folk Blue VBR


Year 1999

Tracks
1. Mannish Boy 2:57
2. Screamin' And Cryin' 3:07
3. Just To Be With You 3:15
4. Walkin' Thru The Park 2:47
5. Walkin' Blues 2:57
6. Canary Bird 2:45
7. The Same Thing 2:44
8. Gypsy Woman 2:34
9. Rollin' And Tumblin' 3:00
10. Forty Days And Forty Nights 2:53
11. Little Geneva 2:47
12. You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had 2:56
13. Sad Letter 3:01
14. You're Gonna Need My Help I Said 3:07
15. Sittin' Here And Drinkin' 2:35
16. Down South Blues
17. Train Fare Home
18. Kind Hearted Woman
19. Appealing Blues (Hello Little Girl) 2:49
20. Early Morning Blues 3:08
21. Too Young To Know 3:13
22. She's Alright 2:30
23. Landlady 2:38
24. Honey Bee 3:20

While "The Real Folk Blues" and "More Real Folk Blues" were initially released in 1966 and 1967 respectively, the bulk of these tracks were cut at the Chess studios in Chicago between 1947 and 1958 when Waters was at his peak. In fact, only two tracks were recorded outside that time frame: "The Same Thing" and "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had," both from 1964.
These albums were initially released in an attempt to reach the white audience enamored by the burgeoning folk scene. But don't be fooled. This is a collection of Water's Chess singles dating all the way back to his first Aristocrat single, 1947's "Gypsy Woman."
Nearly half of these songs feature Waters on guitar with only Ernest "Big" Crawford backing him up on bass. The rest of the tracks have Waters playing with a small combo featuring piano (Otis Spann), harmonica (Little Walter, Junior Wells or James Cotton), a second guitar (including Jimmy Rogers), bass (including Willie Dixon), and drums.
Most of these are original songs, but Waters pays tribute to Robert Johnson on a pair of songs, "Kind Hearted Woman" from 1948 and "Walkin Blues" from 1950.
Crawdaddy Magazine writer Paul Williams says in the original liner notes: "...blues is happy music, an escape from sadness...when Muddy sings, you feel the blues, and you feel the joy that goes with them." That may fly in the face of everything you thought you know about the blues. But when you put this in your CD player, you'll know he's speaking the truth. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED