![]() ![]() There are many that revere Electric Mud as an overlooked classic. But as Nat ‘King’ Cole once said, “Critics don’t buy records, they get ’em for free.” Some critics were less impressed, seeing it as the prostitution of a sacred genre. #MUDDY WATERS ELECTRIC MUD SONGS FREE#Jimi Hendrix and a number of other high-profile musicians liked it too, with Hendrix listening to “Herbert Harper’s Free Press News” during his own performance warm-up. Released on Octoand racking up 150,000 sales within six weeks, Electric Mud was the first of his albums to make it on to a Billboard chart. Just as they had reconnected Waters with his acoustic past for Folk Singer in 1963, Chess had made another good business call. Turning up the volume connected Muddy with the rock audience. He transforms what might have been a trite exercise in cynicism into a believable impassioned plea for consummation.ĭespite his initial misgivings, Waters had enjoyed the session, taking to its raw energy and maxed-out volume better than his label-mate Howlin’ Wolf, who would follow him into the studio about a month later to be met by essentially the same backing group. The cover of Jagger and Richards’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” is an appreciative doff of the cap to some of his biggest fans, while also attempting to connect with a sizeable slice of the youth market, but it’s the raw power behind Waters’ delivery that shines through. Listen to the skill he has in shaping his voice around the sharp edges on “Tom Cat,” or on the funky reworking of “Mannish Boy,” how he power-lifts the heavy rhythms with a single yell, and punches a hole through its armor-plating with a “yeah” here and there. “Hoochie Coohie Man,” in particular, seems to synthesize Chess’ vision admirably, comfortably combining heavy backbeat, soaring guitar lines, pulsating bass, swelling organ, and jazzy sax.īut it’s Waters’ innate musicality that wins the day and makes Electric Mud work. ![]() But Waters did a lot more than just go through the motions: He put in one of his most spirited studio performances. Marshall Chess brought his backing musicians in early, so that by the time Waters arrived, all he had to do was come in at the right places identified for vocals and his few solos. He had previously worked with Muddy Waters at Chess a couple of years beforehand, providing arrangements for Brass and the Blues, a mostly successful reimagining of the Waters ‘canon’ in the style of well-selling bluesman B.B. Future Earth, Wind & Fire producer Charles Stepney took the electric organ seat, following up a busy period of arranging and composing for R&B vocalists The Dells, the brilliant psychedelic soul group Rotary Connection, and jazz legends Eddie Harris and Ramsey Lewis. Another in-house man, producer Gene Barge, also brought his saxophone and arranging skills, while his and Satterfield’s colleague, Morris Jennings stepped in as drummer on the date. ![]()
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