Reviews (page 7 of 14)
Pure raw unfiltered Chicago blues and a great comeback album. You can hear Muddy’s influence in so many other bands and albums I’ve loved over the years. Standouts: Mannish Boy, Jealous Hearted Man, The Blues had a baby and they named it Rock and Roll
Hands down the coolest music ever made. The opening track is a knockout punch.
It was okay, not my favorite but not bad.
It was interesting to step into the world of electric blues, and there’s no denying Muddy Waters’ presence. The raw energy and the swagger of the band are awesome. But after a while, the repetition and hyper-masculine energy wore thin for me.
Recognizable
Pretty good, I guess, but frankly Muddy Waters is not one of my favorite bluesmen.
A solid ten tracks of stomping Chicago Blues. Mannish Boy and I Can't Be Satisfied were standouts for me with the rest of it becoming a little one-note for my tastes.
After having Clapton and Jack White recently, what a great joy to get the real deal with Muddy Waters. I'm not even a blues fan Dan but this is immaculate stuff.
Inte dåligt egentligen men Blues är ju inte min kopp av te.
Blues entretenido, piedra angular de todo el rock que vendría.
Great album and fun to listen to. Iconic of a genre
Obviously a legend of the Chicago blues, this album is most likely listed because of the famous recording of Mannish Boy. It sounds absolutely fantastic (and has the great Pinetop Perkins on piano) but I still prefer Folk Singer, or Fathers and Sons.
Not too bad
Mannish boy is so iconic that everyone knows coming up with some random off the cuff blues song to the tune. This is an incredibly way to start an album and honestly I think it stays very high for quite a while. It is a bit samey so there is a bit of ear fatigue but I think that is a factor of the genre more than anything else. Never listened to Muddy Waters in LP form but yeah this record is well put together.
I like but don't love blues. Enjoyed my listen and will keep the album in mind when I'm in the mood for more.
Tough. It's good at what it does but a little samey for my liking, even some of the songs themselves. This feels a bit harsh but going with a 2 as it just doesn't feel like something I'd reach for again.
This is really well done, just not really a big blues fan
Now THIS is the Muddy I know. Down 'n dirty. I've got it on vinyl. That is all.
A solid blues album. I don't really know enough about blues to say much else.
Zoey liked it a lot.
Insane aura of this album. What rippin rockin rollin good time.
Soul
Ladies and gentlemen, Muddy Waters gives you the blues. Starts off with the kick in the ass Mannish Boy and just keeps hitting you with classic guitar blues. Why does this album sound so good? Well, because it's not just the legendary Waters. Producing and lending additional guitar is Johnny Winters. Top five all-time harmonica player James Cotton features prominently. Influence 5, Quality 4, Intagibles 4, personal taste 4.
Delightfully unadulterated blues from an abstract legend. These guys sound like they had a lot of fun making this record.
My oh my, after many days in a row of hard rock, this was literally music to soothe my soul. Magical. Tasty tasty blues.
Love the blues especially BB King; Muddy Waters a true original; I found the album heavy on "talking" ~
Rating: 2.5 I usually try my best to get the blues thing but it’s hard when it’s so repetitive and every song never really goes anywhere. I understand the appeal of just kicking back and having a good time but my brain couldn’t find anything to latch onto. I can’t fault them for just getting a bunch of legendary skilled players together and seeing if magic would happen. In reality, it was fine.
Blues means 2s. It's always fine but it's the same thing over and over again
Heard one, heard em all
I like this blues man. The "Mannish Boy" song is the one with the often heard repeated riff.
Never really active listened to Blues, so that was an experience!
I'll be honest, my reaction to seeing this one come up was "not *another* Muddy Waters album!" It's not even that I disliked the last one or anything, I just thought I wasn't in the mood for blues today. But before Mannish Boy was over, I had it properly proven to me that there's probably not really such a thing as not in the mood for Muddy Waters. The title's totally not a lie, this album really *does* go harder than most rockers can even imagine!
Enjoyed this one.
I never much cared for Mannish Boy. Some of the rest was pretty good but the blues just don’t get me if it’s not live and in person.
It was fine
Probably a classic of the blues genre but not really my bag
Enjoyable enough, fun energy, but blues just ain't my cup of tea.
3.5 stars. I like the energy! Feels like being at a live blues show where everyone's just having a great time. That said, the songs just don't have enough of a distinct character from one another for me to feel like I really connect with anything in particular. A fun listen, though.
Unrelenting, don't really care for the blues but Muddy Waters is one of the best to do it. One of the best album titles I've ever heard.
Pierwszy numer dobry reszta brzdąkanie
I haven’t looked at the average rating yet, but I’m guessing this one probably lands below 3 stars. That wouldn’t surprise me. Blues albums don’t always get much credit, especially on lists filled with flashier genres. Still, I’ve always liked blues and this album reminded me why. Muddy Waters sounds like a man who still has something to prove. His voice is raw and steady, and his band backs him up with grit and swagger. "Mannish Boy" kicks things off strong and sets the tone for the rest of the album.
3.8. Muddy Waters voice and guitar work on the album are fantastic.
Late career resurgence for Muddy. He’s still got it at the time of this recording. Great blues record.
I really enjoyed this album.
first time being exposed to chicago blues. I love it.
Good blues album
Nice.
I knew I liked Muddy Waters, wow this was great.
I don't consume enough blues music, live or recorded.
Classic blues.
I got them 'my baby left me' formulaic blues 😐
Good stuff. Very blue.
Good stuff! Bluesy, great jam and unexpectedly funny lyrics.
Meh
6/10
This is was mediocre album if I’m being honest. It did have great songs, but I feel like I’ve heard better blues elsewhere. I have heard of the artist, but I don’t know if I’d come back to the album. Since I don’t love it and I don’t hate it. I’m gonna have to give it a 3 out of 10, But honestly, it could be higher and it could be lower. Not exactly sure but I’m just gonna put it in the middle to be safe.
I can appreciate it, but not my cup of tea.
Classic.
I mean, it's Muddy Waters. This is a fantastic blues record, but that's to be expected, and he sounds great here. This record is polished, but still has that grit you expect from blues. A worthy inclusion to this list.
I did not expect to like this so much
Muddy Waters - classic - Love the blues
Never really "got" blues like this... I mean, one song once in a while is fine. But an entire album of more or less the same shit is just not for me. But it does have its charm, I can't deny it that...
Good blues, got a little monotonous after a couple of songs
Estupendo. Terminas el disco queriendo limpiar una escopeta en tu porche mientras estás borracho.
Long long blues
god I LOVE THE BLUES. haven't listened to much blues but this album was such a vibe all the way through
Never heard this before but Chicago Blues is right up my street, and feels like I’ve been listening to it for years.
I find this boring
Blues muuuuy norteamericano. Está bien, pero para escucharlo de vez en cuando, ya que es bastante duro.
Old master evolving
9/10
Oohhhhh Yeeeeeaaaah!!!
I like the second one I like the beat
Best Song: Mannish Boy I'm not the biggest straight blues fan but this is a quintessential blues album. Mannish Boy is a damn masterpiece.
Better than Coldplay
I remember listening to this album on an earlier iteration. Aside from Mannish Boy, I can't really remember another song that I liked fully. 2/5.
A really solid blues album - enjoyed from beginning to end. Muddy Waters is the blues GOAT.
I really enjoyed the first half of this album, especially the opener Mannish Boy, but started getting a bit bored while listening to the second half. This might be a bit sacrilegious for a guitar player to admit, but I can only listen to so much blues.
What a tremendously enjoyable album. I think if you're going to listen to good old Chicago Blues you probably should start right here with Muddy Waters, and "Mannish Boy" with that killer repeating riff kicks things off. These songs set a mood and it's easy to just get wrapped up in them and go along for the ride. It's sort of funny that for a bunch of guys playing blues music, they sure sounded like they were having fun, and it sure brings me joy to listen.
Really enjoyed this. It’s good time music; raucous and raw.
In an uncertain world, it’s always good to start the day with a song that begins “Everything gon’ be alright this morning”. There then follows 50 minutes of gloriously raw, foot stomping blues from one of the all time greats, recorded in just three days with a very live feel to it. It’s one of those albums where it feels like you are in the room with the band, listening to them play.
Really entertaining and up-tempo blues album. It is almost rock in many occasions.
***A good album
Muddy Water - Hard Again 1977 I like the tones, the performances and the energy. I understand completely why this is included in the list. I get how foundational MW is to rock n roll and you'll never catch me being dismissive of him. That said, the blues bores the shit out of me. I've been playing music for 30 years and like any good rock n roller, I started with the blues, Muddy Waters included. I seem to remember having a Jimi Hendrix album where he just covered MW. I'm not going to claim I could join a blues jam and be amazing, but the mechanics of this style are so familiar, there's nothing that surprises me. I'll still give this three stars because the overdriven harmonica is pretty rad and MW will always get my respect.
Zzz
I guess I enjoy it in the sense of how it inspired the artists I enjoy a lot, but I don't think I got much more out of it besides that
clear
Loved this. Muddy and the whole band sound all loose, reckless, in to it. Mannish Boy is a jam, but tons of the other songs were kicking it. The drummer is an assassin and everybody sounds awesome. Fun one.
Solid blues album, but very much middle of the road in my tastes.
I’m sure it’s a personal failing, but I have never been drawn to the Blues, and this album did not sway me.
Thank you! I love the blues and the sound quality and material make you feel like you are sitting in the club. Fantastic album
Me too bud, me too
This was fun, what can I say?
Ripper
Amazing album
Really liked this.
Really good album. Did not expect that
Ну это Мадди, больше люблю его ранние альбомы, но тоже ничего
Yes! I love the blues! ... but not all the time. This record is phenomenal and a classic. Love it.
That opening song alone warrants 5 outta 5 stars. The other songs are also great. Would buy on vinyl
4 Muddy Waters left us authentic Delta Blues, practically invented the more Electric brand that was synonymous with Chicago, and revived the Blues on its own in the Seventies. Backed by some members of his last band, Johnny Winter and others, Waters sounds primal here. Not his last gasp, but one long deep cleansing breath of what the Blues was meant to sound like.
Listenable.
TMI
Classic album. A bit redundant but Muddy Waters is great
Excellent deep-south blues
A Muddy Waters album from the 70s, produced by Johnny Winter. Good stuff, sounds surprisingly clean and polished.
Hard Again is exactly what I want from a blues record—raw, full of swagger, and played by people who clearly live and breathe this music. I think what makes it hit so well is the energy; it doesn’t feel like an old legend going through the motions, it feels alive and kicking. That’s probably thanks to Johnny Winter’s sharp production and the band behind it, who are all firing on every cylinder. Right from the growl that kicks off “Mannish Boy,” you know you're in for something fun. I do like how the album balances grit with groove. Tracks like “I Want to Be Loved” and “The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock and Roll” feel playful, confident, and full of charm. It’s not reinventing anything, but it’s bringing the blues back with teeth, and I think that’s what makes it so enjoyable. For me, it’s one of the better late-career records out there—just a joy to play loud.
cool af
Now when I was a young boy at the age of 5 my mother said I was gon be the greatest man alive but now I’m a man way past 21 I want you to believe me baby I had lots of fun.
solidan bluz
Incredible. Nothing deserves all 5 more
Je ne connaissais pas ça vraiment, mais en même temps je connaissais plusieurs tounes sans le savoir. Ça groove. Félix écoutait ça la bouche ouverte, les lèvres retroussées et les yeux fermés. C'était une très bonne écoute.
Bleueeeeee
Dans l'optique de la sous-représentation dans la liste du blues (et du jazz, de la musique du monde et du classique qui a son propre livre des 1001 oeuvres à écouter), je comprends mal le choix de cet album en particulier. C'est un très bon album, sans conteste, mais choisir un album ''comeback'' post période léthargique dû à une opération ''rescue" d'un guitariste blanc (mais albinos quand même) - Johnny Winter - me rend sceptique.
Instant 5 stars Ça drag ça a aucun criss de bon sens, même dans le double time de I can't be satisfied. La section rythmique m'a carrément impressionnée. Des frissons tout le long de l'album. En plus, le blues c'est une expérience qui se vit live, et l'album era y fait plus ou moins justice d'après moi... c'est dire. Incroyablement sexuel et langoureux. "My baby run off with a bus driver And you know that don't seem right He used to give her rides in the daytime Now she gives him rides at night". Et que dire du titre de l'album, Hard Again! Les Rolling Stones sont nés de cet homme y'a pas de doute avec cet album qui le cristallise comme une légende. Maintenant j'ai envie d'écouter Night Train...
Du bon blues, des bonnes guitares! (Désolé de la critique courte)
This kind of blues just doesn’t do it for me. I appreciate it, but don’t really enjoy it.
listened like a week ago. so idk
Geralmente não gosto muito de blues elétrico, acho que é algo que ficou muito no início da minha adolescência, mas incrível ver como tem alma nesse disco. Fiquei especialmente maravilhado com o som de gaita.
I didn't really know Muddy's music before this, but dang was this a lot of fun, and to read this was a comeback album?! I'm excited to hear the rest, sure it was absolutely classic formulaic blues, but it was damn fine.
i respect the blues and this is good, i just dont love full blues albums usually
Blues ain't my thing... yet... maybe
Wasn’t really my thing. I had a really bad migraine today so that probably didn’t help
Lord yes, more of this. 🎸
9 tunes die net zo goed 1 tune konden zijn. Iconisch maar niets voor Jonaas.
Solid Muddy album but Folk Singer and Electric Mud are better
I’ve heard these songs played hundreds of times by hundreds of bands but there is no substitute for the real thing. This is later era Muddy but Johnny Winter captures an electric performance. I love James Cotton on this record. This is a true blues record.
LOVED! felt like it was delroy lindo’s character from sinners
Uh! At the beginning, I was like "ok, another blues album which I don't really understand". But heeeey this is actually amazing! The sound is amazing, the voice is amazing, the feeling... Everything. Also, is perfect to play it if you have your father-in-law visiting, as is my case. Top notch!
Had me from the beginning and all the way through
Vibey for sure 3
365/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
Der erste Titel hat Laune gemacht. Aber der Rest ist Pentatonik hoch unter runter mit tausendfach gehörten Licks.
As this is a full notch below her other entries on this list, it makes sense that it never sold. One's a fan but doesn't hear much here to get excited about – it's all too theatrical, melodramatic, stiff, non-flowing and excessively arty. Her view that it was a "she's gone mad" record shows considerable (and admirable) self-knowledge. It would seem that the "KB is the female Bowie" theory applies equally to the lowlights as well as the highlights.
It was a fine album. Blues feels kinda “samey” to me. Songs were a little long. I can’t be satisfied had some cool harmonica work.
dont care
I have to agree with people saying that this is energetic, as I did feel that the musicians were giving they best. But, I didn't really like it. I think it is way long than it should, specially the longer songs, which felt boring most of the time.
It was a bit much for me. Nice change though
This offered absolutely no surprises, it was fun though.
I imagined that I would have a lot to say about our hundredth record. It is a milestone that requires to be marked. On seeing that we were given a late seventies blues album, I knew I wouldn't be able to conjure up much. It is unfair to criticise the blues for the compositional limitations inherent in the structure. I wouldn't do that anyway. But the slick guitar sound from a lot of late blues puts me off big time. Still, I listened to this and it isn't bad. In opposition to a lot of the reviews here, I liked Mannish Boy precisely because it stayed on the I for the whole thing. If the song is never going to move somewhere interesting, why not refuse to move? There was some great hollering on it too. The production is lively and clear, even making blues harmonica sound like a vital, growling texture. And the slide guitar on I Can't Be Satisfied sounds beautiful - it almost sounds like Captain Beefheart. I'm unlikely to listen to this ever again, but I guess it says something about the journey, now we're 10% of the way through: I am largely right about what I like and don't like in music generally, but, on a close listen, I can always find something to enjoy, briefly. 2 A couple of these tracks would nearly do. Does anyone sit down and listen to this whole thing? 50 minutes of 12 bars, turnarounds as old as the hills, and bursts of pentatonic noodling broken up by the classic ‘same note for ages’ gag. Sleazy barroom blues is great fun but it’s as good fun when any half-cut, half-competent set of players blast it at you and 6 other people on a Thursday night with a few drinks in you. What is there to praise here besides Muddy Waters’ iconic voice? Playing blues is like playing Monopoly - you learn the rules and away you go. Listening to blues is like watching Monopoly. I appreciated the relative austerity of ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’ breaking up the constant party-clamour of honking harmonica, guitar, drums and bass, and piano (mostly all at the same time which can be great but generally - take turns kids) but honestly, it was track 5 and I was already partied out by that stage. I was probably looking for my coat by the end of track two. Or a pint at least. 2/5
Classic blues
Chicago Blues consisting of a standard bass line, noodling guitar solo and a lot of harmonica. Unfortunately this becomes rather repetitive and does not draw me back for repeat listens.
Rehtiä ja rehellistä bluesia. Ei omaa lempparia, tuntuu ehkä vähän liian toistavalta. Mutta silti ihan hyvä meno sen mitä levy kestää. Parhaat: Little Girl, Mannish Boy
My favourite part of the blues sound is the back-and-forth vocals and guitar, with all emphasis on the back half of the bar, it always makes me feel like the musicians are falling forward into the song like they were at the edge of a black hole. Blues music is so inevitable, you can't help but fall into it too. So far every track has been added to a playlist of mine but Bus Driver stands out as one of my absolute favourites. Blues has to be one of the best genres at nodding to the ridiculous heartbreak that is life. Waters' demeanour is like a subtle wink that only the listener gets to see. Reading more about his life and career, it's clear that Waters influenced the entire world despite themselves, but struggled for most of his life to put his magic out into the world. When his magic did manage to slip through the cracks of poverty and racism, it touched everyone around him. And ironically catapaulted many handfuls of white artist imitators around him to stardom. I'm sure if he were around today he'd write a devastatingly sad, funny, and catchy song about it.
This feels like something I'm supposed to really like. I think it's fine. It can get repetitive and long - especially if it's meant to be in the foreground. If it's a sideshow to drive the background, it works really well. It's as classic as classic gets on blues riffs, but that doesn't mean I want to dive into the deep end of it for the whole time. I think live would be a different story.
Mannish boy is a classic rest of the album is very repetitive don’t know if blues just isn’t for me
Better than I thought it was going to be, is this the original blues? If not, a lot of copy / paste going on as every song had that stereotypical blues elements.
Good bluesy rock 'n roll. What an opener with Mannish Boy! The rest of the album didn't live up to the first track, but was enjoyable nonetheless. Favourite tracks: Mannish Boy & I Can't Be be Satisfied Worth revisiting. 3.5/5
-Chicago blues music is cool as hell honestly. that harmonica feels like it’s trying to murder me in the best way… i do love the energy. impossible to hate on this really -and yet i will kind of almost try just by saying it went on for a bit too long… like damn. very strong first half though, i’m intrigued by this guy’s over-the-top swag -Favorites are I Want To Be Loved #2 and I Can’t Be Satisfied
A damn good blues album, oozing with grit and soul. But nearing the end I was starting to think, "okay... this is too much blues in one sitting"
Listened to the album while shoveling chicken shit and it felt great. I didn’t love Mannish Boy, too one idea for 6 minutes for me, but the rest was some great one idea for 6 minutes. It really was that mannish boy stayed on that one riff and never went to the 4 or 5 or anything. The rest was great blues music and some of it was too long. High three.
Liked listening to this album, but it felt pretty 1 dimensional. Obviously blues will be blues, but it felt that Muddy found something that works, and stretched it out across the album. Mannish Boy was a trip. Weak 3/5
The opening to mannish boy was sweet and then it went on for so long. I really didn’t mind this album, but I also didn’t enjoy this kind of blues. I’ll take that live bb king record over this no problem or the healer too. I did like how ridiculously loud and distorted the harmonica was on this, that was sweet. Mid 2/5
Nothing like Blues to drive the blues away. You can't listen to this music and have a bad time
fell asleep
idk how he manages to make one riff over and over and over and over again sound so compelling….but i guess that’s rock & roll at the end of the day!!! i love slide guitars. i love johnny winter’s “miscellaneous screams”. i even love that crazy harmonica that sounds more like a guitar than anything else…how’d he do that?! also muddy waters is a friend of the band the band so he’s like my blorbo-in-laws’ blorbo. fav tracks: mannish boy; i want to be loved #2; i can’t be satisfied; the blues had a baby…; deep down in florida
very pleasant, i kinda couldn't tell the different songs apart but there wasn't anything i disliked. i feel like it would be fun to hang out in a bar or saloon with this music.
Wasn't that a man!? Fitting to have this followed by The Band. I rewatched The Last Waltz on repeat as a kid and it started by (literally) fast forwarding over most of the The Band songs and finding the guest performances. Muddy Waters 'Manish Boy' was one of those. In that performance they have Paul Butterfield playing one continuous droning note on the harmonica (which is fucking sick). The song was originally written and recorded in 1955 but this version is the lasting one. Its burned into my mind in the downfall sequence of Goodfellas. I've heard a lot of "this was the first rap song" but IMO this is it. Closing thought on this song - it is fucking GREAT. That said - the rest of the album did not do it for me. Blues really is just too limiting compared to other genres and to make it work everything else has to be perfect. In this case it fell short. Some of the guitars i thought were pretty weak. Either way, Muddy Waters was more man than I'll ever be and props to him for that.
Sometimes I think the blues is a rudimentary, almost primitive art form, among the least nuanced modes of expression we have. Then I hear something like this and all of a sudden realize how fucking awesome something that fits that description can be.
I listened to this Friday before work and thought it was decent - maybe 3.5. I didnt pick it up again until Monday night when I started checking reviews. The 5s I saw were insanely positive, so I convinced myself I missed something lol - kind of a rare thing for me to read reviews before writing my own, but this was a good wake up call I still didnt like Manish Boy. Bus Driver is awesome - loved the long harmonica solos. Slide guitar is perfect on I cant be satisfied. Walkin Through The Park sounds like the Doors doing blues on LA Woman. Really fun. Unsolicited opinion on the blues: There isnt much variation. The positive part of that tradeoff is you start to ignore the progression and really fall into the energy dynamics being the main focus One last thing: all this blues made me think of possibly my favorite place to listen to live music in SF - The Saloon in North Beach. If you haven’t been, get yourself there on a Saturday night. A couple of drinks later and youll be dancing to the house blues band du jour in total force
A whole lot of rollicking bass and wailing harmonica and twanging guitar and mourning blues...over and over. I guess this was a Historically Important Album, but taken out of context it's just a pretty one-note. Seems unfair to judge it now. One star for fun bluesiness, one star for being apparently extremely influential on rock and roll, and one star for a great name. I should have named my son Muddy Waters
Blues is very hit or miss for me. It’s one of the first things everyone learns on guitar, it follows such simple patterns, and it’s kind of easy for anyone to make it sound halfway decent. It’s easy for me to underestimate the greats. I’ll admit I find BB a little boring. This is totally different. I’ve never gotten into the Mud. So much to love here: - Songs are upbeat and kind of raw and chaotic like NOLA jazz - Mix of harmonica and piano - Muddy’s voice is just perfect for this. I love that lower register. - I love jazz and blues on Teles (plug for Julian Lage there), gives it kind of a country feel and just cuts through so nicely - his phrasing is just great too. - Production impressive especially for this year. Had no idea a song Muddy was the origin of the Stones name. Makes sense! Have been playing this a lot this weekend and will definitely be back.
Listened on 5/23/25 4/5 Favorite song: Mannish Song It may be because I just saw the Sinners movie but I really fucked with this folk album and Muddy Waters and his band are incredibly talented
Blues is a genre I want to dive into more. The production is great, performance is tight, lots to like here. Think I'll revisit this one. 4 1=Crap that shouldn't be here 2=I didn't like it but get why it's here 3=I thought it was ok or even like it, get why it's here, but won't revisit 4=I like it, will revisit 5=This is some of the best music I've ever heard and will continue listening to it
Öreg hobo zene
Never listened to more than a song before. Great, straight ahead blues.
Cool
Really cool blues album!
This is pretty great. Muddy Waters is a legend of course. There is a certain drive that pushes this record on and on. I suppose this would be perfect for a roadtrip.
It just not for me
Grei blues, litt kjedelig
Holds up well as a classic blues album. A bit one-note, with many of the songs blending together, similar progressions. But it's all listenable, excellent, emotive. I stuck a couple tracks on the playlist for later listening.
You can hear a lotta echoes from the future when you listen to this one
This is great! I am not the biggest fan of the blues, but I am fan of this.
One of the greatest blues men of all time. This is the second Muddy Waters album I got this week, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
Very bluesy and soulful. I dig it. 3.5/5
Pretty good! Sets a really nice vibe, although it is more background music than something I could listen to with full attention. I loved the guitar.
Clearly very good…I just still don’t really like the blues.
Never a dull moment. Vibed with the whole thing. Some of the guitar solos sounded pretty similar in each of the songs but still a vibe. Great voice and some great soul. 7/10
Music history right here. I'm personally not too interested in blues generally speaking but I will absolutely not deny this artist's significance and influence to the genre and countless artists beyond. This is the crème de la crème if you're looking for authentic blues.
It just feels too constrained in its own pattern, a systemic problem with Blues. The first minute is great, it its repeated for the next 4. It gets tiresome.
“Little girl, little girl You know your kisses taste like The sugar you use in tea” The 1970s was a very different time. Despite the above, I really enjoyed this! Love me some electric blues!
Good vibe but once you've heard one song you've heard them all.
Solid album but it didn't set my world alight. I wouldn't choose to put this on but wouldn't complain if someone else did.
Good stuff for me.
Proper blues done properly.
I like Mannish Boy and the rest of it is good too...
no tan buenisimo
Как джаз норм, но джаз - не моё
Serious question. Does all Blues sound the same to everyone else? Do some people just really like that one song? I get so bored by this, and it's like my 8th Blues album. Maybe I've gotten through them all now?
Yeah. Muddy knows his traditional blues.
3.5 - some classic blues. Although it got a little repetitive
MW sounds great at 71 and there’s no doubt these musicians are at the top of their game. Strangely the electrification (Judas!) makes it more rock and somehow less blues.
I do like some blues and this was great, a great vibe. Probably wouldn't listen to again specifically but I did enjoy it while getting through my to do list this evening!
Artiste connu par quelques morceaux, mais c'est la première fois que j'écoute un album complet. Cet album confirme que je ne suis pas vraiment fan de blues, très répétitif par construction, avec des morceaux bien trop long et avec des chorus vraiment très (trop) classiques dans ce cas. =>2/5
Blues er kjedelig
Top
Really distinctive sound.
4/5
Great stuff!
All of the songs sound identical
Мадди Вотерса всегда предпочту Роллинг Стоунз. Но альбом особенно не тронул.
incredible
Muy monótono. Con excelente solos de guitarra
A classic
Had me toe tappin' through Friday morning.
For a guy in his 60s he's absolutely ripping it up on this one.
Beatið í fyrsta laginu er soldið eins og trouble með elvis tihihi Þetta er kinda groovy Ekki alveg mitt vibe en ég appreciatea þetta samt
Muy divertido, muy clásico. Si te gustan las guitarras debe ser un disco a venerar. Me guardo "Mannish boy" y "I can't be satisfied".
Not a blues guy but still a fun listen. The quality of the production is really what carries it for me.
One of the greatest. Great album yet a bit repetitive.
This was great. I feel like there's a band that samples rifts from the song "Mannish Boy" like "Bad to the Bone" or something? Didn't like this as much as other Jazz albums but still fantastic.
It's was ok.
No tricks, no gimmicks. Just incredibly well executed blues
A muscular outing from Muddy Waters. Johnny Winter records Muddy's touring band a rough immediacy that captures the power and authority of the music. The inclusion of re-recordings of some of Muddy's greatest songs (Mannish Boy especially) make this a terrific capstone of Muddy's career. White boy blues lawyers wish they could play like this.
Good album. Cool to see where a lot of modern blues got its roots.
Not a fan of the blues (at least what I’ve listened to at bars) but this was rad. Tight, and not overdone or overplayed. A real enjoyable piece of music
Enjoyable muddy’s tone is so distinctive. Very 70’s album production
Great classic
Again?? Don’t look at me like that, Muddy. I will not assist you with this. Oh that Muddy. What a scamp! Oh, hello! I didn’t see you there, you’ve caught me at an inopportune time as a long deceased blues man appeared to have been propositioning me for some sort of romantic rendezvous. Before I ensnare Mr. Waters in some sort of Me Too-esque snafu, let’s figure out what he has to say on this album. Hopefully we can distract him somehow. Mannish Boy - Oh HELL yeah. I need the screaming background man in my general life. Every time I shut down some dumb email, I need some blues hype man screaming YEAH. As stated in my previous email “WOOOO.” This thing was thrilling right off the bat, but I dint know if I needed this exact riff for 5 minutes, but still a classic. Bus Driver - The most honourable job of them all. I look forward to 7 minutes of hearing about this. WHAT? He stole his woman. Oh god. Betrayal of the highest order by the man who is supposed to whisk you to within a 45 minute walk of your destination, late and with a disenfranchised grimace behind his protective plexiglass. Who would’ve thunk it?? This is a long song. Not bad, but probably not 7 minutes worth of stuff here. Although finding out a guy named “Pine Top” Perkins is tickling the ivories makes this whole thing worth it. I Want to Be Loved - Woman mentioned!!! YEEEAAHHHH. I celebrate because people usually just used to say “little baby tiny infantile girl” in this era. Got to rejoice when age appropriate love is mentioned. Fun song. Jealous Hearted Man - The passion continues to fly off the uhh page? Into my ears. Whatever dude. My nonexistent writing career died with this endeavour. Might as well keep digging the linguistic grave. Here lies my verbal ability. But yeah, the energy in these tracks is insane: how is this a late career album? I Can’t Be Satisfied - I Can’t Never Be Satihi. He really shortened that puppy up. This is a quieter song, in the style of Holes the movie from like 2003 The Blues Had a Baby and They Named it Rock and Roll - Blues and Rockabilly were in the closet making babies, and the baby looked at me and it said it was a Mannish boy, and then it spelled “Man” with an “ooh child.” Stupid babies need the most attention. Anyway. Decent track. I appreciate the lack of contraction on “Rock AND Roll.” Deep Down in Florida - Let me tell you something JACK, down in Clearwater beach in Tampa Florida, the Hulkster was down on the beach clanging the weights around and I looked to Brother Bruti and I said, HEY DUDE, IS THAT LARS ULRICH OF METALLICA? Lars asked me to join Metallica and also play Cliff Burton in the upcoming biopic, but I said, no way DUDE, I need to defend America from the Libs at SummerSlam. Whatcha gonna do when the largest arms in the world are attached to the biggest moron in Florida. Uh this song is good! Crosseyed Cat - Another good song. Blues doesn’t do all that much in the way of variety, does it. At least the energy stays UP. Ugh I don’t want that to be some sort of erection pun. I already did that bit. Whatever. Little Girl - And here it is. Small infant child ooooh you’re so young and juvenile. Why are we like this? Gross lyrically, and fittingly, probably the most boring song going. Although that guitar solo does go very hard. This is one of the toughest ratings to conjure up in a long time. On one hand, if I was in the room while this was being played live, it’d probably be 10 stars and I’d be passed out in a pool of tears and sweat. Might even be some blood in that pool. You know, to complete the idiom. On the other hand, these songs are not really “songs.” I can’t remember choruses for the most part and this don’t stick out to me as an album experience. That really doesn’t matter though. The music is enjoyable and the instruments sound so incredibly raw. This thing is powered by a thousand viagras, Pine Top Perkins, and the gravity of love. Let that muddy river roll right into the vaunted annals of positively reviewed albums. The walls in this temple are sparse, so plenty of room for that sick guitar tone to resonate. 3.5-4 HIGHLIGHTS: Mannish Boy, I Want to Be Loved, Can’t be Satisfied, Deep Down in Florida
I’m slowly growing more familiar with blues so this is a very inexperienced critique, but this just felt like a quintessential blues album. If I look up blues in the dictionary I think this starts playing. May not be an every day listen for me but I did enjoy it.
Yes!!!!!!
Boyish man
Not bad but not my cup of tea
Like it! Blues makes me feel cool.
pleasantly surprised by this album. i like the blues but it’s never my top choice of genre so i thought this wouldn’t be spectacular. i listened to it in one earbud while playing softball so i wasn’t paying attention but the songs kept catching my ear i lowkey regret not waiting and listening to this later.
Eyes closed head nods catch you just before you fall kind of blues, really enjoyed. A little jammy at the end but great!! And shoutout Mississippi muddy water
hehe hard again lol, the first song has the most streams very typical blues not bad tho. This first song is doing a lot of building its not terrible, I wish the riffs would switch up, from the blues i have listened to that's not super common but it does get slightly boring over the course of five minutes. I think that song did a fine job avoiding it getting to bad however. Second Track: nice I like the solos for each different instrument, this is probably a classic blues album but cause of that its just kinda an average blues album.
The instrumental parts of this album go so hard. They’re almost psychedelic, which is not something I would think to describe the blues as. I’ve been on a big alt-country/folk kick recently, maybe I’ll expand out to the blues as well.
Vahva levy. Uskomaton tunnelma.
flink blues
Fun! I liked the second song most, but great to cook to.
Goed maar niet zo extraordinair
Produced by Johnny Winter--now there's a name I haven't heard in a while. My dad used to have one of his albums on vinyl, and several Muddy Waters album. Anyway, this is solid blues. 4/5.
A good album, was cool to hear that iconic first track! Wouldn’t quickly re-listen to many other tracks but I liked it
I liked the music but I don't really care for the genre to be honest. I think my issue with this record is that either the genre is so uniform that I've already heard all of these classic, groundbreaking-for-their-time riffs, or I've heard so many people who were influenced by these classic, groundbreaking-for-their-time riffs that have already taken these ideas and fleshed them out in compelling ways already - in genre's I more prefer. In either case, it's a good record but every few songs I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd already heard some variation on the theme already. A cool record, but not necessarily a record I need to hear before I die - at least not anymore.
A legend.
Can’t really go wrong with this one
Vinyl: Want Fav: Blues Had a Baby
Oh yeah, let's go! From the jump this one lands. Iconic blues, the master at work. I'm just a dumb Midwest white boy, but I'm not sure there's a better conduit from the blues to the masses than this record.
Meh. Mostly forgettable.
Ultra sleeper
there's better blues i guess
Sehr bluesig ond zwar no guete aber ech fende nüd stecht bsonders use ond es ged besseri Blues
I think I wrote on another blues album that the progressions felt pretty predictable, which I'm realising just seems to be a blues thing. I wrote that I had heard the progression on Mannish Boy before but I think I can say that for much of the album, they same goes for Jealous Hearted Man That progression on Mannish Boy must come from that song originally, but I've heard it a million times to the point of cliche. I like the presentation of the song but the writing is pretty repetitive Does also feel like they don't really know how to end songs, they seem to all sound very similar outro wise Muddy Waters is obviously very good and I appreciate the enormous influence blues had on music, it just doesn't do much for me (and I think that probably goes for most of the genre) Highlights: Walkin' Thru the Park
The soul in this is just next level. Mannish boy is a killer opener, this is original blues that can never be replicated. 8/10.
I should not rate Muddy Waters due to not being a genre that I care for.
I really like the blues harmonica combo. Would need to listen to the live album again to decide which I like more
I'm not usually a blues guy, but this album brings such incredible energy. It's undeniable. The production is also great. 4⭐️
Good listen
A lot of famous songs on here I have heard used in movie and tv. I enjoyed it!
Great blues album, beautifully written and executed.
Brilliant rhythm and chaos. I can't say on weather this is hard AGAIN* seen as I haven't heard his previous work but I know I felt the power here. Fun all the way through. My absolute favourites are Mannish Boy, Bus Driver and The Blues Had a Baby... Never heard of this before yesterday but glad I listened.
Niceeeee
This is a strange album to rate - it’s great blues and I really enjoyed it. I understand it’s some rerecordings and new tracks. My gripe is that for 1977 it’s not innovative or new; and I couldn’t hear the guitar. He’s a guitar player right? So why was it buried so low in the mix? You’d have thought Muddy played harmonica. That said from an enjoyment perspective it makes up for it as a very solid blues album
Much the same as the first muddy waters album, easy listen
Very good. Was impressed by the recording and producing quality. I think I never listened to a 70s blues album.
This album kicks off with a great start. But after a couple of songs it becomes one big blur to me, with a sound totally dominated by fatiguing slide guitar and harmonica. 5 out of 10.
Music that oozes Black American history. Great soundtrack for while I was toiling in the field (repairing the planter box). Love the harmonicas and slow southern twang, but the guitar & drums heavier stuff really cut through. Mannish Boy is a belter of an opening track - gets right up in your face & demands you pay attention. Also liked Deep Down in Florida. Dad - Right up your alley Dust - Worth a go
Normally the blues always leaves me cold, but this was enjoyable somehow. Maybe because it was inoffensive background music to journalling.
Good intro for me into more classic blues. MW is from Chicago
I mean, if you like the blues, this man has it. Mid 2s
blues, not a big fan of blues
All of the music you like is because albums like Hard Again by Blues artists like Muddy Waters and early Country music commingled and each generation's evolution became a twist. Muddy Waters is your favorite artist's grand-pappy. 5/5
Not really a blues listener but this album with its cozy and yet bombastic southern American feel really itched my brain in a place nothing else could scratch.
Good blues album
Must listen Muddy Waters
'Bad to the Bone' was definitely "inspired" by 'Mannish Boy' from this album... Also, I rly dig 'I Want to Be Loved #2', especially how the instruments complement to round off that groove.
Too much country
TBH, I didn’t care for this album. It started with Mannish Boy and Muddy bragging about what a ladies man he is. Then, the songs were too long so they seemed to drag on.
Not a blues fan . . . but this is as good as it gets.
Muddy waters indeed.
Not my vibe, probably wouldn’t come back to this
Not a blues guy personally but this was easy listening
Love Mannish Boy! First heard this song in the movie Risky Business. Great American blues.
This is a fantastic blues album. I could have done without “The Blues had a baby..” but the rest of this album is dope! 1001 album worthy: yes - 67/124
Really liked what I heard
Harmoni🅱️🅱️a overload
Solid blues
Familiar songs, great vibes, amazing voice, stellar guitar work
This one took me a while to come around to, as I don't normally find Blues very interesting. The first couple of times it just sounded like the same song over and over again. Had another listen today though with the "good" headphones, and it sounds great. The production is impeccable, especially the guitar and drums. His singing is great too. Main standouts for me were Mannish Boy, I Can't Be Satisfied, The Blues Had A Baby..., and Deep Down in Florida.
great blues album! Gave me those bluesclub vibes!
7/10 This is a really difficult album for me to rate, in part because I suppose I haven't decided whether I'm going to be rating these 1001 albums based purely on my personal enjoyment, or what I perceive to be their musical merits regardless of my taste. There are lots of individual elements of this album that I love - Muddy's vocals, and everything from guitar to harmonica to piano is played brilliantly. Crosseyed Cat or the famous Mannish Boy are probably the songs that I'd choose to showcase this album at its best. The dichotomy for me is that I find it musically inspiring to learn how to play this stuff, and of course Muddy Waters has been incredibly influential on so many artists that I love, but in terms of just sitting and listening to it I don't derive much pleasure from the album. I guess I have a limited appreciation for twelve bar blues and a whole album of it is a bit much, although it does get my head bobbing. Muddy's legendary status shouldn't affect my rating, but listening to this album does really feel like listening to a legend do his stuff, which is pretty cool. All of that leaves me somewhere in the middle of the road with my final rating: ultimately I just didn't enjoy this as much as the albums I've given 4/5. Listens: 1
I love me some blues. I am immediately digging this album. Mannish Boy was an amazing intro to what’s to come. Everything feels so familiar as if I’ve probably heard it in film or in passing but never actually realized who the artist was. Probably one of my favourite albums on this journey so far. As I read more on Muddy Waters I learn that this is post-war American blues. I absolutely dig it.
purr 4/5
BANGER!!!!! Fuck yeah
Fantastic blues from Da Man!
Historically have not listened to this genre or era, but I absolutely loved this album! I especially loved I Want To Be Loved #2. I think it’s especially good as a beginning-to-end, no-skip album, rather than spinning a single over and over again. 10/10 will listen again!
Energetic, vibrant and funky. Ethan & i found it a bit repetitive :( Not my cup of tea entirely but I loved the vibe! Attending one of these shows live would be so fun.
1001 Albums Generator 3 Blues is a genre that has always been a blind spot for me. While I do love some Blues Rock, a la Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, I've never really found myself listening to blues. It is fitting that the first album in this challenge that is new to me is an album from the so-called King of the Electric Blues. Muddy Waters was a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who was a highly influential figure in the rise of the electric Chicago Blues movement, which gained prominence through the 40's and 50's and began influencing musicians across the globe in the late 50's to early 60's. But while the world moved away from this pure blues sound and the rock it inspired began taking over the charts instead, Waters stuck to his roots and at the age of 63 in 1977, far beyond the peak of the genre, released Hard Again. The opening track, Mannish Boy (known previously to me as "Bad to the Bone"), is a fantastic opener, featuring one of the most famous and archetypal blues riffs of all time. While it does go on for a bit long (unfortunately not uncommon for this album), the power of the riff and the ad-libs provided by Johnny Winter make this a wonderfully memorable vehicle for the political message of the song. While most of this album, and even parts of this song, are very sexual in nature, the chorus of this song is a direct attack on Jim Crow era America, in which black men were referred to as "boy" in spite of their age, as a way to infantilize and dehumanize them. Muddy Waters wrote this song in 1955 "[as] an assertion of black manhood" goddammit, and the energy and passion of his voice, in spite of his relatively advanced age, forcefully enshrine this song in the blues cannon. As iconic as that song is, it is only one of ten. The other nine songs, to my ears, are largely less memorable basic blues, with songs such as Bus Driver, Deep Down In Florida, and Little Girl feeling much too long for my tastes. This isn't even to say that the songs on this thing are bad; they certainly aren't. Every song is masterfully played, with the guitar and harmonica being standouts throughout. Waters' voice throughout is perfect for this music; his energy is absolutely infectious. My body was moving while I sat at my desk listening to this album. However, by the time I finished it, many of the songs had gone in one ear and out the other, even on subsequent listens. A man can only hear and truly appreciate a 12 bar blues so many times. My favorite songs were the ones that felt distinct from the pack. The largely acoustic affair of I Can't Be Satisfied is a nice break, and is surprisingly one of the songs I could most see myself coming back to. I Want to Be Loved #2 is probably the most infectious song here; Pinetop Perkins prevalently plays piano... persuasively and percussively. Jealous Hearted Man features some rockin guitar and harmonica soloing, probably the best of the album. The previously mentioned Mannish Boy finds itself distinct in that it does not follow a 12 bar blues, instead being built around its signature riff, which is great. This being the first new album for me in this challenge was certainly interesting. While the highs are quite high, I wish I was able to enjoy this more. The general repetitiveness of the music, in form, tempo, and texture, make this album one that I may not come back to often in full, although there are certainly some songs that I loved. 2.5/5 Favs: Mannish Boy I Want To Be Loved #2 I Can't Be Satisfied Least Fav: Bus Driver
Just an excellent blues album.....sounded a lot older than the 70's, in the best way.
A true classic, deserves its spot on the list even though it's not something I personally vibe a ton with.
From the opener Mannish Boy through the album the playing is just sublime. I just love the blues
Really good stuff. A couple tracks I thought were just alright, but they were still nice to listen to. I Can't Be Satisfied and Crosseyed Cat are incredible
Hmmm blues rock with a slight polished sheen
[pointing at my old-timey record player doing poggers face] they did the blues thing!
Better than the HM Surf
9/10 WOW, such an infectious and insanely fun Blues record, not only being one of the most obvious classics of the genre but being one of the most exhilarating classics I’ve heard so far. In love with the guitar and harmonica by James Cotton in particular, fucking peak. Accurate album title for me in particular
Muddy knows how to put on a clinic. Like, this is the Blues stuff you study, then immediately realize you're never gonna play it this cool. It grinds and grooves like a goddamn train, shoveling heat from the first note. It's pure vibe. The kind of record you throw on when the room needs soul and sweat. I spun it all day. Spins: ??? Playlist Additions: The Whole Album
Eh, old blues aren't for me. The album songs started to blend and sound the same. The harmonica melody and the beat got very repetitive