With the two Bear Family volumes of
Howlin' Wolf's Memphis-era recordings out of print, this disc and its companion volumes from Classics becomes the best way to hear the blues legend at his raw, original best, mostly accompanied by
Willie Johnson's almost minimalist electric guitar. The sound is excellent and the annotation is okay, and the music is almost beyond words to convey its merits and uniqueness, even in the larger context of
Wolf's entire career.