Muddy's "unplugged" album was cut in September of 1963 and still sounds fresh and vital today. It was
Muddy simply returning to his original style on a plain acoustic guitar in a well-tuned room with
Willie Dixon on string bass,
Clifton James on drums, and
Buddy Guy on second acoustic guitar. The nine tracks are divvied up between full rhythm section treatments with Buddy and
Muddy as a duo and the final track, "Feel Like Going Home," which
Waters approaches solo. What makes this version of the album a worthwhile buy is the inclusion of five bonus tracks from his next two sessions: An April 1964 session brings us
Willie Dixon's "The Same Thing" and
Muddy's "You Can't Lose What You Never Had," while the October 1964 session features
J.T. Brown on sax and clarinet on "Short Dress Woman" and "My John the Conqueror Root," as well as "Put Me in Your Lay Away," another strong side.
Folk Singer offers both sides of
Muddy from the early '60s. ~ Cub Koda