Muddy Mississippi Waters Live [Original recording remastered]

Disc one has been fleshed out a little bit...the original mixes have been scrapped in favour of new and usually better ones, something which is particularly audible on the leadoff track, "Mannish Boy", which is two minutes longer than on the 1979 LP (and the original CD issue) due to the inclusion of a verse sung by Johnny Winter.

Other highlights include a terrific "Nine Below Zero", the slow groove of "Streamline Woman", and a swaggering nine-minute "Deep Down In Florida", and the band, which occationally includes Johnny Winter in addition to the standart Muddy Waters band (he doesn't replace any of Muddy's usual guitarists), is tight and muscular. Lots of great harmonica playing from Jerry Portnoy, and the four (!) guitarists manage not to step on each others toes too much, or engage in meaningless flailing...with the possible exception of Waters himself, whose occational enthusiastic improvisations on the slide guitar may make you want to reduce the treble a little ;o)

Disc two will hold the most interest for longtime fans, of course, since this material, which was recorded at the same series of August, 1978 shows as the songs on disc one, has not previously seen the light of day.
Opening with a lenghty soliloqui by Muddy Waters, and a "Stormy Monday Blues" which doesn't quite match T-Bone's original, it features a swinging "Trouble No More", an interesting "Champagne And Reefer", and the irresistable piano-driven "Corrine, Corrina".
This rendition of "Hoochie Coochie Man" has a lot of power as well, and the mix is one of the best on the entire album, finally bringing the bass and the drums to the forefront. And the rarely heard "She Moves Me", an early track from the Aristocrat days, is a nice inclusion, as is the slow, intense "Mad Love (I Want You To Love Me)", and Joe "Pinetop" Perkins' nimble performance of Clarence "Pinetop" Smith's classic "Pinetop Boogie Woogie", .

You'd think that a nine-minute "Kansas City" would likely overstay its welcome, but it doesn't, mostly thanks to the wonderful band and a couple of great guitar solos. And the album finally winds down with the great, up-tempo swing of "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (sung in part by Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson), and a fast, aggressive "Got My Mojo Working" with a nice, meaty harmonica solo by Jerry Portnoy (?) and some superb drumming by Willie "Big Eyes" Smith.
(The liner notes name Jerry Portnoy as the harpist, and he was indeed a member of Muddy's band at the time, but during "Nine Below Zero", and just before the harmonica solo, Muddy Waters clearly says: "It was nine below zero, Cotton". It's not supposed to be James Cotton, but who knows? Sounds more like Portnoy, though.)

This double-disc reissue includes an essay by Muddy-guitarist Bob Margolin, as well as Muddy Waters encouraging the audience to "smoke a little reefer, people", and it is a nice addition to any Muddy-fan's collection. It is not necessarily better than some of the other excellent live recordings left behind by Muddy Waters (like "The Lost Tapes", "Mojo", "Chicago 1979" and of course the Newport album), mainly because it doesn't really add anything new to Muddy's vast legacy...almost all of these tracks have been issued before in equally fine live versions (musically, at least).
But 4 1/2 stars anyway, because it's just so good! Even if there are other, less highly touted live recordings of the legendary Muddy Waters band which are just as good, or perhaps just a little bit better.