Complete Aristocrat & Chess Singles A's & B's 1947

A nice comprehensive collection, and contains many songs difficult to obtain from other sources. However, the sound quality on some songs, while being good for having been originally recorded over 50 years ago, isn't quite up to the quality on other albums (e.g., The Real Folk Blues, Chess - His Best 50th Anniv. 1947-55). Something worth noting is that some songs are also known by different titles; in fact "Looking For My Baby" on Disc 2 sounds like the same version as "I Can't Be Satisfied" on Disc 1. Other songs on Disc 2 which go by different names include; "Turn The Lamp Down Low" - "Baby, Please Don't Go", "Mad Love" - "I Want You To Love Me", and "Just Make Love To Me" - "I Just Want To Make Love To You". Recording the same song (or "slight" different version) with a different title was common for early Blues musicians, but thought I should point that out.It's still a great album, especially if you're a fan of early Muddy - and if you're reading this review you probably are. I own a dozen Muddy Waters albums, and while I have many of these song versions already, I'm still glad I bought this album for those few songs I didn't have. It's an inexpensive alternative to much more costly sets.

The sound is just not up to snuff, something I've discovered with other Acrobat collections. Better to go to the source and get the three two-disc collections of Muddy's Chess masters put out in recent years by Universal, which owns Chess. ("Rollin' Stone," "Hoochie Coochie Man," and "You Shook Me.") Besides extraordinary sound, you get alternate takes and album tracks. You'll want the downloads; the CDs require a second mortgage, if you can find them at all.

PLEASE READ THE "COMMENTS" SECTION UNDER THIS REVIEW.Yes, I know this is yet another compilation of Muddy Waters' great sides (both A's and B's) from the 1940's to the early 60's. But having 98 of his 45 rpm singles with great sound, plus an 18 page booklet that includes complete track information, complete recording details, and an essay on Waters and his music, for a very low price is just too good to pass up. Yes, we all own most if not all these sides but I think this is the first collection that compiles all his Aristocrat and Chess singles in one nice, neat package for very little money.Chances are if you're reading this you're familiar with Waters' music, so listing any favorite tunes is a waste of time. Suffice to say there's very little (if any) filler, it's all killer music. Except maybe the pandering "Muddy Waters Twist", an attempt to be "relevant" to the "young people" who were dancing The Twist. Or "Little Brown Bird", actually a pretty tough sounding late era single, except possibly for the bird whistles that pop up. As I said, the sound is very good--clean and open, allowing you to hear the various instruments behind Waters' sinewy, thick vocals. There's a few tracks where Waters' vocals sound as if they were recorded through a mic used to record a harmonica--relatively rough and distorted. The majority of his singles were released in the 1950's, with his first few sides from the 1940's , and his last eight singles released in the early 1960's. And even in the later years Waters was still killing it with his vocals and his great band. The power and vitality of these sides never lets up. It's one highlight after another. Waters' stunning vocals, and his dangerous sounding slide guitar is the real deal.The musicians who made of his bands through the years read like a who's who of the blues: Sunnyland Slim, "Big" Crawford, Johnny Jones, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Junior Wells, Elgin Evans, Walter Horton, Otis Spann, Willie Dixon, Fred Below, Pat Hare, Hubert Sumlin, and a number of other great blues musicians all contributed to Waters' sound.Waters' music will live forever not only as some of the very best blues music of the genre, but some of the best music from the Twentieth Century. If you happen to be looking for a collection of his strong singles, released across possibly his most important fifteen year period as an artist, this is the set to get. Every single is Waters in his prime with a tough band. Enough said.Also released on the Acrobat label is a fine set of Washboard Sam's music, collecting about half of his 150 or so sides he recorded from the 1920's into the early 1950's. Don't dismiss Sam because he plays a washboard--there's much more to his music--lyrics, his strong vocals, sidemen (Big Bill Broonzy played on many of Sam's sides), and Sam's highly rhythmic way of playing his chosen instrument using seven thimbles on his fingers to heighten the sound. Another good set is Howlin' Wolf's singles which is from around the same time as this set by Waters. The Acrobat label has released a number of great compilations of blues and gospel sides which are well worth checking out.

Now, why would you buy this set when Muddy Waters has been one of the most anthologised blues titans in music history? Easy---because there are just too many gems here that escaped the previous anthologies, and because this just might be the best way of tracking Muddy's development from the man just up from the Delta and looking to overcome the crowd noise with his music to the groudbreaker for the classic Chicago blues sound. You can hear him evolving, step by step, into the giant he was without missing a beat (including a few numbers that turned out to serve as test flights for later, reworked ideas that found better immediate success), while finding a parcel full of music that barely got shrift the first time around but which will stand hand-in-hand with his unquestioned classics as a genre-defining body of work. It won't make you rid yourself of the other anthologies, of course, but it may well become the one to which you turn first from now on.

Fantastic collection of his early work. I'm obsessed with disk 2, Muddy transcends the blues. Incredible music.

All I can say wow !!! Great collection!!! Just get it you'll be glad you did !!!

This is a MUST HAVE for any Muddy Waters fan! Excellent!

Excellent product and service.

All of the Muddy Waters you’ll ever need (with the exception of some of his work as an accompanist). The first two CDs in particular contain some of the very finest post-war blues, when Muddy was working his way through the Mississippi songbook, and before the “produced” sound that Willie Dixon brought to later sessions. Essential.

good as ever

As the title says, this 4 CD set contains all the Muddy Waters' singles released on the Aristocrat and Chess labels between 1947 and 1962. For novice blues fans, bear in mind that these labels typically released Muddy Waters tracks as singles during this time period so you're basically getting all the classic Muddy Waters material on this set.The sound is good. Liner notes are fairly basic but they contain all the essential information like recording dates for each track, musicians playing on each track etc. The price (currently $34) is fairly reasonable although it has taken a jump since I bought the set a month or so ago for $25..These are very influential recordings. The Rolling Stones took their name from one of these songs. Led Zeppelin took another as the basis for the Led Zeppelin II track "Whole Lotta Love" and got sued successfully by songwriter Willie Dixon. Bands that have covered many of these songs are far too numerous to include here.If you're a blues fan, or you like bands like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, these are essential recordings for your collection.

Eine CD von Muddy Waters ist für jeden Blues Liebhaber bzw. jedem Gitarristen Pflicht.Diese Sammlung enthält alles was wichtig ist aus seiner ersten Schaffenszeit.Die Aufnahmen sind in einer hervorragenden Qualität.

Cofanetto Splendido. Racchiude i migliori brani pubblicati per la mitica casa discografica Chess.Imperdibile per tutti gli amanti del blues tradizionale.