Best of Muddy Waters: 20th Century Masters (CD - 1999)

Recorded between April 13, 1954 and December 1, 1956. Includes liner notes by Joseph F. Laredo.

Digitally remastered by Erick Labson (MCA Music Media Studios, No Hollywood, California).

This is part of MCA's 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection series.

Like any record company worth their salt, MCA knows a good gimmick when they see it, and when the millennium came around...well, the 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection wasn't too far behind. Supposedly, the millennium is a momentous occasion, but it's hard to feel that way when it's used as another excuse to turn out a budget-line series. But apart from the presumptuous title, 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection turns out to be a very good budget-line series. True, it's impossible for any of these brief collections to be definitive, but they're nevertheless solid samplers that don't feature a bad song in the bunch. For example, take Muddy Waters' 20th Century volume -- it's an irresistible 12-song summary of his Chess recordings. There may be several noteworthy songs missing, but many of his best-known songs for the label are here, including "I Just Want to Make Love to You," "Long Distance Call," "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man," "Honey Bee," "I'm Ready," "Trouble No More," "Mannish Boy," "Rock Me," "Forty Days and Forty Nights," and "Got My Mojo Working." Serious fans will want something more extensive, but this is an excellent introduction for neophytes and a great sampler for casual fans, considering its length and price. That doesn't erase the ridiculousness of the series' title, but the silliness is excusable when the music and the collections are good. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Waters' contributions to the electric blues-and, by extension, to the advent of rock & roll-are inestimable. He was one of the first musicians to meld the traditional Delta blues aesthetic with the harder edged sound of contemporary urban music. An innovative stylist and powerful performer, Waters' beautifully soulful vocals and slashing slide guitar work are the stuff of which legends are made. This set collects 11 sides from the man's finest and most important period-his work for the Chess label in the early '50s.

Each of the 11 tracks is phenomenal, including such classics as "I Just Want To Make Love To You," "I'm Ready," "I'm Your Hootchie Cootchie Man," and "Got My Mojo Working." The players are a who's who of Chicago blues-with such musicians as harmonica player Little Walter, bassist Willie Dixon, and guitarist Jimmy Rogers adding fuel to Waters' fire. While not as comprehensive as the Chess Anniversary edition, THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION's superior, remastered sound gives it an edge over the older, well known BEST OF disc. In all, THE BEST OF is a superb sampler of Waters' most fertile period. This is some of the finest blues ever recorded. minimize