The covers of the old songs are OK, if a little loud - "She's Alright" starts to resemble "Voodoo Chile" more than its original, "Catfish Blues," and that's fine if you're looking for Waters to sound like Hendrix (no one has ever explained the "My Girl" fragment with which the song closes, however). Recorded in May of 1968, Electric Mud features Waters in excellent vocal form, running through new versions of old songs such as "I Just Want to Make Love to You," "She's Alright," "Hoochie Coochie Man," "Mannish Boy," and "The Same Thing." But he isn't playing, and the band that is - Phil Upchurch, Roland Faulkner, and Pete Cosey on guitars, Gene Barge on sax, Charles Stepney on organ, Louis Satterfield on bass, and Morris Jennings on the drums - is trying awfully hard to sound like the Jimi Hendrix Experience-meets-Cream, playing really loud with lots of fuzztone and wah-wah pedal. King, and this time Leonard Chess' son Marshall conceived Electric Mud as a way for Waters to reach out to the Rolling Stones/Hendrix/Cream audience. Previously, in 1966, Chess Records had recorded Waters' Brass and the Blues, trying to make him sound like B.B. Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Cream were selling millions of records each using licks and sometimes songs learned from Waters.
By 1968, Waters was no longer reaching black audiences, who were mostly listening to soul music by that time, and he also wasn't selling records to more than a relatively small cult of white blues enthusiasts. This album marks what could probably be considered the nadir of Muddy Waters' career, although at the time it did sell somewhere between 200,000 and 250,000 copies, a lot for Waters in those days. Includes liner notes by Mark Humphrey and Marshall Chess.ĭigitally remastered by Erick Labson (MCA Music Media Studios, North Hollywood, California). Originally released on Cadet Concept (314). Recorded at Ter Mar Studios, Chicago, Illinois, May 1968. Producers: Marshall Chess, Charles Stepney, George Barge. Personnel: Muddy Waters (vocals) Phil Upchurch, Roland Faulkner, Pete Cosey (guitar) Gene Barge (tenor sax) Charles Stepney (organ) Louis Satterfield (bass) Morris Jennings (drums).
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