Muddy Waters: Hard Again [MUSIC ON VINYL]

Why you'll love it

This Music On Vinyl pressing is on 180g audiophile vinyl. Hard Again won the Grammy for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording and put Muddy back on the Billboard 200 for the first time since 1969.

This edition

• 180g vinyl

About the album

After three decades at Chess, Muddy Waters moved on when the label was sold in 1975 and turned into a reissue house. In October 1976 Johnny Winter signed him to his Blue Sky label, and the two of them cut Hard Again in three days with Muddy's touring band: guitarist Bob Margolin, pianist Pinetop Perkins and drummer Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith, joined by James Cotton on harmonica and Charles Calmese on bass.

Three songs are fresh takes on Chess classics. "Mannish Boy" is loose and roaring, recorded so it sounds live in the room with Winter hollering encouragement, "I Want to Be Loved" swings, and "I Can't Be Satisfied" heads back to the Delta. "The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock & Roll" was co-written with Brownie McGhee and "Bus Driver" with Terry Abrahamson. Critics singled out Smith's drumming, and you can see why; the whole band plays like it's thrilled to be in the room with the old master.

Robert Christgau said he couldn't recall a better blues album, give or take B.B. King's Live at the Regal and one or two others. Winter is also credited on the sleeve with miscellaneous screams, which remains our favourite line in any liner notes in the shop.

Also at Kops: more Muddy Waters on vinyl · browse Blues

Tracklist

Listen

On Blue Sky / Music On Vinyl (cat# MOVLP565), a reissue of the 1977 album.