Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of genres, styles and time periods. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album or view the full album index here.
MUDDY WATERS | At Newport 1960
MCA/Chess (1960)
Selected by Sonya Alexander
The legendary Muddy Waters christened the blues-naïve ears of mainstream audiences with At Newport 1960. Recorded at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, it's considered one of the first live blues albums. Listening to the rarefied tracks, one can hear how his style influenced numerous rock & roll acts like the Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin. Though the record didn't chart, it received enormous critical acclaim and solidified him as the gold standard for the blues sound.
During the performance, his Fender Telecaster sings, evoking the pain and turmoil in the lyrics. "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I Got My Brand On You" were written by fellow blues master Willie Dixon and are rousing examples of down-home, stove-top brewed blues. One of the most famous and emulated tracks is the Grammy-winning "I've Got My Mojo Working," which was listed as one of the "Songs of the Century" by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Its robust jump blues tempo is the engine of the song, driving it forward. It's an edgy musical dip into the Delta.
Muddy Waters’ snarly voice and electric sound helped define the electric sound of many rock bands to come and this album put him on the map as a blues vanguard.
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