AMG Review of Hoochie Coochie Man [LRC]

Bruce Eder
All Music Guide

The source for this 1964 live performance appears to be Lippmann and Rau, the sponsors of Europe's American Folk Blues Festival. Considering that Chess Records never recorded Muddy's live set during this era, this disc is priceless. Otis Spann is at the piano, George Smith plays sax, Sammy Lawhorn is the second guitarist, and Francis Clay and Luther Johnson are the rhythm section. The dozen songs include "Country Boy," "Baby Please Don't Go," "Sweet Little Angel," and "Rock Me Baby." The show is loose and lively, the band incredibly tight (especially Johnson and Clay on bass and drums), including a delightfully sly, teasing performance on "Hoochie Coochie Man," a rip-roaring "Sittin' and Thinkin'," and surging, volcanic renditions of "Long Distance Call," "She's Nineteen Years Old" and "County Jail." The sound is generally excellent as well, making this an indispensable part of any serious blues collection, and doubly so for Muddy's fans.