Search - Muddy Waters: Messin' With the Blues on DVD

A Fantastic Blues Experience!

Perry Celestino | Tahmoor, NSW Australia | 07/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD came out last year and was probably the most underrated Blues DVD of 2004. This is a 1974 Montreux concert that ostensibly featured Muddy Waters but really showcases Buddy Guy and Junior Wells after they had teamed up. The band is very interesting with Pinetop Perkins (a rather young Pinetop Perkins!) on Piano, Bill Wyman with his custom bass (he has really small hands!), drummer Dallas Taylor (of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young), Terry Taylor on second guitar (he looks a bit out of his depth here!) and Buddy Guy on lead guitar. Junior Wells steps back into the shoes he filled in 1950 when Little Walter left Muddy's band. It is really historical and something to see and hear.

Well the real gems of this DVD are the first four numbers with Junior Wells doing "Hoodoo Man", an interesting slow version and his early seventies Blues hit with Buddy "Messin With The Kid" (this tune was named by Well's handicapped daughter). This was culled from the famous LP of the early 1970s Buddy Guy and Junior Wells cut together.

Buddy offers his vocal talents on "Ten Years Ago" and showcases his guitar showmanship with his neat sunburst 1950s stratocaster! He also offers "When The Tears Are Falling From My Eyes" in which he incorporates his passionate vocal style. Junior Wells also demonstrates his prowess on the chromatic harp that he had learned from Little Walter! Great! This is the only footage of these two Blues Masters ever released from this period and is a reason to purchase this DVD! The only other footage is from their dubious and poorly sound tracked performance in John Mayall's "Jammin With The Blues Greats". These tunes are not even included in the Junior Wells Story DVD also released last year!

Muddy Waters segment is also excellent. The father of Chicago Blues sings with life and vigour that isn't seen in his "Chicagofest" DVD, or many of his other releases and stands up for part of the performance! A curious selection of tunes is also offered. He starts with "Hootchie Cootchie Man" and then does "Mannish Boy" which are rather similar. I get a bit upset that Muddy never gave Bo Diddley credit for the writing of that tune. Which he took more than half the lyrics from. Of course the finale "I Got My Mojo Working" is a typical tour de force and the perfect final tune. I love the reprive of the tune as a bit of an encore!!

This is an exceptional Blues music experience. Do not miss it! The interviews with Buddy Guy and Muddy's son are also great bonus items. Anyone interested in Blues Music should own this concert.

"

Not what I thought I was getting....was BETTER!!!

Joseph M. Cumbo Jr. | Buffalo, New York United States | 08/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a sleeper this turned out to be. I was expecting to see Muddy Waters and his band. Turns out that he's just in the last 4 songs. The first 4 songs are Buddy Guy and Jr. Wells. Now don't get me wrong, I love watching Muddy Waters, but I also love Buddy and Jr. My only complaint is that it was too short, only about 50 minutes. That being said, I realy love the songs that are on this DVD. I'm a harp player for a local Classic Rock and Blues band and every song on this DVD is great to play hamrmonic along with.

All in all the song selection is good, the performers are excelent, the video was good and for the time this was recorded the sound is very good. I'm very satisfied with this DVD. I just wish it was longer."

A little disappointing

Carlo Pipitone | Italy | 01/01/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Don't get me wrong: this DVD contains some excellent blues footage. Nonetheless I am disappointed because I expected a DVD fully dedicated to Muddy Waters, while Muddy features only four songs. Moreover, at least three of them (Hoochie coochie man, Mannish boy and Got my mojo working) have already been seen and heard (albeit in different versions) many other times.
It it was for Muddy's tracks, this DVD would yield 2 stars (for the bad track list, not for the quality of the performance, which is high). The first four tracks (two led by Jr Wells and two by Buddy Guy) are top quality blues tracks, and they contributed to raise the rating.
(SONG LIST: Messin' with the kid, Hoodoo man blues, When you see the tears from my eyes, Ten years ago, Hoochie coochie man, Mannish boy, The same thing, Got my mojo working)."