Muddy Waters & James Cotton - Breakin' It Up, Breakin' It Down

Release Notes:
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In March 1977, Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, and James Cotton did a
concert tour together in support of Waters' then-recent Hard Again
LP, on which Winter had played guitar (as well as produced) and
Cotton had played harmonica. This CD, not released until about 30
years later, has an hour of music drawn from three different shows
on the tour. It might have been spurred by a Muddy Waters album,
but in fact Waters, Winter, and Cotton all took vocals --
sometimes alone, and sometimes on the same song -- on stage, and
these 11 songs feature the vocals of each of the three in about
equal measure. Often these kind of touring combinations are too
many cooks in the kitchen, or, if not quite that, at least more
fun to attend than to listen to on tape. The latter could be said
of the material on this disc, which is really just okay, not
great, and not even among the best recordings that have been
issued of Waters in the mid-'70s. It's still solid and decent,
including some Waters classics ("Can't Be Satisfied," "Got My Mojo
Workin'," "Trouble No More"), Cotton originals, and covers of
staples by Jackie Brenston ("Rocket 88"), John Lee Hooker ("I Done
Got Over It"), J.B. Lenoir ("Mama Talk to Your Daughter"), Lowell
Fulson ("Love Her with a Feeling"), and Elmore James ("Dust My
Broom"), as well as the famed jump blues "Caledonia." It's
undeniable, however, that Waters was, even at this relatively
advanced age, by far the most commanding singer of the trio. The
songs on which his vocals are prominent (especially "Can't Be
Satisfied" and "Trouble No More") kind of dwarf the ones on which
his singing is absent or secondary, making the cuts that emphasize
Cotton and Winter seem rather workmanlike in comparison.
Nevertheless, the sound is good, and the band filled out
competently with sidemen (particularly Pinetop Perkins on piano),
making this a satisfactory listen for serious blues collectors,
though a little superfluous for most fans.