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
album, but in fact
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
in the mid-'70s. It's still solid and decent, including some
classics (
"Can't Be Satisfied,"
"Got My Mojo Workin',"
"Trouble No More"
),
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
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
) kind of dwarf the ones on which his singing is absent or secondary, making the cuts that emphasize
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. ~ Richie Unterberger