egroj world: Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley ‎• The Super Super Blues Band

Friday, September 20, 2024

Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley ‎• The Super Super Blues Band

This is easily a "super super blues bust." Power trios, of course, were hip in the late '60s -- even at down-home Chess Studios, where ad hoc "supergroups" were assembled for 1967's Super Blues and its sequel, Super Super Blues Band. (No one ever accused Chess Records of being subtle.) The band on Super Super Blues Band included two-thirds of the original Super Blues headliners -- Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley -- with Howlin' Wolf replacing Little Walter to round out the trio. Unlike Walter, who was willing to cede the spotlight to Diddley and Waters on Super Blues, Wolf adamantly refuses to back down from his rivals, resulting in a flood of contentious studio banter that turns out to be more entertaining than the otherwise unmemorable music from this stylistic train wreck. Although Wolf and Waters duke it out in earnest on the blues standards, the presence of Diddley (and his rave-up repertoire) makes the prospect of an ensemble impossible; in the end, there are just too many clashing ingredients (the squealing "girlie" choruses vs. Wolf's growl, Diddley's space guitar antics vs. Waters' uncompromising slide guitar) to make the mix digestible. Meanwhile, as the three frontmen struggle to outduel each other on every song, they drown out an underused, all-star backing band made up of Otis Spann on piano, Hubert Sumlin on guitar, Buddy Guy on bass, and Clifton James on drums. At least it sounds like they had fun doing it.

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Esto es fácilmente un "busto de súper súper azules". Los tríos de poder, por supuesto, estaban de moda a finales de los 60... incluso en los estudios de ajedrez caseros, donde se reunían "supergrupos" ad hoc para el Super Blues de 1967 y su secuela, Super Super Blues Band. (Nadie acusó a Chess Records de ser sutil.) La banda de Super Blues Band incluía dos tercios de los titulares originales de Super Blues -- Muddy Waters y Bo Diddley -- con Howlin' Wolf reemplazando a Little Walter para completar el trío. A diferencia de Walter, que estaba dispuesto a ceder el protagonismo a Diddley y Waters en el Super Blues, Wolf se niega rotundamente a retroceder ante sus rivales, lo que resulta en un aluvión de polémicas bromas de estudio que resultan ser más entretenidas que la música, de otro modo inolvidable, de este desastre estilístico. Aunque Wolf y Waters se enfrentan en serio a los estándares del blues, la presencia de Diddley (y su repertorio de juerga) hace imposible la perspectiva de un conjunto; al final, hay demasiados ingredientes en conflicto (los chillidos de los coros "femeninos" contra el gruñido de Wolf, las payasadas de Diddley con la guitarra espacial contra la guitarra deslizante de Waters) para hacer que la mezcla sea digerible. Mientras tanto, mientras los tres cantantes luchan por superarse en cada canción, ahogan a una infrautilizada y estelar banda de acompañamiento formada por Otis Spann al piano, Hubert Sumlin a la guitarra, Buddy Guy al bajo y Clifton James a la batería. Al menos parece que se divirtieron haciéndolo.

Tracks:

1 - Long Distance Call - 9:15
2 - Ooh Baby / Wrecking My Love Life - 6:34
3 - Sweet Little Angel - 6:38
4 - Spoonful - 4:13
5 - Diddley Daddy - 5:12
6 - The Red Rooster - 7:25
7 - Goin' Down Slow - 4:49

Credits:
    Bass – Buddy Guy
    Drums – Clifton James
    Guitar – Hubert Sumlin
    Liner Notes [Original Lp Release] – Richard Meltzer
    Liner Notes [Reissue Note] – A.M.
    Other [Cd Reissue Coordination] – Andy McKaie
    Other [Digitally Transferred By] – Robert Stroughton
    Piano – Otis Spann
    Vocals, Guitar – Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters
    Vocals, Harmonica, Acoustic Guitar – Howlin' Wolf
    Vocals, Tambourine – Cookie Vee