Muddy Waters

Part of Universal's Authorized Bootleg series, this disc combines 15 highlights from Muddy Waters' multi-night stint at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium in November 1966. These shows may have been held at a famous rock venue but these recordings have more in common with the performances Muddy gave on the blues and folk festival circuit in the mid-'60s. Muddy and the band are tight and professional, running through numbers they've played many times - of the 15 tracks, "Forty Days and Forty Nights," "Hoochie Coochie Man," "Rock Me," "Baby Please Don't Go" are all repeated - and they don't push, they're so relaxed they even let the tempo almost drag at times. This means there's not much kinetic energy here, but it's not bland either: Muddy is always a powerful, compelling center and there's some prickly ice-pick thin guitar popping up in unexpected places. The professionalism keeps the two sets here enjoyable but it's those slight surprises that make this worthwhile. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide