Following in the footsteps of his fellow Chicago blues legend Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters journeyed across the big pond in 1972 to record an album with some of British rock's leading lights. Rory Gallagher, Rick Grech, Steve Winwood, and Mitch Mitchell were of the generation that had grown up loving Muddy's blues, and these sessions afforded them the opportunity to give something back to the man who had inspired them. The difference between the Brits' approach and the traditional Chicago style is immediately apparent, right down to the preponderance of very un-Chicago inside notes in Mitch Mitchell's drumming. However, the intent of these sessions was to put a new sheen on Muddy's music while not straying too far from its roots. In this respect, the album is a success. The horn section that appears on some cuts is far less incongruous than on the notorious MUDDY, BRASS & THE BLUES. A guitars-only version of "Walkin' Blues" offers a rare (and unexpected in this context) peek at Muddy's Robert Johnson/Son House Delta roots. As is often the case with superstar sessions, this is not the place to begin for neophytes, but much of this album stands up well among Muddy's early-'70s U.S. recordings.

Rovi