His Best: 1947 to 1955

• Artist: Muddy Waters
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1997
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Blues

Review

This entry into MCA's Chess 50th Anniversary Collection now officially takes the place of The Best of Muddy Waters as an essential first purchase in building a Muddy Waters collection. All 12 songs that comprise the budget-priced The Best of Muddy Waters are aboard, with eight more essential goodies from his first period of creativity, including great early ones like "Rollin' and Tumblin'," "Train Fare Blues," and "I Feel Like Going Home." The one ringer that keeps this collection from being a deluxe The Best of Muddy Waters is an alternate take of "Hoochie Coochie Man" in place of the original issued master, a production error of the highest order. It's a radically different-sounding one, too, with some surprisingly sloppy unthought-out harp work from Little Walter (at one point he simply stops playing), but with a far more intense vocal from Muddy than the issued version. But it is the issued version that by rights should have been the one heard here, as this is supposed to be a true best-of compilation. That niggling point aside, this collection (part of a two-volume best-of retrospective, the second covering the years 1956 to 1964) sports far superior sound and excellent liner notes. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
I Can't Be Satisfied	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(2:43)
I Feel Like Going Home	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(3:12)
Train Fare Blues	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(2:48)
Rollin' and Tumblin', Pt. 1	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(3:00)
Rollin' Stone	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(3:08)
Louisiana Blues	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(2:55)
Long Distance Call	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(2:41)
Honey Bee	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(3:22)
She Moves Me	Muddy Waters	Muddy Waters	(2:58)
Still a Fool	Muddy Waters	Muddy Waters	(3:19)
Standing Around Crying	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(3:23)
Baby Please Don't Go	McKinley Morganfield	Muddy Waters	(3:18)
I Want You to Love Me	Muddy Waters	Muddy Waters	(3:03)
(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man	Willie Dixon	Muddy Waters	(2:50)
I Just Want to Make Love to You	Willie Dixon	Muddy Waters	(2:52)
I'm Ready	Willie Dixon	Muddy Waters	(3:05)
Young Fashioned Ways	Willie Dixon	Muddy Waters	(3:02)
Mannish Boy	Bo Diddley, Mel London, Muddy Waters	Muddy Waters	(2:58)
Sugar Sweet	Mel London	Muddy Waters	(2:31)
Trouble No More	Muddy Waters	Muddy Waters	(2:40)

Credits

Willie Dixon (Bass), Willie Dixon (Producer), Little Walter (Guitar), Little Walter (Harmonica), Junior Wells (Harmonica), Mary Katherine Aldin (Liner Notes), Fred Below (Drums), Leonard Chess (Drums (Bass)), Leonard Chess (Producer), Phil Chess (Producer), Francis Clay (Drums), Ernest "Big" Crawford (Bass), Elgin Evans (Drums), Mike Fink (Design), Andy McKaie (Producer), Andy McKaie (Compilation Producer), Muddy Waters (Guitar), Muddy Waters (Vocals), Muddy Waters (Main Performer), Jimmy Rogers (Guitar), Otis Spann (Piano), Michael Wilson (Photography), Erick Labson (Digital Remastering), Don Bronstein (Photography), Geary Chansley (Photo Research)