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