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despite the fact that I'm pretty sure this exact poll was posted before.
But yeah, each has its benefits, I think.
Hoochie Coochie Man is the template for that riff. Sonically it's easily may favorite of any of the postings - the sound on the harmonica, that's Little Walter using the classic high-gain blues harp sound. Doesn't hurt that it's Fred Below on drums, always understated to perfection. Rhythmically, too, it's the simplest of the three songs, and I think that facet pushes the point home the best. And Muddy's vocal isn't over-the-top but the way it's recorded, it verges on clipping several times and to great effect. So I think that's my pick for favorite.
I'm A Man, I dunno. It's got a charming quality that's almost punk, in that Bo's taking this sound that is incredible but he can't quite get it right so he just does it his best and doesn't give a fuck that it's nowhere as tight as the original.* I mean, the guitar, the drums, the harmonica... it's almost analogous to the Beatles doing Twist & Shout; there's no denying that its appeal is very different from the original's, despite the similarity.
Plus, maracas.
*Researching the tune, it's surprising that it sounds so comparatively half-assed; Bo's backing band for it had two key players from Muddy's (pianist Otis Spann, Muddy's half-brother, and Wilie Dixon, the composer & writer of HCM). And Billy Boy Arnold isn't a slouch on the harmonica, though he was no Little Walter.
Maybe considering all that the sonic half-assedness is mostly in my head rather than on the record... but still, I call it like I hear it.
Mannish Boy is a pretty masterful put-down, even though it serves as evidence that Muddy was shook by Bo's audacity at the riff. The vocal delivery is absolutely commanding, but its very position as a response is sort of detrimental to it.
As far as those Muddy remakes from the '70s with Johnny Winter producing, they're still great records, but it's really the production on the drums that I object to. They're tighter and more prominent but also BIG sounding, which isn't what I love about the drum parts on the originals. There's none of that intangible small low-budget studio feel to them. But there are a lot of people who prefer that, of course. -------
so I'm in a band now:
album ---> http://greenwoodburns.bandcamp.com/releases
Soundcloud ---> http://soundcloud.com/greenwood-burns
my own stuff -->http://soundcloud.com/lonesomedstringband
avy by buckshot_defunct
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