Howlin’ Wolf with Some Rowdy Blues

This track can be found in “Singles Mixer Vol. 1”

Clocking in at just over two minutes this slice of electric blues sure as sugar gets a whole lot done.  Sounding like a a recycling truck formed a marching band just to jam at double time with Howlin’ Wolf talking smooth and easy (though still gravely and gruff), barely reaching his voice into a howl.

The writing credits belong to the legendary Willie Dixon though there’s record of T.Valentine (of “Lucille, are you a lesbian?” fame) is supposed to have written and released the song in the early 60s on his VAL label (recently comped by Norton.)  Whoever actually wrote the tune is sort of irrelevant because Wolf so clearly owns this version and does justice by whoever owns the writing credits which were often scrambled up as people rewrote and imagined each others tunes.

This may change depending on how your home entertainment is set up, but one of my favorite things about this song (besides EVERYTHING) is the mixing; there’s a borderline riot going on behind the drum kit but the damn egg shaker is mixed right up front with Wolfs guitar.  There’s a poor piano that sounds like it’d be adding some really great frenetic flourishes but the poor thing is being strangled for any air time at all. 

This 45 is taken from the “London Howlin Wolf Sessions” LP which features a bevy of British musicians who were heavily inspired and took from the blues. A particularly inspired performance by Eric Clapton on lead guitar can be heard being faded out as the song disappears at the 2:10 mark.

Until the next go-round,

-George / Snack Attack