Muddy Waters'

Which recording are you refering to,Ben?

I have some recent excellent remasters of old Muddy Waters stuff on redbook. These remasters amaze me in that they sound like contemporary high quality recordings, not like what I remember these legacy blues recordings sounding like for the most part all those years ago. From listening, one would might never realize that these are not recent recordings of a contemporary blues artist on some modern audiophile record label.

"Muddy Waters: Folk Singer" is among my own personal favorite recordings. Which recording of his music are you referring to? The original vinyl version I used to have was just outstanding. I can't recall what pressing it was though.

The CDs I have that come to mind as particularly excellent recordings are the two Chess 50th Anniversary Collection "His Best" disks, 1947-56 and 1956-64.

The hi-res HDAD disc that Ben is commenting on is indeed Muddy Waters "Folk Singer" on the Classic Records label.

The SACD version of Folk Singer is also outstanding.

Yes it is "Folk Singer." I wrote that in the thread title, but for some reason it didn't transfer. My bad I guess.

All excellent versions of an absolute classic blues albums and one of my all time favorites. I enjoy my MFSL CD version.

Hey... this thread is ALIVE!

How bout some more recommendations of some good sounding minimalists blues recording of "Folk Singer" ilk.

The only other one I think that is comparable is
Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, "Alone and Acoustic"

This kind of stripped down acoustic music really showcases the talent of these giants.

Well, Robert Johnson, The Complete Recordings, The Centennial Collection was released this year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth.

It does not have the sonics of Muddy's Folk Singer but it is a huge improvement over any previous releases of his work. You no longer have to listen to Johnson through a wall of hiss, pops and crackle. His vocals and guitar playing are crisp and clear. No straining to hear what he's singing or playing. You won't believe how much better this release is.

The 2 cd set includes all 29 of his released recordings and 14 alternate takes divided into the two recording sessions that he did.

There was an interview with the producers, I thought it was in Stereophile but I can't find it, about whether the records were cut at the wrong speed and the short answer is no they weren't. They go into all the details in the interview.