Folk Singer has been an audiophile staple for years. It always gets a bunch of play at hi-fi shows. It s a no-doubter demonstration disc. But never before has it sounded like this Never has it been cut at 45 RPM
There are a handful of landmark albums in any genre. In the blues, one of them is Muddy Waters Folk Singer. Originally released in 1964, Folk Singer was the only acoustic album Waters ever recorded, thus becoming the first and perhaps best blues concept album ever. Muddy of course started out playing acoustic blues in the Delta, and he s clearly very comfortable in this return to his roots, which was designed to appeal to the mid-1960s surge of interest in folk music.
Folk Singer represents a departure from the electric urban blues sound that Muddy Waters pioneered. This all-acoustic collection of recordings illustrates his deep-rooted rural blues influences, reminiscent of the sides he made nearly twenty-five years prior in Mississippi. This release features McKinley Morganfield Muddy Waters on vocals and guitar, supported by a very young Buddy Guy on guitar, blues legend Willie Dixon on upright bass and Clifton James on occasional drums.
Muddy s supporting cast includes a very young Buddy Guy on guitar, Willie Dixon at the upright bass and Clifton James on drums.
This recording has enormous presence with ample room for Muddy s booming voice to resonate.
It s been ages since I ve heard LP surfaces this quiet - as in dead quiet. The air, dynamic range, harmonic complexity, instrumental texture, verve in Waters voice, and sheer sense of four guys making music together bring this recording to life as never before. It s by far the best sounding and most engaging version yet... analog lovers will be in hog heaven.-Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, May/June 2012Worried that the folk-music fad was luring listeners away from the blues, Chess Records directed Waters to record with acoustic instruments. These sessions - by Waters, Willie Dixon and a young Buddy Guy - went astonishingly well, and this pioneering unplugged set is beloved by blues and folk fans alike.-Rolling Stone...This time, though, it s been given the royal treatment, and not just heavy vinyl. It has been remastered from the original tapes, pressed on Chad Kassem s new hardware and it plays at 45rpm. It is a revelation...It s always been a chillingly real experience. Now, it s overwhelming. Buy it -Sound Quality: 90 - Ken Kessler, Hi-Fi News, January 2012The Quality Record Pressing is drop-dead quiet - as silent as the best Japanese pressings from the late 1970s - and the amount of inner detail released is simply astonishing...the sound is sweet, liquid and free of harshness and edge. The dynamics are mind-boggling. When Muddy takes it up ten notches to emphasize a point it s positively explosive in a way the 33 1/3 version only suggests.-Michael Fremer, Music 9/10, Sound 10/10Folk Singer is a true audiophile war-horse... The playing is direct and unfettered, emphasizing the emotional rawness of the blues, and the sound is spacious and reverberant, creating a sonic atmosphere that fits the music especially well... Kassem made sure to hunt down the actual master tapes, refusing to use safety or backup copies. Perhaps it s this or the modifications made to the presses at QRP, but the sound... is extraordinary - gracefully detailed and supremely focused. An original pressing of Folk Singer may have greater cachet for a record collector, but this is likely the definitive version for people who value the music-Mark Mickelson, 4.5/5 Music, 4.5/5Features180g Vinyl45rpmDouble LPMastered by Bernie Grundman Mastered from Original 1964 Chess Analog MastersPressed at Quality Record PressingsNew Gatefold jacket with extra photosMusiciansMuddy Watersvocals, guitarBuddy GuyguitarWillie DixonbassClifton JamesdrumsSelectionsLP 1 - Side A:My Home Is In The DeltaLong DistanceLP 1 - Side B:My CaptainGood Morning School GirlYou Gonna Need My HelpLP 2 - Side C:Cold Weather BluesBig Leg WomanLP 2 - Side D:Country BoyFeel Like Going HomeRecorded September 1963 at Ter Mar Recording Studios.
