SUPER BLUES
During the second half of the 1960s, as rock n' roll music was just entering maturity, the genre's focus turned towards Electric Blues. The kind pioneered by the likes of Chicago blues legends Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters, and adapted during the British blues boom. During this time, as numerous blues supergroups began to emerge from the scene, (Like Steampacket and Cream, and their own earlier pairing of Diddley with Chuck Berry; Two Great Guitars.) famed blues label Chess Records hit upon an idea. The label's subsidiary Checker Records gathered up some of Chess' success stories, (Diddley, Waters, and blues harmonica virtuoso Little Walter) and combined their talents into one album of soulful Chicago Blues.
The end result was the album Super Blues, which consisted largely of covers and alternate takes on the trio's prior solo hits. (Including new versions of Diddley's "I'm A Man", Waters' "I Just Want To Make Love To You", and Walter's "My Babe.") Though critics remain divided over Super Blues' merit as an album, most agree it occupies a noteworthy place in music history as a quirky experiment, (Which would be repeated a year later, with Howlin' Wolf standing in for Walter.) and an indicator of things to come, as shades of the proto-funk experimentation that Waters and Diddley would engage in during the 1970s can be heard throughout. A curious studio experiment, featuring impromptu vocals, humorous asides, and a cool, informal atmosphere, the album was produced by the legendary R&B producer Ralph Bass, and featured blues greats Buddy Guy and Otis Spann as session musicians.
Now in 2013, Boston's Get On Down, already famed for their celebrated reissues of obscure blues gems (Waters' After The Rain, and Howlin' Wolf's The Howlin Wolf Album to name a few.) presents Super Blues reissued, with re-mastered audio, and meticulous re-creations of the original artwork, on compact disc and LP. Shipping with Traffic Entertainment Group.
