Personnel: Howlin' Wolf (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica); Jody Williams, Hubert Sumlin, Otis "Smokey" Smothers, Freddy King, Jimmy Rogers, Eric Clapton (guitar); Jeffrey Carp (harmonica); J.T. Brown (tenor saxophone); Donald Brown (baritone saxophone); Steve Winwood (piano, organ); Otis Spann, Hosea Lee Kennard, Willie Johnson, Henry Gray, Lafayette Leake (piano); Bill Wyman, Buddy Guy, Alfred Elkins, Willie Dixon (bass); Earl Phillips, Fred Below, Sam Lay, Charlie Watts (drums).
Producers include: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Willie Dixon, Sam Phillips, Norman Dayron.
Compilation producer: Andy McKaie.
Recorded between 1951 & 1970. Includes liner notes by Bill Dahl.
This is part of "20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection" series.
Personnel: Eric Clapton, Freddie King, Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Rogers , Jody Williams, Otis Smokey Smothers, Willie Johnson (guitar); Jeffrey M. Carp (harmonica); J.T. Brown, Arnold Rogers (tenor saxophone); Donald Hankins (baritone saxophone); Steve Winwood (piano, organ); Henry Gray, Hosea Lee Kennard, Lafayette Leake, Otis Spann (piano); Bill Wyman (bass guitar); Earl Phillips, Fred Below, Sam Lay, Charlie Watts (drums).
Audio Remasterer: Erick Labson.
Liner Note Author: Bill Dahl.
Recording information: Chicago, IL (05/14/1951-05/07/1970); London, England (05/14/1951-05/07/1970); Memphis, TN (05/14/1951-05/07/1970).
Photographer: Peter Amft.
While this 12-track collection of Howlin' Wolf's prime Chess material is classic electric blues music, it's a distinctly less worthy deal than the 20-track His Best. The latter anthology has the classic "How Many More Years," "Howlin' for My Darling," "Shake for Me," and "Three Hundred Pounds of Joy," none of which make it onto this briefer scoop; in fact, "The Natchez Burnin'" is the only song here that doesn't appear on His Best. Also, The Best of Howlin' Wolf uses the 1970 London Sessions version of "The Red Rooster" rather than the superior original 1961 Chess single. You can't come down too hard on a CD that has "Smokestack Lightnin'," "Wang Dang Doodle," "Back Door Man," "Spoonful," "I Ain't Superstitious," and "Killing Floor," and if it does happen to be your first Howlin' Wolf album it's a decent introduction. But it's just not long enough to be the proper introduction. ~ Richie Unterberger
