Muddy Waters - His Best 1947 To 1956 - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (1996)

This entry into MCA's Chess 50th Anniversary Collection now officially takes the place of The Best of Muddy Waters as an essential first purchase in building a Muddy Waters collection. All 12 songs that comprise the budget-priced The Best of Muddy Waters are aboard, with eight more essential goodies from his first period of creativity, including great early ones like "Rollin' and Tumblin'," "Train Fare Blues," and "I Feel Like Going Home." The one ringer that keeps this collection from being a deluxe The Best of Muddy Waters is an alternate take of "Hoochie Coochie Man" in place of the original issued master, a production error of the highest order. It's a radically different-sounding one, too, with some surprisingly sloppy unthought-out harp work from Little Walter (at one point he simply stops playing), but with a far more intense vocal from Muddy than the issued version. But it is the issued version that by rights should have been the one heard here, as this is supposed to be a true best-of compilation. That niggling point aside, this collection (part of a two-volume best-of retrospective, the second covering the years 1956 to 1964) sports far superior sound and excellent liner notes.

Tracklist:
01. Muddy Waters - I Can't Be Satisfied (02:43)
02. Muddy Waters - I Feel Like Going Home (03:12)
03. Muddy Waters - Train Fare Home (Single Version) (02:48)
04. Muddy Waters - Rollin' And Tumblin' (Pt. 1) (03:00)
05. Muddy Waters - Rollin' Stone (03:08)
06. Muddy Waters - Louisiana Blues (02:55)
07. Muddy Waters - Long Distance Call (02:41)
08. Muddy Waters - Honey Bee (03:22)
09. Muddy Waters - She Moves Me (02:58)
10. Muddy Waters - Still A Fool (03:19)
11. Muddy Waters - Standing Around Crying (Single Version) (03:23)
12. Muddy Waters - Baby, Please Don't Go (03:18)
13. Muddy Waters - Mad Love (I Want You To Love Me) (Single Version) (03:03)
14. Muddy Waters - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man (02:50)
15. Muddy Waters - I Just Want To Make Love To You (Single Version) (02:52)
16. Muddy Waters - I'm Ready (Single Version) (03:05)
17. Muddy Waters - Young Fashioned Ways (Single Version) (03:02)
18. Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy (Single Version) (02:58)
19. Muddy Waters - Sugar Sweet (1955 Single Version) (02:31)
20. Muddy Waters - Trouble No More (Single Version) (02:40)