Muddy Waters

This months Mojo magazine CD celebrates the music that influenced Jimi Hendrix.

Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield {April 4, 1915–April 30, 1983}) was first recorded on a Mississippi Delta plantation by Alan Lomax in 1941. He would go on to be considered "the father of Chicago blues".

Wikipedia has an interesting biography on Muddy Waters, including the claim that the birth of rock and roll can be simplified as an amalgamation of the music of Muddy Waters and Hank Williams.

Turned on to Muddy Waters - and the blues in general - by Ernestine Benson, a boarder in the Hendrix home, Jimi traded on his authentic blues credentials when he arrived in London. On October 17, 1967, he cut a version of (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man at the BBC for Alex Korner's Rhythm And Blues show. "Sounds like you've never heard before" Korner promised his listeners. It was no lie.


Muddy Waters - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man

Bow Wow Wow V's Pretty Girls Make Graves

Bow Wow Wow were formed in London in 1980 when former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren was asked to manage Adam and the Ants and ended up convincing most of the band to sack Adam and to back McLaren's latest protégée, a 14-year-old Burmese girl whom legend has he discovered singing in a dry cleaners, Annabella Lwin.

Bow Wow Wow’s first release came in the form of the world’s first-ever cassette single. In July 1980, EMI released “C30, C60, C90, Go” only on cassette in the U.K., a driving, Burundi Black drumming-influenced paean to home taping composed by McLaren. The band released 4 albums over 4 years playing a style described as a pastiche of Latin and African beats, 50’s rock-n-roll, and spaghetti western soundtracks.

Bow Wow Wow have reformed briefly on several occasions and are currently playing shows in the US.

Pretty Girls Make Graves formed in Seattle in 2001 from the ashes of several other local bands. Their first release, a self-titled, four-song EP full of bursts of energy and emotion released on Dim Mak created enough interest to land them a spot in Alternative Press' "100 Bands You Need to Know in 2002" list.

Pretty Girls Make Graves released their debut album "The New Romance" in 2003 and are expected to announce the details of their new album on Matador Records imminently.

As always, don't forget to check the links to find more mp3s (especially the Matador Records link which hilights many of the wonderful bands on that label).


Bow Wow Wow - C30 C60 C90, Go

Pretty Girls Make Graves - C30 C60 C90, Go

The Seeds Vs Alex Chilton

The Seeds emerged in 1965 from the underbelly of the Los Angeles garage scene, they were punk rock before the world had even heard of of it. By 1967 they had had evolved with the growing flower power movement and by 1970 they had disbanded. Sky Saxon re-united the Seeds in 1989 and again in 2002, since which time they have been touring regularly.

Alex Chilton was in The Box Tops in the late 1960's and most famously Big Star in the early 1970's, possibly one of the most famous obscure bands in the world. He went on to produce songs for The Cramps which would appear on their Gravest Hits EP and their Songs the Lord Taught Us LP.

Alex Chilton continued working as a producer as well as forging a long lived solo career. Chilton has also recently been touring with a reunited Box Tops and a version of Big Star that includes two members of The Posies, Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. A new Big Star album, "In Space," with songs written by Chilton and original Big Star drummer Jody Stephens with Auer and Stringfellow was recently released on Rykodisc.

Chilton was present at his home in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and was evacuated out safely on September 4, 2005.


The Seeds - Can't Seem To Make You Mine

Alex Chilton - Can't Seem To Make You Mine

Modest Mouse V's Sun Kil Moon

Modest Mouse have released numerous albums since they first formed in 1993. Their most recent release, 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News, was their most popular recording.

Sun Kil Moon fronted by Mark Kozelek formerly of the Red House Painters has just released Tiny Cities, an album full of covers of Modest Mouse songs.


Modest Mouse - Ocean Breathes Salty

Sun Kil Moon - Ocean Breathes Salty