Rolling his eyes toward heaven and shaking his head like a man possessed, Muddy Waters cast a powerful spell. His high cheekbones and Oriental eyes gave him a certain Eastern, inscrutable quality, and at times his face even became angelic. He could easily work audiences into a frenzy, marrying the unmistakable sexual urgency of his lyrics to the vocal slide statements that for 40 years were as much a part of his signature as his voice, which many claim was the best in electric blues.

A native Mississippi Delta bluesman, Muddy instinctively understood the unpretentious beauty and power in simplicity. Time and again, he transformed basic patterns into blues masterpieces. Decades after their introduction, hypnotic stop time songs such as "Manish Boy" still electrify audiences. Like the superstitions and voodoo images prominent in Waters' best-known lyrics, the primal earthiness of his rhythms contains a deep, almost subconscious appeal." Jas Obrecht, Guitar Player Magazine. The rare footage presented in this video presents Muddy Waters at his prime and with one of his best bands. The concert was filmed during a West Coast tour in 1971.

Titles include: Long Distance Call, Hoochie Coochie Man, Manish Boy, Walkin' Thru The Park, Crawlin' Kingsnake, She's Nineteen Years Old, Got My Mojo Working and Hold It.

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The concert was recorded in 1971 at the University of Oregon. The sound quality leaves a bit to be desired, but what can you expect from a 30-year old recording? If you're interested in higher quality versions of these songs, pick up a copy of his "The Lost Tapes" CD, which was recorded during the same 1971 tour.

The description here lists the tape as black and white. Not true. It was originally shot in 16mm color. The video is definitely in color, but the color is a bit washed out and may even look better in black and white. The price, I think, is a bit high considering the brevity and sound quality. But it's a must-buy for any Muddy Waters fan.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

Muddy Waters in his primeOct 26, 2007
By Phil S.
A great addition for any fan/historian, this documentary is a true "close-up" of one of the greatest Blues singers, players, composers, in history. It is touching that it appears that this amazingly influential musician is still so deeply involved in his sonic roots - there's no "programmed" feel to his performance.
The song titles herein speak for themselves: Hoochie Coochie Man, Mannish Boy, Got My Mojo Working, etc.
The cinematography is fine, though it appears that the original negative is not used here, or that the monochromism is due to storage issues. Audio is very good.