Vinyl Reports

A pair of recent reissues of two raw, rockin’ classic LPs by Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters are arguably ground zero for modern electric blues music as we know it today. Kicking off UMG’s 75th anniversary celebration of the venerable Chess Records label late last fall, Howlin Wolf’s Moanin’ in the Moonlight (1959) and Muddy Waters’ The Best of Muddy Waters (1958) are two of the LPs that ushered in the parent label’s Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series, with Acoustic Sounds handling the 180g pressings.

Before I share my assessments of both of these important reissues, let’s first highlight the crucial DNA underlying both LPs. The same hype sticker used on the covers of both of these releases (as seen below) promise mastering from original analog tapes and the 180g LP pressings manufactured at Quality Record Pressing (QRP). In the fine print at the bottom of each back cover, we also learn that both reissues were supervised by Chad Kassem, founder/owner of Acoustic Sounds and Analogue Productions, and that the lacquers were both cut and mastered by Matthew Luthans at The Mastering Lab at QRP.

The handle-with-care aesthetic underlying this series is certainly reflected from the top down. In the original press release provided by UMG, we get a good sense of the seriousness of the project from Steve Berman, Vice Chairman Interscope Capitol, who observed, “Chess Records didn’t just help birth rock & roll — it gave voice to the legends who defined it. This 75th anniversary series honors that legacy by bringing these foundational recordings back to life, cut with extraordinary care directly from the original masters. These releases are a gift to lifelong fans and a revelation for new listeners discovering the roots of modern music.”

From the same press materials, Bruce Resnikoff, President & CEO, UMe, added that “Chess Records electrified the sound of American music. [. . .] These new albums showcase incredible artists and their legacy on peerless audiophile quality vinyl releases.”

This is really important to note, as both of those statements confirms that UMG/UMe are giving this series of releases the same reverence as the titles that appear in their rightly acclaimed Blue Note Tone Poet and Verve Acoustic Sounds Series reissues.

Accordingly, both the Wolf and Muddy LPs in this series have been packaged in tip-on gatefold sleeves printed on high-grade cardboard, and they both come housed in audiophile-grade plastic-lined inner sleeves. I’ve been super-pleased with the playback of both albums, by the way. The 180g vinyl is sturdy, dark black, and super-quiet — which is more important than you might think for rough ’n’ ready vintage blues recordings. You don’t want the medium adding any more distortion or noise to what might exist on the master recordings, after all. (More on that in a moment.)

The SRP for each of these Chess Records 75th Anniversary LPs is $38.99 respectively, and they are both available via Music Direct. You can order Moanin’ by going here, and you can get Muddy here. If either/both happen to be out of stock at MD when you click over there, you can also order either/both from Acoustic Sounds. From the official AS site store, you can get Moanin’ by going here, and you can obtain Muddy here.

It is worth noting at this point that both of these albums are technically compilations of original singles that were issued at the dawn of the electrified blues era of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Not surprisingly, both albums essentially play like greatest hits collections, no doubt leading the original Chess brass to in fact dub one of them as a Best of — even though they were technically the first long-playing vinyl album collections of both of these artists’ storied careers.

Both of these LPs have also been reissued and repackaged extensively over the years — and generally fairly poorly at that — so high-quality restorations like these two offerings was more than overdue. And now, on with the reviews!

HOWLIN’ WOLF
MOANIN’ IN THE MOONLIGHT
180g 1LP (Chess/UMG)

I will start this section with some important perspective on Howlin’ Wolf’s 1959 Chess LP Moanin’ in the Moonlight: it is a rare record in its original form. Very rare. At the time of this posting, there were exactly three copies of it on Discogs in no better than VG condition, starting at about $500 and going on up to nearly $1,200. There is one 1965 reissue that was, quote, “electronically altered for stereo” that’s selling for about $250 — and that one is fake stereo, folks, not a remix. In 1969, the album was recast with very different cover art and a new title, Evil, but at least it was in mono — initially, that is. By 1977, it was again being offered up in fake stereo (which is the copy I owned, by the way). Heck, I also have the 1986 Original Chess Masters reissue that was put out when MCA owned and oversaw the catalog, and I’m not entirely surprised to see those editions selling for $40-$60 in NM condition.

As mentioned earlier, no doubt it was high time for a high-quality restoration for Moanin’, and its new 75th anniversary edition does not disappoint. Now, it is important to reiterate that the album was a “collection” of singles that were made between 1951 and 1959 and recorded at different studios. Three songs were recorded by Sam Phillips before he founded Sun Records in 1951 and, in 1953, leased them to Chess. So, don’t be surprised when you hear some sonic variations track-to-track while listening to the new Moanin’ in the Moonlight. For example, there is even a point in “All Night Boogie” (Side 1, Track 6) where you can hear the engineer quickly adjust volume levels — a phenomenon I’ve heard on every version of the album I’ve heard to date, so I have to assume it’s on the master take.

By now, some of you may be wondering: if these recordings are so imperfect, why would you want them on an audiophile-grade pressing? Because they sound utterly amazing, that’s why!

These Chess recordings sounded like nothing else at the time they were originally released, and they still sound otherworldly. Turn up the volume on your amp while playing Moanin’, and you’ll be transported to Sam Phillips’ legendary Memphis Recording Service and Chess’ iconic studios in the 1950s. You can feel the room pulsating with Wolf near-literally howling away while leading his crack band, the players whom, at points, included a veritable who’s who of blues, rock, and R&B royalty such as Willie Dixon, Otis Spann, Ike Turner, Willie Johnson, and Wolf’s legendary guitarist, Hubert Sumlin.

While listening to these recordings, close your eyes to feel the studio, the bass, drums, and guitars pushing amplifiers (and sometimes recording levels!) into overdriven distortion. Wolf’s harmonica and vocals never fail to send shudders down the spine, especially on tracks like “Smokestack Lightning” (Side 1, Track 3) and “Evil” (Side 2, Track 1).

Listen closely to feel the Chess studios’ room ambiance on tracks like “No Place to Go” (Side 1, Track 5), which just oozes with raw blues power. Also listen for that moment at the end of “Somebody in My Home” (Side 2, Track 5) where the engineer turns up the reverb on Wolf’s vocal just before the fade out. It’s a great early-production flourish that just works so well, and is also a great way to end the album.

Compared to the earlier reissues I own of this album, there really is no contest. The new 75th anniversary edition trounces the 1977 fake stereo and is a much warmer, rounder listening experience compared to the 1986 remaster. Of course, it would be great to have access to a rare 1959 original for further comparison, but I suspect this new reissue comes very close on the authenticity front.

As to our ratings, I’m happy to give the music on Howlin’ Wolf’s Moanin’ in the Moonlight a solid 10, and for the Sound, when adjusting for time and place, I have no problem giving the album overall an 8. Even though it is monaural and very old, the music and performances shine throughout. (AP editor Mike Mettler tells me his Music rating goes to 11, but he also gives it an 8 for Sound.)

HOWLIN’ WOLF
MOANIN’ IN THE MOONLIGHT
180g 1LP (Chess/UMG)
MUSIC: 10
SOUND: 8

Original producers: Leonard and Phil Chess as well as Willie Dixon on some tracks; except for “Moanin’ at Midnight,” “How Many More Years,” and “All Night Boogie,” which were produced by Sam Phillips
Original recordings made at Memphis Recording Services and Chess Studios in Chicago
Reissue supervised by Chad Kassem
Reissue manufactured at Quality Record Pressing (QRP) in Salinas, Kansas
Reissue lacquers cut by Matthew Luthans at The Mastering Lab Salinas, Kansas

Side 1
1. Moanin’ At Midnight
2. How Many More Years
3. Smokestack Lightnin’
4. Baby, How Long
5. No Place To Go
6. All Night Boogie

Side 2
1. Evil
2. I’m Leavin’ You
3. Moanin’ For My Baby
4. I Asked For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)
5. Forty-Four
6. Somebody In My Home

MUDDY WATERS
THE BEST OF MUDDY WATERS
180g 1LP (Chess/UMG)

Just as we did with the Howlin’ Wolf LP above, we’ll start off this section of the review with a barometer check of pricing for rare originals of 1958’s The Best of Muddy Waters on Discogs. As with , there are only, at best, VG-plus copies available of the 1958-era OG pressings starting at $250, and rising to $750. The three 1965 repressings listed are a bit more earthbound in the $50-75 price range. It’s worth noting that there are numerous, questionable-looking (and possibly/likely graymarket) versions available from labels like Wax Time, DOL, and Groove Replica that should be avoided.

Most recently, I had a 2017 reissue that UMe put out for the album’s 60th anniversary. It was pretty good for the time, but compared to the new 2025 reissue, it’s a night-and-day listening experience. The 2017 LP was probably mastered from digital sources — and it sounded like it. Instead, the new edition sounds warm and inviting. Like Moanin’ in the Moonlight, this LP shines best at louder volumes that allow you to hear and feel the warmth of the studio environment.

Listen to that opening kick-drum hit on “Hoochie Coochie” (Side 2, Track 1), which just punches through the mono mix like a hammer. The round acoustic bass on “I Just Want to Make Love to You” (Side 1, Track 1) is also a studio thumper alongside that drum, while that heavy, reverb-drenched harmonica is hauntingly spectacular, and likely oversaturated tape distortion — included free, no extra charge!

The Best of Muddy Waters is another album wherein singles were compiled under one LP roof. In fact, this truly is one of the greatest greatest hits compilations there is, especially when you stop to take in all the hits it holds. From online sources, we’ve learned that the songs here were originally issued as singles between 1948 and 1954, most of them making the Billboard Top 10 on the R&B charts. It does sounds pretty obvious where certain tracks were captured from disc sources to create the master tape compilations back in the day, including “Honey Bee” (Side 1, Track 4) and “I Can’t Be Satisfied” (Side 2, Track 6).

The hype sticker does attest that this LP, like the Wolf reissue, was created from the original master tapes, so we have to assume the powers that be used the best available tape sources. Whatever the case, this Best of reissue sounds very, very good indeed, especially given some of the tracks here are more than 75 years old!

I also have to compliment the producers for the album cover art on this one. While I don’t have an original of Howlin’ Wolf’s Moanin’ LP, I did have the good fortune to find a very nice condition original Best of Muddy Waters cover some years back out in the wilds of collecting — just the cover, no LP. Some collectors like yours truly will go to extremes to attain original copies of certain very rare records, so when I came across this one for just $5, I had to grab it. And, frankly, it looks so much better than the 2017 reissue.

The new 75th anniversary Best of cover thankfully looks much better, clearer, and more detailed that the others. The photograph itself is probably presented in a truer manner to how Muddy actually looked vs. the lighter skin tones implied on the original which you can see in this photo I took. (This kind of modification unfortunately went on a lot back in those times, sorry to say).

Ratingswise, The Best of Muddy Waters warrants an easy 11 for Music, and for Sound, I’ll give it a 7.5, given the potential disc sources on the two aforementioned tracks. But I am also taking into consideration how much better this version of the LP sounds than prior reissues I’ve owned that were harder-edged and less enjoyable to listen to. I’ll put it this way — with the earlier reissues, I could never turn up the volume this loudly, and still enjoy the music. (AP editor Mettler told me he concurs with the 11 rating for Music, but he’s rounding the Sound up to an 8.)

In that light, this new 75th anniversary edition of The Best of Muddy Waters is an absolute joy to listen to, so turn up the volume without fear to time travel to be back with Muddy Waters and his band in the studio.

Author bio: Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades. He has reviewed music for eCoustics, among others, and you can see more of his impressive C.V. at LinkedIn.

MUDDY WATERS
THE BEST OF MUDDY WATERS
180g 1LP (Chess/UMG)
MUSIC: 11
SOUND: 7.5

Original album produced by Leonard and Phil Chess
Reissue supervised by Chad Kassem
Reissue manufactured at Quality Record Pressing, Salinas, Kansas
Reissue lacquers cut by Matthew Luthans at The Mastering Lab Salinas, Kansas

Side 1
1. I Just Want To Make Love To You
2. Long Distance Call
3. Louisiana Blues
4. Honey Bee
5. Rollin’ Stone
6. I’m Ready

Side 2
1. Hoochie Coochie
2. She Moves Me
3. I Want You To Love Me
4. Standing Around Crying
5. Still A Fool
6. I Can’t Be Satisfied