This is an album I don't actually have in my collection but I think I am going to track it down. I stumbled on it thanks to Patrick Carney of The Black Keys in a recent interview with Andrew Perry for Mojo (#332). He mentioned it as one of his favourites and I was quite taken with the album cover, which I thought was a hilarious way to market a new album.
Apparently Howlin' Wolf didn't like this album of Psychedelic Blues too much and for bizzare reasons Cadet Concept (a subsidiary of Chess Records), the label it was released on 1969 decided to use the album cover to convey that with the words 'This Is Howlin' Wolf's New Album. He Doesn't Like It. He Didn't Like His Electric Guitar At First Either.' in very bold lettering on the front cover! According to Chess, the album's cover hurt its sales. Chess states that "I used negativity in the title, and it was a big lesson: You can't say on the cover that the artist didn't like the album. It didn't really sell that well. But it was just an attempt. They were just experiments."Howlin' Wolf stated that the album was "dog shit", which again wouldn't have drummed up sales for it!
So let's have a listen to the album track by track. It's mainly Willie Dixon songs but it includes three songs by Chester Burnett (AKA as Howlin' Wolf). Enjoy.
1. Spoonful - written by Willie Dixon
2. Tail Dragger - written by Willie Dixon
3. Smokestack Lightning - written by Chester Burnett
4. Moanin' At Midnight - written by Chester Burnett
5. Built For Comfort - written by Willie Dixon
1. The Red Rooster - written by Willie Dixon
2. Evil - written by Chester Burnett
3. Down In The Bottom - written by Willie Dixon
4. Three Hundred Pounds Of Joy - written by Willie Dixon
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