#400 Howlin' Wolf - Howlin' Wolf

Another one from my run through 60's albums of note I'd not heard, my semi-systematic attempt to hear every album of note ever.

Here's another foundational blues album, and I found it a lot more listenable than Robert Johnson's similarly-timed album. Here the vocals are much richer and more imposing, the songs more structured, with some downright enjoyable rustle and bounce, creak and craw, sounding expert, sounding refined without sounding polished. Where the Johnson album was all about the man, his guitar, and his virtuoso skill therewith, here there is a full band, a full sound, and a full song. And maybe this makes me a blues philistine, but I like all that stuff. This is rich and listenable by comparison, and draws a more obvious line to plenty of later music, from Stones/Kinks Americana eras, to The White Stripes, The Black Keys and Tom Waits decades later.

Taken on its own, I don't know that its quite my cup of tea, but I dig it. It deepens the night, enriches the day, spirit creeping out and blooming. 3.5/5

You might like this if: you want some gritty guitar, some ragged vocals, some history lessons, and want to ease into something downright accessible before getting to the really early, really hardcore foundational blues.