Friday, May 25, 2012: Muddy Waters - I Got My Mojo Working (Live)

RIP: Donald “Duck” Dunn - November 24, 1941 – May 13, 2012

From Muddy Water's 1969 release "Fathers And Sons", here's one of the greatest line-ups you will ever hear.

Muddy Waters – vocals, guitar
Otis Spann – piano
Michael Bloomfield – guitar
Paul Butterfield – harmonica
Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass guitar
Sam Lay – drums
Paul Asbell – rhythm guitar
Buddy Miles – drums on "Got My Mojo Working, Part 2"

For our intents and purposes here on Tribute Week, we want to pay special attention to that glorious bass.

Rock solid, always in the pocket, but still never getting stale or repetitive, always building on what others are doing, but never really stealing the spotlight. Oh sure, there are other bass players who are faster, more fiddly, play more notes, got more flash. But I guarantee you, that every note that the Duck plays on this track is exactly where it needs to be, and it's always contributing, not bringing down. This, friends, is a masterclass in bass performance.

Donald "Duck" Dunn was a bass guitarist, session musician, record producer, and songwriter. He was famous for his 1960s recordings with Booker T. & the M.G.'s and as a session bassist for Stax Records. He could play soul, gospel, rock, blues, and everything inbetween. Dunn also performed on recordings with The Blues Brothers, Freddie King, Albert King, Levon Helm, Neil Young, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Guy Sebastian, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Roy Buchanan, Steely Dan and Arthur Conley.

What have you done with your life?

Friday, August 13, 2010: Brooks & Dunn - Hillbilly Deluxe

Confession time on CSOTD: I'm a fan of Country Music. A big fan, actually.

I like Country Music because it has no subtext. Country songwriters have no use for metaphor or simile. If they want to write about how they had steak for dinner and then when out to the movies with their sweethear that night, more than likely the lyrics would be, "I had steak for dinner, and then went out to the movies that night with my sweetheart." It's total genius and refreshing, especially after trying to listen to more "hip" songwriters struggle to make their bland lives and worthless thoughts more interesting through hackneyed poetic devices. Many songwriters believe obfuscation is cool. The word "obfuscation" is cool, writing lyrics that make absolutely no sense is seldom cool.

Now, here comes the question: Is Country Music cool? Well, yes and no. I would say that what is now called classic country is way cool, and few people would argue that people like Patsy Cline or George Jones aren't cool. If Miles Davis wrote the book on cool, then Johnny Cash put a shank in it's back at Folsum Prison and threw it into a burning ring of fire.

Contemporary Country, however, is another matter. I would actually argue that most of todays Country is far from cool, merely shallow, cookie cutter Nashville hacks with more looks then talent.

The soon-to-be-defunct duo Brooks & Dunn would be an exception. They have two things that most Country artists are lacking; talent and attitude. Talent can be cool. Attitude is always cool. Hillbilly Deluxe has bite, and is a perfect Friday-After-Work song. Seriously, crank up Hillbilly Deluxe as you drive off the parking lot of your work on a Friday, and you'll want nothing more than to put on the smell good, put on Skynyrd, and head into town like a NASCAR winner.

And any song that makes you want to be a part of its own world is very cool indeed.