Blogcritics: Comments on Howlin' Wolf's birthday

Comment by Peter Scott

Wed, 11 Jun 2003 10:37:23 EDT

I saw Howlin' Wolf in London a few times in the Sixties. He was incredibly powerful. One thing that I clearly remember was thinking that his harmonica looked like a toothpick against that massive body

Comment by Eric Olsen

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 22:19:56 EDT

"woke up this morning and i got myself a beer"

Comment by Al Barger

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 21:42:20 EDT

"I asked for water, and she gave me gasoline." Owwwwwwwwwwww!

Comment by Eric Olsen

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 18:24:51 EDT

By the way, I only made an issue of Morrison because I am leery of putting too much stock in "authenticity" - it's a potentially endless spiral. There were those who thought Muddy, Wolf, Sonny Boy et al in the Chicago scene unauthentic because they "went electric." Some of the greatest blues is in fact blues rock - "Layla" is one of the greatest blues songs of all time even though it doesn't fit a straight blues structure. And on and on. Taking nothing away from the Wolf, of course.

Comment by Eric Olsen

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 18:18:01 EDT

don't forget that Wolf's rhythm section went on to help form the Paul Butterfield Blues Band

Comment by Bill Sherman

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 17:48:10 EDT

Personal fave of the Wolf: Real Folks Blues, which includes "Sittin' On Top of the World," "Killing Floor" and (my own personal credo) "Built for Comfort." He's definitely up there in the blues pantheon. I'm stayin' away from the Doors discussion, though.

Comment by dude

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 16:56:11 EDT

The original article is about the great Howling Wolf. It's not a debate on the quality of Jim Morrison's singing. Let's stick with the topic, and please everyone, spin one of Wolf's records tonight and let the Wolf's moan in the moonlight.

Comment by Al Barger

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 15:50:31 EDT

"Roadhouse Blues" as good as Wolf singing "Back Door Man"? Eric, not to put too fine a point on it, but have you lost your frickin' mind?

Comment by Eric Olsen

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 15:35:27 EDT

"Roadhouse Blues" is as straight a blues song as you can get and it's a total balls-out classic. It's as good as Wolf's "Back Door Man"

Comment by Al Barger

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 15:16:49 EDT

Morrison had his moments, and the Doors did have some outstanding songs of their own. I wasn't buying Morrison's schtick even when I was a teenager, but in fairness there was some substance there. Particularly, the Doors between them wrote a number of outstanding songs. "Light My Fire" is a perfectly good song, for example, and "Riders on the Storm" cannot be fairly denied, even with my personal distaste for Morrison. However, they were not very effective going at a straight blues tune. That was just not their strong suit, and Morrison just flat looked silly going head to head against Howlin' Wolf of all people. Burnett just flat HAD a realness and authenticity that Morrison could never have hoped for. And saying that Morrison could hit heights "on par with any of the greats" frankly strikes me as ludicrous. Don't make me write an extended mockery of the Doors.

Comment by Eric Olsen

Tue, 10 Jun 2003 15:03:14 EDT

I love the Wolf - top 5 blues guy all time - but I have to disagree with your Morrison assessment. The reason he linger so so in the popular imagination is that despite his real life idiocy, pretension, ineffectuality, and general flyweight character, when he was performing, he sometimes rose to a height on par with any of the greats. That's the transformative power of art.