Howlin' Wolf - Ain't Gonna Be Your Dog Vol. 1

This CD pulls together all the remaining unreleased studio tracks and alternate takes left in the extensive Chess Howlin' Wolf archives from 1951 to 1969. But these are by no means leftovers; this is still the mighty Wolf at his best. One listen to "Color and Kind" and you'll feel as if you're in the presence of some supernatural beast. His voice is simply a force of nature, first squealing out the words in falsetto and then plunging down to an evil moan. Fierce, rasping, and overpowering, there is no sound like it in the universe. This collection covers a lot of Wolf territory, too. You'll hear his Memphis juke joint style work from the '50s replete with honking saxes, boogie-woogie piano and wonderfully distorted Willie Johnson riffs. You'll hear Wolf get back to his country roots playing acoustic guitar. You'll hear new takes on Willie Dixon-penned classics. You'll hear Hubert Sumlin developing his now-immortal guitar style. But most of all, you'll hear that growlin', moanin', wailin', howlin' Wolf. --Ken Hohman

     includes:
Look-a-here baby
California blues #1
Worried all the time
Everybody's in the mood
Color and kind
Dorothy Mae
Sweet woman
Decoration day
Oh Red
I'm not joking
Highway my friend
Hold your money
California blues #2
Stay here til my baby comes
Come to me baby
So glad
Bluebird
My life
You ought to know
Nature (Alt. take)
Walk to camp hall
Poor boy