Fathers and Sons (Expanded Edition)

Chess Records paired Waters with a cadre of Chicago psychedelic rockers in 1968 to make Electric Mud, an album he detested. The next year the label offered him a happier pairing, with youngbloods who'd apprenticed playing his music, for Fathers and Sons. The core band members were harp slinger Paul Butterfield and guitarist Michael Bloomfield, who'd often jammed with Waters on Windy City stages, plus Stax Records house bassist Duck Dunn, and ringers Sam Lay and Waters' pianist Otis Spann. The result is a marvelous return to old-school form, with Waters' elemental voice and crying slide guitar leading the charge through a stack of his early hits, including "Blow Wind Blow," "I'm Ready," and "Long Distance Call." The 14 studio performances, with four previously unreleased songs for the expanded version, are top-notch, but fireworks ignite on the six live numbers from the concert that completed their four days of recording.