Reviews for Can't be satisfied

The average rating for Can't be satisfied based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-10-12 00:00:00 Spencer Zoller If you know Muddy Waters, you know the blues. If you listen to The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, and countless other voices, you get to hear the influence of Muddy Waters. If you read this book, you get to know the life that informed all the Muddy was and what made him an authentic Delta blues man for his lifetime. We can read about what it meant to be a Southern black and a sharecropper, but through Muddy Waters we get to hear what it meant, how it becomes part of one's bones, and how a man could find freedom through his music. Muddy was illiterate but savvy; he was a man in every sense, just listen to his lyrics. He was also selfless, accepted responsibility for the women he married and those he didn't along with his children, loyal in the music industry often to his own detriment, helpful to other musicians, and fiercely protective of his performances and look. He lived a hard life on the plantation and as a musician. Working hard was what he knew, and he played hard too among an often hard and threatening crowd, especially when he moved to Chicago. In all things, Muddy Waters is legendary and so is his music. This book is a fascinating and gripping read, taking the reader into the places where Muddy operated, making you feel both climate and vibe. As a fan of the blues and Muddy Waters, I was captivated by the life of this extraordinary man who continues to influence great music in a contemporary world, even if that influence is under the radar.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-06-15 00:00:00 Ryan Rice If you are a blues fan then Muddy Waters’ name and legacy are easily recognizable. He brought the Mississippi Delta sound to Chicago, electrified it and redefined the genre. Two young British musicians, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, lifted the name of one of Muddy’s songs when they named their newly founded band. Jann Wenner did the same when he started his new magazine in 1967. When Bob Dylan went “electric”, his first song was entitled Like a Rolling Stone. Guitar legends Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page are or were huge Muddy Waters fans. The adage goes “The Blues had a baby and they called it Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Muddy Waters was the “baby’s” godfather. So regardless if the name rings a bell, Waters’ influence on the music we listen to today is prevalent. Robert Gordon’s book is an attempt to give us the story of McKinley Morganfield’s, (Muddy’s real name), life; from the Mississippi cotton plantation where he was raised, his move to Chicago and attaining world-wide fame. I use the word attempt because much of what we know of Muddy’s life is either what he decided we should know or what his friends and fellow musicians felt comfortable sharing. Muddy was virtually illiterate, so there is very little documentation. What we have are a lot of stories and anecdotes. The author does a very good job in parsing through these, confirming what he can while still giving us an engaging story. Gordon also does a very good job in analyzing Muddy’s impact on music and his subsequent legacy - First, his influence among his fellow bluesmen, then on the new musical genre of rock and roll; and across the Atlantic Ocean and the birth of the British invasion. And because the stories go hand in hand with Muddy’s, the book also chronicles the evolution of the Chicago blues scenes and Chess Records. This includes such lesser known musicians such as Otis Spann, Little Walter and Jimmy Rogers, among others. Can’t Be Satisfied may not be the perfect biography, but as stated above verifying much of Muddy’s life is difficult. Also at times the metaphors in this book are somewhat overwrought –“His notes float like crimson leaves that skip in the wind.” - just to highlight one. All in all though, particularly if you are a blues fan, this is a very good read.