Unlike the Marshall Chess Electric Mudd experiment, Johnny Winter kept the sound authentic bringing in veteran players from Muddy's traveling band. The all-star band for Hard Again consisted of James Cotton, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Pinetop Perkins. To give the recording some youthful energy Bob Margolin and Johnny Winter lent their rock style guitars to the strictly blues format. By the suggestion of Cotton, bass player Charles Calmese, who had worked with James as well Steve Miller, was brought on board. Recorded live in the studio at The Schoolhouse in Westport Connecticut, Muddy and company reworked such classics as 'Manish Boy', 'I Can't Be Satisfied' and Willie Dixon's 'I Want To Be Loved'. Waters also laid down a few new Morganfield originals including 'Bus Driver', 'Jealous Hearted Man' and 'Blues Had a Baby (And They Named It Rock and Roll). The remastered version also contains a rare bonus track, 'Walking Through The Park'.

Hard Again has the feel of a tight jam session as Muddy's witty banter is heard in between tracks. While Muddy never picked up a guitar for these sessions, his powerful voice emanates a magnitude of sonorous. Johnny Winter and Muddy Waters went on to record two more studio albums, I'm Ready and King Bee, which are also now available remastered and expanded through Sony Legacy, before his death in 1983. These historical albums were Muddy's last studio efforts; the final chapter in the legendary blues mans life and a testament to his genius.

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