Bob Margolin – Thanks
VizzTone Label Group VT-SRR-007
10 songs – 36 minutes
2023 marked the 50th year since Muddy Waters enlisted Bob Margolin, a young Bostonian wielding a Gibson Archtop six-string, as the second guitarist in his legendary band. Bob celebrates the anniversary in style here. It’s the same instrument Margolin used at Muddy’s side in The Band’s Last Waltz movie, and its strings provide rich accompaniment on all ten tracks of this acoustic CD.
This is truly a masterful solo effort. Serving as the album’s producer, mixer and engineer, Margolin is responsible for all of the sounds you hear here. His warm, familiar voice — occasionally in four-part harmony — and his fretwork are exceptional. His only accompaniment is the appearance of one of his border collies, Levon, whose joyful bark spices up one cut.
A step-down intro opens “Going Down to Main Street.” Written by Muddy and first recorded in 1952, the number takes on new life as Bob delivers steady rhythm while simultaneously playing lead on slide in the style he learned from the master. It’s a love song in which the singer offers to take the lady on a shopping spree, warns her about cheating and expresses his sorrow every time the woman leaves his sight. The Band’s “Shape I’m In” follows and takes on a completely different, country-blues feel from the original through Margolin’s attack, which includes singing harmony with himself.
“Mean Old Chicago,” the first of four originals that Bob rearranged to deliver on Archtop, comes with an early Muddy feel as he announces a forthcoming trip to the Windy City, where the music community is reeling because “Death was hungry this year. He took more than his share.” It gives way to “Who,” a tune with rich history. Written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Little Walter, Bob played it frequently with another legend, R&B giant Nappy Brown, and it changes the atmosphere instantaneously here thanks to Margolin’s upbeat delivery.
Bob and Muddy co-wrote “Lonely Man Blues,” which follows. A song of regret about the absence of a lady, it features multiple guitar tracks and a plaintive feel throughout and flows comfortably into the Margolin original, “Baby Can’t Be Found,” in which the woman promises to show up at a certain hour and leaves the singer in the lurch, wondering where she might be. Penned by Jimmy Rogers — who was in the Waters band 25 years prior to Margolin’s arrival, the slow blues, “Hard Working Man,” serves up more pain, cheating on the title guy – and, hopefully, eventually coming to realize what a fool she’s been.
“For You My Love” — penned by Paul Gayten and a song Bob performed frequently with Pinetop Perkins – brightens the mood before two Margolin originals – the minor-key “No Consolation,” a complaint about searching without success for compassion, and the upbeat “Just Before Dawn,” an reverie about the break of day – bring the album to a close.
Bob Margolin delivers a big tip of the hat to Muddy and his influences here. And after giving this one a listen, you’ll be thanking him, too!
