Moanin' in the Moonlight

Moanin' in the Moonlight is a compilation album and the first album by American blues artist Howlin' Wolf, released by Chess Records in 1959. It contains songs previously issued as singles, including one of his best-known, "Smokestack Lightning". Rolling Stone ranked it number 477 on its 2020 list of "the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Moanin' in the Moonlight
Compilation album by
Howlin' Wolf
Released1959
RecordedMay 14 or August 1951 – March 1959[1][2]
StudioMemphis Recording Service (Memphis), Chess (Chicago)
GenreChicago blues, electric blues
Length33:53
LabelChess
ProducerLeonard Chess, Phil Chess, Willie Dixon, Sam Phillips
Howlin' Wolf chronology
Moanin' in the Moonlight
(1959)		 Howlin' Wolf
(1962)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic (Original release) [3] (Howlin' Wolf/Moanin' In The Moonlight) Link

Recording and production

The two earliest songs on Moanin' in the Moonlight were "Moanin' at Midnight" and "How Many More Years". These two songs and 'All Night Boogie', were recorded in Memphis, the first two at Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee in July 1951, and, 'All Night Boogie', the last track on side one, in Memphis in 1953. These songs were sold to the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who released them on two singles (Chess 1479 and Chess 1557), the first two titles being released on August 15, 1951. The rest of the songs on the album were recorded in Chicago, Illinois and were produced by either the Chess brothers and/or Willie Dixon.[1][2]

Artwork, packaging, and promotion

The original version of Moanin' in the Moonlight featured cover artwork by Don S. Bronstein and sleeve notes by Billboard editor Paul Ackerman.[4] The label pressings from the original series have different colors on it because several pressing plants were used.[5]

The album was featured on an advertisement in Billboard magazine on August 10, 1959, which misprinted the album's title as Howlin' at Midnite.[6]

Accolades

In 1987, Moanin' in the Moonlight was given a W.C. Handy Award in the "Vintage/Reissue Album (US)" category.[7] Rolling Stone magazine ranked the album number 477 on its 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[8] Robert Palmer has cited "How Many More Years" (recorded May 1951) as the first record to feature a distorted power chord, played by Willie Johnson on the electric guitar.[9]

Track listing

All songs written by Chester Burnett, except where noted. (Although the original 1959 LP, and the UK Chess 1965 issue credited all compositions to 'C. Burnett' [Howlin' Wolf].)

Side one
  1. "Moanin' at Midnight" – 2:58
  2. "How Many More Years" – 2:42
  3. "Smokestack Lightnin'" – 3:07
  4. "Baby How Long" – 2:56
  5. "No Place to Go" – 2:59
  6. "All Night Boogie" – 2:12
Side two
  1. "Evil" – 2:55 (Willie Dixon)
  2. "I'm Leavin' You" – 3:01
  3. "Moanin' for My Baby" – 2:47
  4. "I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)" – 2:53
  5. "Forty-Four" – 2:51 (Roosevelt Sykes, credited to Burnett)
  6. "Somebody in My Home" – 2:27
  • Recorded in Memphis 1951 (tracks 1 & 2), 1953 (track 6) and 1954 (track 4, 5, 7 & 11)
  • Recorded in Chicago 1956 (track 3 & 10) 1957 (track 12) and 1958 (track 8 & 10)

Personnel

The following people contributed to Moanin' in the Moonlight:[1][2]

References
  1. Howlin' Wolf / Moanin' in the Moonlight (CD liner). Howlin' Wolf. United States: MCA Records. 1986. CHD-5908.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. Humphrey, Mark (2007). The Definitive Collection (CD liner). Howlin' Wolf. United States: Geffen Records/Chess Records. B0008784-02/CHD-9375 BK02.
  3. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
  4. Ackerman, Paul. Moanin' in the Moonlight (Vinyl sleeve). Howlin' Wolf. United States: Chess Records. back cover. LP-1434.
  5. David Edwards; Mike Callahan; Randy Watts. "Chess Album Discography, Part 1 (1956–1965)". Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  6. "Chess Producing Corporation Advertisement". Billboard. Vol. 71, no. 32. August 10, 1959. p. 30 – via google books. {{cite magazine}}: External link in |via= (help)
  7. Past Blues Music Awards Archived 2009-08-22 at the Wayback Machine. Blues Foundation. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  8. "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  9. Robert Palmer, "Church of the Sonic Guitar", pp. 13-38 in Anthony DeCurtis, Present Tense, Duke University Press, 1992, pp. 24-27. ISBN 0-8223-1265-4.
  10. "How Many More Years - Howlin' Wolf (Chess, 1951)". Blues Foundation. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
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