I went back in time to listen to their first album, the eponymously named Rotary Connection, which was released in late 1967. They were described as an experimental Psychedelic Soul band. The were a band signed by Marshall Chess to Chess Records. What actually led me to listen to this album was recently remembering the Chicago band Rotary Connection. In particular, I really liked the cover of the Willie Dixon tune, I Just Want To Make Love To You.
Most of the songs work very well, although Muddy does sound a bit out of his element singing a cover of the Rolling Stones Let’s Spend The Night Together. In particular, much of the sound invokes Jimi Henrix. It really captures the sounds of the 1968 Blues and Acid bands that were highly influenced by Blues legends such as Muddy Waters. Blues purist may not appreciate the songs, but it is really a nice mix Blues with Acid Rock and a bit of Psychedelic Rock. For the most part, it’s actually quite good at accomplishing what it set out to do. While I vaguely remember the album title, I do not have any specific recollection of listening to it back in the day. The album is primarily remakes of songs Waters had previously released. Released in 1968, it was a the idea of record producer Marshall Chess to gain a wider audience for Muddy Waters and tap into the current trends in Pop music. I recently listened to the album Electric Mud by Muddy Waters.