Howlin' Wolf Moanin' in the Moonlight: Chess Records 75

Howlin' Wolf Moanin' in the Moonlight Reissued for the Chess Records 75th Anniversary Series on 180g Mono LP: Remastered from the Original Analog Tapes by Matt Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, Pressed at QRP

Howlin' Wolf's Moanin' in the Moonlight is a compilation album released by Chess Records in 1959, comprising songs recorded between 1951 and 1959 previously issued as singles, including the iconic hit "Smokestack Lightnin'." As Rolling Stone put it, "The Wolf had the biggest roar in Chicago blues — he raved in a fierce growl, backed by explosive playing from guitar geniuses Willie Johnson and Hubert Sumlin. His 1959 debut album has some of the meanest electric blues ever heard... from the eerie railroad drone "Smokestack Lightnin'" to the lowdown "I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)."

Founded in 1950 by Polish immigrant brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, Chess Records emerged from the south side of Chicago and enhanced and transformed the blues from folk music to popular sound. Wolf added the raw, untamed electricity that turned the blues into a primal force. With Willie Dixon's songwriting magic, Hubert Sumlin's razor-sharp guitar lines, and Wolf's voice — a voice that sounds like it was carved out of granite with a switchblade — Moanin' in the Moonlight became an anchor of the Chess empire.

Each release in the Chess Records 75 Series is remastered from the original analog tapes by Matt Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. Pressed at QRP, this dead-quiet 180-gram LP has pristine grooves. It's Chess mono magic, restored with soul! It's big, it's warm, and the sound is alive. Everything is housed in archival-quality tip-on gatefold jackets.

Bottom line — Moanin' in the Moonlight isn't just an album; it's the cornerstone of electric blues. It's the sound of raw power before marketing departments figured out how to package it. Spin this reissue and rediscover why blues fans treat this record like sacred text — because when the Wolf howls, the world still listens.