Robert Johnson, Muddy, Howlin' Wolf...and all the greats. what's my problem?

how come i cant 'get into' them? i fully understand they (and others) laid the groundwork for others to follow, like SRV, Clapton, Zeppelin, etc. but when i hear those old songs, i dont hear an old slide guitar and a foot tapping. the way I hear it is different. i hear the song with a SCREAMIN' MURDER Les Paul w/ a Marshall half-stack, and about another half-step faster. so...what 's my deal? i tried my best to explain.

If you don't like the forefathers, you simply don't like them. Try listening to the people that influenced them. I like some old stuff but the more modern stuff is better to me. There are several classifications of blues (folk, country, electric, Chicago-, Texas- , etc.). They can be grouped by time period as well. Most people I know don't like ALL of them.
One of my favorite songs is One Way Out (the Allman's version). Listen to the Sonny Boy II version. I like it but it's very different. It does NOT rock.

idk...I guess you're just freaky like that...lol

You like what you like.

Honestly, I find most of those cats too modern form me. I dig Blind Blake and Blind Willie Johnson and the like.

Well, so did Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and everyone else who's just built on the tradition of the blues. Take a Zep song like "Rock N' Roll", unplug it, play it on a well-worn acoustic, bring Plant's vocals down to the singing levels of a guy on a porch without a mic, and you're instantly back 60, 70, 90 years ago on the Delta.

Before 'speed up and distort a simple pentatonic scale' became the foundation for modern blues / rock / metal, these guys had the basic groove figured out. And once in a while, I like to go back to the roots and just hear the pure, uncommercial, no frills simplicity of the founding fathers. It's refreshing, almost.

That's the real soul of the music that's inspired SRV, Clapton, Zeppelin. Without it, they wouldn't even exist.

You are 'hearing' the new as definitive as opposed as the old as the original.You will come round when you are ready,you'll see.

This will come with time. Amplification does not equate to emotional power, but it fills a short-term gap (sort of like the way junk food tastes good but doesn't give much long-term nutrition). I'm guessing you are still young, your reaction is very typical of younger rock fans trying to "get to the roots". At least you are starting with SRV, EC, and Zep (as opposed to, say, Foghat or George Thorogood!)

Keep listening and let the depth and true emotion of the originals sink in. At some point many of the lesser rocked-up versions will start to sound like the shallow but loud imitations they are while the good ones will stand out as valid advancements of the form.

Either way, enjoy what you like and keep on rocking.

try getting the white stripes first cd
it is very much in the tradition of old blues and they cover a robert johnson song " stop breaking down " and it rocks

its like driving a 57 chevy, and then going to a bmw. the 57 is cool but not as intense. both are good, but different. i have the same problem.

Until you've heard these songs as originally recorded by Ethel Merman, Kate Smith, and Perry Como, you can't truly know the joy of music in it's purest form.

Until you can find a good Ethel Merman recording, grab a cat's tail and swing it around your head. That sound will do until you can hear the real thing....

You need to live and suffer some more...Those rock n roll groups are frauds.

Try checking out the London Sessions that came out on Chess in the early 70's. Chuck Berry,Howlin Wolf(my favorite), Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters.
These guys went to London and jammed with rocks elite like Eric Clapton,Stevie Winwood,Bill Wyman,Charlie Watts and it might be something to get into. The Howlin Wolf sessions are mystical to say the least. As far as Muddy Waters try Fathers and Sons, The expanded Cd with Paul Butterfield Blues band and otis spahn backing him.

You don't have a problem - you have your tastes and preferences. Here is a story to relate:

Back in 1971, I bought my first traditional blues album (History of Elmore James) because I knew of his influence on Duane Allman and others. I could barely stand to listen to it and it collected dust for 12 years, never played again after the first time. I did not like most of the 70s 'Arena Rock' and I spent the remainder of the decade listening to jazz and fusion (mostly fusion).

Then, in the early 80s, with a big surge in popularity in the blues, I started playing Elmore and some other blues albums I had from the past and I fell in love with them. I regretted not buying more recordings in the early 70s, as many disappeared. I now have a sizable collection of blues LPs and CDs and listen often.

My point? Musical taste changes with age. From a 17-year old to a 30-something, my tastes adapted to the older blues stuff. Give it time, but start building your 'time capsule' collection now for your future listening pleasure. Some of this stuff may not be available when you're ready to listen.