Blind Pig Records will be launching the label's "Master Vinyl Series" on May 6th, 2008 with three fine releases. The first three titles of the series will include Muddy Waters' The Lost Tapes, Drinkin' TNT 'n' Smokin' Dynamite by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, and Tommy Castro's Painkiller LP. The three titles will be released as limited edition, high-quality 180-gram virgin vinyl albums.

The Muddy Waters' LP features live recordings from 1971, capturing a Waters band that included Pinetop Perkins, George "Harmonica" Smith, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. The Guy/Wells album was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974 and includes Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones on bass. Tommy Castro's Painkiller is a vinyl version of the acclaimed blues guitarist's 2007 album, and his first ever vinyl LP release.

"This is in response to the growing audiophile market for high-quality LPs," label president Edward Chmelewski says on the Blind Pig website. "And for those of us who fondly remember listening to LPs in the 60s and 70s, it's a lot of fun to return to that format. For one, it's great to have the larger artwork canvas afforded by the LP packaging, and the warmth and depth of the sound quality on these new versions is amazing. And it's kind of cool to come full circle back to the LP, the only format we were selling when we started the label in 1977."

LP cover photos courtesy of Blind Pig Records