The Best of John Lee Hooker 1965 - 1974

John Lee Hooker | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 24, 1992)
• Original Release Date: March 24, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000002OJZ
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,557 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #10 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > Detroit Blues
  • #72 in Music > Blues > Delta Blues

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooker's Best, June 21, 2001

By 

Curtis J. George (Centreville, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best of John Lee Hooker 1965 - 1974 (Audio CD)

Some "Best of" CDs really are not. This CD really is! This CD covers 16 of John Lee Hooker's greatest hits from 1965 to 1974, over 70 minutes of music. All of these songs were recoded in the `60s and `70s too, long before his gold and platinum album days. These are the same songs that would make Hooker famous 25 years later. Most of his better-known songs can be found on this disk. Throughout it all, Hooker's music remained unchanged. His rich and sonorous voice, full of ancient hurt, and his brooding and savage style remained hypnotic but unpredictable. To the strains of his own guitar, he sang of loneliness and confusion. Neither polished nor urbane, his music was raw, primal emotion. His one-chord boogie compositions and rhythmic guitar work were a distinctive sound that influenced rock 'n' rollers as well as rhythm and blues musicians. According to John shortly before his death, "I been doing the same things as in my younger days, when I was coming up, and now here I am, an old man, up there in the charts."

During a career more than six decades long, the veteran blues singer from the Mississippi Delta estimated he recorded more than 100 albums. To have a "best of" CD with that much material to pick from is a hard task, but the producers have done well.

If you only own one John Lee Hooker CD (if that is possible) this is the one to own.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Hooker, August 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Best of John Lee Hooker 1965 - 1974 (Audio CD)

This is best collection of John Lee Hooker tunes that you can buy. It contains a lot of music (over 70 minutes) from Hooker's best, most fertile period, the 60's and 70's. Several of JLH's most well known tunes are here including One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer, Mr. Lucky, I'm In The Mood, and It Serves You Right To Suffer. The duet with Van Morrison is also a highlight. If you like John Lee Hooker and want a good collection of some of his best tunes, get this!!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Johnny Lee, July 1, 2001

By 

Steven Sample (eureka, california United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of John Lee Hooker 1965 - 1974 (Audio CD)

Funny how expressive he was with so few notes. he inspired more with just a twang and a moan, than a legion of educated guitar wizards could do because he and was the cornerstone of American music. This collection does a great justice to his years when he played with larger groups and was full of howl and understood what the younger guys were doign on the scene. He made so many recordings in those years too. If you have no other of his stuff and are looking for a GREAT intro then this is a good un" I could hear him say "get your moneys worth" I especailly like the "I cover the waterfront with its eerie feel. You cant help but identify with the words and the reality of a sense of loss and hope. There is some rocking tunes as well that let you understand that rock and roll of the sixties rallied around the stuff that his soul shared.