Customer Reviews

The Best of John Lee Hooker 1965 - 1974

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!!!

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.

This disc was my introduction to the music of John Lee Hooker and it proved to be worth every penny. This CD is full of classics and is also a good way to hear some of the best tracks off of the currently out of print albums "Urban Blues" and "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive". The liner notes are in depth and explain how John Lee's music went through some changes during this period of his career in order to have more of a commercial edge with the fickle blues buying public of the time. I don't think John Lee sold out by any means, this is unmistakeably his sound on this CD. This disc captures all aspects of John Lee Hooker's music: the uptempo ("One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", "Mr. Lucky"), slow blues ("Decoration Day", "The Waterfront"), celebrity duets ("Never Get Out of These Blues Alive" with Van Morrison), and live jams (I'm Bad Like Jessie James" where he is backed by Muddy Waters' band). This disc also contains my favorite verson of John Lee's "Bluebird", which includes some studio chatter from the man himself where he jokes to his band that the Albany Street he refers to in the song is where all the pimps hang out! If you are a fan of John Lee Hooker or the blues, this is a great collection to have.

Never have I heard such a collection of blues masters. This album is burning with soul and emotion. Key tracks such as, "Never get out of these blues alive," "Bluebird," and "House Rent Boogie," feature superior bluse musicians such as: Van Morrison, Jim Kahr, Hollywood Fats, and Steve Miller, before their claim to fame. A tear fell from my eye when I first heard John Lee's story of his passing wife, Sadie Mae, in "Decoration Day." This album is a true tribute to all those who lost their lives in the terrible flood of Tupelo, Mississippi so long ago.

A must listen to collection of hits...again and again and again !!

This is American music at its uncompromising best. A haunting unforgettable sound experience that will leave you emotionally drained: The raw, savage, rot Gut, (falling) down-and-out, juke-joint (Buckley's Corner) blues: My favorite is "You won't get out of these Blues alive." Not for those with a weak heart or not looking for a new experience. Every song changes you emotionally. Deep, profound, no BS added.

For the particulars read Curtis J. George's review above. I concur with it 100% except I give Hooker 50 stars!

To anyone familiar with the blues, John Lee Hooker is the quintessential story teller who plays the best boogie beats. John in the course of his career which spanned most of his life, composed a lot of albums. All of them are earthy, full of beats and folksy.

But I think this album indeed captures the essence of them all. Here he is at his story telling best. Indeed, the version of the House Rent Boogie and I am Bad like Jesse James that are in this album epitomize the best of JLH. This album also has his more lilting ones like I m in the mood for love, waterfront and bluebird and his duet with Van Morrison "Never get out of this blues alive".

I would rank this as his very best because:
1. all the famous songs are there.
2. All songs have been sung inimitably.
3. Rarer songs such as the one with Van Morrison.

If you are a fan of JLH, this album will complete your collection. If you are new to him, this would be your best introduction.

This collection of John Lee Hooker's recording from 1965 to 1974 is intended to redeem an otherwise misguided period of his career. Like many other blues musicians, John Lee was rediscovered during the folk revival of the early 60s and hustled into the studio to cash in. Because John Lee was a post-war Delta bluesman, he wasn't solely an acoustic act. His boogie style was well served by an electric guitar and backing musicians.

If you listen to the full releases from this period, there are a lot of missteps and ill-conceived experiments. But John Lee's genius is too brilliant to hide. Some great tracks appear among the gaffes.

This collection was lovingly put together by someone who really knew John Lee's music, especially from this period. This CD cherry-picks the best tracks from this period. Serves You Right To Suffer, Backbiters and Syndicators, The Waterfront, and The Motor City is Burning are stunning instant Hooker classics. The eerie I'm Bad Like Jesse James is the closest you'll come to pure, unadulterated Hooker.

The collection includes fine re-recordings of Hooker classics One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer, I'm In The Mood, and House Rent Boogie. While the new versions don't surpass the originals, they show a more mature, experienced Hooker at the helm.

I disagree with other reviewers who say that this collection of songs is not "essential." While it is not the only Hooker CD you should own, nor is it an adequate introduction to his entire career since it focuses on only a 10 year period, it certainly belongs in your blues collection and is a joy to listen to.

Been a fan of John Lee since I first heard Boogie Chillin.' Was hangin' out in Roanoke, Va and found this on 8-track in '77. Used to ride around in my car and everybody riding with me got hooked on Doin' The Shout. Lost the 8-track somewhere. Played the grooves off the album. And was out of luck trying to find this piece because ABC-Bluesway went out of business. Then Bonnie Raitt rediscovered Hooker and got a grammy with In The Mood. Pissed me off. Hooker has recorded over 200 albums and In The Mood has got to be on at least 110 of them. HE NEVER GOT A GRAMMY! Felt a little better when everybody else started rediscovering The Man. Reissues started to appear and lo and behold, I was looking in a store one day and here was my favorite recording on cd. Twas a good day in the neighborhood. Now I can expose new friends to the wonderous works of John Lee Hooker. Come on, we're Doin' The Shout!