Customer Reviews

Very Best of John Lee Hooker

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every once in a while, a budget disc comes along that is surprisingly good. Such is the case with Rhino Records release of "The Very Best of John Lee Hooker." On this release, Rhino combines 16 stand out tracks and some nice liner notes which briefly describe the man as well as the origin of each of the tracks. The selection of songs range from Hooker's signature "Boogie Chillen'" recorded in 1948 through "Terraplane Blues" recorded with slide man Roy Rogers in 1987. This is not a comprehensive collection nor was it ever intended to be. Instead, you get a flavor for a younger John Lee Hooker and his amazing guitar work. The recording quality is excellent especially considering the age of the songs. Well worth the purchase.

There are much better John Lee Hooker collections than this one. Half of the songs on this disc are early (pre-1960) JLH, and it's relatively short. Unless you especially like Hooker's early work, I would find a different collection. I much prefer Hooker's later work in which his deep, growling voice is fully developed. I would instead recommend the wonderful The Best Of John Lee Hooker 1965-1974, which has a lot more music from Hooker's best period.

John Lee Hooker, "king of the boogie," is one of the most influential guitarists to ever record. He is also one of the most unique, as his rhythmic and dynamic senses are more free than what one may be accustomed to... he also changes chords rarely, if ever, in some songs. Now i myself have complained about 3 chord bands... this is different, this man hypnotizes you with his awesome, entrancing riffs and licks. This collection is probably the finest one disc compilation of this master's work and belongs in any music lover's collection. If you think that all blue sounds the same and all is 12 bars etc etc (any blues aficionado knows much better than to pay any heed to these ridiculously ill-informed stereotypes), John Lee Hooker is a good place to see that the blues is one of the forms most open for free expression and experimentation.

Some of John Lee Hooker's best known songs are compiled from his many years and albums onto this budget CD, with not one being one you will skip over. From "Boogie Chillen'" to "Boom, Boom," they are all here. Even the songs which made others famous, such as "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer."

"I'm Bad Like Jesse James" is a favorite of mine, with this particular song showing his inimitable rambling style so strikingly, a style which over the years can be found less and less.

It should be noted that the version of "I'm in the mood" on this album is different than the Chess side he recorded with the Chess brothers (I actually prefer the more polished Chess side). But regardless, each song is representative of a different time in his life, as this legendary bluesman recorded over 100 albums during his lifetime, one of the most prolific bluesmen in history.

A must own for any lover of the blues.

This album drove me to basically throw my punk rock CD collection in the closet and buy a whole new collection of blues, R&B, classic rock, soul, etc...

John Lee Hooker is a spectacular musician, who influences musicians from Carlos Santana to George Thurgood to ZZ Top. This album captures many of his top songs.

Boom Boom is his signature toon, repopularized in the Blues Brothers Movie. Crawlin' King Snake captures his unique style of Delta Blues. One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer is his downtempo classic blues number that was later amped up by George Thurgood.

Two tracks are missing from what would be a more complete album or set: Onions is a song more popularized as Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs. (Not sure if JLH got the credit) It pops up in movies and commercials several times a year. The House Rent Blues was fused onto One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer by Thurgood, and would have been a worthy addition too.

Certainly a worthy album for any afficianado of the Blues, and anyone interested in hearing some history behind Rock and Roll.

This was the first JLH cd that I ever bought, and with good reason. It covers a good number of his obvious classics like Boogie Chillen and Boom Boom, which are of course the ones everyone wants. However, it also has some other amazing songs that really show what the Hook was all about.

John Lee Hooker was a truly unique bluesman... he was more of a storyteller. His songs often abandon the standard 12-bar phrases, remaining in 1 key most of the song, and in between the instrumental breaks he would simply tell you a story about his blues. Normally this would get old but the Hook makes it interesting... his really great voice certainly helps. He improvised most of his lyrics - If you've seen the version of Boom Boom on the movie the Blues Brothers you'll know what I'm talking about. His playing style was also really unique, going from a steady rollin' wall of chords to perfectly timed single string picks.

This CD demonstrates his many styles beautifully, every song being good. This guy released a mess of LP's, 45's, 78's, you name it, and finding all the good stuff is hard. This CD has a lot of it. If you are new to the blues or the Hook in genral, you will definitely wanna pick up this CD, and hear this legend's story.

There is nothing like drawing the shades close, putting on a set of headphones, and listening to a good John Lee Hooker disc. Whether it be something from the late 40's or his newest releases back in 2000 with John Lee Hooker and Friends. That is what was great about this man, he just got better as time went on. To start out, The Very Best of John Lee Hooker is a great way to get into him if you are interested in the blues. You wont be dissapointed. The Classic Boom Boom, One Scotch, One Beer, are great, but the others that you may never heard of are just as good. It serves You Right To Suffer, Burnig Hell, and Crawlin' King Snake are just a couple on this cd that will grab you. I give this disc 5 stars and then some.

For those who aren't familiar with the Hook (1917-2001, RIP), this is an excellent introduction. Those who have heard other versions of "Boogie Chillen" will admit that the enclosed version is not the best, but the uninitiated may enjoy. "Huckle Up baby" and "In The Mood" give good examples of "early Hook's" style (dig "JLH-The Modern Recordings" if you like his acoustic stuff). Of course theire's "Boom Boom " in it's classic glory and there is the collaboration with Canned Heat "Burning Helll" with Al Wilson tearing up the harmonica and Hooker sounding like a high priest of Voodoo in a hypnotic trance (the night Hooker died recently, I played htis song over and over in tribute). Some fans may be put off by the exclusion of "Tupelo," "Birmingham," Democrat Man," etc. But like I said, it's just an introduction. Enjoy.

This single-disc compilation actually does a better job than Rhino's double-disc "The Ultimate Collection (1948-1990)", from which these tracks are taken. It's not a complete career overview, of course, but where "The Ultimate Collection" tries and fails to be definitive, "The Very Best Of John Lee Hooker" doesn't strive to be "ultimate", but only to provide a good introdution to the daunting legacy of the Hook.
And it does a superb job, collecting sixteen of Hooker's best song, including "Boom Boom", "Dimples", "I'm Bad Like Jesse James", "Big Legs, Tight Skirt" and "It Serves You Right To Suffer".
A perfect introduction for the curious.