There are two recent John Lee Hooker greatest hits compilations worth noting. Rhino Records has issued a collection of recordings that span his career, The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990, while MCA has a more modest compilation, The Best of John Lee Hooker, 1965-1974. The Ultimate Collection would be more accurately titled A Beginner's Collection. The two compact discs contain a skimpy 31 selections and approximately 95 minutes of music (they could have included about 150 minutes). The discs start with some of Hooker's early solo recordings for Bernie Besman and include some of his best known and biggest selling recordings: Boogie Chillum, Sally Mae, Crawkin' King Snake, and l'm in the Mood. There is a selection of his Vee-Jay recordings such as Dimples and Boom Boom, several 'folk' recordings from Riverside, a couple from Chess, several from ABC-Bluesway, a couple from Hooker 'N'Heat (Burnin' Hell with Alan Wilson's harp being outstanding), and a live l'm in the Mood with Bonnie Raitt from The Tribute to Roy Orbison concert from 1990.
While this gives an idea of the range of Hooker's recordings, it lacks some of his best recordings, particularly from the first few prolific years of his career, that are more memorable than the Riverside recordings sampled here. Hooker's King recordings (that some consider his best) are available on Do You Remember Me on the English Charly label, and other early, intense recordings are on Boogie Awhile on the English Krazy Kat label. This is certainly an adequate, but not the "ultimate", John Lee Hooker collection. MCA's The Best of John Lee Hooker, 1965 to 1974 is a budget priced compilation of Hooker's post-Vee-Jay recordings that is a useful supplement to the Rhino. There is some duplication among the 16 selections (and 72 minutes of music) with the Rhino collection. Of special interest is the original Mr. Lucky, and Hooker's strong topical blues on the Detroit disturbances of twenty-five years ago, The Motor City is Burnin', both from the Urban Blues album, several cuts from his ABC Impulse album It Serves You Right to Suffer, and a couple of cuts from Endless Boogie (including a duet with Van Morrison) and other recordings.
More modestly conceived than Rhino's compilation, this is an entertaining survey of this part of Hooker's career that admittedly is not the period of his greatest music.
This review originally appeared in Jazz & Blues Report Issue 172 from 1992. I do not remember whether I got review copies of these or not. They are listed as available as is the CD of Boogie Awhile that is mentioned in the text. Here is John Lee Hooker performing Boom Boom in 1966.
Rhino has issued Zydeco Dynamite, The Clifton Chenier Anthology, which is a two compact disc, 40 track retrospective of Clifton Chenier’s recording career (thirty two tracks on two cassettes). Compiler Greg Durst observes, “If these scorchers don’t make you move like an alligator in a pond of hot sauce, you’d better consult a physician,...…Clifton Chenier will always be the one who makes the Bon Ton Roulet.”
And the good times sure roll on here from Louisiana Stomp, Clifton’s first record for the Elko label, through some of his Specialty recordings that rocked almost as hard as the hottest Little Richard numbers (although Clifton was more down in the alley, and less flamboyant), his lengthy association with Arhoolie Records (from which about half of the recordings are derived), to rarities made for a variety of labels including I’m a Zydeco Man, the title track of his Grammy Award winning album.
One cannot underestimate the importance of Clifton Chenier. He is to zydeco what Bill Monroe is to bluegrass. His french recasting of blues, and rock and roll songs, mixed with adaptations of cajun and creole themes, made the language barrier less imposing. Like Fats Domino, his creole accent, and the total sincerity manifest in his vocals, gave his songs a certain irresistible appeal for those exposed to them. He was a first rate blues singer as well as a person that could get the house rocking for a marathon zydeco live dance.
The compilation opens with a good helping of his rare recordings for Specialty, Chess (the Argo and Checker subsidiaries) and Zynn (one of Jay Miller’s labels), and with the exception of Eh Petite Fille, many of these early recordings are hot rock and roll songs not far removed from the recordings of Fats Domino and Little Richard. Ay Ai Ai is the first of the many Arhoolie recordings represented. Others include Bon Ton Roulet (his French reworking of Louis Jordan’s Let the Good Times Roll), I Am Coming Home, an adaptation of a Charles Brown recording that was Clifton’s favorite recording, the hot live Zydeco Cha Cha where brother Cleveland and drummer Robert St. Judy take a somewhat irresistible percussion break, and I’m on the Wonder, from a session with Elvin Bishop.
Bogalusa Boogie, which many consider Clifton’s finest album, is represented by four selections. One thing that set these recordings apart is the saxophone of John Hart, probably the greatest blues saxophonist since J.T. Brown. Hart is also present from on a number of other selections including Easy, Easy, Baby from an album that also included Stanley Dural (Buckwheat Zydeco) on keyboards and several selections albums on Floyd Soileau’s Maison de Soul label including Hot Tamale Baby.
There is a wealth of material here although there are some gems that were omitted like You Used to Call Me, a bluesy waltz, Ma Negresse, with uncle Morris Chenier contributing alley fiddle, and the country blues flavor of Black Snake Blues. With compiler Durst’s cogent discussion of the man and his music, this is a fine reissue.
For those wanting more Clifton Chenier, Arhoolie has issued Clifton Sings the Blues. It includes 12 recordings that Roy Ames produced in 1969 that have appeared on several labels including Prophesy, Home Cooking and Arhoolie, along with seven cuts from the album Clifton Chenier and his Red Hot Louisiana Band, an album with John Hart and Stanley ‘Buckwheat ‘ Dural. Easy Easy Baby appears to be the only duplication with the Rhino collection. Other songs include Ain’t No Need of Crying, a song Clifton sang in French on Arhoolie as Louisiana Blues; a rocking version of Fats Domino’s Rosemary; Be My Chauffeur which is derived from Memphis Minnie; the standard Trouble in Mind; Worried Life Blues, and a rocking version of Boozoo Chavis’ Paper in My Shoe. Outstanding cuts from The Red Hot Louisiana Band include Hungry Man Blues, which uses the Hootchie Kootchie Man melody, and Grand Prix, a wonderful bilingual tune with Clifton’s lament about the price he paid for loving his woman.
By all means get the Rhino, but don’t stop there. Clifton was one of the true greats of the blues, not simply zydeco, and even with 40 cuts, Rhino merely skims the surface of his musical legacy. With his music, the good times continue to roll.
This review originally appeared in the July/August 1993 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 183) and I have made some stylistic edits. I likely received review copies from the record label or a publicist. Both are available as used (with the Rhino apparently being easier to find). The Arhoolie is also available as digital downloads. Here is the King of Zydeco singing I'm A Hog for You.
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