Vintage John Lee Hooker

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.