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In his over-50 year career, Blues giant John Lee Hooker recorded for more than 30 labels under a variety of names, including Texas Slim, Birmingham Sam & His Magic Guitar, Johnny Williams and Delta John. He made at least 100 original albums, while reissues and countless "Best Ofs" and "Greatest Hits" compilations probably account for at least 100 more. He started his career banging out endless one-chord boogie numbers at Detroit house parties in the 1940s. By the time he died in 2001, he'd been inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame, won four Grammys, and played with many of the people he'd inspired, including Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton and Bonnie Raitt.
The 84 songs on this four-disc box follow Hooker's career from his first signature hit, "Boogie Chillen'" to the superstar jams he made near the end of his life with Van Morrison, Robert Cray, Los Lobos and Charles Brown. The tracks are arranged in chronological order, so you can hear Hooker's style evolve, although his relentless rhythmic attack and fierce singing style were already in place before he even stepped into the studio.
Hooker was born in 1917 and grew up in a religious family. When his parents broke up, his mother remarried a blues singer named William Moore who gave him a guitar and taught him "Rather Drink Muddy Water" and other folk/blues songs. In the '30s, he wandered the country playing behind gospel groups like the Fairfield Four (Many say that Hooker's driving rhythms were borrowed from the church music he played as a youth). In the '40s, he was living in Detroit and, according to legend, given his first electric guitar by none other than T-Bone Walker. By the time he was discovered by Bernie Besman, who placed Hooker's early recordings with labels like Modern and King, he'd already developed his unique style of non-rhyming lyrics played over ever-shifting tempos and rhythms.
Hooker first disc opens with "Boogie Chillen'" one of his earliest recordings and a million seller for the Modern label. Even after 50 years, its power jumps out of the speakers and knocks you flat. "Black Man Blues" recorded as Texas Slim, is raw and primitive, a howl of desperation so powerful it's almost painful to listen to. "Crawlin' King Snake" is a sly, slithering blues full of ominous sexual tension, and was another hit for Modern. "Moses Smote The Water" shows Hooker's Gospel roots and is marked by his inexorable drive and odd rhythmic accents. Other early tracks include "I'm In The Mood" a reinvention of "I'm In The Mood For Love" with Eddie Kirkland on second guitar and a double tracked vocal, "John L's House Rent Boogie," a rollicking, foot stomping tale of hard luck and "I'm Ready," a band track featuring Bob Thurman on piano and Otis Finch on sax.
The second disc covers the '50s and '60s and follows Hooker to Chicago where he recorded with a full band for Vee-Jay. "Dimples," a jump blues, was his first single for the label and a hit. "Boom Boom"—his signature tune and one of the great rock standards—was cut in '62 and still sounds sexy and dangerous. "She's Mine" has a slight Latin feel, with a rhythm that brings to mind The Champs' "Tequila." The inexorable boogie is in evidence on "I'm Goin' Upstairs," and "No More Doggin.'" There are also some stellar solo guitar and vocal tracks: "Tupelo Blues" a stark take of a Mississippi flood is told with minimal picking and a whispered vocal full of sadness and dread while "Democrat Man" bemoans the fate of the country under a Republican administration.
Disc three kicks off with Hooker's first Chess session in 1966 where he cut "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" under the supervision of T-Bone Walker. The folk revival was in full swing and Chess pitched Hooker to the "kids" as a real "folk/blues" singer, but it was the audience that changed, not Hooker. His scowling, salacious boogie remains the same—deep and dirty on tunes like "King Of The World" and "Think Twice Before You Go."
In '70, he recorded Hooker 'n' Heat with Canned Heat; the album got onto the pop charts and introduced him to yet another generation. The tracks from Hooker 'n' Heat include some interesting studio patter including Hooker complimenting Al Wilson's harmonica playing: "I don't know how he follows me, but he does." "Burning Hell" a primal Pentecostal stomp features some stunning harmonica work from Wilson and a sinister vocal performance from Hooker. "I don't believe in no heaven, I don't believe in no hell," he sings, looking into the abyss and laughing at whatever he sees there. The disc closes by leaping ahead to Hooker tracks from the late '80s. The production quality is more polished, but Hooker's primordial blues howl remains on tracks like "Early One Morning" and "We'll Meet Again."
Disc four gives us John Lee as elder statesman, and it's the least interesting set. Hooker still sounds hungry, and while it's amusing to hear stars like Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana and Robert Cray riffing off the master, you get the feeling that they're slowing him down (even though he's decades older than they are). The best tracks are the ones that hew closest to Hooker's originals—"This Is Hip" with Ry Cooder, "Bottle Up And Go" with John Hammond, Jr. and "Boom Boom" with Los Lobos. The closing track, "Boogie Chillen'" with Eric Clapton, is a pale imitation of the song that opens the box. As unlikely as it seems, this Shout Factory compilation is actually the first serious retrospective of Hooker's career (probably owing to the variety of labels involved). Despite its minor flaws it's an impressive tribute to one of American music's greatest, most original artists.
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