|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great expanded reissue of the Hook's finest original album, 26 Sep 2004
Digitally remastered and bolstered by four bonus tracks, this 2003 Charley reissue of Hooker's 1959 LP "I'm John Lee Hooker" is better than ever, and it provides the perfect starting point for the curious.Casual listeners may be turned off a little bit by Hooker's rough, sparse solo performances, but they should delight in these 16 top-notch 50s sides. The Hook is backed by various small, tight combos, almost all of which include Jimmy Reed's guitarist Eddie Taylor, and Reed himself plays harmonica on two tracks. Among the remaining musicians are drummer Earl Phillips and piano player "Ivory" Joe Hunter. Hooker himself plays his instantly recognizable, percussive boogie guitar patterns on an electric guitar, and lays down the definitive versions of classics like "Dimples", "Time Is Marching", "Little Wheel", "Baby Lee", and gritty solo performances of "Boogie Chillun", "Hobo Blues" and "Crawlin' King Snake".
But the lesser-known material is uniformly strong as well, from the swinging, piano-driven "I Love You Honey" to the slow grind of "I'm So Worried Baby", making this the finest item in all of John Lee Hooker's overwhelming catalogue.
Five stars and no reservations at all. Highly recommended.
|
