Search - John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat :: Best of

Hero and Worshippers = +

03/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording for those of you that weren't around, was a meeting of a giant bluesman and some of the best original 60's hippie bluesmen. Hooker at the time was only known to bluesheads or ghetto dwellers.The Canned Heat, well what more to say. No frills, no wah wah's, just Gibson guitars playing mean mean ol blues. There was no SUPERSTAR "Hooker", just a bunch of guys that felt the music and laid it down as it was for them at the moment. Very little production or editing, just live blues in the studio. A seminal recording, have owned it since it was released."

One of his best

steve johnson | Mayo, MD USA | 06/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i rarely rate anything 5 stars, but this one makes it. when john lee plays "peavine" i can hear it coming down the tracks. and the 11 minute version of "boogie chillen" is excellent. the version of "burnin' hell" is my fav of all time - the harp is excellent (like john lee said, "i don't know how he follow me but he do."). i've got at least a half dozen of his cds and this one may be the best."

Hooker Plus Canned Heat Equals Sterno!!!

chris meesey Food Czar | The Colony, TX United States | 03/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hooker 'N Heat is almost universally considered the greatest album in the long and storied careers of both Delta bluesman John Lee Hooker and California boogeymen Canned Heat. These wonderful songs are as improvisational as any jazz session: Hooker finds a beat, starts off, and lets the boys in the band play catch-up until they run out of musical ideas and the song ends. Hook has special praise for Alan Wilson, the Heat's wunderkid harpist, noting that Wilson is the best harmonica player ever: "I don't know how he follow me, but he do." In this best of the best compilation from those sessions (a great idea for us budget-minded listeners), standout songs include "Burning Hell," which is the Hook's rockin' and rollin' take on the afterlife, "The World Today," a talking piece circa 1970, in which the fiftysomething Hooker identifies with young people and is glad "the old coots are gone," and "Boogie Chillen' 2," an 11-minute jamfest of Hooker's first hit that will have you jumping out of your seat. For their part, the Heat add outstanding instrumental support (singer Bob "the Bear" Hite adds no vocals, but aids in production duties); as noted above, Wilson's harp work is fabulous, and this record must be seen as the crowning achievement of his career. (Sadly, he died while waiting for the record to be released; thats his picture on the wall in the album photos.) In short, a thrilling offering from two of the rockingest, boogieingest (is that a word?) artists ever, and one to surely lift you out of your seat. Get this disc and turn up the heat!!!"