Search - John Lee Hooker :: Early Years 2

Essential 50s Hook

Docendo Discimus | Vita scholae | 01/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Originally a double album, Tomato's "The Early Years" was reissued in 2003 on two seperate CDs. There's not even a picture of the cover here on Amazon, yet "The Early Years" is just about the best collection available of John Lee Hooker in his prime.



Pete Welding's liner notes are good, and they do discuss the 1950s sessions that produced these singles in some detail, but the backing musicians are uncredited (which is annoying), and the sound is obviously not 21st century hi-fi.

But the music is never less than good, and most of it is terrific. Hooker's stay with Vee-Jay records produced numerous classics, and a lot of lesser-known but equally memorable songs. "Boom Boom" is here, along with "Time Is Marching", "I'm Going Upstairs", "Dusty Road", the funky "Onions", and the underrated "Old Time Shimmy". And on vol. 1 (which you need to get as well, unless you can track down a copy of the original double-disc issue) you'll find essential songs like "I'm So Excited", "Dimples", "Big Legs, Tight Skirt", and the original solo performance of "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer".



This is prime Hooker, showcasing some of his best (and best-selling) songs. The majority of them are band-backed, and there are even horns backing the Hook on a couple of songs, and while some may prefer John Lee Hooker in solo mode with just his guitar and a piece of plywood to stomp on, most listeners will find these performances to be his most accessible and certainly most rewarding.

Get Rhino's double-disc "Ultimate Collection" and both of these CDs, and you're set. These recordings are essential in the John Lee Hooker-canon, and it really doesn't get much better than this."