John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker - The Country Blues Of John Lee Hooker (1959) {Remastered & Expanded rel 2015}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 358 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 159 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 54 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit remastered
© 1959, 2015 Riverside / Soul Jam Records | 600869
Blues / Country Blues / Delta Blues / Acoustic Blues / Detroit Blues

In 1959, John Lee Hooker signed a one-off deal with the Riverside label to record an acoustic session of the country blues. It was a key change from his earlier recordings, most of which had featured Hooker on an electric guitar with his trademark reverb and stomping foot. Folk purists of the day were delighted with COUNTRY BLUES, believing Hooker had returned to his roots, leaving the "glitzy commercialism" of R&B behind. But some Hooker fans considered COUNTRY BLUES a "betrayal" of his true sound. The truth is probably somewhere in-between. Remember, John Lee Hooker is always John Lee Hooker, regardless of the format. If you like Hooker, or acoustic blues, buy this album. It is an intimate session featuring standards like "How Long", "Bottle Up and Go", as well as Hooker's first recorded take on "Tupelo", one of his all-time classics.

This 1980 concert film captures blues legend John Lee Hooker performing at the Montreal Jazz Festival. The man performs close to a dozen songs including "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," "Boom Boom," "I'm in the Mood," and "Chicken and Gravy." The DVD release of the film includes additional footage of the guitarist. ~ Perry Seibert

John Lee Hooker - Burning Hell (1959) {Remastered & Expanded rel 2015}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 339 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 154 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 50 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24bit remastered
© 1959, 2015 Riverside / Soul Jam Records | 600871
Blues / Rhythm & Blues / Blues Revival / Delta Blues

This quintessential release presents one of Hooker's most difficult to find albums: Burning Hell. Recorded in Detroit in April 1959, the Riverside label only originally issued the LP in England. A country-­blues classic, John Lee Hooker only plays acoustic guitar throughout the album, and sings straight to the bone with his soul drenched vocal delivery. Highlights include songs associated with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Big Bill Broonzy, as well as a number of Hooker's own finest compositions. In addition to the original masterpiece, this remastered CD also contains 8 bonus tracks, including a number of solo recordings taped in different locations between 1952 and 1961.

There's perfect symmetry in the way this four-disc anthology opens with a raw, solo acoustic 1948 rendition of John Lee Hooker's signature tune, "Boogie Chillen'," and then closes a half-century later with Eric Clapton teaming with Hooker on the same tune. Though the Mississippi bluesman who relocated to Detroit has been justly celebrated for his spellbinding repetitions and primal incantations, this comprehensive set shows just how much more range and depth there was to Hooker's music than basic boogie…