The Modern Detroit Years
1948 - 1955
   

 
The Besman Detroit Years
1948 - 1952
   

 
The Pseudonym Recordings
1948 - 1954
   

 
The Anthologies -
Comp incl Pseudonyms
   

 
The "public domain"
1948 - 1954
   

  
The Vee-Jay Recordings
1955 - 1964
 

 
The Folk Period
1959 - 1962
 

 
The Coast to Coast Years
1965 - 1974
 

California Live
plus the 1990s
 

 
Find full track listings
on most of the CDs listed below at
Jarlvik's Super Hooker Discography
| main page | vinyl LPs |
 

Blues Kingpins - (Blues Immortal - John Lee Hooker)  E
Virgin (The Right Stuff/The Blues Foundation) CD 82741-2 (August, 2003)
The latest - and maybe it will turn out to be the best - compilation of Hooker´s Modern years (1948-1955) with very fine samples of all the years for the Bihari Brothers. It features 18 great tracks in chronological order (The Right Stuff president Tom Cartwright was the initiator of this release for the Blues Year). The CD has liner notes by compiler/annotator Bill Dahl. Get this one! All tracks are owned by Ace Records Ltd. The tracks on this CD can be found on the following four Ace/Mainstream CDs, although several tracks are issued on CD for the first time in the United States.
Tracks: 1948: BOOGIE CHILLEN - SALLY MAE (LP version) - 1949: HOOGIE BOOGIE - HOBO BLUES - WEEPING WILLOW BOOGIE - CRAWLIN´ KING SNAKE - 1950: HOWLIN´ WOLF - 1951: QUEEN BEE - I´M IN THE MOOD - HOW CAN YOU DO IT - ANYBODY SEEN MY BABY - 1952: I GOT EYES FOR YOU - 1953: IT´S BEEN A LONG TIME BABY - LOVE MONEY CAN´T BUY - 1954: I TRIED HARD - 1955: HUG AND SQUEEZE - THE SYNDICATOR - I´M READY.
| tracks list and info | (from blueskingpins.com)
 

The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954  E
Ace CDCHD 315 (UK) (1993) - Flair V2 1Z-39658 (US) (1994)
A cross section of the original Modern 78´s - actually 1948-1953 - with several classic early hits - simply a must if you want his definitive early singles tracks. The very best of vintage Hooker - 24 classics! CD is compiled by Ray Topping with a  nice inlay comments by Dave Sax (of September, 1991) and backcover images of early Modern singles (one of them showing the original 78 rpm spelling of "Sally May").

Note: The image right is the Japanese P-Vine CD 3035, "The Great John Lee Hooker" (which has the cover of Hooker's Crown album of 1963 and the same runnning order as the Ace/Flair 24 CD).
| Comprehensive Details |
  

Half A Stranger  E
Mainstream MDCD 903 (UK) (1991)
In some ways the best of the Modern compilations - if you want good sound - with original, high class (unedited) masters of 1948-1955, including several titles from Hooker´s later Detroit "folk" period and a couple of alternates - get it - 18 super titles (12 of them not on the above - and several from 1954-55)! Darryl Stolper and Stewart Humphries provided liner information. The CD is prepared by Kevin Gray in Burbank, Calif.
Tracks: BAD BOY - ROCK HOUSE BOOGIE - THE SYNDICATOR - I LOVE YA BABY (aka I Love You Baby) - BABY, I´M GONNA MISS YOU - HALF A STRANGER - SHAKE HOLLER & RUN - DOWN CHILD - GONNA BOOGIE - BABY YOU AIN´T NO GOOD - LOOKIN´ FOR A WOMAN (without oberdub) - HUG & SQUEEZE - I´M IN THE MOOD (alt. one-voice) - HOUSE RENT BOOGIE - CRAWLING KING SNAKE - BOOGIE CHILLEN - QUEEN BEE - HOBO BLUES.
 

House Rent Boogie
Ace CDCHD 799 (UK) (2001)
A great CD, featuring 24 Modern and Besman tracks (mostly late Bihari-productions, but also some other early Besman titles). A never-before-issued alternate of "I´m In The Mood" with dubbed harmonica (prob. not Hooker - although the sleeve says so) and several alternates plus some never-on-a-legal-CD-issued titles from 1953-54. A must for a true Hooker collection! Great liner notes by Ray Topping, who also compiled this CD.
Tracks: HOUSE RENT BOOGIE (alt tke) · SALLY MAE (original single version) · NOBODY TO TALK TO ME (aka MEAN OLD TRAIN) · NUMBERS BLUES (the original Besman cut of "Playin´ The Numbers") · BUILD MYSELF A CAVE (alt tke) · ROLL 'N' ROLL · ANYBODY SEEN MY BABY · HOW CAN YOU DO IT · KEY TO THE HIGHWAY (alt version with less overdub) · I GOT EYES FOR YOU · BLUE BIRD BLUES · I GOT EYES FOR YOU (alt tke 2) · I'M IN THE MOOD (with harmonica) · LOVE MONEY CAN'T BUY · IT'S STORMIN' AND RAININ' · LET'S TALK IT OVER (1954 version recorded 1951) · IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME BABY · I TRIED HARD · YOU RECEIVE ME · TAXI DRIVER · BABY YOU AIN'T NO GOOD · HALF A STRANGER · HUG AND SQUEEZE · I'M READY.
 

Original Folk Blues - Plus
Ace/Flair* CDCHM 530 (1994)
Kent´s original 1964 album, plus six interesting bonus tracks, (several tracks are on the above two though) - total tracks: 18. Compiled by Ted Carroll with the Kent LP original liner notes and cover.
Tracks: BOOGIE CHILLEN - QUEEN BEE - CRAWLIN´ KING SNAKE - WEEPING WILLOW BOOGIE - WHISTLIN´ & MOANIN´ BLUES - SALLY MAE (LP version) - I NEED LOVE SO BAD - LET´S TALK IT OVER ("One More Time" of 1949) - THE SYNDICATOR - LET YOUR DADDY RIDE (alt) - DRIFTING FROM DOOR TO DOOR - BABY I´M GONNA MISS YOU. Bonus: COLD CHILLS - COOL LITTLE CAR - I WONDER LITTLE DARLING - JUMPE ME ONE MORE TIME - LOCKIN´ FOR A WOMAN (with overdub) - RIDE ´TIL I DIE.
 

Note: If you possess the CDs above you have all the original Modern singles (and Crown LP titles) except "No Friend Around" (which is issued on the Capitol 3CD as "TB´s Killing Me"), "Rock Me Mama" (only available on the GreeneBottle LP today) and "It Hurts Me So" (available on UK Demon Fiend CD 154 "The Detroit Lion" and on the "Boogie Chillen´" CD below) - and not "Looking For Romance" from Kent (only available on the GreeneBottle LP today as "Movin On Down The Line" and in an alternate as "Streets Is Filled With Women" on the Capitol 3CD). The Body & Soul issues (see below) contain all Hooker´s Besman Detroit recordings, including all alternates (see Besman-issued below) and the ones from the GreeneBottle LP "Johnny Lee" (except "Numbers Blues" from Ace CDCHD 799, by technical mistake "Shake Holler & Run", plus the unedited "Baby, I Prove My Love To You" and its Fortune harmonica dubbed version).
  

Boogie Chillen´
Audio Fidelity AFZ 005 (March, 2003)
This is the only album (except for the Rhino issues) with the original spelling of "Boogie Chillen´". It contains 20 1948-1954 tracks, of which 11 are featured on "The 40th Anniversary Album" ("The Detroit Lion") - including "It Hurts Me So" and the rest are to be found on the Mainstream "Half A Stranger" CD. This is a perfect buy if you haven´t got any of those two! Personnel listings on this CD include Eddie Burns, gtr & hca, Sylvester Cotton and Andrew Dunham, gtrs plus Bernard Besman, pno/organ. The guitarists are mentioned on earlier albums produced by Besman during the 1970s (information probably from there - and not completely correct). All of the tracks are recorded at United Sound (with Joe Siracuse as engineer - and the sound is simply terrific - probably taken from the original acetates). Darryl Stolper has the liner notes and Steve Hoffman noted as compilation producer. Production under license from Pure Music. Note: Check the Detroit discography for retitlings! Some of the retitlings have been retitled again!
Tracks: HEY, ´S THE HOUSE RENT BOOGIE - I´M IN THE MOOD (alt.one-voice) - DO MY BABY THINK OF ME? - I´M GONNA GIT ME A WOMAN - FOUR WOMEN IN MY LIFE - YES, BABY, BABY (re-retitled) - LET´S TALK IT OVER (ONE MORE TIME) - BABY, HOW CAN YOU DO IT? - BLUEBIRD, TAKE A LETTER DOWN SOUTH (retitled) - BOOGIE CHILLEN´ - IT HURTS ME SO - DOWN CHILD - GONNA BOOGIE - BAD BOY - BABY, IM GONNA MISS YOU - HALF A STRANGER - ROCK HOUSE BOOGIE - BABY, YOU AIN´T NO UGLY GOOD (re-retitled) - LOOKIN´ FOR A WOMAN - THE SYNDICATOR.
 

Alternative Boogie: Early Studio Recordings, 1948-1952  E
Capitol CD 33912-2 (3-set) (1995)
A whole bunchful of early studio Besman-recordings 1948-1952, mostly alternates of Modern titles - here in super sound quality. This is United Artists´ "Coast To Coast Blues Band" and the 3LP-set "John Lee Hooker´s Detroit" in one wonderful package - total number of tracks: 49 plus 7 from Hooker´s Besman-recordings for Galaxy in California, 1961 (the only ones issued on CD by the way). Perfect sound on most and a true collector´s gem and in-depth track analyzis by Pete Welding. Get it! Among the great tracks: "Lord Taketh My Baby Away" (originally "Decoration Day Blues"), "Johnny Lee´s Original Boogie" (that´s an alternate of "Boogie Chillen´"), "Throw My Money Around" (an alternate of "How Can You Do It") and "TB´s Killing Me" (originally "No Friend Around"). You'll also find the origingal version of "Sally May" (as "There's A Day Comin' Baby".
| Comprehensive Details | 
 
 

Everybody´s Blues  E
Specialty SPCD 7035 (US), Ace CDCHD 474 (UK) (1993)
Besman 1950-1951 - 8 tracks - plus 12 tracks from Hooker´s two Specialty sessions by Joe Siracuse and Johny Vincent of 1954 (mostly US unissued, but it also includes the single "I´m Mad" and some from the Sonet/Specialty vinyl of  Europe - only "I Do Like A Please" is missing). Tracks presented in chronological order. If you have this and the next CD, you don´t need "Blues Brother" on Ace/Specialty. This is a must - since it features the rare 1954 Specialty tracks with Hooker accompanied by a full combo. Liner notes by Billy Vera, 1991. 10 tracks from this CD plus 5 from the next are to be found on the Specialty CD SPCD-30053 "Specialty Profiles" (which also has a a 10-track bonus CD including samples from other Specialty Profiles (issued in early 2006).
| Comprehensive Details | 
  
 

Graveyard Blues  E
Specialty SPCD 7018 (US), Ace CDCHD 421 (UK) (1992)
Besman 1948-1950 - 20 tracks in chronology prior to the eight above; with several from Sensation 78´s (including several alternates of his Modern tracks). Listen to a.o. "Boogie Chillen #2" and the original "Burnin´ Hell". On this and "Everybody´s Blues" you´ll find the tracks from his two Specialty LPs "Alone" and "Goin´ Down Highway 51". Note that the alternates here are not issued on the Capitol 3CD set - which means: If you want the full Besman discography you´ll need the Modern/Ace CDs, both of the Specialty/Ace CDs and the 3CD-Capitol set. Both the above CDs are very essential! Same liner notes as on the above.
| Comprehensive Details | 
 
 

To complete your Besman collection you´ll have to purchase his vinyl:
Johnny Lee
GreeneBottle GBS 3130 (2LP-set) (1972)
which can´t be find on CD, but includes several alternate masters of titles included in "Alternative Boogie", a.o. "My Own Boogie" (one of several alternates of "Hoogie Boogie"), "Jump Chillun" (an alternate of "Boogie Chillen #2"), "Please Have Mercy", an alternate of "Tease Me Baby", and several other rarities not on Modern, Capitol or Specialty. This double-LP was issued after the two Specialty LPs of 1971 ("Alone" and "Goin'  Down Highway 51", also comprising early Sensation singles) and the first United Artists LP, "Coast To Coast Blues Band" of 1972 - but before the second United Artists LP (the triple-album "John Lee Hooker's Detroit", issued in 1973), which just like this also had some Galaxy/Besman recordings of 1961. Hooker made three issued takes of several Besman classics, and here you have some of the late-found alternates. The GreeneBottle LP also includes several never-issued titles 1949-1952 (a.o. the unedited version of "It´s My Own Fault", titled "Baby, I Prove My Love To You") plus a couple of California-Besman 1961´s. Album concept by David L. Edwards.
| Tracks (Jarlvik's site) |  (tracks at jlhvinyl)
 

 
Alternate Besman compilations:
 

40th Anniversary Album  /  The Detroit Lion
DCC DZS 042 (US) (1989); Demon CD 154 (UK) (1990)
Originally the "40th Anniversary Album" on DCC LP 054. It has 14 interesting Besman cuts of 1948-1952 (including a couple of alternate Modern titles - several simply retitled). The CD has a perfect sound and also includes one  track from Besman´s 1961 California session. Liner notes by Besman himself. Note: Check the Detroit discography for retitlings! Tracks: Hey, ´S The House Rent Boogie - I´m In The Mood - Baby How Can You Do It? - Let´s Talk It Over - Yes, Baby, Baby, Baby - I Got The Key - Four Women In My Life - Do My Baby Think Of Me? - I´m Gonna Git Me A Woman - It Hurts Me So - Bluebird, Bluebird, Take A Letter Down South - Boogie Chillen - Hello Baby, This Is 19 and 52, Babe - Blues For Abraham Lincoln (1961).
 
 
Blues Brother
Ace CDCHD 405 (1992)
24 vintage Besman / Sensation tracks including tracks from the original Besman session of September, 1948 and all his Sensation singles. You don´t need this if you have the other two Ace / Specialty CDs, but it is an interesting compilation if you are interested in the very early Besman recordings 1948-1951. The tracks come from Hooker's two Specialty LPs of the ealry 1970s with dates of recording (although not always correct). Tracks: Boogie Chillen - Rollin´ Blues - I Need Lovin´ - Grinder Man - Women In My Life - My Baby´s Got Something - Momma Poppa Boogie - Sailing Blues - Graveyard Blues - Huckle Up Baby - Alberta - Boogie Chillen #2 - Three Long Years Today - Do My Baby Think Of Me - Burnin´ Hell - Goin´ On Highway 51 - Sail On Little Girl - Alberta Part 2 - Find Me A Woman - Hastings Street Boogie - Canal Street Blues - War Is Over (Goodbye California) - Henry´s Swing Club.

Don´t Turn Me From Your Door - JLH Sings His Blues  E
Atco/Atlantic CD 7-82365-2 (1992)
Ten great DeLuxe (Henry Stone produced) pseudonym Booker recordings of 1953, plus Atco / Henry Stone 1961, with a total of 16 super tracks. An essential "no-contract" album, containing all sixteen tracks from Atlantic´s LP "Detroit Special", (that´s 4 more than the original Atco LP named "Don´t Turn Me From Your Door"). You´ll find ""Pouring Down Rain" and its alternate "Wobbling Baby" from 1953, "Drifting Blues" and "You Lost A Good Man" from 1961, and the two mistitled instrumentals of unknown birth date. Liner notes by Pete Lowry from the Atlantic bonus LP of 1972 (not from the original Atco LP of 1963). In April, 2006 Collectables reissued the original Atco album with 12 tracks on COL CD 7703.
| Comprehensive Details |
   
   

I´m A Boogie Man - The Essential Masters (1948-1953) E
Varese Vintage DeLuxe CD 302066571-2 (September, 2004)  check it out! (with track listing)
The old King LP "Sings Blues", later titled "Moanin´ And Stompin´" on other compilations, comprising original Joe Von Battle recordings of 1948-1950 (the very first recordings actually Elmer Barbee productions, sold to Battle) - here though with all 16 original titles (as on the Polydor LP "Slim´s Stomp" - without the dubbed drums on track 11 and 16 and no echo effects). The 2004 Varese CD has all 16 tracks in chronological order plus three rare Battle De-Luxe tracks of 1953 including the never-issued before "My Baby Left Me". Hooker mostly calls himself "Poor Johnny" - not "Slim". It´s a great compilation produced by Cary E. Mansfield of Varese Sarabande and Bill Dahl (the latter also wrote the nice liner notes. Get it!
Track order:
1. Black Man Blues 2. Who’s Been Jiving You 3. Poor Joe 4. Stomp Boogie 5. The Numbers 6. Devil’s Jump 7. Nightmare Blues 8. I’m Gonna Kill That Woman 9. Wandering Blues 10. Don’t Go Baby 11. Late Last Night 12. Moaning Blues 13. Slim’s Stomp 14. Heart Trouble Blues 15. Thinking Blues 16. Don’t You Remember Me 17. I Came To See You Baby 18. I’m A Boogie Man 19. My Baby Left Me (originally unissued).
 
The CD is also issued with lesser titles on Ember/King EMBCD 3356 (with the echo effects and dubbeld drums) and there is an alternate CD titled "Boogie Chillen" which has several Modern tracks stacked together with the undubbed Texas Slim tracks. Especially enjoy the first true Joe Von Battle pirate recordings of August, 1949 and the two Idessa Malone productions of "Thinking Blues" and "Don´t You Remember Me" - by the way the title of the UK Charly issue of this album - reissued recently on King Masters 6009. "Don´t ..."  and "Late..." have the dubbed drums most later CDs. No liner notes on the Pulse CD. Note: If you can´´t find any of the above - then try: "I'm The Boogie Man" on Collectables COL-CD-2877 which has 15 of the 16 tracks and the dubbed drums! (see Anthologies below).

Savoy Blues Legends - Detroit 1948-1949
Savoy Jazz-Atlantic CD 92910-2 (1999); reissued on Savoy 17078 (2002)
Hooker´s fine - very early (and hard-to-find CD) Elmer Barbee recordings - most of them sold to Joe Von Battle, who re-sold them to Savoy (with some singles issued on Regent, Acorn and Chance - where he used his several pseudonyms, including Birmingham Sam, Delta John, The Boogie Man, and John Lee Booker). The CD comprises 20 tracks previously issued on KrazyKat and Savoy LPs - plus a couple of bootlegs, including "Low Down Midnite Boogie", "Goin´Mad Blues", his The Boogie Man single "Do The Boogie" and the by-then-unissued "Boogie Woogie" and "Grievin´ Blues". Hooker capitalizing on his "Boogie Chillen´" new-found fame. This CD is a must if you want his very early "pirate" recordings, where John calls himself "Alabama Slim", "Poor Slim" or just "Slim" on several titles.
Note: All of the tracks issued on the 2CD-set METRDCD532 ("Early Years - The Classic Savoy Sessions", which also features the c:a 1961 Savoy tracks - see below).
Tracks on Blues Legends:
Low Down Midnite Boogie - Grievin´ Blues - Twister Blues - Like A Woman - Landing Blues - Goin´ Home Blues - Shady Grove Blues - Boogie Woogie - Good Business - Mercy Blues - Helpless Blues - Goin´ Mad Blues - Morning Blues - Boogie Awhile - Tuesday Evening Blues - Miss Pearl Boogie - Road Trouble - 609 Boogie - Christmas Time Blues - Do The Boogie.
  

Gotham Golden Classics - The Rare Recordings
Collectables CD COL  5151 (1998)
Hooker´s eleven recordings for Gotham 1950-51 (Detroit - prob. Joe Von Battle productions), including Idessa Malone´s two superb productions for Staff ("Wandering Blues" and "House Rent Boogie") plus his "John Lee" & "Johnny Williams" pseudonyms directly for Gotham. I personally am not that impressed by the things he did directly for Gotham, so this is a CD for the "fanatic" collector. If you want bonus tracks by Eddie Burns and Baby Boy Warren - then get the Krazy Kat CFLY CD 23 "Detroit Blues" or the Hooker/Burns Collectables CD 5316 "Detroit Blues, 1950-51".  Check it
 
 

 
  The Danceland Years

 
The Danceland Years
Pointblank CD40116-2  (1995)
A various artists album, which Includes five rare Elmer Barbee recordings of 1949. Hooker tracks: Wayne county ramblin´ blues - Cotton pickin´ boogie - 1949 Grievin´ blues Pt.1 - Six o´nine boogie (take1) - Six o´nine boogie (take2) - tjhe two version actually the same take and issued on Chance 1122 as "609 Boogie".
 

Pre-review
 
Order from amazon.com
 
Shout!Factory

32 tracks on
50 Years:
John Lee Hooker Anthology
Shout!Factory 2CD
30 tracks from "HOOKER"
plus "Jealous" and "Boogie at Russian Hill"
CD 826663-1128
issued February 2009

HOOKER       E   - The best JLH collection
 - 4cd BOX-SET on Shout! Factory (US) out on October 31, 2006   Catalog #: 826663-10198
 

- Blue Label/SPV SPV 95940 (Europe 2009 -  standard format 4CD-set - 32 page inlay)
 
The truly ultimate Hooker Box, covering his whole career!   Just get it! The ones who produced this set (including daughter Zakyia) simply knew what to include (seems they have checked this site). Great work - and congrats!!!! The inlay booklet of 60 pages is simply terriric - with lots of new rare photos and a great presentation of Hooker's life and music - very good, Ted Drozdowski. From the Shout! pre-view: "The set was compiled by Shawn Amos and Patrick Milligan with invaluable assistance from Zakiya Hooker, Executor-Trustee and Eugene Skuratowicz, Estate Manager of the John Lee Hooker Estate. Music journalist Ted Drozdowski wrote comprehensive liner notes, which delve into Hooker’s Mississippi and African influences, and follow his career through its many achievements and accolades up to his death in 2001." The discographical information of the cuts is a very sincere try to get the dates correct. At the end of the booklet you'll find a nice "Select Album Discography" listing Hooker's original albums - just one comment here: the album on Crown 5353 is titled "The Great" (not "The Original"; the "Original Folk Blues" was a Kent LP 5055 issued in 1964) - the Savoy LP "Southern Blues" from ca 1979, wich features one side of early Hooker recordings, is missing; and the Tomato CD from 1989 is a live recording from Chicago with Albert King (featuring five Hooker tracks). Well - a really  well-planned issue  - a dream come true - with almost the identical tracks to my "Anniversary - phantasy" set! The Gene Deitch recordings done in 1951. "Don't You Remember Me" is the original undubbed version. "Baby You Ain't No Good" is from Crown's LP "Folk Blues" (not "The Great", and "Notoriety Woman" is the original single - never issued on a regular CD. "I Cover The Waterfront" on CD2 is the brassdubbed version. "Bluebird" from 1974 has the horns recorded with the rhtyhm (not later dubbed).

From amazon reviews: 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. Beyond the influential hits--"Dimples," "Boom Boom," and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" among them--the set shows his music touching on everything from religion ("Moses Smote the Water," "We're All God's Chillen") to sociopolitical commentary ("Democrat Man," "King of the World"). Even so, sensual pleasure remained his prime inspiration, and few bluesmen have made sex and liquor sound as sexy and intoxicating as Hooker did. Included are selections from his career revivals spurred by disciples (1970's teaming with Canned Heat, 1989's Grammy-winning collaborations with Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, and others), but the most powerful Hooker is the earlier stuff that cuts closest to the bone. It may be surprising that it has taken Hooker this long to be memorialized with a comprehensive box set, but when you consider how many labels he recorded for (almost all of which he outlived) and under how many different names (Texas Slim, Johnny Williams, et al.), it’s quite an achievement that this set even exists. --Don McLeese

 

HOOKER   - 4cd-BOX-SET on Shout! Factory (US)   - issued October 31, 2006   Catalog #: 826663-10198   Note: (revised recording dates) Disc One - Detroit: 1. Boogie Chillen' (9/48)  2. Sally Mae (9/48)  3. Black Man Blues - Texas Slim (11/48)  4. Hobo Blues (9/48)  5. Hoogie Boogie (2/49)  6. Weeping Willow Boogie (7/49)  7. Crawlin' King Snake (9/48)  8. Driftin' From Door To Door (9/48)  9. Catfish Blues (1951) 10. Moses Smote The Water (1951)  11. Huckle Up Baby (12/49)  12. Wandering Blues - Texas Slim (8/49)  13. Don't You Remember Me - Texas Slim (3/50)  14. Notoriety Woman (4/50)  15. Let Your Daddy Ride (2/50)  16. John L's House Rent Boogie (11/50)  17. Bumble Bee Blues - Johnny Williams (1950)  18. Leave My Wife Alone - John Lee Booker (4/51)  19. Just Me And My Telephone (4/51) 20. I'm In The Mood (8/51)  21. Blues For Big Town (1952)  22. Stuttering Blues - John Lee Booker (7/53)  23. Down Child (1953)  24. Boogie Rambler (5/54)  25. Baby You Ain't No Good (1954)  26. I'm Ready (1955) Disc Two - Chicago: 1. Dimples (3/56)  2. Every Night (3/56)  3. I'm So Excited (3/57)  4. I Love You Honey (6/58)  5. Tupelo Blues (4/59)  6. I Need Some Money (2/60)  7. Democrat Man (2/60)  8. No More Doggin' (2/60)  9. Gonna Use My Rod (2/60)  10. Whiskey And Wimmen (3/60)  11. No Shoes (3/60)  12. We're All God's Chillun - Sir John Lee Hooker (7/60)  13. I'm Goin' Upstairs (1/61)  14. Teachin' The Blues (7/61)  15. You Lost A Good Man (7/61)  16. Don't Turn Me From Your Door (7/61)  17. When My First Wife Quit Me (c. 1961)  18. Boom Boom (12/61)  19. She's Mine (12/61)  20. Frisco Blues (1962)   21. Birmingham Blues (1963)  22. Big Legs Tight Skirt (1964)  23. It Serves Me Right To Suffer (1964)  24. I'm Losin' You (11/64)  25. I Cover The Waterfront (11/64) Disc Three - Coast to Coast: 1. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (5/66)  2. Let's Go Out Tonight (5/66)  3. Bottle Up And Go (11/65)  4. Let's Make It - Live (10/62) 5. King Of The World (10/65)  6. I'm Bad Like Jesse James - Live (8/66)   7. Think Twice Before You Go (11/67)  8. Mean Mean Woman (9/68)  9. Burning Hell - John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat (5/70)  10. Peavine - John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat (5/70)  11. I Got My Eyes On You - John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat (5/70)  12. Doin' The Shout (11/70)  13. Bluebird (5/74)  14. Early One Morning (1982)  15. We'll Meet Again (1986)  16. Loving People (1991) Disc Four - Frisco: 1. Baby Lee - John Lee Hooker & Robert Cray (10/87)  2. I'm In The Mood - John Lee Hooker & Bonnie Raitt (4/88)  3. The Healer - John Lee Hooker & Carlos Santana (4/88)  4. Mr. Lucky - John Lee Hooker & Robert Cray (1991)  5. I Cover The Waterfront - John Lee Hooker & Van Morrison (4/90)  6. This Is Hip - John Lee Hooker & Ry Cooder (5/91)  7. Bottle Up And Go - John Lee Hooker & John Hammond (1990)  8. Same Old Blues Again - John Lee Hooker & Robert Cray (1991)  9. Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker & Jimmie Vaughan (8/92)  10. Chill Out (Things Gonna Change) - John Lee Hooker & Carlos Santana (4/91)  11. Tupelo (7/93)  12. Kiddio - John Lee Hooker & Charles Brown (1994)  13. Dimples - John Lee Hooker & Los Lobos (9/96) 14. Don't Look Back - John Lee Hooker & Van Morrison (4/96)  15. Up And Down - John Lee Hooker & Johnnie Johnson (5/91)  16. Mean Mean World - John Lee Hooker & Zakiya Hooker (1991)  17. Boogie Chillen' - John Lee Hooker & Eric Clapton (6/98)

The Ultimate Collection
(2CD)



The Very Best of

 
 

Gold (2CD)

The Definitive Collection

Gold    - Nice chronology for the beginner
Hip-O (Universal) CD 85900-2 (2-set) (April 2007)   or
The Definitive Collection 
Hip-O (Universal) CD 6127-02 (May 2006)
A very interesting "best-of", 35-track chronological collection, covering the whole of Hooker's career. The "Definitive.." has 5 Modern, 3 Chess, 2 Vee-Jay, 1 Impulse, 2 later Chess, 4 BluesWay, 1 Liberty/EMI, and 2 Chameleon. Only one thing: I would have preferred some more Vee-Jays instead of one early Chess and two of the BluesWays. Otherwise a perfect issue for one, who wants to start a Hooker collection."Burning Hell"  from 1970 has an one-minute-and-a-half studio chat introduction. The inley booklet has several wonderful photos and an essay by Colin Escott. CD produced by Andy McKaie. Discographical information based on Fancourt's discography (some session dates incorrect).

The 2-set CD-set, "Gold",  issued a year later (in April 2007) has 15 more tracks, all i chronological order (see tracks list below), and includes several of Hooker's absolute best , although almost all of them also are on the "Hooker" 4CD box-set.  McKaie producer here too, but Bill Dahll does the essay. Great photos here too (and same discographical errors).  CD 000859002

1.		CD 1 Boogie Chillen	11.		Walkin' The Boogie - (alternate)
2.		Sally Mae	12.		Sugar Mama
3.		Hobo Blues	13.		Bluebird Blues
4.		Crawlin' King Snake	14.		It's My Own Fault
5.		Huckle Up Baby	15.		Baby Lee
6.		John L's House Rent Boogie	16.		Dimples
7.		Louise	17.		I Love You Honey
8.		Leave My Wife Alone	18.		I Need Some Money
9.		I'm In The Mood	19.		No Shoes
10.		Baby, Please Don't Go	20.		Boom Boom
1.		CD 2 Big Legs, Tight Skirt	9.		Back Biters And Syndicators
2.		It Serves You Right To Suffer	10.		Burning Hell - (featuring Canned Heat)
3.		Shake It Baby	11.		Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive (71)
4.		One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer	12.		Red House
5.		Waterfront, The	13.		Healer, The - (featuring Carlos Santana)
6.		I'm Bad Like Jesse James	14.		I'm In The Mood - (featuring Bonnie Raitt)
7.		Motor City Is Burning, The	15.		Tupelo (1993)
8.		Think Twice Before You Go

Tracks on "The Definitive Collection":
1.Boogie Chillen 2.Hobo Blues 3.Crawlin' King Snake 4.John L's House Rent Boogie 5.Leave My Wife Alone 6.I'm in the Mood 7.Walkin' the Boogie 8.Sugar Mama 9.Dimples 10.Boom Boom 11.It Serves You Right to Suffer 12.One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer 13.The Waterfront 14.I'm Bad Like Jesse James 15.The Motor City Is Burning 16.Think Twice Before You Go 17.Backbiters and Syndicaters 18.Burning Hell 19.The Healer 20.I'm in the Mood.
 

Early Years -The Classic Savoy Sessions  E
Metro Double METRDCD532  (2CD UK) (April 2004)
Two interesting albums in one! The first CD covers Hooker´s fine - very early (and hard-to-find) Elmer Barbee recordings - most of them sold to Joe Von Battle, who re-sold them to Savoy (with some singles issued on Regent, Acorn and Chance - where he used his several pseudonyms, including Birmingham Sam, Delta John, The Boogie Man, and John Lee Booker). The CD comprises 20 tracks previously issued on KrazyKat and Savoy LPs - plus on a couple of bootlegs, including "Low Down Midnite Boogie", "Goin´Mad Blues", his The Boogie Man single "Do The Boogie" and the by-then-unissued "Boogie Woogie" and "Grievin´ Blues". Hooker capitalizing on his "Boogie Chillen´" new-found fame. Identical to Savoy Jazz/Atlantic 20 tracks CD "Savoy Blues Legends". The second CD is identical to "Sittin' Here Thinkin'" on 32Blues and Muse with twelve rare recordings from a Savoy session with rhythm accomp. produced by Fred Mendelsohn of circa 1961 (also issued on French Vogue and Muse as "Sad And Lonesome" although the latter are harder to find). These recordings were long due before the original LP came in the late 1970s, but here you´ll also find his Eddie Kirkland accompanied "When My Wife Quit Me" together with the original album tracks like "Teasin´ Me" and "I Bought You A Brand New Home". Information on the recording dates not fully correct - but still a try on it. If you find this 2CD-set you dont need the Savoy/Atlantic CD and not the 32Blues (Muse) CD. 14 of the tracks issued on a Savoy Jazz CD of 2004, titled Low Down Midnite Boogie (Savoy 17356), with nine from the 1961 session.
| Check details | at UnionSquare Music
  

The Boogie Man
Charly CD DIG 5 (4-set UK)   (1994)
Compiled by Les Fancourt (and produced by Fancourt and Charly boss Joop Visser). Simply great! - although mostly familiar Vee-Jay and Chess, but also several very rare ones - spanning his prime period 1948-1966. A super CD "book/box" digipac with several nice photos . Total number of tracks: 80 - handpicked!. Deleted in catalogue nowadysm, but it´s a gem for a true Hooker fan - and has the full-instrumental accompanied version of "Mama You Got A Daughter" of 1958 as an interesting rare feature plus the live bootleg Muddy Waters accompanied 1960 Newport recordings and several 1960s Fortune tracks (which truly are rare), plus a.o. his German 1962 "American Folk Blues Festival" recordings (by the way very fine ones - wonder why they didn't include "King of the World" from the 1965 Festival?).

The four CDs in the book-digipac are titled "House Rent Boogie" (from the Staff recording 1950), "Walkin' The Boogie" (from the Chess 1954 single), "Boogie Chillun" (from the Vee-Jay recording of 1959), and "This Is Hip" (from the originally unissued Vee-Jay recording of 1963)
 
| track listings |

 

Rare Hooker
Charly CDGR 176  (1996)
A very interesting compilation of 20 tracks, featuring 1948-1950 rare Barbee and other pirate Detroit recordings of 1948-1950 - including the rare "Prison Bound" and "Bumble Bee Blues" and Chance singles of the early ´50s. It also has three alternate early VeeJay recordings (56-443, 57-635 and 58-929) missing on the Charly "Vee-Jay Years"-box set (two of them later featured on "Testament"), rare 1960 Fortunes; plus the live bootleg recordings with Muddy Waters´ band of that year. The CD is also issued as the first of three on "Trilogy" Hearts of Darkness / Dressed to Kill  DTKBOX90 (3-set) (1998), which is and anthology of 64 tracks 1948-1964. The other two discs comprise the tracks of Charly CD 62 "House Rent Boogie" and the tracks feeatured on the Charly CD "Dimples" (issued on SNAP 022 - both featuring Vee-Jay classics issued several times before. Get it for CD One if you cant find "The Rare.."!
| check the tracks! |

 

I'm The Boogie Man - The Very Best of
Collectables COL-CD-2877  (June 2004)
23 interesting King/Federal/DeLuxe tracks (15 of the 16 Texas Slim tracks, 3 rare Battle tracks of 1953 plus 5 Henry Stone produced records issued on Atco) in a wonderful package. If you dont have any of the "Dont You Remember Me" tracks from Battle's King-recordings and not the Atco "Don't Turn Me From Your Door" CD - then GET THIS! "Black Man Blues" (here though titled "Black Man's Blues"), "I'm Gonna Kill That Woman", *Real, Real Gone" and "Stutterin' Blues" are among the recordings on this album. There are also three hard-to-find late DeLuxe recordings with a big surprise - Never issued before: "My Baby Left Me" - from Battle's Detroit recording session of September, 1953 (with Eddie Kirkland, second guitar). So for the really deep Hooker fan - this is a MUST! Of Hooker´s 16 Texas Slim tracks only "Wandering Blues" is missing. "Don' t You Remember Me" has the dubbed drums.    | check it |
Tracks: I'm The Boogie Man (originally titled I'm A Boogie Man - see Varese CD above) - Lovin' Guitar Man - Real, Real Gone - Stutterin' Blues - My Baby Don't Love Me - Don't You Remember Me - Slim's Stomp (wrongly co-credited: aka Stomp Boogie) - My Baby Left Me (previously unissued) - The Numbers - Don't Go Baby - Late Last Night - I Came To See You Baby - Who's Been Jivin' You - Black Man's Blues - I'm Gonna Kill That Woman - I Ain't Got Nobody (aka Blue Monday) - Thinking Blues - Poor Joe - Nightmare Blues - Heart Trouble Blues - Moaning Blues - Devil's Jump - Unissued, Untitled Instrumental (actually Stomp Boogie).
Tracks 1 & 12: Johnny Lee -  Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5 & 16: John Lee Booker - Tracks 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23: Texas Slim - Track 8  previously unissued - Tracks 13 & 18 were first released on King LP.

Note. Collectables issued a 3CD-set in September, 2008, titled "Only the Best of JLH", featuring their CDs "Don't Turn Me From Your Door", "Gotham Golden Classics" and the above.
  

No Friend Around
Red Lightnin´ CD RL 0093 (UK) (1993)
14 rare tracks originally issued on a bootleg Advent LP and reissued on the half-bootleg Red Lightnin´ R.L.003 LP in 1969. The CD is also issued as "Black Man Blues" on another CD (which has an alternate cover - whith the image from the original LP). The album has 8 Barbee productions, 2 Idessa Malone tracks, and 4 Besman-Modern rare waxings. Tracks: Stomp Boogie, Black Man Blues, Helpless Blues, Goin´ Mad Blues, Morning Blues, Roll N´ Roll, No Friend Around, Low Down-Midnite Boogie, House Rent Boogie, Wandering Blues, Landing Blues, My Baby´s Got Somethin´, Decoration Day Blues, Do The Boogie.
  
 

 
A PROPER Introduction to John Lee Hooker - I m In The Mood
Proper INTROCD 2038 (UK) (May, 2004)
25 early classics including most of the famous Modern tracks (and also some King and other pirate tracks).Includes 8-page booklet and a very suitable price. Tracks: 1, WAR IS OVER 2, BOOGIE CHILLEN 3, STOMP BOOGIE 4, BLACK MAN BLUES 5, GOIN' MAD BLUES 6, DRIFTING FROM DOOR TO DOOR 7, HOBO BLUES 8, HOWLIN' WOLF 9, CRAWLING KING SNAKE 10, WHISTLIN' AND MOANING BLUES 11, HOOGIE BOOGIE 12, NIGHTMARE BLUES 13, DON'T GO BABY 14, I'M GONNA KILL THAT WOMAN 15, WEEPING WILLOW BOOGIE 16, MORNING BLUES 17, NO FRIEND AROUND 18, HUCKLE UP BABY 19, QUEEN BEE 20, HOUSE RENT BOOGIE 21, WANDERING BLUES 22, WOMEN IN MY LIFE 23, I'M IN THE MOOD 24, TURN OVER A NEW LEAF 25, ROCK HOUSE BOOGIE.

 
The Boogie Man   E
Proper PROPERBOX111 (4CD box, UK), (July, 2006)
A full 98 tracks box, with recordings picked from the 1948-1955 period (including most of the above) - although concentrating on the very early ones - with Modern and pirate pseudonym recordings including most of the early singles. The package is very handsome - with a 40-page booklet and notes by Joop Visser. If you have the Body & Soul Series' 2-CD sets you don't need this. During later years several similar issues are to be found in stores, but if you just have started to get really interested in Hooker's early recordings, this is a good way to find quality sound on Hooker's first classic years. The tracks are listed chronologically - but notice: it does not include all recordings from the period - and the discography is based on Les Fancourt's original - although slightly edited (but with the same incorrect details). The CDs included in the box are titled "Boogie Chillen", "Huckle Up Baby", "Queen Bee" and "Blues For Big Town". I really like it and this CD gives me as much pleasure as the four Charly CDs comprising the first four Vee-Jay LPs.
Tracks!
 

Blues Greats
100YearsofBlues 34675 (June 2011)
20 tracks from 1950-1968 originally issued on Chess, and ABC-BluesWay-Impulse in Geffen's "Blues Greats" series.

Tracks list
  
 

for collectors)
 
  

THE COMPLETE JOHN LEE HOOKER (2CD-series on Body & Soul) Vol. 1 - Detroit 1948-49   Body & Soul 3057012, 2-set (2000) Vol. 2 - Detroit 1949   Body & Soul 3063142, 2-set (2000) Vol. 3 - Detroit 1949-1950   Body & Soul 3067872, 2-set (2001) Vol. 4 - Detroit 1950-51   Body & Soul 3074242, 2-set (2002) Vol. 5 - Detroit 1951-53   Body & Soul BS2500, 2-set (2004) Vol. 6 - Detroit - Miami 1953-54  Body & Soul BS2653, 2-set (January 2005)

Almost all of John Lee Hooker´s early recordings were issued in one form or another during the years of 2000-2004 (due to copyright endings), but this great series is the most worthwhile - the double-CDs come from France (they are the best buys although the price is somewhat high). This series is produced by Gilles Pétard (founder of the great public domain reissue label Classics) in France with liner notes by Neil Slaven in 16 page booklets (including discography) for each 2-set CD box. The series has a chronological order of recording dates and includes all of the alternates (issued on several LPs during the 1970s - see Modern and Besman issues above). Vol. 1 contains the first 46 JLH recordings (Barbee, Besman, Battle - with a total of at least nine or more different sessions) from "Rocks" and "Leavin´ Chicago" to "Crawling King Snake" and "She Ain´t Good For Nothin´" - all in an attempt of chronological order (based on the Neil Slaven discography - not the later published by Les Fancourt). Vol. 2 contains the next 46 recordings (as Neil Slaven sees it - again spannning at least eight sessions), with mostly Battle recordings (including all King titles) but also recordings made by Besman, Malone, Barbee and Fortune´s Jack Brown. Vol. 3 covers the rest of Hooker´s 1949 recordings for Besman/Modern (although the Slaven discographical details say early 1950) - at least six-seven sessions and all Hooker titles from 1950 up to "John L´s House Rent Boogie", "Queen Bee" and "Don´t You Remember Me" - again a total of 46 recordings. Vol. 4 - issued in February of 2002 - contains all his recordings starting with "You´ve Got Another Man" of November, 1950 up to the end of 1951 - again exactly 46 tracks (around six or seven sessions) including the first Chess recordings and the "I´m In The Mood" session. Vol. 5 - issued on January 12th, 2004 since there are no 46 tracks for 1952 - includes Hooker´s transition from a genuine country blues singer to a creative more "citylike" blues innovator (with the last Besman-produced Modern titles, the second Chess session, and several Bihari-produced rarities - spanning a total of around seven to eight sessions). That 2-set starts with Hooker´s duet with Eddie Burns in circa 1951, continues with the strange "I Got Drunk"-session of early 1952 and ends with JVB 30 and Modern 908 (the last track being "Please Take Me Back" of June, 1953). Distribution: Night&Day. The sixth volume, covering the rest of Hooker´s Detroit period (with several great Hooker moods), issued on January 31, 2005 (including 45 tracks with the two Atco instrumentals), has the four Fortune recordings of ca 1954 missing (available on the Chess complete 50s CD). The twelve Henry Stone DeLuxe tracks are isted in the set as recorded in Miami. The original "Boogie Chillen'" appears instead of the listed "Shake Holler And Run" by mistake.

In order to find the next 22 recordings Johnnie made (except for the above mentioned Fortunes) you just have to find the album "John Lee Hoooker on Vee-Jay 1955-1958" issued in 1993 (see Vee-Jay recordings below).

Please Note: Sound quality is not the same as on several new regular CDs on Ace, MCA/Chess, Virgin, Capitol etc, since the tracks on this "public domain" series are remastered from vinyl records and not based on original studio master - but still high quality!!!
 
You simply got to get these if you´re a true Hooker Fan!
| Frank Scott´s reviews - tracks - and how to order the CDs |
 
| Track details of all the volumes |  with a chronological presentation of
THE DEFINITIVE JOHN LEE HOOKER
(with all recordings from his early and most formative Detroit Years)
| French fnac site for Hooker CDs | French amazon.com | alapage.com
 

 
 
Blues In Transition 1955 - 1959
Jasmine CD 562 2-set CD (UK) (2010)
25 of the first 28 Vee-Jay recordings 1955-59 plus all the 25 first Riverside recordings 1959 (from his two Riverside LPs "The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker" and "Burning Hell". Missing from the Vee-Jay chronology are "Unfriendly Woman", "Wheel and Deal", plus "You Can Lead Me Baby". Note that all 25 of the original 1959 Riverside tracks are included. Nice layout and a nice inside presentation by annotater Bob Fisher.
Tracks:
John Lee Hooker 1955 - 1959 on the new Jasmine 2CD-set

 

Tracks: Disc 1 Trouble Blues: 1. Dimples 2. Unfriendly woman 3. Time is marchin' 4. I'm so worried 5. Every night 6. Road is so rough 7. Trouble blues 8. Baby Lee 9. Everybody rockin' 10. I'm so excited 11. Crawlin' black spider 12. Little wheel 13. Little fine woman 14. Rosie Mae 15. You can lead me baby 16. I love you honey 17. You've taken my woman 18. Mama you got a daughter 19. Maudie 20. I'm in the mood.  Disc 2 One Way Ticket: 1. Boogie chillun 2. Hobo blues 3. Crawlin' kingsnake 4. Nightmare 5. House rent boogie 6. Drive me away 7. Sally Mae 8. Moanin' blues 9. Tupelo (live) 10. Wednesday evening blues 11. Dirty ground hog 12. Five long years 13. My first wife left me 14. I can't believe 15. Solid sender 16. Sunny land 17. I'm a stranger 18. No shoes 19. One way ticket 20. Half a stranger. Disc 3 Don´t Look Back: 1. Boom boom 2. Whiskey and women 3. Dusty road 4. I'm mad again 5. Want ad blues 6. I'm going upstairs 7. Process 8. Let's make it 9. Blues before sunrise 10. I've got a letter 11. Drugstore woman 12. Send me your pillow 13. Take a look at yourself 14. This is hip 15. I'm leaving baby 16. Birmingham blues 17. Don't look back 18. Your baby ain't sweet like mine 19. It serves me right to suffer 20. Big legs tight skirt.
Note: Issued with alternate "covers" - see images left; and sometimes listed with 61 tracks ("Serves me right" listed as track 61 - I haven´t seen any box with that extra title). Simply get this if you want any kind of Vee-Jay sample.
    

The chronological:
  
JLH on Vee-Jay 1955-1958   - Vee-Jay NVD2-713 (July, 1993)  E
Very interesting chrono album directly on the resurrected Vee-Jay label, with all of Hooker's recordings from "Unfriendly Woman" in 1955 to "You've Taken My Woman" in 1958 plus the never-before-issued 58-928 "Mama You Got A Daughter" (from the last 1958 session) with rhythm accomp. 22 great tracks! Only missing are the alternate takes of "I'm So Worried Baby" and "I See You When You're Weak". Fine liner notes by Billy Vera, who supervised the reactivated Vee-Jay vintage series. Get it (if you find it - it's hard to come by)!
| Listen to samples of the tracks | (ctsy Vee-Jay Records Official Website)
| More on this great CD (incl track listing and full length audios) |
 
 

 

The Vee-Jay Years 1955-1964
Charly CD RED BOX 6  (6-set CD Box UK) (1992)
Complete Vee-Jay chronoligical discography (almost - with a total of 126 tracks - only a couple of his entire Vee-Jay recordings are missing)! Nice booklet by Les Fancourt with discography. The CD includes all the tracks from the original albums, but in chronological order and with all the nonLP-issued tracks included.
 

But in this box (which doesn't have the titles from the original albums) there are also lots and lots of tracks not on the original Vee-Jays albums. Hard to get these days. There is a Japanese issue on Imprint CD5448-53 (6-set, which by the way even has some alternates - later issued on "Rare Hooker"). The Japanse set (titled "The Vee-Jay Box-Set" also features a Limited Edition Seven Inch Vinyl.  If you find the Charly box - you actually don´t need any other CD containing Vee-Jay tracks - out of print today though - unless you want the next bunch of interesting "collectables" and a couple of alternates.
| Comprehensive Details   |    CD by CD-list
| John Lee Hooker´s complete Vee-Jay sessions |
  

 



The first for Vee-Jay albums
reissued on Collectables CDs; and
with bonus tracks on Charly CDs...


 


 

...and the five extra Vee-Jay albums
on Collectables CDs.
 
(click on images for
full-length audios
ctsy Vee-Jay)





         

Alternate Vee-Jay collection:

Vee-Jay´s original albums reissued on Collectables CDs
- and 4 Charly CDs with bonus tracks
(Collectables Records) (2000-2001),  Charly (2000, 2003), also on:  Shout!Factory (November, 2007)
All of Hookers original Vee-Jay albums (except "The Best Of.."  which included titles previously issued on other LPs) are re-issued (with tracks as on original LPs) on nine Collectables CDs (2000-2001) - Catalogue nos. COL  7100 (I' m JLH), 7101 (Travelin'), 7102 (The Big Soul), 7103 (On Campus), 7104 (In Person), 7105 (Newport), 7106 (Burnin'), 7107 (Is He The World´s Greatest Blues Singer) and 7129 (The Folk Lore) . They include original liner notes. They are nowadays deleted in the Collectables catalogue but may still be found at dealers.  "I'm John Lee Hooker" was reissed on Shout!Factory in late 2007.
| (more information on all Vee-Jay albums) |
 
Four of the original Vee-Jay LPs are also reissued on Charly CDs with original album sleeves and containing several bonus tracks (the CDGR issues are from 2000, and the SNAP-releases are from 2003).
 
I´m John Lee Hooker  COL 7100 E
also on Charly SNAP 130 CD / CDGR 281 (ELECTRONIC STEREO) and Shout!Factory 8266631064
(including some high-quality re-makes of early Modern hits) - covering 1955-1959:
DIMPLES - HOBO BLUES - I´M SO EXCITED - I LOVE YOU HONEY - BOOGIE CHILLUN - LITTLE WHEEL - I´M IN THE MOOD - MAUDIE - CRAWLIN´ KING SNAKE - EVERY NIGHT - TIME IS MARCHING - BABY LEE.
Bonus tracks on Charly: Unfriendly Woman - I'm So Worried Baby (alt.take) - Trouble Blues - You Can Lead Me Baby.

Travelin´  COL 7101 E
also on Charly SNAP 145 CD / CDGR 284 (STEREO) - Hooker´s great album session of 1960:
NO SHOES - I WANNA WALK - CANAL STREET BLUES - RUN ON - I ´M A STRANGER - WHISKEY AND WOMMEN - SOLID SENDER - SUNNY LAND - GOIN´ TO CALIFORNIA - I CAN´T BELIEVE - I´LL KNOW TONIGHT - DUSTY ROAD.
Note: the Charly issue (available at blue storm music store) has four bonus tracks: Nightmare - Drive Me Away - Love Me All The Time - Bundle Up And Go (all from the "rehearsal" session circa 1959).
 
Burnin'   - Charly SNAP 041 CD /  CDGR 298 (STEREO) E 
BOOM BOOM - PROCESS - LOST A GOOD GIRL - A NEWLEAF - BLUES BEFORE SUNRISE - LET'SMAKE IT - I GOT A LETTER - THELMA - DRUG STORE WOMAN - KEPP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF (She's Mine) - WHAT DO YOU SAY. The 5 bonus tracks on Charly are all from the "Big Soul" LP: Old Time Shimmy - Onions - You Know I Love You - Send Me Your Pillow - Take A Look At Yourself.
 
The Folk Lore of ...   - Charly SNAP 073 CD / CDGR 300
TUPELO (live) - I'M MAD AGAIN - I'M GOING UPSTARIS - WANT AD BLUES - FIVELONG YEARS - I LIKE TO SEE YOU WALK - THE HOBO (live) - HARD-HEADED WOMAN - WEDNESDAY EVENING BLUES - TAKE ME AS I AM - MY FIRST WIFE LEFT ME - YOU'RE LOOKING GOOD TONIGHT. Bonus tracks on Charly: Maudie (live) - You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone - Dirty Ground Hog - Moanin' Blues (the last three from the Prestige session in New York 1960, purchased by Vee-Jay in 1961 - from where six of the original LP tracks also came).
 
Note: The 4 Charly CDs are issued twice (the CDGR catalogue numbers are the German issues of 2000, and the 2003 SNAP issues are from the UK of 2003 - the two releases are identical).

The Newport sessions:

Live at Newport
Vanguard VCD 79703  (2002)
17 tracks issued in 2002 (including 4 speech intros). This is the Vee-Jay "Concert At Newport" from 1963 plus two of the three Newport Vanguard/Vee-Jay cuts of 1960 (missing is the 1960 live version of "Tupelo" - but the 1963 version is there). Several of the titles have been renamed (and there is an extra alternate version of "Boom Boom" plus a previously unreleased version of "Hobo Blues" listed, which in fact is Vee-Jay's "Freight Train Be My Friend"). "You´re Gonna Need Another Favor" was originallay the title of VJ's ""You've Got To Walk Yourself" on the Dynasty LP, so in fact only one previously unissued track - not three. If you´re a fan of Hooker live without (or with spare accomp. - in this case an acoustic bass) this may be your bag.
| Tracks |
Note: The original VJ CD "Concert At Newport" (shown right) has the 1963 tracks   (listen to full-length tracks)
  

Rare and unissued and some famous:

The Hook - 20 Years of Hits & Hot Boogie - Chameleon 74794  (LP and CD)  (1989)
Covering VeeJay recordings (16 of them ). A lincensed album (first on LP but also on CD), issued just before the Chameleon "Healer" album. Some of the hits and some very rare recordings (only issued on Charly LPs earlier). The album features "Mama You Got A Daughter" is the previously unissued version with full rhythm section - here for the first time.

 | tracks |

 

The Very Best of the King of Blues Guitar
Intro (3CD) INTROTCD01 (2008)
45 tracks covering Hookers years in Detroit and Chicago - UnionSquare sampler (UK) and please note that the famous Detroit Modern titles here are reprsented by the Vee-Jay re-recordings. This means the tracks on the set are licensed from Vee-Jay and from Savoy. Nice packaging, "Hooker in the beginning", "Hooker Boogies" and "Hooker Plays the Blues" with short presentations of each track by Joe Cushley.
tracks list at AMG



 

At His Very Best
(MetroDoubles 2CD METRDCD644) (2010)
46 great Vee-Jay tracks, plus four live recordings from 1977. Licensed from Vee-Jay to UnionSquare with fine liner notes by John Crosby.
Tracks




The Essential Collection
Later in 2010 UnionSquare issued a 3CD TIN-box (METRTN014) featuring 60 tracks (with liner notes by Michael Heatley) including the live "Feel Good", previously issued on the Charly "Cream" 2CD. Tracks.

Alternate Vee-Jay compilations:
 
Don' t Look Back
Snapper SBLUE CD020 (2004)
20 great Vee-Jay tracks - new package.
Tracks: Dimples - Unfriendly Woman - Everybody Rockin' - I' m So Excited - Crawlin'   Black Spider - Little Wheel - I Love You Honey - Boogie Chillun - Hobo Blues - Moanin'  Blues - Dirty Ground Hog - My First Wife Left Me - Boom Boom - Whiskey And Wimmen - Process - Blues Before Sunrise - This Is Hip - Birmingham Blues - Big Legs Tight Skirt - Don' t Look Back.

 
The Early Years
Tomato/ Rhino CD R2 71659 (2-set) (1994/2005)
30 wonderful Vee-Jay titles plus a live version of "1 Bourbon, 1 Scotch, 1 Beer" (recorded in Chicago - and also issued on Albert King's "I'll Play The Blues For You" - Tomato CD 96142). Album is deleted from catalogue but reissued on 1CD albums (for download) with 16/15 tracks.
Disc 1: You Ain't No Big Thing - Big Legs Tight Skirts - My Grinding Mill - Whisky And Women - No Shoes - I'm So Excited - 1 Bourbon, 1 Scotch, 1 Beer - Bottle Up & Go - One Way Ticket - Half A Stranger - Lost A Good Girl - I Wanna Walk - Dimples - Lets Make It - House Rent Boogie - Baby Lee - Disc 2: Boom Boom - Old Time Shimmy - I Want To Hug You - I'm Leavin' - Good Rockin' Mamma - Dusty Road - Hard Hearted Woman - Thelma - Onions - Keep Your Hands To Yourself - I Want To Shout - Time Is Marching On - Send Me The Pillow - I Want To Ramble - I'm Going Upstairs. A third Tomato issue with 14 from the tracks above is titled "The Best of".

 
The Best of John Lee Hooker
GNP-Crescendo CD GNPD-10007 (1989)
20 of the best of the Vee-Jay years (although restricted to 1956-1962). Tracks.


This is Hip (the best of)
Recall 2CD 187 (2-set) (2000)
36 classic, mostly the best - VeeJay titles covering his whole Chicago period. This double-CD is a perfect complement to the above (only 12 of the tracks of Rhino´s are also on this one).
Tracks CD1: Dimples - Unfriendly Woman - Wheel And Deal - Time Is Marching - Baby Lee - Every Night - Stop Talking - Everybody Rockin´ - I See You When You´re Weak - I´m So Excited - Little Fine Woman - You Can Lead Me Baby - I Love You Honey - Mam, You Got A Daughter - House Rent Boogie - Maudie - I´m In The Mood - Boogie Chillun. CD2: Boom Boom - I Wanna Walk - Solid Sender - Dusty Road - No Shoes - Want Ad Blues - I´m Going Upstairs - Hard Headed Woman - I´m Mad Again - She´s Mine - Drug Store Woman - You Know I Love You - Half A Stranger - Sadie Mae - This Is Hip - I´m Leaving - It Serves Me Right To Suffer - Big Legs, Tight Skirt.
 
 
The Very Best of John Lee Hooker
Charly CPCD 82422 (2-set) (1996)
40 of the best Vee-Jay on a 2-set CD.
Tracks: 1. Mambo chillun 2. Time is marchin' 3. Dimples 4. Every night 5. Baby Lee 6. Crawlin' black spider 7. I'm so excited 8. Mama you got a daughter 9. I love you honey 10. House rent boogie 11. Trying to find a woman 12. Maudie 13. I'm in the mood 14. Boogie chillun 15. Hobo blues 16. Crawlin' kingsnake 17. Dusty road 18. No shoes 19. My first wife left me 20. Moanin' blues 21. Dirty groundhog 22. Hobo blues (2) (aka The Hobo) 23. Tupelo (live) 24. I'm goin' upstairs 25. I'm mad again 26. Want ad blues 27. What do you say 28. Boom boom 29. She's mine 30. Drugstore woman 31. You know I love you 32. Send me your pillow 33. Don't look back 34. One way ticket 35. Bottle up and go 36. This is hip 37. Half a stranger 38. Birmingham blues 39. It serves me right to suffer 40. Big legs tight skirt.
  
 
Whiskey & Wimmen
Charly R&B Masters Vol. 10  CD 081 (ca 1998)
20 great tracks.
1.Dimples 2.I Love You Honey 3.I'm So Excited 4.Whiskey And Wimmen 5.Solid Sender 6.No Shoes 7.My First Wife Left Me 8.Dirty Ground Hog 9.I'm Going Upstairs 10.I'm Mad Again 11.What Do You Say 12.Boom Boom 13.She's Mine 14.Drug Store Woman 15.Send Me Your Pillow 16.Don't Look Back 17.One Way Ticket 18.Bottle Up And Go 19.This Is Hip 20.Big Legs,Tight Skirt.

More:


20 Greatest Hits - BlueCity/Mainline CD 2652212* (ca 1991)
VeeJay hits and classics of 1955-1962.

There are also several double- and triple-CDs with VeeJay material plus uncountable bootlegs.

An interesting Vee-Jay sampler:

 
Giant of Blues - FruitTree CD 821(2CD-set) (Europe 2002)
Vee-Jay recordings packed in chronology from "Time Is Marchin'" 1955 to "It Serves Me Right To Suffer" from 1964. (40 tracks), not exactly the same as on "The Very Best of" (but almost). This box is a late issue with tracks from the "Testament" box (Charly). Nice inlay booklet with an essay by Les Fancourt. The Italian´label FruitTree is licensed from Charly.

Green image of 2CD-pack   |    Track listings

Sittin´ Here Thinkin´
32Blues CD 32134  (1999)
Twelve rare recordings from a Savoy session with rhythm accomp. produced by Fred Mendelsohn of circa 1961 - although Fancourt lists them as 1959 recordings (also issued on French Vogue and Muse as "Sad And Lonesome" although the latter are harder to find). These recordings were long due before the original LP came in the late 1970s, but here you´ll also find his Eddie Kirkland accompanied "When My Wife Quit Me" (originally issued on a various artists LP on Savoy MG 16000 of 1964) together with the original album tracks like "Teasin´ Me" and "I Bought You A Brand New Home". The "Sad And Lonesome" CDs have the original LP cover image; 32Blues has that image in the inlay liner noted (by Tom Pomposello):
Note: All of the tracks issued on the 2CD-set METRDCD532 ("Early Years - The Classic Savoy Sessions", which also features the 1948-49 Barbee recordings sold to Battle for Savoy - see above).
 
 

That´s Where It´s At!
Stax (Fantasy) SCD 4134-2 (US),  Stax CDSXE 064 (UK)  (1990)
1961 Miami recordings, prod. by Henry Stone, same session as Atco´s 1961 - but complete different tracks. This CD features the ten tracks from the Stax LP (which means the Guest/Storyville alternate rendition "Talkin´ Bout My Baby" is missing here too - although the other version is on Atlantic - "Talk About Your Baby"). You´ll find "Teachin´ The Blues", "Two White Horses", "My Love Comes Down For You", "The Grinder Man" (also issued on Stax single), and the odd "Feel So Bad". Wonder if it is Earl Hooker with his 12 string bass-guitar on all but "Feel So Bad"?
Note: There are still a couple of alternate recordings from this session unissued (planned for an deleted Ace CDCHFD 585).
| Comprehensive Details | 

 
 

Live at Sugar Hill (Volumes 1 & 2 on one CD)
Ace CDCHD 938 (UK)  (1990) or 
Boogie Chillun  (US Fantasy FCD-24706-2) (1989)
Two Frisco November, 1962 LPs on one CD containing av total of 19 tracks - the original LPs had a total of 20 tracks, originally issued on Galaxy and Fantasy. The track missing on Ace is "I Was Standing By The Wayside" from volume 1. This CD is also issued as "Boogie Chillun" on Fantasy CD 24706 - this time the track missing is "Matchbox" from volume 2 (which is a pity since it is agreat song). The Fantasy CD has some tracks listed with titles named as on the original Galaxy LP issue (check tracks links below). Some of the tracks: "TB Is Killing Me", "You Gonna Miss Me", "Driftin' Blues" and "Boogie Chillun". Hooker is alone with his guitar on this one.
| Comprehensive Details | 
 
 

Live at Sugar Hill - Vol 2
Fantasy FCD-7714-2 (2002)
19 tracks, completely different recordings from above - recorded at the same sessions   in November, 1962 (as the above) never before issued! Among the tracks: You Torture My Soul, Catfish Blues, The Things That I Used To Do, Sinner´s Prayer, That´s All Right, What´d i Say, Five Long Years.
| Tracks list and details | The Fantasy/OBC catalog |

The Best of John Lee Hooker 1965 to 1974   E
MCA MCAD-10539  (1992)
Truly the best compilation from the ABC period, including Chess, Impulse, Bluesway and ABC recordings - 16 titles. If you can´t find this one - choose from the ABC/MCA CDs titled as the LPs.
Tracks: ONE BOURBON, ONE SCOTH ONE BEER (Chess), DECORATION DAY (Impulse), BACK BITERS AND SYNDICATORS (BluesWay), DOIN´ THE SHOUT (ABC), NEVER GET OUT OF THESE BLUES ALIVE (w. Van Morrison, ABC), I´M IN THE MOOD (Chess), MR. LUCKY (BluesWay), I´M BAD LIKE JESSE JAMES (BluesWay), SHAKE IT BABY (Impulse), BLUEBIRD (ABC), THE MOTOR CITY IS BURNING (BluesWay), IT SERVES YOU RIGHT TO SUFFER (Impulse), THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU GO (BluesWay), HOUSE RENT BOOGIE (ABC), THE WATERFRONT (Chess), BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG (BluesWay).
  
       

All 18 tracks from the Ralph Bass produced 1966 session, "The Real Folk Blues" & "More Real Folk Blues - The Missing Album" in one - all produced by the legendary Ralph Bass. Great - and if you can´t find it - order the two MCA CDs named as the separate CDs. Images here with the the original European issue left and  the US issuea of 2002 and the US issue of the "Missing Album" right. Listen to the "missing ones":  "Lead Me",   "Nobody Knows", "Deep Blue Sea", "I Can´t Quit You Baby", "Mustang And GTO", "Catfish Blues", "Want Ad Blues", "This Land Is Nobody´s Land", and especially the great "House Rent Blues" (which Hooker originally recorded in fast tempo versions for Idessa Malone and Bernie Besman in late 1950 and as a "rehearsal" for Vee-Jay around 1958 and reworked in slower tempo for Besman in California in 1961 as "I Lost My Job" and re-recorded in a super-slow version for the ABC album "Endless Boogie" in late 1970). And from the earlier issued LP there is a.o. "Peace Loving Man", "Let´s Go Out Tonight" to remember. The US and UK tracks dont run in the same order on the two issues.
| The Real Folk Blues | tracks on Missing Album |
 
   

  
Live at the Café Au Go-Go (and Soledad Prison)   E
MCA Universal* MC 11537 (1996),
Two Bluesway live albums in one. 1966 (with Muddy Waters and His Chicago Blues Band) produced by Bob Thiele; and 1972 produced by Ed Michel (with his own Coast To Coast Blues Band) live performances. The CD includes the original version of "I´ll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive" and "I´m Bad Like Jesse James", plus a.o. the two superb "Heartaches And Misery" and "I Don´t Want No Trouble". The 1966 tracks from "Café Au Go-Go" are actually studio recordings with audience present (recorded August 30) and they are just wonderful -  with Hooker in a true "blues mood". If you can´t find this one - at least get the Café CD on Beat Goes On BGOCD 39 (titled "Live at Cafe au Go Go"). The 1972 tracks do not include the vocals by John Lee Hooker Jnr. (originally on the Soledad LP). Original liner notes by Stanley Dance (1967) plus new ones by Chris Morris on the Universal issue.
| Comprehensive Details | 
 
   

Free Beer And Chicken   E
BeatGoesOn CD 123*  (1991)
Johnnie´s last ABC album, recorded during May of 1974 - and Ed Michel´s last "super-prduction" for ABC. This one is simply great - in my opniion the most interesting of the ´70s albums. Listen to "Bluebird" and "Homework" (and to Joe Cockers´ guesting). The brass is undubbed, meaning the musicians where there when Hooker was there. I have not found a US release (MCA get it out!). As with most BGO-issues - no liner notes.
Track listing and complete discography (compiled by producer Ed Michel).
| album details from Rinn | 
  
   

Endless Boogie  E
MCA MCAD-10413 (US)  (1991), BGOCD 70 (UK)  (1992)
The 2-set - November 1970 recorded - album on one CD issued as a "competitive" after the Canned Heat & John Lee Hooker success in 1971. Four tracks from the original eleven are missing on the BGO issue: "House Rent Boogie" and "Doin' The Shout" (actually the two best tracks of the original album) are to be found on "The Best of John Lee Hooker 1965 to 1974" - the other two missing are "Standing At The Crossroads" and "A Sheep Out On The Foam".  The MCA CD has all eleven of the original tracks.
( track details )

 
 

Urban Blues  E
BeatGoesOn BGOCD 122 (UK)  (1991) / MCA 10760 (US)  (1993)
The original award-winning Bluesway 1967 LP, produced by Al Smith in Chicago (the MCA issue has added three bonus tracks with Earl Hooker from 1969 - previously unissued left-overs from the "If You Miss ´Im ..."-LP). Tracks: Cry before you go, Boom boom, Back biters and syndicators, Mr. Lucky, My own blues, I can´t stand to leavy you, Think twice before you go, I´m standing in line, Hot spring water pt 1-2, The motor city is burning. Bonus: I gotta go to Vietnam, Messin ´round with the blues, Hold on baby. The UK issue has the eleven original LP tracks plus "Want Ad Blues" (from a BluesWay single recorded together with the original September 26, 1967 session featuring Wayne Bennet and/or Buddy Guy guitar).
| Comprehensive Details |

   

Hooker ´N Heat  
EMI E2 97896/7 (2CD)  (1991); reissued on Mobile Fidelity (2CD) UDCD 67 (1996),
Magic Records (Fr 2CD) CD 3930232 (2002), and BeatGoesOn BGOCD694 (2005, 2009)
The best seller recorded in May, 1970 - originally issued in January, 1971 (Liberty 2LP 35002 - later reissued on Rhino 71105; plus on Rhino CDbox 11676 in 1996). The EMI CD reissue has all original album tracks. See For Miles CD SEE 232 "Hooker ´N´ Heat, Best of.. Plus" also is worthwhile and there is one "Best of Hooker ´N´ Heat" on Mobile Fidelity (2CD) UDCD 67 with all tracks. The  French reissue - digitally remastered - has one unissued extra bonus track from the session, titled "Its All Right" and has a total of 19 tracks including two versions of "Whiskey And Wimmen", the original album track and the edited 45 single version, and is the best buy (it has a slightly different cover). There are several more reissues, but not all including the original 17 tracks.
| Comprehensive Details |  
  
 
It Serves You Right To Suffer  
Beat Goes On CD 335 (UK) (1998) / MCA MCAD-12025  (1999)
Titled "It Serve You Right To Suffer" on original LP and on BGO, also on original MCA/Impulse CD 18186 (with subtitle including "Shake It Baby"). This is Hooker´s first album for the ABC-labels and produced by Bob Thiele on November 23, 1965 with a great rhythm accomp. including Barry Galbraith, Milt Hinton and Panama Francis. Listen to "Money" (aka "Money, That´s What I Want"), "Shake It Baby", "Bottle Up And Go" (in a great version) and "Country Boy". The CD includes all eight long-running tracks from the original LP (which had no ending "s" in Serves). The MCA 12025 issue has the original liner notes by Stanley Dance plus new notes by Mark Humphrey.
| It Serve You Right To Suffer |

Simply The Truth
Beat Goes on CD40 (UK)  (1991), MCA One Way MCAD-22136 (US) (1994)
Reissue of the Bluesway album, recorded during September 17-18, 1968 (not in October and not in May). Only eight tracks (but long ones), featuring Hele Rosenthal, hca and famous jazz musicians. The MCA issue has the original liner notes.
| Simply The Truth |

  

The following 34 recordings
are the "absolute musts" in your Hooker Sixties´ collection (apart from the Vee-Jay recordings)
[tracks marked * included in "HOOKER" box set]
1959:  Tupelo Blues*
1960:  Democrat Man* - I Need Some Money* - Gonna Use My Rod* (Riverside) -   We´re All God´s Chillun* (Fortune)
1961:  When My Wife Quit Me* (Savoy/Muse) - Mojo Hand (Louisiana Voo Doo) (Galaxy)
1961:  Teachin´ The Blues* - My Love Comes Down For You (Stax)
1961:  Don´t Turn Me From Your Door* - You Lost A Good Man* (Atco)
1962:  Let´s Make It (Baby)* (Brunswick) - Matchbox (Fantasy)
1964:  I´m Losin´ You* (Verve)
1965:  King Of The World* (Fontana) - Country Boy - Bottle Up And Go* - Shake It Baby (Impulse)
1966:  Let´s Go Out Tonight* - One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer* - Lead Me - House Rent Blues (Chess)
1967:  I´m Bad Like Jesse James* - Heartaches And Misery - I´ll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive (Bluesway)
1967:  Motor City Is Burning - Mr. Lucky - Hot Spring Water - My Own Blues - Think Twice Before You Go*
1968:  I Don´t Wanna Go To Vietnam  (Bluesway)
1969:  I Wanna Be Your Puppy Baby (Bluesway)
1969:  I Feel Good (Carson/Jewel) - Get Back Home In The USA (Black and Blue)

Kabuki Wuki  (Live) + Born In Mississippi, Raised Up in Tennessee
BGO 1129   (December 2013)
The two origingal Bluesway/ABC vinyl LPs 1972 and 1973 issued on one CD.
  
       

The Best of Friends   E
Virgin/Pointblank VPBCD 49  (8-46424-2) (1998)
Reissued on Shout!Factory 2007
The best of the ´90s award winning new-recorded songs, plus three completely new ones.
 
Tracks:
Boogie Chillen (6/98) - This Is Hip (5/91) - The Healer (4/88)- I Cover The Waterfront (4/90) - Boom Boom (8/92) - I´m In The Mood (4/88) - Burnin´ Hell (5/98) - Tupelo (7/93) - Baby Lee (10/87) - Dimples (9/96) - Chill Out (Things Gonna Change) (4/91) - Big Legs Tight Skirt (5/98) - Don´t Look Back (4/96), plus bonus track on Shout!Factory: Up And Down (5/91).
   

 

 
The Cream
Charly (2CD) SNAD 542 CD  (2004)
15 tracks, recorded in Palo Alto, California (live) in September, 1977 - as on the original Tomato 2-set LP of 1977 - here on a 2-set CD with extended playing time on "Boogie On"; plus five bonus tracks recorded in Chicago in October that same year (found in 1989). Musicians: John Garcia Jr and Ron Thompson, guitars; Mike Milwood, bsg; Larry Martin, dms; Pete Karnes, hca plus guests Ken Swank, dms and Charlie Musselwhite, hca. This new Chalry CD is the best buy of all the differing issues from this session (and the new Charly 2-set has interesting liner notes by Clive Anderson. There are several earlier issues of this one  which do not include all tracks:
Varese/Fuel (2CD) 2000 061139  (2001); Rhino R2 70388 (US)  (1991); Charly CD 106 (UK)  (1988). The Varesa issue has the fifteen original tracks. The Charly CD of 1988 has 13 tracks with original vinly track times. The Rhino/ Tomato CD has only 12 tracks. There is also one German issue (Tomato 269021) covering the whole 15-track-session, also with extended playing time, titled "The Father of the Blues".
| Comprehensive Details (Tomato) |
  

 
Face To Face   E
Eagle ER 20023-2  (UK - EAGCD 265) - (US October, 2003; UK November, 2003)
15 super tracks (can´t stop listening to "Loving People" - which is completely different to the Zakiya duet of 1993, "Funky Mabel" and "Up And Down")! Most of the songs are unissued tracks recorded during the last years of Hooker´s life (from circa 1987 and up to his last months - several of the best cuts are late-recordings). It includes all the different Hooker moods and has all the great professionals accompanying. On a couple of tracks daughter Zakiya joins. The album is produced by Ollan Christopher Bell with assistance from Anthony Cook, and with Zakiya Hooker as executive (and Roy Rogers and Mike Kappus the original session producers). This CD is simply great! Vol 2 is due next year. This is a MUST-HAVE! Thanks Zakiya, John Lee Hooker Estate Management, Eagle Records, Blue Storm Music and the John Lee Hooker Foundation for this! Foundation or this! In my opinion THE BEST of Hooker later CDs.
| The Music Box Review | Tracks list |      Get the CD from:   www.bluestormmusic.com
   

 

All Music Guide on JLH
Great reading!

Find full track listings
on most of the CDs listed above at
Jarlvik's Super Hooker Discography
| main page |

JLH on The Blues Database
with more than 200 CDs and track listings
 

Order your Hooker CDs at
Roots & Rhythm - JLH
and check their main site

Richard W. Rinn´s Hooker Discography  |   Jarlvik´s Hooker Discography

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"Gold Collection" 40 Vee-Jay and Modern tracks.