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Not for the faint of heart: For you won't get out of the Blues alive Sep 27, 2009
This is American music at its uncompromising best. A haunting unforgettable sound experience that will leave you emotionally drained: The raw, savage, rot Gut, (falling) down-and-out, juke-joint (Buckley's Corner) blues: My favorite is "You won't get out of these Blues alive." Not for those with a weak heart or not looking for a new experience. Every song changes you emotionally. Deep, profound, no BS added.
For the particulars read Curtis J. George's review above. I concur with it 100% except I give Hooker 50 stars!
His very best Nov 19, 2008
To anyone familiar with the blues, John Lee Hooker is the quintessential story teller who plays the best boogie beats. John in the course of his career which spanned most of his life, composed a lot of albums. All of them are earthy, full of beats and folksy.
But I think this album indeed captures the essence of them all. Here he is at his story telling best. Indeed, the version of the House Rent Boogie and I am Bad like Jesse James that are in this album epitomize the best of JLH. This album also has his more lilting ones like I m in the mood for love, waterfront and bluebird and his duet with Van Morrison "Never get out of this blues alive".
I would rank this as his very best because:
1. all the famous songs are there.
2. All songs have been sung inimitably.
3. Rarer songs such as the one with Van Morrison.
If you are a fan of JLH, this album will complete your collection. If you are new to him, this would be your best introduction.
 Revisionist and Revealing Jun 27, 2008
This collection of John Lee Hooker's recording from 1965 to 1974 is intended to redeem an otherwise misguided period of his career. Like many other blues musicians, John Lee was rediscovered during the folk revival of the early 60s and hustled into the studio to cash in. Because John Lee was a post-war Delta bluesman, he wasn't solely an acoustic act. His boogie style was well served by an electric guitar and backing musicians.
If you listen to the full releases from this period, there are a lot of missteps and ill-conceived experiments. But John Lee's genius is too brilliant to hide. Some great tracks appear among the gaffes.
This collection was lovingly put together by someone who really knew John Lee's music, especially from this period. This CD cherry-picks the best tracks from this period. Serves You Right To Suffer, Backbiters and Syndicators, The Waterfront, and The Motor City is Burning are stunning instant Hooker classics. The eerie I'm Bad Like Jesse James is the closest you'll come to pure, unadulterated Hooker.
The collection includes fine re-recordings of Hooker classics One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer, I'm In The Mood, and House Rent Boogie. While the new versions don't surpass the originals, they show a more mature, experienced Hooker at the helm.
I disagree with other reviewers who say that this collection of songs is not "essential." While it is not the only Hooker CD you should own, nor is it an adequate introduction to his entire career since it focuses on only a 10 year period, it certainly belongs in your blues collection and is a joy to listen to.
SHOUT CHILLIN' May 21, 2008
Been a fan of John Lee since I first heard Boogie Chillin.' Was hangin' out in Roanoke, Va and found this on 8-track in '77. Used to ride around in my car and everybody riding with me got hooked on Doin' The Shout. Lost the 8-track somewhere. Played the grooves off the album. And was out of luck trying to find this piece because ABC-Bluesway went out of business. Then Bonnie Raitt rediscovered Hooker and got a grammy with In The Mood. Pissed me off. Hooker has recorded over 200 albums and In The Mood has got to be on at least 110 of them. HE NEVER GOT A GRAMMY! Felt a little better when everybody else started rediscovering The Man. Reissues started to appear and lo and behold, I was looking in a store one day and here was my favorite recording on cd. Twas a good day in the neighborhood. Now I can expose new friends to the wonderous works of John Lee Hooker. Come on, we're Doin' The Shout!
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
One of my favorites... Oct 16, 2005
This disc was my introduction to the music of John Lee Hooker and it proved to be worth every penny. This CD is full of classics and is also a good way to hear some of the best tracks off of the currently out of print albums "Urban Blues" and 'Never Get Out of These Blues Alive". The liner notes are in depth and explain how John Lee's music went through some changes during this period of his career in order to have more of a commercial edge with the fickle blues buying public of the time. I don't think John Lee sold out by any means, this is unmistakeably his sound on this CD. This disc captures all aspects of John Lee Hooker's music: the uptempo ("One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer", "Mr. Lucky"), slow blues ("Decoration Day", "The Waterfront"), celebrity duets ("Never Get Out of These Blues Alive" with Van Morrison), and live jams (I'm Bad Like Jessie James" where he is backed by Muddy Waters' band). This disc also contains my favorite verson of John Lee's "Bluebird", which includes some studio chatter from the man himself where he jokes to his band that the Albany Street he refers to in the song is where all the pimps hang out (!). If you are a fan of John Lee Hooker or the blues, this is a great collection to have.
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