Published on May 29, 2002
Vanguard Records’ commitment to keeping great American roots
music alive continues with their latest offering from their
Sessions series, a collection of live tracks from blues great John
Lee Hooker from the glory days of the Newport Folk Festival. Hooker
as a musician is an anomaly; he was one of the few bluesmen from
the Mississippi Delta group — Hooker, Mississippi John Hurt, Son
House, Skip James — who made a career out of his music, whose
career continued until his death in 2001, and who had had recent
chart success before he appeared at Newport in 1960. In many ways,
Hooker was the most commercial of the Mississippi Delta
bluesmen.
So perhaps the first tendency for the serious listener might be
to dismiss Hooker.
One word: don’t.
Fact is, John Lee Hooker was relatively successful because John
Lee Hooker was good. His trademark, unique style — often imitated
but never equaled — and the deep boom-boom of his strumming and
foot-tapping is original, powerful, and still relevant today. Fact
is, they’re still ripping off John Lee, and they’ll BE ripping him
off until his music is completely lost. And
Live At Newport is a great introduction to one of the two (I
refuse to make a decision between Hooker and John Hurt) greatest
Delta bluesmen ever.
This CD is stacked, packed, locked, and solid all the way
through. It includes the original introductions from the festival,
solid live tracks, alternate versions of two of Hooker’s signature
tunes (“Hobo Blues” and “Boom Boom”), all with the original bass
reverb restored (the bass sound had been lost on previous LP and CD
releases of these performances). It is as if Hooker is right there,
once again, foot stamping and strings ringing — and for a man who
said the blues don’t come from the guitar, but from the heart and
the head, that sense of imminence is a precious gift.
For both the blues enthusiast and the beginner,
Live At Newport is a must have. Don’t miss it.