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John Lee Hooker: The Best of Friends
Howlin' Wolf
vocals1910 - 1976
John Lee Hooker
guitar1917 - 2001
Bonnie Raitt
guitar and vocalsb.1949
Los Lobos
band / ensemble / orchestra
Charlie Musselwhite
harmonicab.1944
Carlos Santana
guitarb.1947
Fittingly titled, this anthology is a suitable companion piece to Whiskey & Wimmen (Concord Music Group, 2017) and not just because there is some slight overlap in selections, including a new recording of "Big Legs Tight Skirt," here complete with horns. Both function almost equally effectively as primers on the blues genre at large. Yet The Best of Friends—originally issued in 1998 through Virgin Records—finds Hooker sympathetically and enthusiastically supported by a range of artists who've taken inspiration from him and subsequently saw fit to return the favor.
In terms of sound, package design and the content itself, these sixty-eight minutes—now available on CD and double-vinyl LP—is a discernible improvement over the prior version. There is a bonus track, "Up And Down," from a Japanese issue of the album, produced by former JLH band member guitarist
Roy G. Rogers
b.1950
Chuck Berry
guitar, electric1926 - 2017
Likewise, the graphics on the new slimline sleeve and the enclosed sixteen-page booklet (design courtesy Dale Voelker) are both more eye-pleasing and informative, the latter element due to the addition of Jas Obrecht's insightful essay. As for the music, it runs the gamut of this blues icon's latter-day career, from the dark and spooky likes of "I Cover The Waterfront," with
Van Morrison
vocalsb.1945
Booker T. Jones
keyboardsb.1944
Los Lobos
band / ensemble / orchestraIn combination with the familiar likes of "Boom Boom"—highlighted by the vigorous playing of Jimmie Vaughan—such somewhat unsung selections as "Boom Boom" (once sung by the late
Duane Allman
guitar1946 - 1971
Plus, there is no denying these compositions constitute some of the most singular and readily identifiable bodies of work in the blues genre even to casual listeners. Often as not, the distinction lies in the deep resonance of John Lee Hooker's guttural vocals. Something of a stylistic trademark of this Mississippi native, the simplicity of such a composition also renders it ripe for ornamentation from
Ben Harper
guitarb.1969
In the end, The Best Of Friends belies its superficial appearance as a slightly redundant re-release of (mostly) previously available recordings. More than simply a point of reference for investigating for exploring John Lee Hooker's discography, this collection can also stand as a point of departure for investigating the oeuvres of the collaborators involved, whether relatively well-known (
Ry Cooder
guitarb.1947
Charles Brown
piano and vocals1922 - 1999
Track Listing
Boogie Chillen; This Is Hip; The Healer; I Cover the Waterfront; Boom Boom; I’m in the Mood; Burnin’ Hell; Tupelo; Baby Lee; Dimples; Chill Out (Things Gonna Change); Big Legs, Tight Skirt; Don’t Look Back; Up and Down.
Personnel
John Lee Hooker
guitar
Carlos Santana
guitar
Eric Clapton
guitar and vocalsDavid Hidalgo
guitar
Cesar Rosas
guitar
Charlie Musselwhite
harmonica
Bonnie Raitt
guitar and vocals
Van Morrison
vocals
Ben Harper
guitar
Jimmie Vaughan
guitar
Booker T. Jones
keyboards
Ry Cooder
guitar
Robert Cray
guitar, electric
Bill Payne
keyboardsConrad Lozano
bassNick Lowe
bassJim Keltner
drums
Leon "Ndugu" Chancler
drums
Armando Peraza
congasJose 'Chepito' Areas
percussionAdditional Instrumentation
John Lee Hooker: vocals; Roy Rogers: guitar; Michael Osborn: guitar; Rich Kirch: guitar; Johnny Lee Schell: guitar: Chester Thompson: keyboards, synthesizers; Jim Pugh: keyboards; Johnnie Johnson: piano; Ike Turner: piano; John 'Juke' Logan: harmonica; Gil Bernal: vocals, tenor sax; Steve Berlin: baritone saxophone; Eric Barber: bass sax; Ruth Davies: acoustic bass; Maurice Cridlin: bass; Reggie McBride: bass; Steve Ehrmann: bass; Juan Nelson: bass; Samuel Taylor: bass; Benny Rietveld: bass; Richard Cousins: bass; Scott Mathews: drums; Dean Butterworth: drums; Kevin Hayes: drums; Gaylord Birch: drums; Joachim Cooder: drums; Victor Bisetti: drums; Ndugu Chancler: drums; Armando Peroza: congas; Raul Rekow: congas; Karl Perazzo: timbales; Chepito Areas: timbales; Bobby King: vocals; Terry Evans: vocals; Willie Greene: vocals.
Album information
Title: The Best of Friends | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: BMG
Tags
John Lee Hooker
Album Review
Doug Collette
MAD Ink PR
The Best of Friends
BMG
Howlin' Wolf. a/k/a {{Chester Burnett
Bonnie Raitt
Los Lobos
Charlie Musselwhite
Carlos Santana
Roy Rogers
Chuck Berry
Johnnie Johnson
Van Morrison
Booker T. Jones
Jimmie Vaughan}), such somewhat unsung selections as the latter (once sung by the late {{m: Duane Allman
Ben Harper
Ry Cooder
Charles Brown
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