John Lee Hooker • The Big Soul

Review by Bruce Eder

There may not be much running time to this LP -- not even 30 minutes -- but John Lee Hooker gives us value for every second there is, and in a totally unexpected setting. Jumping into the R&B and soul explosions of the early '60s -- or at least dipping his toe into them -- he's backed here by the Vandellas, no less, on all but one of the 11 songs here. And coupled with an uncredited band that includes organ accompaniment, among other attributes that one doesn't usually associate with Hooker, he pulls it off. Indeed, he manages to straddle blues and soul far better than, say, Muddy Waters did during this same period; he's still a little too intense for the more pop side of the field, but he's also stretching the appeal of the blues with every nuance on this record, and there are a few cuts here, such as "Send Me Your Pillow" that would have fit on any of Hooker's far more traditional-sounding blues releases; and others, such as "She Shot Me Down" (a rewrite of "Boom Boom"), that are so close to his well-known standard repertory that they slip right into his output without explanation. And the whole album is short enough so that even if he would have gone wrong -- which he didn't -- there was only so far he could have gone wrong. As it is, this is near-essential listening as some of Hooker's most interesting work of the '60s.

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Traducción Automática:
Revisión por Bruce Eder

Puede que no haya mucho tiempo de ejecución para este LP, ni siquiera 30 minutos, pero John Lee Hooker nos da valor por cada segundo que hay, y en un entorno totalmente inesperado. Saltando en el R&B y en las explosiones de alma de principios de los 60, o al menos sumergiendo su pie en ellos, está respaldado por los Vandellas, no menos, en todas menos una de las 11 canciones aquí. Y junto con una banda sin acreditar que incluye acompañamiento de órgano, entre otros atributos que uno no suele asociar con Hooker, lo logra. De hecho, se las arregla para separar el blues y el alma mucho mejor que, digamos, Muddy Waters lo hizo durante este mismo período; aún es demasiado intenso para el lado más pop del campo, pero también está extendiendo el atractivo del blues con todos los matices de este disco, y hay algunos cortes aquí, como "Send Me Your Pillow" que tendría encaja en cualquiera de los lanzamientos de blues más tradicionales de Hooker; y otros, como "She Shot Me Down" (una reescritura de "Boom Boom"), que están tan cerca de su conocido repertorio estándar que se deslizan directamente en su salida sin explicación alguna. Y todo el álbum es lo suficientemente corto como para que incluso si él hubiera salido mal, lo cual no hizo, solo existió hasta el momento en que pudo haber salido mal. Tal como está, esta es una escucha casi esencial como parte del trabajo más interesante de Hooker en los años 60.

johnleehooker.com ...

 

 

Tracks:
1 - San Francisco
2 - Take A Look At Yourself
3 - Send Me Your Pillow
4 - She Shot Me Down
5 - I Love Her
6 - Old Time Shimmy
7 - You Know I Love You
8 - Big Soul
9 - Good Rocking Mama
10 - Onions
11 - No One Told Me
Bonus Tracks:
12 - Boom Boom
13 - You Gotta Shake It Up And Go
14 - You've Taken My Woman
15 - What Do You Say
16 - Process
17 - Little Wheel
18 - I'm Mad Again
19 - Thelma
20 - Run On
21 - Let's Make It

Credits:
    Backing Vocals – Mary Wilson, The Andantes
    Baritone Saxophone – Andrew "Mike" Terry
    Bass – James Jamerson
    Drum – Benny Benjamin
    Guitar – Larry Veeder
    Guitar, Lead Vocals, Written-By – John Lee Hooker
    Organ, Piano – Joe Hunter
    Tenor Saxophone – Henry Cosby

Notes: Vee Jay recordings from 1962, recorded in Chicago.

Label: Soul Jam Records ‎– 600881
Released: Jun 2016
Genre: Blues
Style: Delta Blues

 

 

 

 

 

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