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| Blues great John Lee Hooker's fabulous early recordings for Bernard Besman's Sensation label have finally been gathered in one place by the Ace label. |
Ace's latest John Lee Hooker archival release, Documenting The Sensation Recordings 1948-1952 – slated for release May 29th – brings together for the first time the blues legend’s recordings for Bernard Besman’s Sensation label with superior sound and sessionography.
Ace acquired a lot of John Lee Hooker sides when we purchased the Sensation label from Bernard Besman. Bernie had also sold some sides to United Artists and to Greene Bottle before then. However, no-one has carried out a forensic investigation into exactly what we had bought, until now.
These three CDs contain all of the Besman John Lee Hooker sides gathered in one place for the first time. Also included is the Little Eddie Kirkland RPM single with John Lee Hooker on second guitar and vocal. There has been meticulous tape research for best sources, so the mastering far exceeds anything presented before, as anyone who has the ‘Boogie Chillen’’/‘Boogie Chillen’ #2’ 10-inch 78 we recently issued can attest. 19 different, previously unreleased versions of songs appeared in the research for the project, including extended takes and alternative versions.
The 71-track collection comes as a 3CD digipak box set. The accompanying booklet features an introductory note from Peter Guralnick, a comprehensive overview of the music from Dr. Wayne Goins, Director of Jazz Studies at Kansas State University, and a sessionography covering all the tracks on the CDs.
These early Hooker recordings are akin to jazz as much as the blues, with an improvisatory feel, harking back to the pre-war era, but with a very distinct approach and a unique sound presaging the blues that was to come. You can pre-order a copy of the 3CD set right here.
Check out the preview clip and listen to "Hoogie Boogie" and "Boogie Chillen' #2" followed by the complete track listing below.
John Lee Hooker – Documenting The Sensation Recordings 1948-1952
Disc 1
01 Sally Mae (alt take)
02 War Is Over (Goodbye California] (extended take)
03 War Is Over (Goodbye California) (alt take)
04 War Is Over (Goodbye California) (extended take)
05 Boogie Chillen'
06 Henry's Swing Club
07 Drifting From Door To Door
08 Hobo Blues (alt take)
09 Numbers Blues (aka She Ain't Good For Nothin' - alt take)
10 Alberta
11 Alberta (alt take)
12 Howlin' Wolf (aka I'm A Howling Wolf)
13 Crawlin' King Snake
14 Hoogie Boogie (instrumental)
15 Hastings Street Boogie (extended take)
16 Build Myself A Cave (aka The World Is In A Tangle - take 1)
17 Build Myself A Cave (aka The World Is In A Tangle - take 2)
18 Build Myself A Cave (aka The World Is In A Tangle - take 3)
19 Build Myself A Cave (aka The World Is In A Tangle - intercut of takes 2 & 3)
20 Graveyard Blues
21 Momma Poppa Boogie
22 Burnin' Hell
23 Sailing Blues (aka Drifting Blues)
24 Black Cat Blues
Disc 2
01 Weeping Willow Boogie (aka Weeping Willow)
02 Miss Sadie Mae
03 Sail On Little Girl
04 Alberta Part 2
05 Wednesday Evening (aka She Left Me On Bended Knee)
06 Canal Street Blues
07 Huckle Up Baby
08 Let Your Daddy Ride
09 Goin' On Highway #51
10 My Baby's Got Somethin'
11 Boogie Chillen' #2 (take 1)
12 Boogie Chillen' #2 (take 2)
13 Boogie Chillen' #2 (aka Jump Chillun - extended take 4)
14 Boogie Chillen' #2 (aka I Gotta Be comin' Back - extended take)
15 Boogie Chillen' #2 (aka 21 Boogie - alt extended take)
16 Roll 'n' Roll (alt take)
17 Rollin' Blues
18 Three Long Years Today
19 Strike Blues (extended take)
20 Do My Baby Think Of Me?
21 Give Me Your Phone Number (alt take)
22 The Story Of A Married Woman (alt take)
23 Moon Is Rising (alt take)
Disc 3
01 John L's House Rent Boogie (aka House Rent Boogie - alt take)
02 John L's House Rent Boogie (alt take I/T)
03 Queen Bee
04 Grinder Man
05 Walkin' This Highway
06 Women In My Life (aka Goin' Away Baby)
07 Tease Me Baby (aka Tease Your Daddy)
08 I Need Lovin' aka Tease Me Over Baby (aka Tease Me Over Baby - alt take)
09 How Can You Do It
10 I'm In The Mood
11 I'm In The Mood (humming overdub)
12 I'm In The Mood (harmonica overdub)
13 I'm In The Mood (alt take - aka "original one voice")
14 Turn Over A New Leaf
15 It Hurts Me So
16 It Hurts Me So (alt take)
17 I Got Eyes For You
18 I Got Eyes For You (alt take 2 or 5)
19 Key To The Highway
20 I Got The Key (alt take - Key To The Highway)
21 Bluebird Blues
22 That's All Right
23 It's Time For Lovin' To Be Done
24 That's All Right Boogie (underdub)
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