John Lee Hooker – Burning Hell
To youngsters who are accustomed to synthesizers & over-produced entertainment, this may take some getting used to. But, in 1959 when this was recorded it captured a musical sensibility that’s still gripping to this day. This is an artist playing his guitar & singing alone. No support, no bombastic lead guitars, drum solos & piano runs. Yet, the human element surfaces strongest with what is being sung. “Burning Hell,” is no “How Much Is That Doggie In the Window?” & it’s not “Do-Wah-Diddy-Diddy,” either.
The tunes are characterized by melodies closer to the dirt with its earnest pleading tender aching voice of a stabbing classic like “Graveyard Blues.” There’s little to be said about this genre when it’s in the hands & expressive voice of a class act who grew up understanding the consequences of change, how life treats a threadbare man, a childless woman & compensates with music that says it all.
John Lee Hooker plays guitar & vocals throughout this classic reissue (2 separate drop dates for LP & CD) that’s the first of several scheduled for release. Burning Hell (LP June 7/CD July 26/Craft Recordings/Concord) is a 12-cut set originally recorded in Detroit in 1959 & released in 1964 by Riverside Records.
The LP possesses tunes that are familiar today & to novices would be considered old R&R songs (“Baby Please Don’t Go,” “Smokestack Lightnin’”) but these are songs with deep roots in clay soil. The Clarksdale, MS native John Lee Hooker had the right voice for these songs. Mature, deep, resounding, authoritative with all the nuances necessary to sting, caress & nourish the soul.
Fortunately, Hooker always had a magical voice that commanded attention. He was eloquent & had the rawness required. His vocals were understood & he added the intonation, phrasing & timbre. All these powerful qualities made for an entertaining country-blues showcase. Hooker, later in his career, played with the California blues band Canned Heat & with Van Morrison. He wasn’t a marginal player or nostalgia act – he became a respected entity in the genre.
This reissue impeccably re-captures much of Hooker’s fingers on the frets as he attacks the notes vigorously (“How Can You Do It?”). But for a ‘50s recording Hooker’s lead guitar is not mere strumming but picking in a rural stylized manner. The lyrics are not simplistic repetition either. There’s an unadorned tale being told & it’s being done cleverly.
You can almost hear where Mick Jagger & even in a different way Van Morrison — developed their vocalisms & “talking vocal” narratives when Hooker sings “Smokestack Lightnin’” – with its slurry seductive words & coal-oil smoothness. It’s an education.
Highlights – “Burning Hell,” “Graveyard Blues,” “Baby Please Don’t Go,” “Smokestack Lightnin’” “I Don’t Want No Woman If Her Hair Ain’t No Longer Than Mine,” “Key To The Highway” & “Natchez Fire.”
Color image courtesy of John Lee Hooker’s Facebook. CD @ https://craftrecordings.com/products/burning-hell-180-gram-lp & https://johnleehooker.com/
