Hooker 'n Heat

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.com
This 1971 collaboration between primal one-part-Delta/one-part-Detroit singer-guitarist John Lee Hooker and Southern California blues revivalists Canned Heat works in large part because all parties involved are a little off. Hooker, the most unsystematic of the major bluesmen of his generation, isn't a good fit for disciplined players; rather, he requires sidemen who play by feel. In harp player-guitarist Alan Wilson, the Crawling King Snake found a particularly sympathetic foil; sadly, Wilson died shortly after these sessions were completed. Roughly divided into spare, gritty Delta exercises and full-on boogie stomps featuring the full band, Hooker 'n' Heat is surely one of Canned Heat's crowning moments, which isn't saying that much. But that it stands as a milestone in Hooker's oeuvre is quite a statement indeed! --Steven Stolder

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Customer reviews

review by: 'The Delta Amps Blues Band date: 2008-06-22 rating:
'Hooker & Heat '..Jammin'..harpin' heaven...
Simply 'the best' for the voodoo of truely great Harmonica boogie improvisation. Alan Wilsons [pre-suicide] respect and harmonica 'call & response' to John Lees creative outpourings are like nothing else before or since. What a session. This record is a highly influencial album in my life and stands as a great example of 'electric Harmonica' tone and technique. I would give my 'coolies' for Al's amplifier and wonderful style. Meanwhile The whole band sounds very excited and committed to honoring their session with the legendary boogieman. What more to say? The tunes are often long improvised 'jams', spread with 'solo' loose tunes with John Lee Hooker, his words, guitar and ever tapping foot. This historical recording is not everybodys 'cup of tea' but if you want 'real' trance like boogie and blues with that primitive rhythmic vibe this is 'the ducks guts'.

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review by: date: 2008-04-20 rating:
Hooker and Canned Heat
I guess Hooker is not my kind of blues, nothing against it, though. Maybe I will take it to the gym with me today and maybe it will help me with my workout.

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review by: date: 2008-02-17 rating:
Classic Stuff
This is a great set, a raw & spontaneous jam session (what else would you expect from these guys?) with a production quality that almost sounds like it was recorded just yesterday. The first CD mostly features JLH alone-- stompin' & cookin' up the sparse & emotional groove that is uniquely his. The second CD features more of Canned Heat with some excellent guitar & harp work by the band. The last cut, Boogie Chillen #2, is worth the purchase alone, especially if you're a harmonica fan.

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review by: date: 2007-05-28 rating:
Great blues union
In 1970 the blues-rockers Canned Heat got this, as it would turn out, great idea in bringing blues-legend John Lee Hooker into the studio for a close collaboration. The album was planned as a feature for John Lee Hooker in that respect that half of the album would mostly feature his solo stuff, where as the other half would be together with the group.

The amazing thing is that it brings the best out in John Lee Hooker, as he would deliver some of his most inspired performances ever - that also maybe due to the "Heat's" enormous respect for the man. Canned Heat had proved themselves to be among the most serious and properly best of the "white" American bluesbands with original compositions, especially by the late blues-harp `wonder' & rhythm/slide guitarist Alan Wilson - and by bringing in a slightly more `rocking' approach, they popularised a music that, at the time, seem to have faded away from the limelight (maybe some remembers hits like "Going Up The Country" or "On The Road Again").

Even more wonderful is the fact that the inspiration is mutual and Hooker's duets with Wilson's soulful harmonica, later in the first half, is literally sparkling - there is a fantastic communication between the two. But also the second half with the band is really smoking and I personally really like their bassist Antonio De La Barrada for his inventive and driving playing, but no doubt that Canned Heat fore and most was a group - a unit, and that really shows and because of their open, raw and honest nature, they musically fits so well with Hooker and makes him sound so great.

Canned Heat's lead-singer though, Bob "the bear" Hite, respectfully stands back and solely dedicates himself as a producer together with Skip Taylor. Unfortunately this also was to be Canned Heat's last album with Alan Wilson, who prematurely died soon after these recordings. A loss they properly never really overcame and their best work is also to found before this tragic event occurred with albums like: "Boogie With Canned Heat", "Live At Topanga Corral", "Living The Blues" and "Future Blues".

Many have acknowledged this work to be some of the best Hooker ever delivered - I for one agree.


review by: date: 2007-04-15 rating:
I felt so good, I would boogie just the same...
As much as I love the 1989-1997 albums that closed out John Lee's amazing career (Healer, Mr. Lucky, Boom Boom, Chill Out, Don't Look Back), 1970's Hooker 'n Heat is a true crown jewel in the legacy. Just as Johnny Winter's pure sympatico hand of support guided Muddy Waters through his late-career Blue Sky albums, Canned Heat provides the most solid and driven backing I've heard on a JLH album. John Lee is in full-blown Crawling King Snake mode here...on this album he's not a kindly "elder statesman," he's a dangerous man, and if you approach his flame, you WILL get burned. The late Heat vocalist Bob "The Bear" Hite limits himself to co-producer duties here, so the musical dynamics come from Al "Blind Owl" Wilson (his final recording), guitarist Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (get ready for the thoroughly insane 11 minute "Boogie Chillen No. 2"), Antonio de la Barreda on bass and Fito de la Parra on drums. The first 9 tracks are John Lee solo. Wilson joins tracks 10 and 11, and the full band backs the remaining 6 tracks. Make no mistake about it...you WILL get cold chills when Hooker bellows "Alan! Alan! Blow your HORN, baby!" on "Let's Make It."

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