Detroit was always more of a jazz town than a blues town, best known in the first half of the twentieth century for pianists such as Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris and Kenny Cox. So when John Lee Hooker found himself working for the Ford Motor Company in 1948, he made his way to Hastings Street, in the now extinct Black Bottom neighborhood, and was able to carve out a niche for his country "porch" blues approach, which might have gotten lost in the shuffle in Chicago or St. Louis... And thus began the career of Motown's adopted native son of the blues.
Some of the most intriguing cuts on Ultimate Collection are found on the first disc. Hooker's early work best showcases his low E thumb technique, percussive stomp and Delta roots. 1948's "Boogie Chillen" chronicles his early days in Detroit, and became Hooker's first hit. On "Let Your Daddy Ride," Hooker pays homage to the boogie woogie influence of New Orleans with James Watkins accompanying on piano. "Sally Mae" and "Crawlin' King Snake" don't stray too far from Mississippi, while things get a little raucous on "Huckle Up Baby." "Frisco Blues" and "Dimples" see the emergence of the more fleshed out, northern style that would characterize much of Hooker's work through the sixties. Fittingly, the disc closes with 1966's "Bottle Up and Go."
The second disc, itself no slouch, opens with perhaps Hooker's most enduring hit, "Boom Boom." "You Know, I Know" revisits the boogie with Lafayette Leake on keys and continues on "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." Hooker slows things down with a vaguely Redding-esque turn on 1967's soulful "I Cover the Waterfront," while Louis Myers' harmonica comes to the fore on (the very Chicago) "Back Biters and Syndicators" and "Think Twice Before You Go." The dense stomp of "Peavine" and the somewhat spooky, abstract smolder of "Burning Hell," both released in 1971, see Hooker, now a quarter of a century into his career, transcending both the Delta and the Windy City, finally amounting to more than the sum of his parts. No ground is covered between 1971 and 1990 on this collection, which ends with a cover of Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues" and a live rendering of 1951's "I'm In the Mood" with Bonnie Raitt and Roy Rogers. While the dates on the cover may be a bit generous, Ultimate Collection nevertheless provides a more than ample overview of Hooker's accomplishments.
#376, Oasis' What's the Story, Morning Glory?: I've never really understood the appeal of Oasis. Sure, the musicianship is there, and there's plenty of sex, drugs and rock & roll and such, but wasn't that all done pretty much to perfection by the Stones and the Who and the Kinks? Near as I can figure, Oasis' biggest accomplishment was to establish themselves as bigger rock star assholes than the rock star assholes of their parents' generation. Right. Next...
#374, The Eagles: So apparently, the Eagles can claim some ownership of opener "Take It Easy" after all; seems it was co-written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frye (I'd previously attributed it to Browne alone). From there, the Eagles' debut chugs along through classics like "Witchy Woman" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling," songs many of us just take for granted. They hold up surprisingly well, and warrant a listen whenever you're in a 1970s California mood.
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