Search - John Lee Hooker :: Boogie Chillin'

Best single-disc Modern compilation currently in-print

M. McM | Los Angeles, CA | 03/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For years, "The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954" was THE BEST John Lee Hooker CD available. Unfortunately, it recently went out-of-print, and though it's not especially rare, you don't find a lot of people willing to sell it (unless they want to cash-in on the high demand-to-supply ratio). As a result, this hybrid SACD (playable on all CD players) from Audio Fidelity is now the best disc available.



First the music: John Lee had amazing longevity, even his last few albums yield great performances. But his earlier recordings for Modern Records and its subsidiaries are the foundation of his career, the ones that made him a big-name, and arguably his best and most beloved recordings as well. At twenty-tracks, this compilation is a little short; it could've been twice as along and still mantain consistency (i.e. some great songs are missing like 'Crawling Kingsnake'). What's here, though, is still top-notch, every track is strong, and most of his best songs, 'Boogie Chillen' and 'I'm In The Mood' are here. I suppose keeping it at twenty tracks does make it easier to listen: stacked on top of each other, the similarities of Hooker's recordings can wear you down after awhile (these were originally singles, not album tracks), so an hour's worth is probably enough.



Now the sound: it's GREAT. As I said, it's playable on ALL CD players, but if you have an SACD player, you get the added benefit of a hi-rez DSD layers. One track was mastered from a clean 78 (that track was one of the last Modern recordings to be recorded directly to disc, not tape), the other 19 from the original master tapes. There are countless John Lee Hooker CD's out there with similar content that sound horrendous, but THIS disc is the real deal, from ORIGINAL sources, with superb work by Steve Hoffman, who masters numerous audiophile releases for various companies. Only the out-of-print "The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954" CD rivals it in sound; if you have that CD and this collection, you have the best sounding Modern Recording compilations you can possibly get in digital.



The artwork could've been better, but don't let that throw you, this is actually a high-quality release. Even if you have "The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954," this is a perfect companion as only six tracks overlap. A GREAT blues re-issue, essential John Lee Hooker."

Cheesy cover, Highest Quality Sound

Tracing Error | NY, NY | 05/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is as good as Hooker's epochal Modern Records sides are ever going to sound. Transferred and mastered by Audiophile legend Steve Hoffman straight from the tapes and in a couple of cases, 78s, the sound is unbelievably pure for 1948-1954, alive, spacious (yes in mono!), warm, and clear. Unfortunately licensing prevented the use of some of the cream, but plenty of it is here, and the regular old milk is incredible itself.



Worth every penny! Also look for the similarly awesome Lightnin' Hopkins SACD, Broken Hearted Blues."