| features in: Album Chart of 1963 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s |
John Lee continues to experiment with his blues music, this time opting for a real soulful brand of the genre. The set is characterised throughout by a notable presence for an extremely cool (unknown) organist, a phat sax from Hank Cosby and a quartet of Motown female vocalists including Marlene Barrow, Louvain Demps and Jackie Hicks (all from The Andantes) and (soon to be international superstar with the Supremes) Mary Wilson. The band is very fine indeed – this is effortlessly cool stuff, and it seems to me the front man knows it – the evidence is there with every intonation; man’s EXPRESSIN’. I register a slight disappointment at the needless rereading of motifs such as “Boom Boom” in “She Shot Me Down” – this does the man a dis-service. Press on John, don’t look back I can’t help but think to myself. “I Love Her” is a rare miss-step on the album – far too poppy, we don’t need that on a JLH set thank you very much. “Good Rockin’ Mama” sees John Lee continue with his rework policy, although it’s a fresh and vital uptempo treatment that’s handed out to his 1952 single “Rock Me Mama” (Modern 862). “Onions” is another side 2 highlight, flirting outrageously with Booker T’s mega-tune, despite the writing credits been wholly claimed by John Lee. “No One Told Me” goes against popular wisdom by finishing the album with filler, but overall this experimental set has worked out well.
The Jukebox Rebel
16–Jun–2012
| Tracklist |
| A1 | [02:46]  John Lee Hooker - Frisco Blues [1962 version] (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A2 | [02:49]  John Lee Hooker - Take A Look At Yourself (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A3 | [02:25]  John Lee Hooker - Send Me Your Pillow [1962 version] (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A4 | [02:52]  John Lee Hooker - She Shot Me Down (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A5 | [02:14]  John Lee Hooker - I Love Her (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A6 | [02:22]  John Lee Hooker - Old Time Shimmy (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B1 | [01:57]  John Lee Hooker - You Know I Love You (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B2 | [02:10]  John Lee Hooker - Big Soul (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B3 | [02:29]  John Lee Hooker - Good Rockin’ Mama (John Lee Hooker, Bernard Besman) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B4 | [02:11]  John Lee Hooker - Onions (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B5 | [02:12]  John Lee Hooker - No One Told Me (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
