Live At Soledad Prison / Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive

Combining two LPs originally released in 1972, Live at Soledad Prison and the Ed Michel-produced Never Get Out of These Blues Alive, on a single disc, this set features John Lee Hooker in his mid-career Endless Boogie prime, both in and out of the studio -- not that Hooker ever sounded any different wherever he played. The live set finds him backed by a crackerjack (and rehearsed) band featuring guitarists Luther Tucker and Charlie Grimes and Hooker's son, John Lee Hooker, Jr. The group backs Hooker as he delivers a scorching "I'm Your Crosscut Saw" and a desolate, heart-wrenching "Serve Me Right to Suffer," among other boogie gems. The studio set includes more of the same, although polished up just the slightest notch with guest spots from Van Morrison (he duets with Hooker on the title track, "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive"), Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Steve Miller, and jazz violinist Michael White, who lifts "Boogie with the Hook" into the air and gives a mournful, desolate veneer to the already spooky and harrowing "T.B. Sheets." This package ends up being a great way to hear Hooker doing what he does best with musicians who understand what he's after, and it's all well recorded, too. ~ Steve Leggett|