John Lee Hooker - Documenting The Sensation Recordings 1948-52

John Lee Hooker's 1948-1952 recordings made in Detroit, Michigan by Bernard Besman. Includes 19 previously unissued versions. Ace acquired a lot of John Lee Hooker sides when we purchased the Sensation label from Bernard Besman. Bernie had also sold some sides to United Artists and to Greene Bottle before then. However, no-one has carried out a forensic investigation into exactly what we had bought, until now.

These three CDs contain all of the Ace-owned Besman John Lee Hooker sides gathered in one place for the first time. Also included is the Little Eddie Kirkland RPM single with John Lee Hooker on second guitar and vocal. There has been meticulous tape research for best sources, so the mastering far exceeds anything presented before, as anyone who has the ‘Boogie Chillen’’/‘Boogie Chillen’ #2’ 10-inch 78 we recently issued can attest. 19 different, previously unreleased versions of songs appeared in the research for the project, including extended takes and alternative versions.

The collection comes as a 3 CD digipak box set. The accompanying booklet features an introductory note from Peter Guralnick, a comprehensive overview of the music from Dr Wayne Goins, Director of Jazz Studies at Kansas State University, and a sessionography covering all the tracks on the CDs. These early Hooker recordings are akin to jazz as much as the blues, with an improvisatory feel, harking back to the pre-war era, but with a very distinct approach and a unique sound presaging the blues that was to come.

Album: Documenting The Sensation Recordings 1948-52
Year: 2020
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 72:17+64:05+66:19
Size: 168,3+149,4+154,7 MB
Styles: Blues
Scans: Full

CD 1:
1. Sally Mae (Alt. Take) (3:12)
2. War Is Over (Goodbye California) (Extended Take) (3:23)
3. War Is Over (Goodbye California) (Alt. Take) (3:10)
4. War Is Over (Goodbye California) (Alt. Extended Take) (2:58)
5. Boogie Chillen' (3:10)
6. Henry's Swing Club (3:11)
7. Drifting From Door To Door (3:01)
8. Hobo Blues (Alt. Take) (3:04)
9. Numbers Blues (aka She Ain't Good For Nothin') (Alt. Take) (2:56)
10. Alberta (3:06)
11. Alberta (Alt. Take) (3:04)
12. Howlin' Wolf (aka I'm A Howlin' Wolf) (2:39)
13. Crawlin' King Snake (3:02)
14. Hoogie Boogie (Instrumental) (2:58)
15. Hastings Street Boogie (Extended Take) (3:05)
16. Build Myself A Cave (aka The World Is In A Tangle) (Take 1) (2:55)
17. Build Myself A Cave (aka The World Is In A Tangle) (Take 2) (2:55)
18. Build Myself A Cave (aka The World Is In A Tangle) (Take 3) (2:59)
19. Build Myself A Cave (aka The World Is In A Tangle) (Intercut Of Takes 2&3) (2:58)
20. Graveyard Blues (2:49)
21. Momma Poppa Boogie (2:58)
22. Burnin' Hell (2:41)
23. Sailing Blues (aka Drifting Blues) (2:49)
24. Black Cat Blues (3:01)

CD 2:
1. Weeping Willow Boogie (aka Weeping Willow) (2:52)
2. Miss Sadie Mae (2:45)
3. Sail On Little Girl (2:16)
4. Alberta Part 2 (2:44)
5. Wednesday Evening (aka She Left Me On Bended Knee) (2:59)
6. Canal Street Blues (2:45)
7. Huckle Up Baby (2:48)
8. Let Your Daddy Ride (2:41)
9. Goin' On Highway #51 (2:29)
10. My Baby's Got Something (2:49)
11. Boogie Chillen' #2 (Take 1) (2:43)
12. Boogie Chillen #2 (Take 2) (2:51)
13. Boogie Chillen' #2 (aka Jump Chillun) (Extended Take 4) (2:45)
14. Boogie Chillen # 2 (aka I Gotta Be Comin' Back) (Extended Take) (2:46)
15. Boogie Chillen' #2 (aka 21 Boogie) (Alt. Extended Take) (2:52)
16. Roll 'N' Roll (Alt. Take) (2:45)
17. Rollin' Blues (2:42)
18. Three Long Years Today (3:05)
19. Strike Blues (Extended Take) (3:02)
20. Do My Baby Think Of Me (2:55)
21. Give Me Your Phone Number (Alt. Take) (2:43)
22. The Story Of A Married Woman (Alt. Take) (2:38)
23. Moon Is Rising (Alt. Take) (2:58)

CD 3:
1. John L's House Rent Boogie (aka House Rent Boogie) (Alt. Take) (2:50)
2. John L's House Rent Boogie (Alt. Take I/T) (1:10)
3. Queen Bee (2:35)
4. Grinder Man (3:12)
5. Walkin' This Highway (2:17)
6. Women In My Life (aka Goin' Away Baby) (3:15)
7. Tease Me Baby (aka Tease Your Daddy) (3:04)
8. I Need Lovin' (aka Tease Me Over Baby) (Alt. Take) (2:55)
9. How Can You Do It (2:44)
10. I'm In The Mood (3:10)
11. I'm In The Mood (Humming Overdub) (3:07)
12. I'm In The Mood (Harmonica Overdub) (3:07)
13. I'm In The Mood (Alt. Take - aka Original One Voice) (3:00)
14. Turn Over A New Leaf (3:10)
15. It Hurts Me So (w. Little Eddie Kirkland) (2:47)
16. It Hurts Me So (w. Little Eddie Kirkland) (Alt. Take) (2:38)
17. I Got Eyes For You (2:39)
18. I Got Eyes For You (Alt. Take 2 or 5) (2:50)
19. Key To The Highway (2:34)
20. I Got The Key (Key To The Highway) (Alt. Take) (2:44)
21. Blue Bird Blues (2:44)
22. That's All Right (w. Little Eddie Kirkland) (2:19)
23. It's Time For Lovin' To Be Done (w. Little Eddie Kirkland) (2:57)
24. That's All Right Boogie (w. Little Eddie Kirkland) (2:19)

Documenting The Sensation Recordings 1948-52 (3 CD) mc
Documenting The Sensation Recordings 1948-52 (3 CD) zippy

---