John Lee Hooker

180 gram VINYL –AUDIOPHILE PRESSING

LIMITED EDITION

THE COMPLETE LP + 4 BONUS TRACKS

One of John Lee Hooker’s lesser-known gems from his most inspired years, Burning Hell was recorded in Detroit during April 1959.

Hooker only plays acoustic guitar throughout the album, which is a country blues classic, and sings straight to the bone with his soul drenched vocal delivery. It was Hooker’s second LP packaged for the folk/ traditional blues market (following The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker, issued in 1959).

Burning Hell is quite different from his earlier recordings, most of which had featured Hooker on an electric guitar with his trademark reverb and stomping foot. Folk purists of the day were delighted with this long play, believing Hooker had returned to his roots, leaving the “glitzy commercialism” of R&B behind.

PERSONNEL & DATES:

• JOHN LEE HOOKER - (vocals & acoustic guitar)
• Recorded at United Sound Systems, Detroit, Michigan, April 20, 1959.

• (*) BONUS TRACKS:
• ON TRACKS A7 & A8: Solo recordings by John Lee Hooker (vocals & guitar).
• Recorded in Chicago, Illinois, January 22, 1959 (track 7), and March 1960 (track 8).

• ON TRACK B7: Same as above.
• Recorded in Detroit, Michigan, late 1952.

• ON TRACK B8:
• John Lee Hooker (vocals & guitar) plus Bill Lee (string bass).
• Recorded live at the Newport Folk Festival, Newport, Rhode Island, June 25, 1960.

TRACKS:

• SIDE A
• A1. BURNING HELL
• A2. GRAVEYARD BLUES
• A3. BABY PLEASE DON’T GO
• A4. JACKSON, TENNESSEE
• A5. YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE AND I’LL LIVE MINE
• A6. SMOKESTACK LIGHTNIN’
• A7. CRAWLIN’ KING SNAKE (*)
• A8. I CAN’T BELIEVE (*)

• SIDE B
• B1. HOW CAN YOU DO IT?
• B2. I DON’T WANT NO WOMAN IF HER HAIR AIN’T NO LONGER THAN MINE
• B3. I ROLLED AND TURNED AND CRIED THE WHOLE NIGHT LONG
• B4. BLUES FOR MY BABY
• B5. KEY TO THE HIGHWAY
• B6. NATCHEZ FIRE
• B7. WORRIED LIFE BLUES (*)
• B8. TUPELO (Live) (*)