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John Lee Hooker - Early Studio Recordings - Disc 2 (1995)

Track listing:
  1. No Mortgage On My Soul 3:17
  2. I Come To You Baby 2:45
  3. I Rule My Den 2:45
  4. The Great Disaster Of 1936 3:03
  5. The Winding Highway 2:55
  6. She Quit Me 2:50
  7. How Long Can This Go On 2:53
  8. Can I Say Hello 3:09
  9. I Had A Dream 3:00
  10. Me And A Woman 2:39
  11. Throw My Money Around 2:41
  12. Well I Got To Leave 2:54
  13. I Gotta Be Comin' Back 2:42
  14. I Don't Be Welcome Here 3:01
  15. Two Voice Original Mood 3:06
  16. Three Voice Original Mood 3:06
  17. Johnny Says Come Back 3:15
  18. The Story Of A Married Woman 2:47
  19. Snap Them Fingers Boogie 3:02

Notes


A whopping three CDs, and 56 songs, from Hooker's early sessions that were unreleased at the time, although they were available for a while in the early 1970s on some United Artists LPs. Like his more widely known material of the period, it mostly features Hooker unaccompanied, though he's aided by piano and second guitarists on a few tracks. Some of these are alternates of songs that were released in different versions, or embryonic renditions of compositions that evolved into somewhat different shapes. Especially interesting are early versions of his big hit "I'm in the Mood for Love." It's too much at once, though, and too unvarying in approach, for anyone but Hooker specialists. General fans are advised to stick with The Legendary Modern Recordings, which has 24 more renowned, and somewhat more accomplished, tracks from the same era. It's certainly a well-done package, though, containing a 38-page insert with detailed liner notes and session information.