John Lee Hooker - The Best Of (1991)

Picked up for the exchange of coins rather than notes, on the basis that I ought to hear John Lee Hooker, I have little idea if this 1991 compilation truly is 'the best of'.

It certainly contains his two No 1 hits (in the US R&B charts), Boogie Chillun (1948) and I'm In The Mood (1951), both sounding great, as well as his first UK hit, Dimples and many others from the 1951-1966 period.

And while there isn't a bad track on here, there isn't much variety either. Hooker's brand of delta blues is pretty formulaic, and halfway through the compilation, every song is just fading into the next.

It's good background with some great songs, but gets repetitive if you're actually listening.

Here's the official video to Dimples.

3* - I'm guessing that if you pick up this, or similar, you won't need any more John Lee Hooker