John Lee Hooker reviewed by Craig Fenton COOK WITH THE HOOK DVD

John Lee Hooker- 
Cook With The Hook Live In 1974 DVD:


Review by Craig Fenton
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There are umpteen reasons why John Lee Hooker is a blues legend.  In his almost eight-four years (he passed away June 21st, 2001) on the planet he recorded over one hundred albums!

“Boogie Chillen”, “Dimples”, “Boom Boom”, and “I’m In the Mood” are a modest sampling of the legacy the Hook left.  A Mississippi native who flourished in Detroit there wasn’t a town John Lee Hooker couldn’t conquer.  The weapons of choice were his guitar and a set of pipes that enthralled those within an ear shot.

Obviously Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix had performed his songs over the years but when ACDC, the Doors, the MC5, and Van Morrison are covering the material it reverberates all over the globe the far reaching influence the Hook had on the music industry.

Robert Boyd who owned a production company and was one of the early pioneers of Public Access Cable TV recorded the performance on Saturday July 6th, 1974 in the land fill district of Gardner, Massachusetts.  Filmed in glorious black and white the DVD showcases John Lee Hooker and the Coast to Coast Blues Band leaving a piece of their soul Down in the Dumps (the name of the concert event). 

There is incredible irony an opening track to a fixated crowd is titled “It Serves You Right to Suffer.”  Hooker who often is seated during the set can mesmerize even the purist with the gut wrenching delivery of the vocals. 

My first viewing of the gig confirmed my suspicion.  I watched the DVD with a Hooker fanatic and a casual blues fan and they both had their wallets out ready to purchase the forty-five minute piece of history.

An introduction to the blues or the icing on the cake for the long time Hooker music collector the MVD Video is a great way to “Cook With the Hook.”
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All the best,
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Craig Fenton
Author Jefferson Airplane “Take Me To A Circus Tent”
Jefferson Starship “”Have You Seen The Stars Tonite”