The driving instrumental that opens this collection, "Stomp Boogie" (so called because Hooker keeps time loudly with his foot throughout), should give listeners a sense of what to expect from BLACK MAN BLUES.
Primitive, gutbucket electric guitar is the main ingredient here, and it is Hooker's hard-edged boogie playing that fuels the 14 early sides that span from '48-'51.
Hooker's voice, though somewhat less growling than on later recordings, is no less soulful or urgent, and on cuts like the title track and the propulsive "Goin' Mad Blues," it presages a rock & roll vocal aesthetic.
There is plenty of old school blues too, such as the moping lope of "Landing Blues" and the wrenching confessions of "Morning Blues." Taken together, these are excellent examples of Hooker's early work and its gripping synthesis of folk blues and electric power.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stomp BoogieJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 12 MB |
| 2 | No Friend AroundBernard Besman, John Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 02:55 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 3 | Wandering BluesJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 02:59 | 7 MB | 12 MB |
| 4 | Rock N' Roll | John Lee Hooker | Play | 02:40 | 6 MB | 11 MB |
| 5 | My Baby's Got Somethin' | John Lee Hooker | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 11 MB |
| 14 mins | 34 MB | |||||
| 14 mins | 60 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernard Besman | Composer |
| 2 | Curtis Foster | Drums |
| 3 | John Lee Hooker | Composer, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 4 | Traditional | Composer |
| 5 | James Watkins | Piano |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |