Joined by a full band that includes two other guitarists (John Garcia, Jr.
on lead and Ron Thompson on rhythm), John Lee Hooker is passionately rockin' on this live date recorded at the Keystone in Palo Alto, California in 1977.
Hooker has always been known for taking quite a few liberties with his material, something that could easily throw some musicians off.
Without a doubt, he keeps sidemen on their toes -- and he presents even more of a challenge on-stage because there are no second and third takes.
But this is a band that, although not in a class with Canned Heat, obviously understands (and even thrives on) his sense of spontaneity, and rises to the occasion on such familiar gems as "One Room Country Shack," "When My First Wife Left Me," and "Tupelo," as well as the invigorating "Boogie On" (one of the many variations of "Boogie Chillen" Hooker has provided over the years).
Hooker doesn't do as much improvising as he did when playing unaccompanied at New York's Hunter College the previous year, but he never ceases to be confidently soulful.
Although not quite essential, The Cream is an engaging LP that definitely has a lot going for it.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hey, HeyBig Bill Broonzy, John Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 06:10 | 14 MB | 28 MB |
| 2 | She's GoneJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 06:03 | 13 MB | 29 MB |
| 3 | TupeloJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 07:32 | 17 MB | 34 MB |
| 4 | You Know It Ain't RightJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | Sugar MamaJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 05:28 | 12 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | One Room Country ShackJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 22 MB |
| 7 | I Want You to Roll MeJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 8 | Bar Room DrinkingJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 08:16 | 19 MB | 35 MB |
| 9 | LouiseJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 05:02 | 11 MB | 19 MB |
| 10 | When My First Wife Left MeJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 08:00 | 18 MB | 31 MB |
| 11 | Boogie OnJohn Lee Hooker | John Lee Hooker | Play | 07:42 | 17 MB | 39 MB |
| 12 | Little Girl | John Lee Hooker | Play | 06:11 | 14 MB | 30 MB |
| 73 mins | 169 MB | |||||
| 73 mins | 341 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bill Broonzy | Composer |
| 2 | Paul Cooper | Assistant Engineer |
| 3 | Biff Dawes | Engineer |
| 4 | Kevin Eggers | Producer |
| 5 | Doug Field | Assistant Engineer |
| 6 | John Garcia | Guitar |
| 7 | John Garcia, Jr. | Guitar |
| 8 | Milton Glaser | Design |
| 9 | Tony Glover | Liner Notes |
| 10 | John Lee Hooker | Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 11 | Pete Karnes | Harmonica |
| 12 | Larry Martin | Drums |
| 13 | Dennis Mays | Assistant Engineer |
| 14 | Mike Millwood | Bass |
| 15 | Charlie Musselwhite | Guest Artist, Harmonica |
| 16 | Paul Sandweiss | Assistant Engineer |
| 17 | Ken Swank | Drums |
| 18 | Ron Thompson | Guitar |
| 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). |