Hooker 'n Heat

Hooker 'n Heat
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 15, 1971
RecordedMay 1970 (1970-05)[1]
StudioLiberty Records, Los Angeles, California
GenreBlues
Length83:40
LabelLiberty
ProducerBob Hite, Skip Taylor
John Lee Hooker chronology
Get Back Home in the U.S.A.
(1970)
Hooker 'n Heat
(1971)
Goin' Down Highway 51
(1971)
Canned Heat chronology
Canned Heat '70 Concert Live in Europe
(1970)
Hooker 'n Heat
(1971)
Live at Topanga Corral
(1971)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[2]

Hooker 'n Heat is a double album released by blues musician John Lee Hooker and the band Canned Heat in early 1971.

It was the first of Hooker's albums to chart, reaching number 78 in the Billboard charts. Hooker plays unaccompanied on side one and "Alimonia Blues"; on the remainder of side two and "The World Today" and "I Got My Eyes on You" Hooker is accompanied by Wilson on various instruments. The full band plays with Hooker on the rest of side three and all of side four.

The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings describes the album as “one of the few occasions when younger musicians partnered [Hooker] to wholly beneficial effect.”[2]

Album cover art

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This was the last studio album to feature harmonica player, guitarist and songwriter Alan Wilson, who died in September 1970 (1970-09) from a drug overdose. The photo on the album cover was taken after Wilson's death, but his picture can be seen in a frame on the wall behind John Lee Hooker. Guitarist Henry Vestine was also missing from the photo session. The person standing in front of the window, filling in for Henry, is the band's manager, Skip Taylor.[3] Careful examination of the photo reveals that Henry's face was later added by the art department.[3] Although featured on the cover, vocalist Bob Hite does not sing on the album.

Track listing

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All songs written by John Lee Hooker except as noted.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Messin' with the Hook"3:23
2."The Feelin' Is Gone"4:32
3."Send Me Your Pillow"4:48
4."Sittin' Here Thinkin'"4:07
5."Meet Me in the Bottom"3:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Alimonia Blues" 4:31
2."Drifter"Charles Brown, Johnny Moore, Eddie Williams4:57
3."You Talk Too Much" 3:16
4."Burning Hell"John Lee Hooker, Bernard Besman5:28
5."Bottle Up and Go"Tommy McClennan2:27
Side three
No.TitleLength
1."The World Today"7:47
2."I Got My Eyes on You"4:26
3."Whiskey and Wimmen"4:37
4."Just You and Me"7:42
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let's Make It" 4:06
2."Peavine" 5:07
3."Boogie Chillen' No. 2"John Lee Hooker, Bernard Besman11:33

Charts

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Chart (1971) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report) 24[4]

Personnel

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Canned Heat

References

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  1. ^ a b "allmusic: Hooker 'n Heat (Infinite Boogie)". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
  2. ^ a b Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 273. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
  3. ^ a b Cashmere, Paul (18 April 2019). "Canned Heat founder Fito de la Parra solves the mystery of the Hooker 'N Heat cover". Noise11.com. The Noise Network Pty Ltd. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 141. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.