Newport provides appropriate hook for bluesman

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Sept. 24, 2004 | 8:43 a.m.

Few major artists in the history of recorded music have catalogs as confusing as that of John Lee Hooker.

Not only is the legendary bluesman's discography massive, totaling more than 200 albums and compilations, but it is also rife with repetition and spread out over countless labels, making it nearly impossible to sift through.

Given that, it's hard to know whether to snag one of Hooker's discs, even when you spot it on the cheap in a mark-down bin or used rack.

Because for every quality CD by the Mississippi native, there are at least two forgettable ones, hastily assembled by some sketchy overseas label to cash in on the man's star power.

For all those reasons, I've purchased relatively few Hooker discs over the years. One series I stand by, however, is Collectables Records' recent reissuing of the great guitarist/vocalist's Vee-Jay recordings, originally released during the 1960s.

Quality titles on the archival label include "Travelin'," "Burnin'," "I'm John Lee Hooker" and my favorite -- "Concert at Newport" -- which showcases Hooker's July 1963 performance at the Newport Folk Festival.

On that disc, a 45-year-old Hooker mesmerizes a respectfully subdued crowd with a first-rate set of foot-stompin' acoustic blues.

Hooker boogies spiritedly on up-tempo tracks such as "Stop Baby Don't Hold Me That Way" and "Boom Boom Boom," and his gravelly voice sounds marvelously mournful on the creeping "Freight Train Be My Friend."

But the true treasure on "Concert at Newport" is Hooker's tragic tale of a Mississippi town wiped out by a mighty flood, "Tupelo."

"I wasn't on the scene, and I'm glad I wasn't on the scene or I wouldn't be sitting here now," Hooker explains, as he tunes his instrument and begins picking out the opening notes to the song.

A word of caution: Hooker's Newport performance exists in multiple forms, some of which include different songs or combine pieces from his other Newport appearances. The Collectables' version is easy to find online, retailing for $11-$13.

Artist: John Lee Hooker.

Title: "Concert at Newport."

Year of release: 1964 (reissued 2000 Collectables Records).

Tracklisting: "I Can't Quit You Now Blues," "Stop Baby Don't Hold Me That Way," "Tupelo," "Bus Station Blues," "Freight Train Be My Friend," "Boom Boom Boom," "Talk That Talk Baby," "Sometimes Baby You Make Me Feel So Bad," "You've Got to Walk Yourself," "Let's Make It," "The Mighty Fire."