Lightnin039 Hopkins - Jake Head Boogie (31 tracks) +Album Reviews

Available at last!

Tim Weber | Iowa | 04/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ace Records' 31-track masterpiece is among the last Lightnin' Hopkins recordings to be released on compact disc, and what a welcome addition it is. Although I have a massive Lightnin' collection, I wasn't even sure these existed until the CD came out. Anyway, these 1948-51 (?) recordings feature some of his best music. If you loved "The Complete Aladdin Recordings" you will love these songs; they are from about the same period and, in fact, one song ("Mistreater Blues") was accidentally (?) sold to both Aladdin and Modern, the source of these recordings, so it appears on "Complete Aladdin" and "Jake Head Boogie." The only "problem" is that eight of these songs are alternate takes, and two appeared on the CD "Blue Lightnin'." (For this reason I'd give it 4.5 stars of I could). Otherwise, it's a great buy. Highlights include "War News Blues" and "Needed Time," an atypical sacred song featured in the movie "Sounder.""

As good as the blues gets

Lee Hartsfeld | Central Ohio, United States | 06/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hopkins could play the blues in a slow, plodding fashion, or he could boogie in the nimblest manner. In both modes, he was among the most compelling and convincing 12-bar stylists ever to sit in front of a microphone. Long ago, I had a number of these tracks on bad-sounding LPs; it's great to hear them in vastly higher fidelity on this CD. There is no excuse for not buying this CD. None, whatsoever."

The True Master of the Texas Blues!

deepbluereview | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA USA | 05/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Admittedly, I do not have a very large collection of Lightnin' Hopkins material. My Hopkin's material is limited to the "Complete Aladdin Sessions" and about four other CD's. Hopkins performed pretty much up to his death in 1982. This collection features tracks recorded in the late 1940's or early 1950's and were unavailable until now. As demonstrated on this disc, Hopkins was at his artistic peak around this time. His songs are full of metaphors and his guitar work was a study in improvisation. Other versions of these songs have poped up on other releases but not these particular variations. In blues music, there is always one of the originals that seem to speak to you in the songs they sing. For me, that man has always been Hopkins. If you want to hear original Texas blues, give this a spin."

Lightnin's best

Pitoucat | UK | 08/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At last, following the reissue of his Aladdin, Gold Star, and Sittin' In With sessions, all of the early recordings by Lightnin' Hopkins are now available on CD. Recorded by Gold Star boss Bill Quinn in Houston between 1948 and 1951, when Lightnin' was at the height of his ability as well as his popularity, these sides were sold to the Bihari brothers for release on their Modern subsidiary label, RPM. Only seven 78s of this material appeared as RPM singles at the time, with another six titles issued later on various LPs, including a Kent album from 1970. The remainder has stayed in the vaults until now.

Made during Lightnin's most creative period, these Quinn recordings feature him at his inventive best. The CD opens with the belting 'Jake Head Boogie', but includes many slower, thoughtful renditions, including the moving 'Ticket Agent', and his feelings on the Korean conflict in 'War News Blues'. Unusually for Lightnin', several cover versions of other people's songs are presented here, such as Charles Brown's 'Drifting Blues', Lowell Fulson's 'Everyday I Have The Blues', Little Son Joe's 'Black Rat Swing' (under the title of 'Black Cat' - another belter), as well as the gospel standard 'Needed Time', the one title on which Lightnin' sounds uncharacteristically hesitant, especially on the more up-tempo alternative take. Other covers, such as Blind Lemon's 'One Kind Favor' and Big Maceo's 'Worried Life Blues' (as 'Some Day Baby', with 'Beggin' You To Stay' being a close relative) are more common items of Lightnin's repertoire. All are given his own unique treatment. In selling masters of Lightnin's recordings to other labels, as was Bill Quinn's wont, one seems to have been so good he sold it twice, since 'Mistreater Blues' on this RPM set is identical to 'Mistreated Blues' on the Aladdin collection. All of the tracks feature Lightnin's dynamic guitar sound except 'Candy Kitchen', where his equally distinctive piano style is to be heard. This CD includes the original recording from the RPM 78 as well as a previously unissued version of the same take on which a guitar has been over-dubbed. In his liner notes, Chris Smith suggests that the guitarist may have been Lowell Fulson.

Ace have also managed to squeeze in three previously unissued alternative takes, of 'Everyday I Have The Blues', 'Last Affair', and 'Bad Luck And Trouble'. And I do mean squeeze. These are listed as 'short takes', and each runs for around one minute.

Ace Records have taken great pains to improve the sound quality of the original recordings by non-intrusive sound processing, and their efforts have paid off. The original RPM releases had reverb added, possibly in an attempt to mask deficiencies of the acetate masters which were evident even then. In a few cases, where the acetates are now too noisy for comfort, Ace have remastered from the original RPM 78s, and possibly even from Kent LP 9008. Whatever, the resulting improvement in sound quality makes this Ace CD a joy to listen to. Despite the tantalising brevity of the 'short takes' and the omission of lyric transcriptions, this release is an important testament to Lightnin's unique powers, and an essential purchase.

"

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