Translation of the German review

This tape edition by The Tape Project from the USA contains ten of 17 songs from the double album Hooker 'n Heat, released in January 1971. The homepage of master tape copy publisher The Tape Project states: "We picked what we felt were the very best tracks from three reels’ worth of material to squeeze onto two reels, and brother, I’m here to say it was not an easy choice."

Of the more than 100 albums that blues musician John Lee Hooker has recorded in a career spanning more than 50 years, Hooker 'n Heat, recorded with the band Canned Heat, is considered one of the best. It is his first album to reach number 78 on the Billboard charts. Hooker was one of the most influential bluesmen, born in Tutwiler near Clarksdale, Mississippi. His date of birth is believed to be 1917.

The concept of the album is such that John Lee Hooker initially performs alone and then more and more members of the group Canned Heat join in with the songs. The first impression after starting the tape: barely perceptible tape noise, very nice. And then it starts: voice on the left, his typical stomping in the middle and guitar on the right. I'm really impressed by how you can express so much with so few resources in music that is minimalist and reduced to the essentials. It's not that I don't know John Lee Hooker's music, but this tape provides a much deeper insight into his work. The music floods the listening room with a tremendous presence. The harmonica appears on You Talk Too Much. This is great listening cinema, ladies and gentlemen! From here on, John Lee Hooker sings in the stereo center. Could it be any more direct and forceful? But yes! With Burning Hell, the vocals and harmonica hammer themselves into my head. The eight-minute The World Today is a piece that has become famous. It deals with the state of a world torn apart by conflict: the question of equal treatment for whites and blacks in a divided America and, concerning the recording date, the Kent State Massacre, in which four students demonstrating against the Vietnam War were shot dead by American National Guard soldiers on May 4, 1970, and nine others were injured, some of them seriously. Hooker takes the side of a youth that will learn from the mistakes of their parents' generation and replace them. Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, who recorded the last album here before his death, accompanies Hooker on the piano. I give them a round of applause! On the second tape, the music becomes more and more dense as Canned Heat becomes increasingly active. What super talents John Lee Hooker and his musicians are!

These two tapes take us back to 1971. It is an exceptional album, one of those gems where authenticity, skill, joy of playing and message are brought to the point. It is definitely one of the milestones in the history of music. John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat played me dizzy tonight in a positive sense - and will always put me in this state every time I play this master tape copy. With this tape you can resurrect John Lee Hooker, who died in Los Altos (California) in 2001!

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)