''Endless Boogie'' is a studio album by American blues musician

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

, released in 1971 through

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

. Produced by

Bill Szymczyk William Frank Szymczyk (; born February 13, 1943) is an American music producer and technical engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the ...

and Ed Michel, the

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

was recorded at Wally Heider Recording with session musicians such as Jesse Ed Davis,

Carl Radle Carl Dean Radle (June 18, 1942 – May 30, 1980) was an American bassist who toured and recorded with many of the most influential recording artists of the late 1960s and 1970s. He was posthumously inducted to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame i ...

, Steve Miller, Gino Skaggs and

Mark Naftalin Mark Naftalin (born August 2, 1944) is an American blues keyboardist, recording artist, composer, and record producer. He appears on the first five albums by Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s as a band member, and as such was indu ...

. American

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

band Endless Boogie is named after the album.

Critical reception

Cub Koda of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

wrote: "Although Hooker has always had trouble finding bands that could keep up with his idiosyncratic timing, it's not an impossible task, and the musicians on board for this session just seem to be endlessly riffing rather than providing a sympathetic framework for John Lee to work his magic." Koda also criticized John Lee Hooker's "scarce involvement" in the album and further stated: "There are lots of John Lee Hooker albums in the bin; pass this one by." In contrast, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' critic Gary von Tersch was positive in his assessment, stating: "Throughout, it's Hooker all the way he makes it his brand of blues with the case and dexterity of the genius he is all the textures and highlights paced with his ever-churning, heavy-bassed clectric guitar and his rough down-and-out voice." Music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote: "The white audience hasn't much changed Hooker's sound, so the timeliness of ''Endless Boogie'' is an unmitigated plus, and producers Bill Szymczyk and Ed Michel get a relaxed groove out of a cast of supporting musicians who can boogie

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The group is noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists and rock music. It was founded by two blues enthusiasts Alan Wilson and ...

right out of the studio."

Track listing

All songs written by

. # "(I Got) a Good 'Un" – 5:12 # "House Rent Boogie" – 6:23 # "Kick Hit 4 Hit Kix U (Blues for Jimi and Janis)" – 6:41 # "Standin' at the Crossroads" – 6:08 # "Pots On, Gas On High" – 11:22 # "We Might As Well Call It Through (I Didn't Get Married to Your Two-Timing Mother)" – 8:04 # "Doin' The Shout" – 3:31 # "A Sheep Out On The Foam" – 6:27 # "I Don't Need No Steam Heat – 4:17 # "Sittin' in My Dark Room" – 5:38 # "Endless Boogie, Parts 27 And 28" – 8:44

Personnel

– guitar, vocals, songwriting *

– bass guitar (5, 6) * Gino Skaggs – bass (1-4, 7-8, 10) * Billy Ingram – drums (1, 10) * Jim Gordon – drums (5-6) * Ken Swank – drums (tracks: 1-4, 7-8) * Reno Lanzara – drums (9-11) * Cliff Coulter – electric piano (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10),Fender bass (9),guitar (11) * John Turk – electric piano (9); organ (11) *

– engineering, production * Dan Alexander – guitar (2, 8) * Jerry Perez – guitar (11) * Jesse Ed Davis – guitar (5-6) * Mel Brown – guitar (1, 9-11) * Steve Miller – guitar (1-2, 4, 7, 9-11) * Dave Berger – harmonica (2, 11) *

– piano (2, 4-6, 9-11),guitar (3) * Ed Michel – production * Ken Swank – tambourine (11)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1971 albums John Lee Hooker albums Albums produced by Bill Szymczyk ABC Records albums