by Al Campbell

From the vaults of Vee Jay Records comes an abundance of classic John Lee Hooker reissues, featuring original art work, running orders, and budget prices courtesy of the Collectables label. With the amount of Hooker material available on the market, some of it is of dubious quality, but you can't go wrong with these reissues. The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker was released in 1961, combining 12 tracks of both acoustic and electric tunes like "Tupelo" and "The Hobo" (recorded at the Newport Folk Festival in 1960), "I'm Mad Again," "I'm Going Upstairs," and "Hard-Headed Woman." All of the Hooker Vee Jay reissues are recommended.