Off-its-rocker rhythm and blues.

Utterly transfixing and thrilling, this is blues to the limit, a kind of avant-garde primitivism.
‘With an approach that was drawn from the Mississippi modal tradition, where you change chords only when the spirit moves you, variety was never the aim. Intensity was.’
For lyrics, too, Hooker is in the moment, with roughly amplified reflections about despair, sex and booze, rent and dancing; the places and faces of Detroit. The singing is frank and emotional but sly. He never lets up stomping on a wooden pallet, quarter notes with one foot, eighth notes the other.
Returning to the tapes, Ace has got this unmissable music sounding better than ever. Nineteen previously-unavailable alternative takes never drag, but deepen its mesmeric spell.
Truly crucial stuff.

‘Most of the sides contained here were recorded in New Orleans or Los Angeles during the late 50s, providing her entire Modern recordings.’ Rocking and raunchy as ever.

Miss Peaches, 1954-9, rocking the hell out with Richard Berry, Lee Allen, Dave Bartholomew and co.

An anti-war garage-punk onslaught from 1966, doing Bo Diddley proud.
Backed here by The Leaves (plus drummer Don Conka from Love), BJ knocked around with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Frank Zappa.
Anyway… they brought it to Jerome.

An imperiously fuck-you, stoned, fuzzed-out garage stomper; first issued on the Dot label in 1965.
Produced by Dave Hassinger, guiding force behind the Electric Prunes; arranged by Jack Nitzsche; written by Donovan (for Dana Gillespie). Karen nails it.
This is the slightly longer of the two Dot issues. The instrumental on the flip adds freakbeat guitar.

Coveted, cookin rhythm and blues from the house band at Leo Gooden’s happening St Louis night spot, late fifties and early sixties.

Three albums recorded on his brother’s farm in Accokeek, Maryland, in the early 70s. Quite different to his previous releases, the music remains raw and basic, but with vocals and acoustic guitars, mandolins, dobros and piano. ‘An organic blend of downhome music… imbued with a primitive spirituality. There is an unpolished, spontaneous feel to the music which sparks it greedily into life, and the Accokeek earth seems to be ground deep into every groove. You can even hear the frogs croaking outside the shack.’

45s and rarities — classics like Ace Of Spades — recorded for the Swan label of Philadelphia, 1963-67, at his brother Ray Vernon’s rough and ready studio in Washington DC. With younger brother, Doug, on the drums and Shorty Horton on bass, and Ray on second guitar.

‘Opens with the discotheque-friendly Hey, Rocky by front-cover stars The Shirelles of New Jersey, the USA’s most successful girl group until the Supremes broke through and stole their thunder, and closes with The Bermudas’ Chu Sen Ling, a record sure to appeal to those who favour the ethereal West Coast sound.
‘Other highlights include The Hollywood Chicks’ dance-craze Tossin’ A Ice Cube, which marks the recording debut of Barry White (on handclaps); great tracks by The Witches, The Pussycats and Linda Laurie from the catalogue of genius songwriter/producer Bert Berns; MayAlta Page’s densely produced rarity Don’t Worry About Me Baby (I Feel Just Fine); and, for the girl group buff who has everything, He Calls Me Child by Ohio duo 2 Of Clubs, and A Dumb Song by the soulful Delicates, both previously unreleased.’

Tracks from a career of more than forty years, several rare or unissued. The pianist/composer/arranger/producer in collaborations with Captain Beefheart, The Monkees, Frankie Laine and The Tubes, amongst others.

Regal rhythm and blues, rock and roll, big-band funk and the rest from this amazing man, with his son Shuggie just coming into view.