John Lee Hooker - 'It Serve You Right To Suffer' (2025 Remaster)

 

I bought 'It Serve You Right To Suffer', on vinyl when it was released in 1966, and re-bought it on vinyl when I wore out the original, then on, cassette, 8-track (I think), CD and last week I bought it again.  I just couldn't resist the sticker…

'It Serve You Right To Suffer' it is the only album "Hook" made for the Impulse label.  It was actually was part of the short-lived Impulse folk music division, with the slogan adapted from their jazz promotion, "The new wave of folk is on Impulse!"

Producer Bob Thiele (left) booked Impulse Studios for just one day on November 23, 1965.  Given Impulse’s association with the jazz world, and producer Bob Thiele’s experience working with jazz icons like John Coltrane, it makes sense that rather than the typical blues band, he used New York-based jazz musicians.  So, along with "Hook's" guitar and vocals are, Milt Hinton on bass, David Francis on drums and Barry Galbraith on guitar.

Many bands had been thrown off by "Hook's" famously-irregular tempos, but here the backing musicians knew exactly how to work with him.  Far from the extravagance and adventurousness of the jazz solo, here they provide subtle and sympathetic backing to "Hook’s" powerful performance.

Make no mistake, this is not a Jazz/Blues album, this is classic "Hook": gritty, hypnotic, down and dirty.

Is there a better name for a blues album?

The 2025 Acoustic Sounds Series reissue takes full advantage of how well this album was recorded by Producer Bob Thiele and engineer Bob Arnold.  Matthew Lutthans' new remastering sounds super sweet.

For the freeload (a 24-bit/96kHz vinyl rip), what are some of your favorite album titles?