First off, this double-disc set is on Recall; that automatically gives it some cred, as the label issues fine retrospectives: always double discs that sound good and are offered for a fair price. These 40 tracks are all sides taken from the '60s with an assortment of side musicians; some of the cuts are live, some studio, but all of them burn with the kinds of low-slung back-slipping fever that the Hook did best. All the big tunes are here, and many of the small ones, too. While it is arguable that Hooker cut his very best sides in Detroit in the '50s for Vee Jay, there is nothing here to suggest that he'd lost anything eight to ten years later. This is a great place for anyone to start building a Hooker library, and for some, this will be all they need. Either way, you can't lose. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide