Lightnin' Hopkins
Lightnin'!

Listening notes

Lightnin’! is a 1969 vinyl release by Lightnin’ Hopkins on the Poppy label, catalog number PYS-60002. Classified under Blues and Texas Blues, the album is organized across sides A through D and presents 20 tracks with individual timings noted on the labels and sleeves of contemporary releases. The program spans concise performances as brief as 2:00 and extends to a 6:00 centerpiece, offering a clear, track-by-track map of the set.

Side A features five selections: Hold Up Your Hand (3:05), My Starter Won’t Start This Morning (3:12), What’d I Say (2:44), One Kind Favor (4:25), and Baby Please Don’t Go (2:55). Side B continues with Trouble In Mind (3:09), Annie’s Blues (2:19), Baby (2:34), Little And Low (3:30), and I Hear You Calling (2:00).

Side C opens with a two-part sequence, Mojo Hand Part 1 (2:50) followed by Mojo Hand Part 2 (2:30), then moves to Have You Ever Had A Woman (4:16), Ain’t It Crazy (2:27), and Black And Evil (3:06). Side D concludes the set with Rock Me Baby (3:27), Hello Central (4:32), Back Door Friend (3:04), Little Girl, Little Girl (6:00), and It’s Better Down The Road (4:25).

Taken together, the album’s structure—clearly delineated by side and position—presents a broad survey of titles associated with Lightnin’ Hopkins’s repertoire, alongside pieces sharing space with widely recognized song names. The inclusion of consecutive entries Mojo Hand Part 1 and Mojo Hand Part 2 on Side C is a notable organizing choice within the tracklist itself. Across its four sides, the running times illustrate a mix of brief cuts and longer performances, with the shortest track appearing at B5 (I Hear You Calling, 2:00) and the longest at D4 (Little Girl, Little Girl, 6:00).

For cataloging purposes, the key identifiers are: artist Lightnin’ Hopkins; title Lightnin’!; label Poppy; catalog number PYS-60002; year 1969; format Vinyl; genres Blues and Texas Blues; and the 20-track sequence detailed above, ordered A1 through D5 with durations as listed.