Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Canned HEAT - Canned Heat '70 Concert - Recorded Live In Europe 1970


Canned HEAT - Canned Heat '70 Concert - Recorded Live In Europe  1970
SLYL-933821   

Blues

This 1970 concert of the guys is a bit different then others as it shows a somewhat mellower side. There are some great boogie moments here like the first 2 tracks. "That's All Right Mama" features some great guitar work by Harvey Mandel. Alan Wilson does some nice harmonica playing throughout also. Still you can't help but wonder about Alan Wilson's state of mind during the melancholy Pulling Hair Blues and to some degree London Blues where his singing while good has a sadder than usual feel to it. These 2 songs cast an odd downer feel to what is otherwise a pretty upbeat concert. So that is why I say it's a little different side here. All in all a worthwhile addition to your collection. I'd also suggest Live at Topanga Corral.. another great collection of live Canned Heat.
By D. Brown.
**
The Canned Heat were led by 2 different personalities:  the Bear, a gregarious, jokey, party man with a barrelhouse voice and personality; and Alan Wilson (Blind Owl) who was a shy, introspective, blues multi-instrumentalist technician with a high-pitched fragile voice.  Around these 2 poles were the excellent rhythm section and the blazing lead guitarist Harvey Mandel (played with Mike Bloomfield, John Mayall, and later with the Stones for 2 tracks of Black and Blue).  They were united by the desire to play boogie and blues, and their execution was more 'authentic' than many other '60's blues revivalist bands, in large part because there was some authentic pain that both the Bear and Blind Owl, in their different ways, experienced (indeed, both men would die young - Blind Owl from a potentially intentional drug overdose a year or so after this album, and the Bear from a heart attack precipitated by his weight and cocaine abuse some 10 years after this album).

On this album you see both sides of the Canned Heat, in a terrific live recording.  You have the gregarious Bear, joking while the bass player's amp is being fixed, doing a fat-man version of Jim Morrison, and belting out boogified classics like "That's Alright Mama" and "Let's Work Together."  In between those songs, Blind Owl, featuring expert harmonica playing or his distinct clear slide guitar and his high voice, will come to the mike to do stripped-down and very personal blues laments of the highest order.  The ability of the band to switch gears and totally change to mood in the concert hall from song to song is the best feature of this terrific live (and short) album.
**
A1 That's All Right Mama   9:02
A2 Bring It on Home   6:18
A3 Pulling Hair Blues   9:20
B1 Medley: Back Out on the Road / On the Road Again   6:00
B2 London Blues   7:53
B3 Let's Work Together   4:50
B4 Goodbye for Now   3:25
**
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1 comment:

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