Don't Forget to Boogie: The Canned Heat album by album thread

I would have included "Poor Moon" on the album, it's great. Though, thematically, it would have suited Future Blues better .

 

I own this CD from "See for Miles Records": http://www.discogs.com/Canned-Heat-Canned-Heat/release/3959138
It's pretty good, but the Sundazed mono is now my preference.

 

I'm just getting to the end of this album and it sounds better than ever!

 

Side one of this album was great. Side 2 is a little weaker. My favorites here are Canned Heat and Time Was. This album is not as strong as their previous 2 lps in my opinion.

I agree with Bear that Alan Wilson is the star of this album.

 

Years ago, I thought Hallelujah was a big dip in quality after the excellent Boogie and Living the Blues, but when I rediscovered it this week, I found it to be a good, solid blues album with some interesting twists and pleasant surprises. This time, we get 4 Al Wilson lead vocals (more than on any previous album), a taste of Bob Hite's gritty harmonica playing on the nifty cover of "Big Fat", an instrumental jazz waltz ("Huautla"), and more. "Get Off My Back" is a tour de force with its shifting tempos and effects. The biggest surprise is on the great closing jam "Down in the Gutter,But Free" where Henry and Larry switch instruments. Larry may not be quite the guitarist Henry was, but here he comes darn close. He must have used Henry's amp setting to get that tone.
One question about the lady on the cover: Is she the same lady in the long dress who appeared on the cover of the first It's a Beautiful Day album and also on Quicksilver's Happy Trails album? All 3 covers are by Globe Propaganda.

 

Looks like "The Snake" is about to arrive & merge into the Canned Heat folds! Before we get to the great Future Blues, let's dust off some of Mandel's solo work. Albums that at the time proved (next to his work with Charlie Musselwhite) proved what this cat from Chicago could do with a guitar. These two were out under his own name before he joined up with The Heat:


Cristo Redentor (1968)

A1 Cristo Redentor 3:45
A2 Before Six 6:25
A3 The Lark 4:39
A4 Snake 3:45
A5 Long Wait 2:48
B1 Wade In The Water 7:48
B2 Lights Out 4:48
B3 Bradley's Barn 3:17
B4 You Can't Tell Me 4:20
B5 Nashville 1 A.M. 3:39


Righteous (1969)

A1 Righteous 3:21
A2 Jive Samba 5:57
A3 Love Of Live 3:11
A4 Poontang 3:52
A5 Just A Hair More 3:36
B1 Summer Sequence 4:12
B2 Short's Stuff 7:24
B3 Boo-Bee-Doo 3:55
B4 Campus Blues 4:42

 

I always felt that Harvey Mandel's solo albums were somewhat overlooked. I guess it is because many people do not like instrumental music and good portion of his first five solo albums were instrumental.

Tracks like Cristo Redentor and Wade In The Water are cool. The albums are almost jazz/blues/rock fusion albums with some psychedelic overtones. Mandel also used some string section overdubs on some of these albums as well. The Snake is sort of Harvey's theme song as his nickname is "the Snake". The angular slinky song fits it title perfectly. The Cristo Redentor album has guest appearances from Charlie Musselwhite and Freddie Roulette.

Tracks like Jive Samba, Poontang and Boo-Dee-Doo show the versatility of Mandel's playing. He uses an array of effects but I always found his playing to be tasteful and enjoyable. I recommend checking out his first 5 solo lps. Various Canned Heat members also show up on some of his solo albums along with musicians like Sugarcane Harris and others that Mandel played with in John Mayall's band.

They recently released The Snake Box that has his first 5 lps plus a bonus unissued live disc with Mandel jamming live with Jerry Garcia and Elvin Bishop. You can get it for about $25 and it is worth the money in my opinion.

 

The Snake Box looks like good value for money indeed, John! I've been playing Mandels albums these days and it's all solid material, good stuff to have on. I really dig Harvey's heavy sustain phrasing and he put it to use fantastically with Canned Heat in my opinion.

I found this post on an older thread on this forum (great read: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...er-of-the-27-yr-old-rock-casualty-club.95143/). I'd love to hear more detailed memories of these shows, but this user was last seen here in 2008 unfortunately.

 

This is a great period for both the Heat and Mandel. Hallelujah is where the band starts to stretch out a bit, making their albums more interesting (to me) albeit less cohesive than previous ones. (Groundhogs, the UK band, had a similar trajectory). Christo Redentor is simply great. Truly an under known classic. Its one of those off-the-radar albums that younger folk, after hearing it, have exclaimed about.

 

[QUOTE="John Fell, post: 12169900, member: 37428"
They recently released The Snake Box that has his first 5 lps plus a bonus unissued live disc with Mandel jamming live with Jerry Garcia and Elvin Bishop. You can get it for about $25 and it is worth the money in my opinion.[/QUOTE]

Are these the albums on the box?
Cristo Redentor
Righteous
Games Guitars Play
Electronic Progress
Baby Batter

 

Are these the albums on the box?
Cristo Redentor
Righteous
Games Guitars Play
Electronic Progress
Baby Batter[/QUOTE]

Not Electronic Progress, Shangrenade

 

Not that much love for Mandel I'm afraid! We might try again with some of his later albums further on in the thread

But for now let's check this one out


Future Blues (1970)

Side One
"Sugar Bee" (Eddie Shuler) – 2:39
"Shake It and Break It" (Charlie Patton) – 2:35
"That's All Right (Mama)" (Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup) – 4:19
"My Time Ain't Long" (Wilson) – 3:49
"Skat" (Wilson) – 2:44
"Let's Work Together" (Wilbert Harrison) – 2:53

Side Two
"London Blues" (Wilson) – 5:31
"So Sad (The World's in a Tangle)" (Canned Heat) – 7:57
"Future Blues" (Canned Heat) – 2:58

The record with Canned Heat's final big hit "Let's Work Together" and the only studio recording of the Wilson/Hite/Mandel/Taylor/De La Parra lineup. A personal favorite of mine, this record just grooves throughout in my opinion. The energetic "Sugar Bee" starts off the proceedings with those pure hearted Hite vocals and it's all smooth sailing from there on out. As per usual some excellent Wilson contributions, as well as another environmentally conscious song in "So Sad".

 

This was of course the lineup that played at Woodstock.



I truly dig Mandel's influence on the Heat sound. Fuzzed out like Henry, but in a different more sustainy way. A bit more mellow.

 

This is a great album and along with Boogie With Canned Heat is my favorite. This was the first one of their individual albums that I purchased. Harvey does a great job on this and was a good fit for the band. Let's Work Together is real foot stomper but I like the whole album. The Alan Wilson numbers are great. It is interesting to speculate what this album would have sounded like had Bloomer (Mike Bloomfield) opted to join the band instead of Harvey Mandel.

 

Future Blues is a masterpiece. My favorite as well. And with horns ("Scat")! Really marvelous. I love your Bloomer speculation!

 

My guess is that if Bloomer joined, it would have had more slow blues numbers.

 

Even though the band sounded great with Harvey Mandel, it's been noted that Alan Wilson missed playing (and I suppose hanging out) with Henry Vestine.

The inside of the Future Blues gatefold contained an essay by Wilson:

 

And would have been longer.

 

... than this?

 

original releases of future blues came with an underground comic book. years later I bought a copy from hite's brother selling them in goldmine magazine!!

 

Canned Heat were riding high in 1969, and a part of that were of course TV appearances.

 

Hallelujah and Future Blues are some of my favorite Canned Heat albums. Harvey Mandel did a great job replacing ' The Sunflower.'
Alan Wilson makes Hallelujah and Future blues so good. His songs on these two albums Alan pours his heart out on women in general.
It's too bad he could never have a good relationship with a woman and was taken advantage of. 'London Blues' sums up his feelings. Canned
Heat were still on top of the Blues in 1969-70 great albums. Harvey Mandel's Snake Box is awesome. Your missing some incredible music by Harvey get the Snake Box it's essential.

 

I have been waiting for 'Live in Europe' I hope that is up next We have to have a serious discussion on Larry " The Mole" Taylor Bear.
Not to let the cat out of the bag but " The Mole " really shines on this one!

 

The time has come!

Listen to THIS

Canned Heat '70 Concert - Recorded Live in Europe

Tracklisting:

"That's All Right Mama" (Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup) – 9:02
"Bring It on Home" (Willie Dixon) – 6:18
"Pulling Hair Blues" (Alan Wilson, Samuel L. Taylor) – 9:20
Medley: "Back Out on the Road" (Robert Hite, Jr.) / "On the Road Again" (Floyd Jones, Alan Wilson, Tommy Johnson) – 6:00
"London Blues" (Alan Wilson) – 7:53
"Let's Work Together" (Wilbert Harrison) – 4:50
"Goodbye for Now" (Adolfo de la Parra, Harvey Mandel) – 3:25

Wikipedia says this was recorded in April 1970, but that has to be incorrect. It was recorded at the Royall Albert Hall during their January 1970 tour of Europe. The band would return to Europe in 1970 two more times: in June (to play the Holland Pop Festival and the Bath Festival, Wilson shows up on a live recording for Son House in June 1970!), and once more in September for a full fledged tour (unfortunately without Alan Wilson).

My favorite Heat record, and one I think is mentioned way too little. I think it shows something that the track that arguably does the least for me on this album is their excellent rendition of "Let's Work Together". They play it wonderfully, but the vibe of that song is already captured really well on their studio cut (but who am I kidding, the stomping British audience does add to the feeling and Wilson's slide is sublime...!)

This album, man, just wow, where was this crazy low down psychedelic sound before!? The band is tight and the blues is real on this one. The Heat's sound is different with Mandel instead of Vestine, and this record shows it magnificently.

All parties involved shine. Without a doubt this record shows off Wilson's harmonica playing the best of all (his own style comes through better here than on Hooker 'n Heat in my opinion). Here you can really hear his unique phrasing on the harmonica, I style I've never heard matched. The notes he plays on this album on "Pulling Hair Blues" and "Back Out On The Road Again" are otherworldly and haunting.

As user old school hinted at above, Larry Taylor's bass work is sublime. "Pulling Hair Blues" (which is a duet between Wilson and Taylor) is out of this world and features my favorite bass work of Larry's entire career (disclaimer: he's recorded a lot and I haven't heard it all, but still...)

I will write more thoughts later... For now, please turn your lights down low, close the door, put away your phone and shut down the computer and listen to "Pulling Hair Blues".