Listening to all of the Alan ( “Blind Owl” ) Wilson songs !

Canned Heat was a great band and Alan Wilson was a major part of that. I am amazed by his playing. He had such a grasp of old time blues. What do you think?

 

Right now-“Time Was” from Canned Heat, “Hallelujah”. 1969. Great album -great Wilson.

 

And of course, Henry Vestine, “The Sunflower” was another amazing guitarist.

 

And Wilson’s harp.

 

I thought I'd post the recording career of the recently deceased Larry "The Mole" Taylor. I can highly recommend a very large number of these albums to people interested in the blues .
He played an important role in the blues "revival" of the 1990's & onwards right up to his death. Canned Heat (& The Monkees) just a starting point in his journey.

Discography[edit]
with The Monkees[edit]

• The Monkees (1966)
• More of the Monkees (1967)
• The Monkees Present (1969)
• Instant Replay (1969)
• Changes (1970)
• Listen to the Band (1991)
• Greatest Hits (1995)
• Missing Links, Vol. 3 (1996)
• Anthology (1998)
• Music Box (2001)

with Canned Heat[edit]

• Canned Heat (1967)
• Boogie with Canned Heat (1968)
• Living the Blues (1968)
• Hallelujah (1969)
• Future Blues (1970)
• Boogie Up the Country (1987)
• Reheated (1988)
• Internal Combustion (1994)
• Burnin' (1994)
• Canned Heat Blues Band (1996)
• Gamblin' Woman (1996)
• King Biscuit Flower Hour: Canned Heat in Concert (1996)
• Ties That Bind (1997)
• Boogie 2000 (1999)
• Turning Up the Heat (2000)
• Live at the Kaleidoscope 1969 (2000)
• Far Out (2001)
• Big Road Blues (2002)
• Friends in the Can (2003)
• Canned Heat '70 Concert Live in Europe (2004)
• Dimples (2005)
• Canned, Labeled & Shelved (2006)
• Instrumentals 1967-1996 (2006)
• Christmas Album (2007)
• Revolution Limited Edition Cd (2012)
• Songs From The Road (2015)

with John Mayall[edit]

• Empty Rooms (1969)
• USA Union (1970)
• Back to the Roots (1971)
• Memories (1971)
• Jazz Blues Fusion (1972)
• Moving On (1973)
• Latest Edition (1974)
• New Year, New Band, New Company (1975)
• Notice to Appear (1975)
• Banquet in Blues (1976)
• Lots of People (1977)
• Archives to Eighties (1988)
• Rock the Blues Tonight (1999)

with Harvey Mandel[edit]

• Games Guitars Play (1970)
• Baby Batter (1971)
• Electronic Progress (1971)
• Snake (1972)
• Mercury Years (1995)

with Tom Waits[edit]

• Heartattack and Vine (1980)
• Swordfishtrombones (1983)
• Rain Dogs (1985)
• Franks Wild Years (1987)
• Bone Machine (1992)
• Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years (1998)
• Mule Variations (1999) Gold Record Award
• "Hold On" (single) (2000)
• Alice (2002)
• Blood Money (2002)
• Real Gone (2004)
• Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (2006) Gold Record Award
• Bad as Me (2011)

with others[edit]

• Test Patterns (Boyce & Hart, 1967)
• Slim's Got His Thing Goin' On' (Sunnyland Slim, 1969)
• Fiddler on the Rock (Don "Sugarcane" Harris, 1971)
• Lost Session (Albert King, 1971)
• Mudlark (Leo Kottke, 1971)
• The Devil's Harmonica (Shakey Jake Harris, 1972)
• Cup Full of Dreams (Don "Sugarcane" Harris, 1974)
• Summit Meeting (Free Creek, 1976)
• I'm a Southern Man (Louis Myers, 1978)
• Hollywood Fats Band (Mike „Hollywood Fats“ Mann, 1979)
• Rock This House (Mike „Hollywood Fats“ Mann, 1979)
• Anthology Previously Unreleased Material (The Grandmothers, 1980)
• Rock Therapy (Colin Winski, 1980)
• The Other Side of Town (Chuck E. Weiss, 1981)
• Hard Line (The Blasters, 1985)
• Harpburn (Rod Piazza, 1986)
• Best (Leo Kottke, 1987)
• Kristen Vigard (Kristen Vigard, 1988)
• Healer (John Lee Hooker, 1988)
• Keith Levene's Violent Opposition (Keith Levene, 1989)
• Mr. Lucky (John Lee Hooker, 1991)
• Got Love If You Want It (John Hammond, Jr., 1992)
• Trespass (Ry Cooder, 1992)
• In My Time (Charlie Musselwhite, 1992)
• Mother of an Anthology (The Grandmothers, 1993)
• That's Life (Kim Wilson, 1994)
• My New Orleans Soul (Ronnie Barron, 1994)
• Long Overdue (Junior Watson, 1994)
• Trouble No More (John Hammond, Jr., 1994)
• Martinis & Bikinis (Sam Phillips, 1994)
• Blues for Thought (Terry Evans, 1994)
• Closer to You (JJ Cale, 1994)
• To Love (Randy Resnick, 1994)
• Working Girl Blues (Phillip Walker, 1995)
• 88th Street Blues (Smokey Wilson, 1995)
• Adventures at Catfish Pond (Bob „Catfish“ Hodge, 1996)
• Rough News (Charlie Musselwhite, 1997)
• Lost in America (Lynwood Slim, 1997)
• Mr. Blake's Blues (Al Blake, 1997)
• My Blues (Kim Wilson, 1997)
• Signifyin' (Fred Kaplan, 1997)
• Back to Back (Lynwood Slim, 1998)
• Lookin for Trouble (Edward Taylor, 1998)
• Jump Children! (Finis Tasby, 1998)
• New Depths (The Ventures, 1998)
• Soul Disguise (Cesar Rosas, 1999)
• Zero Zero Zero: The Best of Sam Phillips (Sam Phillips, 1999)
• Something Good for Your Head (Blackburn & Snow, 1999)
• I'm Going All the Way (Peggy Pruitt, 2000)
• I Can Tell (Junior Valentine, 2000)
• World Wide Wood (Lynwood Slim, 2000)
• Mo' Na'Kins, Please! (James Harman, 2000)
• Toughest Girl Alive (Candye Kane, 2000)
• West Coast House Party (Kid Ramos, 2000)
• There's a Song in There (Mark DuFresne, 2000)
• Fool's Paradise (Dale Hawkins, 2000)
• Wicked Grin (John Hammond, Jr., 2001)
• Smokin' Joint (Kim Wilson, 2001)
• "You Can Make It If You Try (Gene Allison, 2002)
• Beggar's Oil (Kelly Joe Phelps, 2002)
• Harmonica Blues Orgy (Easy Baby, 2002)
• Magic Soul Elixer (Al Blake, 2002)
• Let It Rain (Tracy Chapman, 2002)
• Whole Lotta Love (Candye Kane, 2003)
• Heart Trouble (Wanda Jackson, 2003)
• Villanelle (Paul Reddick, 2004)
• Fernando Ortega (Fernando Ortega, 2004)
• Think About It (Alex Schultz, 2004)
• Soul Sanctuary (Hollywood Blue Flames, 2005)
• Southern Jumbo (Colin Linden, 2005)
• Time Brings About a Change... A Floyd Dixon Celebration (Floyd Dixon, 2006)
• Hell Under the Skullbones (Graham Lindsey, 2006)
• Spooked (Marley's Ghost, 2006)
• Road to Rio (Hollywood Blue Flames, 2006)
• Can't Quit the Blues (Buddy Guy, 2006)
• Shower Some Love (Layni Kooper, 2007)
• Luminous (Chris Murphy, 2007)
• Big Plans (Mannish Boys, 2007)
• Like a Fire (Solomon Burke, 2008)
• Bluelisted (JW-Jones, 2008)
• Midnight Memphis Sun (JW-Jones, 2010)
• Definitive Albert King on Stax (Albert King, 2011)
• New World Generation (New World Generation, 2011)
• Driftin' From Town To Town (Barrelhouse Chuck & Kim Wilson's Blues All Stars (2013)
• Blues And Boogie (Kim Wilson) (2017)

 

An interview with Larry Taylor you should read

BLUES JUNCTION Productions - A Conversation with Larry Taylor

 

Al Wilson was a very early campaigner in highlighting the ills humans were causing to planet Earth. He would be devastated by "global warming"

 

Now “Do Not Enter”. Blind Owl does all instruments and vocal, except Fito de la Parra drums. Amazing track!!!! relentless.

 

Love his voice.

 

Get Off My Back

 

The nickname “Blind Owl” was given to him by John Fahey. Here’s a photo taken in 1966...of “ four great musicians.” Fahey on the left, and second from the right “ Blind Aouhl Krishnawhilson.”

 

Love the Wilson era of CH. Became a different band after he passed.

Oh I didn’t hear about Larry Taylor. RIP.
CH was just in my town for a 50th anniversary Woodstock performance. Not sure if he was with them, doubtful, but it was just days before 8/19 his passing date.

 

I love this thread already, was just talking Blind Owl on the "Rock albums that utilize harmonica" thread. There is a double CD collection that came out a few years ago now, put together by Fito. It pulls all Alan's Canned Heat songs together. FANTASTIC. It's funny, I actually made a mix-tape back in the day along the same idea, but this CD collection is the real deal.

 

Amazon has the Alan Wilson CD collection. I have most of the LPs from the day which generally sound pretty terrific-especially the 2 LP set, entitled “Living the Blues” with that amazing harp piece by Alan called “Parthenogenesis”. So, with the LPs it is more work to get to the AW tracks when you want to listen to only or mainly them.

 

Alan was worried about mankind ruining the moon as well

 

I so regret trading in the original Hooker N Heat copy I had. What was I thinking. The sundazed mono first lp too.....

Is GET OFF MY BACK a song title ?
I have a nice copy of Vintage, the orange poster, but Henry Vestines playing is difficult for me to listen to.
Has anyone read the AW biography ?

 

Yes-originally on “Hallelujah” album.

 

Ok. I know all of their Owl era albums very well, but obviously not each of the song titles. "I'm already in a fog"
I was first given the post Owl record .... one more river to cross ? In the late 70s . I wasn't crazy about it, but then I picked up the first s/t album and was very much into that one, and collected each up to H&H. I also have the other cds that came out, Far Out, et c ,There are a few from ash Grove. Just unfortunately my Hallelugah Future blues and 70 concert are bgo rereleases......

 

My personal Canned Heat comp is about 85% Wilson songs - he was the singular element in the band that gave them a unique, signature identity. Special innate feeling for the blues that few others have matched.

 

Son House and Alan Wilson - Empire State Express

1965

 

Isolated harp on “Burning Hell”

 

Canned Heat - Human Condition

Kralingen Music Festival, Rotterdam 26 June 1970