Canned Heat Live: Woodstock 10th Anniversary

Performer: Canned Heat
Distributor: RED Distribution

Notes: Canned Heat: Bob "The Bear" Hite (vocals, harmonica); Jay Spell (vocals, piano); Larry Taylor (vocals, bass instrument); Mike "Hollywood Fats" Mann (guitar); Adolfo de la Parra (drums). Personnel: Bob Hite (vocals, harmonica); Hollywood Fats (guitar). Liner Note Author: Hank Bordowitz. Recording information: 09/07/1979. Photographer: Richard Aaron. There have easily been half-a-dozen releases derived from this late-'70s reunion of the venerable psychedelic/blues band Canned Heat. Setting this package apart from King Biscuit Flower Hour's Greatest Hits Live or the DTS 5.1 DVD version From the Front Row Live (2003) is the inclusion of two "bonus" tracks -- which will be expounded upon momentarily. The specific performance featured within the main program is rare in the sense that it is one of the only available to boast a short-lived lineup lead by Canned Heat veterans Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass/vocals), Bob "The Bear" Hite (harmonica/vocals), and Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra (drums), with Mike "Hollywood Fats" Mann (guitar) and Jay Spell (piano). The band's September 7, 1979 set was part of a larger celebration held in Brookhaven, NY and marking the tenth anniversary of the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair. Suitably, the combo churns through a handful of the better-known selections that have become synonymous with their initial fame as boogie-based rockers during the late '60s. Primary among them are "On the Road Again" and the back to nature anthem "Goin' Up the Country" -- the latter having been used prominently in the Woodstock (1970) motion picture documentary and subsequent soundtrack. As such, each is met with enthusiastic responses from the gathered masses. Slightly deeper into their decade-old repertoire are sturdy updates of Amos Milburn's Crescent City soul classic "Chicken Shack Boogie" as well as William Harris' "Bullfrog Blues." The lengthy workout on "Human Conditions" -- the title track to their most recent long player -- is recommended listening for inclined parties, as is the hard-driving closer "Shake 'n' Boogie" as the band turn up the fire into a full-blown revival of the incendiary style that garnered their initial notoriety. The aforementioned supplementary sides are the incongruous additions of "Let's Work Together" and the seasonal offering "Christmas Blues." Although they are both worth having, neither seems to have a specific connection to the 1979 concert. ~ Lindsay Planer This is one of the only titles, if not the only title, with this particular incarnation of the traditional blues-influenced Canned Heat. The Heat are primarily remembered for having been at both the Monterey International Pop Music Festival (June 1967) and the Woodstock Music & Arts Fair (August 1969). In much the same fashion as the great bluesmen of the early 20th century, Canned Heat never garnered the commercial success that was worthy of their authentic blending of electric rock & roll with R&B. Live Woodstock 10th Anniversary Celebration (2008) is taken from the Heat's appearance at a Woodstock reunion held on September 7, 1979, in Brookhaven, NY. The personnel included Larry Taylor (bass/vocals), Bob "The Bear" Hite (harmonica/vocals), and Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra (drums), as well as new recruits Mike "Hollywood Fats" Mann (guitar) and Jay Spell (piano). The set list consists of a few familiar performances, with competent -- if not at times inspired -- readings of their best-known cuts, namely the rollicking workout they give to the fan favorites "On the Road Again" and the rural roots anthem "Goin' Up the Country." Both receive enthusiastic responses from the gathered masses. They also serve up a few standard repertoire covers. Among them are William Harris' "Bullfrog Blues," which first appeared on the combo's debut, Canned Heat (1967), and the bayou soul of Amos Milburn's "Chicken Shack Boogie." Although substance abuse had and would plague them, they continued making LPs throughout the 1970s. This show includes an extended ten-plus-minute reading of the title track to their Human Condition LP (1978), a final effort with Hite, who passed in 1981 of a heart seizure. They wrap things up with a powerful "Shake 'n' Boogie," restoring much of the frenetic playing that became synonymous with the combo's original incarnation. While Live Woodstock 10th Anniversary Celebration offers a little something for everyone, purists and hardcore enthusiasts are encouraged to check out either 1970's Live at the Topanga Corral or 1971's Canned Heat '70 Concert: Recorded Live in Europe. ~ Lindsay Planer

One of the premier blues bands of the 1960s, Canned Heat's boogie-tinged take on the style reached a wide audience following its appearance at Woodstock. The band grew more popular after being prominently featured in the subsequent WOODSTOCK documentary film and on the companion album. Although they never achieved superstar status, Canned Heat's influence can be heard in a wide variety of bands--from ZZ Top to Phish--who place a shuffling, bluesy groove front and center.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5