Canned Heat - Living The Blues

Have you heard of Canned Heat? Wait. Loaded question. You have, but you may not know it. They have a plethora of outstanding tracks out there - most of which you'd recognize at the drop of a hat. These guys are all about blues, but in a more uptempo fashion. From what I hear, they were sort of pioneers at making blues something you could tap your toes to. They formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California - which makes perfect sense. One could almost call this west coast blues, since it has that sort of feel to it. When the band was launched - they were called 'Canned Heat Blues' - after a 1928 song done by Tommy Johnson. After touring and becoming popular around the US, fans seemed to simply shorten the name to Canned Heat. The band went with it. With the way they did music and their general attitude - they became icons of the hippie era. They basically played every major music festival during the 1960's. The band had two international hits - including one off this album 'Going Up The Country'. Now, I love this song. And the track is a remake of an older blues song done by Henry Thomas called 'Bull Doze Blues'. The group had a knack for turning old, obscure blues tracks and revitalizing them into something new and fresh. Boy were they rewarded for their efforts too. They sold many copies of this album and the song was #1 all across the world. My only complaint about this album is the length. It's too darn short - but then again, all albums were that way back in the day. I love the feel of it and I love the uptempo blues idea in general. I've always been a fan of the Canned Heat - and you might already be - just give 'em a shot.

TRACK LISTING:
1. Refried Boogie, Pt. 1
2. Pony Blues
3. My Mistake
4. Refried Boogie, Pt. 2
5. Sandy's Blues
6. Going Up the Country
7. Walking by Myself
8. Boogie Music
9. One Kind Favor
10. Parthenogenesis

Listen To Samples

Top 3 Tracks:
1. Going Up The Country
2. Pony Blues
3. Sandy's Blues

FINAL RATING:
3.5 out of 5 stars