Don't Forget to Boogie: Vintage Heat

1. Rollin' And Tumblin'

2. Big Road Blues

3. Spoonful

4. Got My Mojo Working

5. Pretty Thing

6. Louise

7. Dimples

8. Can't Hold On Much Longer

9. Straight Head

10. Rollin' And Tumblin'

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This is vintage Heat from a rare 1966 recording produced by famed rhythm and blues pioneer, Johnny Otis. These tracks are some of their very first ever, captured during a stint at El Dorado Studios in Los Angeles, way before their triumphs at both the Monterey and Woodstock rock festivals. Out of print for over thirty years, this collection is considered to be the definitive precursor to the first official Canned Heat album.

Tracks:

Rollin' And Tumblin'
Big Road Blues
Spoonful
Got My Mojo Working
Pretty Thing
Louise
Dimples
Can't Hold On Much Longer
Straight Head
Rollin' And Tumblin'

Album Description

This is vintage Heat from a rare 1966 recording produced by famed rhythm and blues pioneer, Johnny Otis. These tracks are some of their very first ever, captured during a stint at El Dorado Studios in Los Angeles, way before their triumphs at both the Monterey and Woodstock rock festivals. Out of print for over thirty years, this collection is considered to be the definitive precursor to the first official Canned Heat album.

Customer Reviews:

...they almost forgot to boogie!.......2006-02-27

Here's some early ear candy: Canned Heat from 1966, laying down some rockin' blues in an L.A. studio session well before their legendary performances at Monterey and Woodstock. Existing as relative unknowns usually produces some inspired recordings, such as The Beatles early BBC tapes, and Canned Heat don't disappoint, although they by-and-large had not yet found the boogie groove that would become their signature sound in the late 1960's, epitomized by tracks such as 'Goin' Up the Country' and 'On the Road Again'. What we have here are some standard blues and driving blues-rock featuring Bob "The Bear" Hite's growling vocals, and some fine guitar and harmonica work from Henry Vistine and Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson. While few of these tracks would be considered classics in the Canned Heat catalog, every number seems to have some redeeming quality to boast about.

The disc has a promising opening with two rocking-blues tracks, a cover of Muddy Water's 'Rollin' and Tumblin' featuring a great slide guitar and gritty Hite vocal, and Canned Heat's own 'Big Road Blues', living off a great rhythm guitar hook. Willie Dixon's familiar 'Spoonful' follows, capturing a 'Tobacco Road' feel. While overshadowed by the forthcoming Cream cover of the same track, Canned Heat's more up-tempo version offers a nice lead guitar supplementing harmonized vocals. An up-tempo rendition of 'Got My Mojo Workin' offers another sweet vocal from Hite. 'Pretty Thing', a second Willie Dixon composition, features a Bo Diddley-sounding rhythm guitar under a 1950's-sounding vocal track. 'Louise' is a slow blues track that seems to imitate B.B. King's trademark blues guitar sound, while 'Dimples' offers the first traces of boogie in a sped-up version of 'Suzie-Q', tendering some fine vocals and lead guitar work. 'Can't Hold On Much Longer' gets back to the outstanding slide guitar sound first offered on 'Rollin' and Tumblin', and another strong Hite vocal (featuring the familiar, "I get a real good feelin', talkin' to you on the phone..." verse). Track nine is the first to offer up a Blind Owl vocal, but he sounds more like a boogie-ing Brian Wilson. The track does find life through another catchy rhythm guitar riff. The closer is a redeux of 'Rollin' and Tumblin', this time with a superfluous (given the main attraction of the slide guitar) harmonica.

Few bands are able to hit a rhythm stride as well as Canned Heat, and this disc demonstrates that this was a natural capacity of the band, present from day one. That trait, along with the raw appeal of Bob "The Bear" Hite's weighty, made-for-the-blues vocals make each and every track here worth hearing. As a set, the songs offer a revealing insight into the origins and eventual evolution of the band. The liner notes are sparse, and despite two listings of the individual songs, running times are not offered. Most of the tracks are certainly under three minutes, however, which means the cumulative ten tracks top out at under thirty minutes. I suppose this is essential for Canned Heat aficinados, and certainly worthy listening for any fan of quality 1960's rock and roll music.

$8 more realistic price.......2005-02-05

Short but sweet. At 24:21 Varese could have knocked a few bucks off the price. A nice addition would be The Boogie House Tapes.
Either set.

VIntage Heat from 1966.......2004-11-12

The original Canned Heat recording featuring Stuart Brotman on bass and Frank Cook on drums, Vintage Heat consisted entirely of blues covers including Robert Johnson's "Rolling & Tumbling" Elmore James' "Dust My Broom", Muddy Waters' "Got My Mojo Working", John Lee Hooker's "Dimples" and Howlin' Wolf "Evil Is Going On". The album was produced by Johnny Otis originally in 1966 at his one-horse studio before Canned Heat scored their record contract with Liberty. Bootlegged, bundled, and repackaged countless times under such names as "Eternal Boogie", "Don't Forget To Boogie", and "Canned Heat In Concert". Alan's crisp harmonica is a fresh breather for blues enthusiasts, and Bob Hite's grasp of "Shouting The Blues" is a sure-to-please first effort. This is what sets Canned Heat apart from the rest: The group was founded by obsessively dedicated musicologists. Originally surfaced in 1970 on Janus Records, The album cover's picture was an open tin can on fire. Check out the band's webpage at - www.cannedheatmusic.com. All content copyright www.maximumink.com.

Rock Music:

Rock Music