|  By
Cornbread
 Canned
Heat - Live at Montreux 1973
(2006 – Eagle Vision)
This 73 minute DVD features Canned
Heat, which was one of the top rockin’-blues
bands of the late sixties and all throughout the
seventies. Led by Bob "The Bear" Hite,
they established themselves as one of the greatest
white blues bands of all time. This concert from
Montreux in 1973, their only appearance at the festival,
captures them at their peak, and features a guest
appearance from Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.
The classics songs on this DVD are On The Road Again,
Rock & Roll Music and Let’s Work Together.
Track listing:
1. On the Road Again
2. Please Mr. Nixon w/ Clarence "Gatemouth"
Brown
3. Worried Life Blues w/ Clarence "Gatemouth"
Brown
4. Ooh Poo Pah Doo w/ Clarence "Gatemouth"
Brown
5. Funky w/ Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
6. Night Time is the Right Time
7. Let’s Work Together
8. Rock and Roll Music
9. Lookin’ for My Rainbow
10. Montreux Boogie (improvisation)
The group was led by Alan "Blind
Owl" Wilson (guitar, harmonica, vocals) and
Bob Hite ("The Bear") (vocals, harmonica).
Henry Vestine (a.k.a Sunflower) also played guitar
and was an ex-member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of
Invention. Larry Taylor ("The Mole") (best
known up until then as the Monkees session bassist),
was their studio bassist, (joining full time through
1970), along with drummer Frank Cook for their first
album. Canned Heat took their name from Tommy Johnson's
1928 "Canned Heat Blues” about an alcoholic
who drank Sterno, also known as canned heat.
To my readers, I apologize for using
this review as my personal soapbox but here goes.
There continues to be an over abundance of stuff
being released on DVD with what blatantly appears
to be another way to make a buck. That being said
the Montreux Jazz Festival held every July in Montreux,
Switzerland is one if not the pinnacle music event(s).
While I’ve never been I’ve heard my
share of these recordings and seen several of these
videos and they are very enjoyable. The Montreux
events are among the best and the DVD’s I’ve
seen are all good – really good. This Canned
Heat holds up to these high standards. Check it
out. You’ll enjoy this California blues band,
I did.
Ciao'
for now, peace.
Peter 'Cornbread' Cohen,
CBP
~
Cornbread@STLBlues.net ~
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