REVIEW: Canned Heat, Boogie 2000 (Ruf)
- Don Share
Canned Heat were an immortal '60s/'70s band (though founders Al Wilson and Bob Hite died in 1970 and 1981, respectively) that played both Monterey and Woodstock, stunning wriggling hippie masses with their frankly weird combination of blues, boogie, and psychedelic droning. Even now, just about everyone recognizes their hits "Goin' Up the Country" and "On the Road Again," if not the sublime "Let's Work Together."
While the original musicians were record collectors like, say, the Rolling Stones before them, they were not content to imitate the blues, always adding their own twist. Since the band's inception and subsequent ill fate, there have perennially been musicians around to keep the Heat warm, and now lo (if not behold), we have a Canned Heat for the new millennium on Boogie 2000 which features original drummer, Tito de la Parra, as well as original bassist Larry "The Mole" Taylor on guitar, along with Greg Kage on bass. The opening "Wait and See," a Fats Domino tune, even features a flute riff stolen from "Goin' Up the Country," but from there things go off in a new, if somewhat predictable, direction, augmented by riveting vocals from a new leader, Robert Lucas.
You can almost smell the bourbon and smokes on Lucas's breath on the best of these tracks, and another source of stimulation is his searing slide guitar. Even on derivative tracks like "World of Make Believe," which is a credible Santana soundalike, or set pieces like "I Got Loaded" and "She Split," the band is good and tight, as you'd expect. Still, the Y2K version of Canned Heat is more laid-back and less hauntingly etherial than the original -- except on the true-blue "200 Reasons -- Y2K Blues," which brings it all back home. And speaking of originals, "Searchin' for My Baby" features the original Cannibal and the Headhunters, go figure!
Some of the tracks are only a bit more than good bar band material, though, like "Road to Rio" (which, features the wigged-out rhyme of "automobile" and "Rio"!), "Last Man (Who'll Ever Have to Sing the Blues)" and "Can I Come Home." Also, "I'm So Tired," not the Beatles tune, does kick especially hard.
All things considered, the flame has been kept; but do not neglect Canned Heat's best work, still smoldering on various collections, especially the brief Best of or the comprehensive Uncanned sets.
