Heat Expanded

When this two-LP set was initially released in January 1971, Canned Heat was back to its R&B roots, sporting slightly revised personnel. In the spring of the previous year, Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass) and Harvey Mandel (guitar) simultaneously accepted invitations to join John Mayall's concurrent incarnation of the Bluesbreakers…

Canned Heat's second long-player, Boogie with Canned Heat (1968), pretty well sums up the bona fide blend of amplified late-'60s electric rhythm and blues, with an expressed emphasis on loose and limber boogie-woogie. The quintet – consisting of Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson (guitar/harmonica/vocals), Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass), Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (guitar), Aldolfo "Fido" Dela Parra (drums), and Bob "The Bear" Hite (vocals) – follow up their debut effort with another batch of authentic interpretations, augmented by their own exceptional instrumentation. One development is their incorporation of strong original compositions. "On the Road Again" – which became the combo's first, and arguably, most significant hit – as well as the Albert King inspired anti-speed anthem, "Amphetamine Annie," were not only programmed on the then-burgeoning underground FM radio waves, but also on the more adventuresome AM Top 40 stations. Their love of authentic R&B informs "World in a Jug," the dark "Turpentine Blues," and Hite's update of Tommy McClennan's "Whiskey Headed Woman".

This 15-track single-disc collection was culled from Canned Heat (1967), Boogie With Canned Heat (1968), Living the Blues (1968), Hallelujah (1969), and Future Blues (1970). Arguably, Canned Heat Cookbook (1969) – a hits package in its own right – could be lumped in since it was the first full-length platter with "Going Up the Country," which was initially only issued on a 45-rpm single. During this era, the Heat was inhabited by Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson (guitar/vocals), Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass), Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (guitar), and Bob "The Bear" Hite (vocals). Frank Cook (drums) contributed to the band's self-titled debut prior to being replaced by Aldolfo "Fito" de la Parra (drums), who remained as the combo's sole purveyor into the 1990s.

Though there was no specific hit on Hallelujah, this album contains Canned Heat's fully developed blues chops and a slightly newfound political edge. Of special note is "Sic 'Em Pigs," an entertaining anti-police anthem, featuring drummer Fito de la Parra, Alan Wilson, and Henry Vestine making pig noises. Canned Heat Cookbook was the first greatest-hits compilation from the band, released originally in 1970, and contains the band's three hit singles, "Goin' Up the Country," "On the Road Again," and "Let's Work Together" (the latter wasn't actually part of the original LP; it was added to this 2002 compilation by Fuel 2000).

One More River To Cross is the tenth studio album by Canned Heat, released in 1973. The band negotiated out of their contract with Liberty Records and debuted with Atlantic Records. This album featured horn arrangements played by the Muscle Shoal Horns along with Barry Beckett and Roger Hawkins. The album cover was designed by Ernie Cefalu. While not quite on the same level as the classic treasures that came before it, this is an underrated gem much like later albums by Savoy Brown. Never mind the Jimmy Buffet on psylocybin cover, what's underneath has some serious pedigree. Produced, recorded and engineered at Muscle Shoals, with none other than swampers Barry Beckett and Roger Hawkins at the helm, the sound exudes simple rural elegance.