This is Not This Heat

Canned Heat were one of the hardest living and hardest working bands of the late sixties and through the seventies. Led by the inimitable Bob “The Bear” Hite, a huge man with a personality to match, they established themselves as one of the greatest white blues bands of all time. For the first time this DVD tells the full unexpurgated story from the surviving band members.

Change is good. Change is important. Change is the enemy of stagnation, a vital means to keep things fresh, innovative and exciting. For TAX THE HEAT, ‘change’ means something else too. The title track of the acclaimed British band’s stunning new album, »Change Your Position«, sees them addressing the turbulent state of the world right now and the very real impact it is having on people. “It’s looking at division in society and people using it as an excuse to do wrong and say wrong,” says singer and guitarist Alex Veale. “It’s saying, ‘Look, change your position.’ It’s holding up a mirror to things.” Fittingly, »Change Your Position« - recorded once again with maverick producer Evansson - represents a huge leap forward for TAX THE HEAT, who are completed by guitarist JP Jacyshyn, bassist Antonio Angotti and drummer Jack Taylor.

Memphis Heat documents Chicago blues piano legend Memphis Slim's studio collaborations with the rock group Canned Heat in France on September 18, 1970, and July 11, 1973. The results are tasty indeed. Slim's voice and piano are well matched by Henry Vestine's electric guitar, Canned Heat's rockin' rhythm section, and (on six out of 13 tracks) the Memphis Horns, a solid wind quintet of trumpet, trombone, two tenors, and a baritone sax. Memphis Slim tried on a lot of different styles and instrumental combinations during the 1970s. His Canned Heat sessions have been both praised and panned over the years, a state of affairs that often revealed more about the reviewers than the music itself.

Los Angeles, 1965: Blues enthusiasts Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson (1943-1970) and Bob "The Bear" Hite (1943-1981) together with like-minded musicians found Canned Heat. They name the band after the title of a 1928 song by bluesman Tommy Johnson about a fuel containing methyl alcohol, also referred to as "canned heat", which is misused by alcoholics as a substitute drug. In 1967 drummer Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra who is still a member today joins Canned Heat, while otherwise the band has seen a lot of personnel turnover in the course of its history. One year later Canned Heat's successful hit single "On The Road Again" makes them popular worldwide. Following this chart success they have further hits with "Going Up The Country" (1968) and "Let's Work Together" (1970). In August 1969 Canned Heat are part of the line-up of the legendary "Woodstock Music & Art Fair". Apart from band albums such as their eponymous debut LP from 1967 or "Boogie With Canned Heat" from the following year they are featured on collaborations with genre greats such as John Lee Hooker ("Hooker 'n Heat", 1971), Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown ("Gate's On The Heat", 1973) or Memphis Slim ("Memphis Heat", 1974).