Boogie With – CANNED HEAT****

Evil Woman/My Crime/On The Road Again/World In A Jug/Turpentine Moan/Whiskey Headed Woman No.2/ Amphetamine Annie/An Owl Song/Marie Laveau/Fried Hockey Boogie

The commercial breakthrough for Los Angeles blues group Canned Heat came with their second album Boogie With. Contains the hit single On The Road Again, No. 16 in the US and No. 8 in the UK. (US:16 UK:5)

"This is a great electric blues album. On The Road Again would be the band's first big hit and you still hear it on the oldies stations once in a while. Amphetamine Annie is a cool tune with a humorous and dry lyrics from the charismatic Bob 'The Bear' Hite while My Crime and World In A Jug are more old school blues that work very well. An Owl Song has Alan Wilson's distinctive vocals and harmonica but with a horn section while Marie Laveau is an instrumental with some great solos. Fried Hockey Boogie is a long jam where the entire band get a turn to show off."

"This a great blues rock album. On The Road Again is one of my favourites. Alan 'Blind Owl' Wilson had great vocals reminiscent of Robert Johnson and a nice contrast to Bob Hite's more gruff belting style. He also played a mean slide guitar and harmonica. Evil Woman has a blistering guitar solo from Vestine and Fried Hockey Boogie is a Canned Heat classic, a long jam with Bob Hite talking a bit about each of the guys before they solo."

"This is the first Canned Heat record I ever bought and/or listened too. I was overwhelmed with joy when the needle first hit the vinyl and the bass line of Evil Woman started playing. From there to the end is nothing but a feel-good sounding record. I also like listening to this album because it sounds like the band are having a lot of fun. Even though the album is mostly covers, the originals blend in with the rest of the music, and are also good tunes. From one of the most overlooked bands of the 60s, this album really reflects the period and is great to just put on, chill out."

"With their second album Canned Heat showed how best to adapt country blues to west coast psychedelic rock and roll. Most of the songs are originals but they clearly show their roots and sources. On The Road Again featured Al Wilson's tremulous near falsetto voice and Henry Vestine's electric guitar innovations, all in service of delivering the song. Anyone interested in what Canned Heat were about should check out this record."