Canned Wheat – THE GUESS WHO***

No Time/Minstrel Boy/Laughing/Undun/6am Or Nearer/Old Joe/Of A Dropping Pin/Key/Fair Warning

The second album from the Canadian soft rock group The Guess Who after joining the RCA label. Canned Wheat includes the US No. 10 hit single Laughing. (US:91)

"Canned Wheat is an impressive effort by The Guess Who even though it didn't achieve a high chart placing in the US at the time of release. The set featured the notable hit Laughing, the soft jazz rock gem Undun and the criminally underrated Of A Dropping Pin.”

“There's no question that Burton Cummings was a great, distinctive vocalist. He just needed to be reigned in from getting carried away. The band indulge their more 'jammy' side here on the eleven minute Key, with some stellar drumming and guitar work. At this point, their British Invasion influences were well merged with a more jazzy pop song sensibility, with a hint of their later more hard rock sound.”

“Another poor release from an otherwise good band. The Guess Who had a skill for songs but not for albums. They just can’t produce a true album, its more of a collection of decent songs to back the singles. With that said there are two good tracks: the first is the undeniable whimsy of Undun, a spectacular song that flows very majestically. Laughing is the other radio frequent. In conclusion, this is a rather bland album with only a few highlights.”

“Contains the two hits Laughing and Undun, plus the original version of No Time before it was shortened for AM radio. The entire second side is more of the band playing their brand of hard-folkish-poppy-and even jazzy-rock.”

“Most of the songs on this album aren't very exciting, but the few exceptions make it very worthwhile. Of A Dropping Pin is an undiscovered gem, Undun is generally considered to be one of the group's best, and I much prefer this version of No Time because the strummed acoustic guitar chords are clearer, the guitar solo is extended, and the ending is more climactic than in the top 40 version.”

“While this album might have not convinced the public that The Guess Who were anything more than an AM-oriented pop/rock band at the time, this album and band really deserve much more than that status.”