Cookbook – CANNED HEAT***

Bullfrog Blues/Rollin’ & Tumblin’/Going Up The Country/Amphetamine Annie/Time Was/Boogie Music/On The Road Again/Same All Over/Sic ‘Em Pigs/Fried Hockey Boogie

Cookbook was the first compilation album from the boogie band Canned Heat which was slightly premature as it omitted one of their best songs Let’s Work Together. (US:86 UK:8)

“Great Canned Heat set for beginners. Contains some of their most popular songs including Going Up The Country and On The Road Again, plus the standout closer Fried Hockey Boogie. Once you get a taste of this collection, you'll want to search out other Canned Heat albums.”

“I like their two biggest songs, Going Up The Country and On The Road Again, but there is nothing else here that comes close to these standards. The rest is very, very average. Generally compilations are designed to not only bring out a band’s best moments into one place, but also to provide a pleasing taster for those wanting to investigate the catalogue further. It fails on both accounts because there is nothing here that leads me to investigate further.”

“I thought I would enjoy this much more. I still love their classics but the other songs on the album are just so-so. One must be in a mood to hear some simple rock and boogie to get into it.”

“A compilation with a dubious looking title. But despite that, the best way to get the head around Canned Heat is through a compilation, but to say that this is the greatest hits package is just pushing it. From what I know of the bands history they only had two, maybe even three, hits. But not to worry, Cookbook is a reasonable summary of Canned Heat.”

"On The Road Again is pure cool boogie, while Going Up The Country just wants to make you jump in a swamp on a sticky hot day, But, these two songs are where the album peaks. They may be played to death standards, but there is a good reason for this since they were songs that were a cut above many a Canned Heat track, songs which lacked that spark and creativity, though they do contain some feeling. The band had an honest and rooted blues touch, but the songs just were not there to give the band that kick. Sick 'Em Pigs is terrible while Amphetamine Annie stomps along like a zillion other Canned Heat tracks. Time Was, on the other hand, is welcome.”