DVD Review: Canned Heat - Live At Montreux 1973

This DVD presents hard-hitting blues band Canned Heat in a rare live performance from the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival in 1973. Out of the dozens of white blues rockers to emerge from the 1960s, Canned Heat was by far the best in that, while other artists ventured into the heavier sounds of 1960s rock ‘n’ roll, they never strayed too far from their roots or the intention of the band.

Led by front man and co-founder Bob “The Bear” Hite, the band rolls and stomps through ten cuts, dripping with funk and their core boogie. By this time in their career they had already lost Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson, who died at 27, just before the band’s third European tour. The Blind Owl’s high-pitched vocals were the perfect contrast to the Bear’s heavy vocal growl. Also missing from the original line-up is Larry Taylor on bass; he would eventually rejoin the band years later. The Bear’s little brother Richard Hite, who does a fine job — as we shall hear about later — picks up bass duty.

Kicking things off with their huge hit “On The Road Again,” the Heat sets the pace for the show. Solid drumming by the Mexican-born Fito De La Parra and stellar guitar playing by Henry “The Sunflower” Vestine are what keep this tune as jumping as ever. The Bear’s harmonica playing and vocals drive this thing over the top. The original version had Blind Owl on vocals but the Bear does a fine job and makes it more of a solid blues tune.

The next four tracks feature Texas blues legend Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, who leads the band well and with somewhat of an iron fist for their first time playing together. On “Please Mr. Nixon,” “About My Oo Poo Pa Doo,” and the generically title “Funk,” he waves the band to a complete stop so he can take center stage and perform his solos. On “Nixon” he digs into his bag of tricks to fetch out an electric violin. While on “Funk,” which is a traditional blues that has lost its true title, “Gatemouth” makes his guitar “talk” by holding the strings down and doing some various scratching techniques, which make a sound very much like that of the adults in the “Charlie Brown” cartoons. The revival “hymn” as “Gatemouth” calls it, “Oo Poo Pa Doo,” is the classic New Orleans-styled call-and-response song done with flair and gets the crowd going.

Article Author: El Bicho

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