The latest collection of reviews is a bit of a mish-mash of both quality and style.
Canned Heat: Live at Montreux (1973)
This one is a bunch of 1960s era Californians doing their interpretation of the blues. Add to this a touch of boogie and jam band waffling for good measure. As with many bands of such a vintage line-up, changes due to death and burnout affected the band's consistency. That said, Walter Trout was one of the members for a time. Canned Heat was a bit like John Mayall's Bluesbreakers for nurturing blues talent.
Well, it was the '60s after all. To make things interesting on this disc, which was recorded at the famous Jazz/Blues festival, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown appears on several of the tracks. Having Brown along for the ride gives the band a bit of cred in their performance. Like much of the '60s music, this is very much an acquired taste. I found much of it unfocused and pretty dull to listen to. This band claim to be purists but quite often the music seems to lose its way as they perform.
Can't say this release is anything essential. Studio albums from their "classic" late '60s line-up would probably be a better introduction. However, those interested in a look at the American equivalent to the Bluesbreakers might want to have a listen.
Rockpile: Live at Montreux 1980
You may not have heard of this band, but you may have heard at least one of their songs. They had hits in various forms in the '70s and '80s, either performed by band members or covered by other artists. This band only recorded one record as Rockpile due to some odd contractual problems. That did not stop them from recording together as the backing bands on various solo albums by band members like Nick Lowe and Dave Edmonds. It helped a great deal that they had three vocalists (a formula to be copied by The Traveling Wilburys and Damn Yankees later in the decade). "Girls Talk" released by Dave Edmunds and "Cruel to be Kind," released by Lowe were both hits on either side of the Atlantic, which were recorded by Rockpile.
This bunch penned songs like "Queen of Hearts," a pop hit in the '80s. The Rockpile version is quite different from the fluffed up version. Another track that you might have heard is "Teacher, Teacher." "I hear you Knocking" was another song that bothered the charts for one of the members of the band. This is very much a "best of Rockpile and its members" live CD. The rock and rockabilly elements make it a rather fun release. There is no doubting the talent of the four members. Sadly Rockpile did not last much longer than this release and later broke up.
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