Finyl Vinyl Canned Heat

• 1One Last Boogie03:58
• 2Blind Owl06:03
• 3Goin' To Heaven (In A Pontiac)03:02
• 4So Sad (The World's In A Tangle)05:51
• 5East/West Boogie (Instrumental)04:09
• 6Tease Me03:11
• 7A Hot Ole Time03:29
• 8You're The One04:49
• 9When You're 6904:50
• 10Independence Day04:27
• 11There Goes That Train03:10
• Total Runtime46:59

Info for Finyl Vinyl

Los Angeles, 1965: Blues enthusiasts Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson (1943-1970) and Bob "The Bear" Hite (1943-1981) together with like-minded musicians found Canned Heat. They name the band after the title of a 1928 song by bluesman Tommy Johnson about a fuel containing methyl alcohol, also referred to as "canned heat", which is misused by alcoholics as a substitute drug. In 1967 drummer Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra who is still a member today joins Canned Heat, while otherwise the band has seen a lot of personnel turnover in the course of its history. One year later Canned Heat’s successful hit single "On The Road Again" makes them popular worldwide. Following this chart success they have further hits with "Going Up The Country" (1968) and "Let's Work Together" (1970). In August 1969 Canned Heat are part of the line-up of the legendary "Woodstock Music & Art Fair". Apart from band albums such as their eponymous debut LP from 1967 or "Boogie With Canned Heat" from the following year they are featured on collaborations with genre greats such as John Lee Hooker ("Hooker ’n Heat", 1971), Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown ("Gate’s On The Heat", 1973) or Memphis Slim ("Memphis Heat", 1974).

Fast forward to the present: Nearly 60 years after the band was founded a new studio album will be released by Ruf Records in April 2024. Recorded in Burbank, California, long-serving drummer Fito de la Parra was joined in the studio by the members of the band's current line-up, i.e. guitarist, keyboard player and singer Jimmy Vivino, harper and singer Dale Spalding and Richard "Rick" Reed who succeeded long-time bass player Larry "The Mole" Taylor after his death in 2019. Another musician that can be heard on the album is blues rocker Joe Bonamassa who makes a guest appearance as lead guitarist on "So Sad (The World's In A Tangle)"; Canned Heat first recorded this song for their 1970 album "Future Blues" with founding members Alan Wilson and Bob Hite still around and a live version can be found on their 2015 CD/DVD set from Ruf's "Songs From The Road" series. Moreover the early days of the band's history are reflected in the song "Blind Owl", a homage to Alan Wilson which refers to his nickname owing to an extreme nearsightedness. The song was written by Californian singer-songwriter Dave Alvin who is featured as a guest guitarist and singer here. Among the other tracks there are three compositions each by Jimmy Vivino ("One Last Boogie", "Goin' To Heaven [In A Pontiac]" and "When You're 69") and Dale Spalding ("Tease Me", "You're The One" and "Independence Day"). Another track, "East West Boogie", presents an unusual musical mix with the oriental sounds of the "Theme from Tehran", a US TV show, combined with a typical Canned Heat boogie groove.

So, is this the grand finale of a long lasting recording career with which Canned Heat say their goodbye to showbiz? First of all the album title seems to point in that direction, since "Finyl Vinyl" can of course be read as "final vinyl". Then there is the opener, Vivino's "One Last Boogie", pointing in the same direction. And last, but not least another of his songs, the slowblues "When You're 69", deals with an age that makes you rather think of retirement than further activities. On the other hand the tour plan on the band's homepage is already filled with first dates for 2024, not just in the US but also in Europe later this year.

Jimmy Vivino, vocals, keyboards, guitar
Dale Spalding, vocals, harmonica
Richard Reed, bass
Fito de la Parra, drums

Canned Heat
rose to fame because their knowledge and love of blues music was both wide and deep. Emerging in 1966, Canned Heat was founded by blues historians and record collectors Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson and Bob “The Bear” Hite. Hite took the name “Canned Heat” from a 1928 recording by Tommy Johnson. They were joined by Henry “The Sunflower” Vestine, another ardent record collector who was a former member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention. Rounding out the band in 1967 were Larry “The Mole” Taylor on bass, an experienced session musician who had played with Jerry Lee Lewis and The Monkees and Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra on drums who had played in two of the biggest Latin American bands, Los Sinners and Los Hooligans.

The band attained three worldwide hits, “On The Road Again” in 1968, “Let’s Work Together” in 1970 and “Going Up The Country” in 1969 became rock anthems throughout the world with the later being adopted as the unofficial theme song for the film Woodstock and the “Woodstock Generation.”

They secured their niche in the pages of rock ‘n roll history with their performances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (along with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who) and the headlining slot at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969. The band can boast of collaborations with John Mayall and Little Richard and later with blues icon, John Lee Hooker, the musician that they initially got much of their musical inspiration from in the first place. This union produced the spirited and revered album, “Hooker ‘n Heat.” The band is also credited with bringing a number of other forgotten bluesmen to the forefront of modern blues including Sunnyland Slim, who they found driving a taxi in Chicago, Skip James, who they found in a hospital in Tunica, Mississippi and took to the Newport Festival, Memphis Slim and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown with whom theyrecorded in France and Albert Collins.

On September 3rd, 1970, the band was shattered by the suicide of Alan Wilson. His death sparked reconstruction within the group and member changes have continued throughout the past three decades. On April 5th, 1981, at the Palamino in Los Angeles, gargantuan vocalist,Bob Hite, collapsed and died of a heart attack and on October 20th, 1997, Henry Vestine died in Paris, France following the final gig of a European tour. In 2008, singer/harmonica frontman Robert Lucas passed away from a drug overdose.

Despite these untimely deaths and assorted musical trends, Canned Heat has survived. They have performed at world-renowned venues such as Paris’ Olympia, both Fillmore Auditoriums, The Kaleidoscope, Carnegie Hall (with John Lee Hooker), Madison Square Garden and even Royal Albert Hall and have played more biker festivals and charity events than any other band in the world. They and/or their music have been featured on television (In Concert, David Frost, MervGriffin, Midnight Special, Playboy After Dark, etc.), and in films (“Woodstock,” “Flashback,” and “Forrest Gump”) etc. Their legend has recently been heard and felt in various television commercials (“On The Road Again” for Miller Beer, “Goin’ Up The Country” for Pepsi, Chevrolet and McDonalds, “Let’s Work Together” for Lloyd’s Bank, England’s Electric Company and for Target Stores along with other songs for 7-Up, Levi’s and Heineken Beer).

Now, more than forty-five years later and with thirty-eight albums to their credit, Canned Heat is still going strong. They have been anchored throughout the past forty years by the steady hand of drummer/band leader Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra. Joining “Fito” is original bassist Larry “The Mole” Taylor and New Orleans legend, Dale Spalding on harmonica, guitar and lead vocals. Chicago great Harvey Mandel is the regular guitarist but has been temporarily replaced by John “JP” Paulus while “The Snake” deals with serious health issues.

Fito’s book, “LIVING THE BLUES” tells the complete and outrageous Canned Heat story of “Music, Drugs, Death, Sex and Survival” along with over 100 captivating pictures from their past and is available through the band’s website at www.cannedheatmusic.com and at most popular book outlets.

Booklet for Finyl Vinyl