When this
two-LP set was initially released in January 1971, Canned Heat was back to its
R&B roots, sporting slightly revised personnel. In the spring of the
previous year, Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass) and Harvey Mandel
(guitar) simultaneously accepted invitations to join John Mayall's concurrent
incarnation of the Bluesbreakers. This marked the return of Henry
"Sunflower" Vestine (guitar) and the incorporation of Antonio
"Tony" de la Barreda (bass), a highly skilled constituent of Aldolfo
de la Parra (drums). Sadly, it would also be the final effort to include
co-founder Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, who passed away in September
1970. Hooker 'n Heat (1971) is a low-key affair split between unaccompanied
solo John Lee Hooker (guitar/vocals) tunes, collaborations between Hooker and
Wilson (piano/guitar/harmonica), as well as five full-blown confabs between
Hooker and Heat. The first platter focuses on Hooker's looser entries that
vacillate from the relatively uninspired ramblings of "Send Me Your
Pillow" and "Drifter" to the essential and guttural
"Feelin' Is Gone" or spirited "Bottle Up and Go." The
latter being among those with Wilson on piano. Perhaps the best of the batch is
the lengthy seven-minute-plus "World Today," which is languid and
poignant talking blues, with Hooker lamenting the concurrent state of affairs
around the globe. "I Got My Eyes on You" is an unabashed derivative
of Hooker's classic "Dimples," with the title changed for what were
most likely legal rather than artistic concerns. That said, the readings of the
seminal "Burning Hell" and "Bottle Up and Go" kept their
familiar monikers intact. The full-fledged collaborations shine as both parties
unleash some of their finest respective work. While Canned Heat get top bill --
probably as it was the group's record company that sprung for Hooker 'n Heat --
make no mistake, as Hooker steers the combo with the same gritty and percussive
guitar leads that have become his trademark. The epic "Boogie Chillen No.
2" stretches over 11 and a half minutes and is full of the same swagger as
the original, with the support of Canned Heat igniting the verses and simmering
on the subsequent instrumental breaks with all killer and no filler. The 2002
two-CD pressing by the French Magic Records label is augmented with "It's
All Right," with a single edit of "Whiskey and Wimmen."
Lindsay Planer. AllMusic.com