Essentially, Hot Tuna were a live act - can you get anymore ostentatious than a Flying V bass? - and their recorded output verified that: the essential live Double Dose is easily their greatest album; but as studio albums go, I think this is by far the best of the bunch.Having dispensed with their hillbilly, American outlaw, jug-band kind of sound, Kaukonen and Casady had a rethink, and before our very ears, Hot Tuna morphed effortlessly into a smart, hard-rock boogie band.
Phosphorescent Rat (1973) suggested where it was going, and by the time they arrived at Yellow Fever (1975) their sound had hardened; tightened; become heavier; with the band playing much more as a single unit rather than that loose homestead feel associated with their earlier incarnation.Yet despite it's heavier vibe, this is a feel-good, upbeat album - I mean, just look at the artwork: no mean blues album this.
I guess to say it's typical of mid-seventies' San Francisco hard-rock would be a cop out, but with Kaukonen spanking the plank, and Casady - just dig that bass-man! - constantly dueling with him, this is archetypal, and not really typical at all.
Hot Tuna - Yellow Fever (1975)
Baby What You Want Me To Do
Hot Jelly Roll Blues
Free Rein
Sunrise Dance With the Devil
Song for the Fire Maiden
Bar Room Crystal Ball
Half/Time Saturation
Surphase Tension
Excellent rip from cassette @320kbs
Canned Tuna here
4 comments:
Hot Tuna are playing an electric show just up the mountain from me this coming summer. I'm prettty excited - I only caufght them once before, acoustic and opening for Bobby Weir. Casady looked like he wanted to be anywhere else on earth tha that stage.
OOh, nice; and up the mountain!
Glad to hear these aging rockers are still doing it.
Can't match that; but speaking of aging rockers, I am going to catch John Cooper Clarke perform next month, in Dylan Thomas's old boathouse.
That's gonna be special.
One for the ol' folks!
We love it!
Cheers for the missive; regards, roy
What about 'America's Choice'?
The first of their *hard rock* records. Hit Single #1 rocks quite well, and you have to love the tongue-in-cheek title!
O sure, there's many a good track across their gamut of output; it's just that this is the album I tend to play the most of all their studio things.
But as I already said, I really do think 'Double Dose' is their best: vinyl I've almost worn bald.
roy
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