The original boogie band, Canned Heat, with members Bob "The Bear" Hite, Alan Wilson, Larry Taylor and Fito De La Parra, were a strong blues-based outfit from Los Angeles. Unfortunately, they were buried behind other "white blues" bands in the late Sixties, from the Butterfield Blues Band, Derek & the Dominoes and the like.

Most of the original members have passed on, and it has been left to De La Parra to carry on, with an ongoing Canned Heat still playing, predominantly in Europe. This two record set, released from a European base and compiled by De La Parra, shows how strong Canned Heat’s original blues base was, before other distractions took over.

Led by Hite’s singing and the twin guitar work of Wilson and latter day member Henry Vestine, the Heat cooked through studio albums and live performances, snatches of both of which are contained here.

If you like the blues, and you like to boogie, the original Canned Heat is still a great place to party.

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