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Canned Heat: The Boogie House Tapes

Somewhere in the town of Overijse, Belgium, lives a musicologist/radio personality named Walkter De Paduwaka (a.k.a “Dr. Boogie”). Apparently, the good doctor has turned his home into a private museum dedicated to the preservation of boogie music. A good portion of his coveted collection, as it turns out, is dedicated to the boogiemeisters Canned Heat. The Boogie House Tapes is a two-CD collection of previously unreleased tapes that Dr. Boogie managed to preserve throughout the years. Included are vintage performances from various festivals around Europe and the United States featuring vocalist Bob “Big Bear” Hite, guitarists Henry Vestine and the remarkable Harvey Mandel, bassists Alan Wilson and Larry Taylor and drummer Fito de la Parra. The sonic quality is rough at times, but this document-chockfull of boogie and interspersed with humorous onstage announcements and amusing hippie banter-is a must for die-hard Canned Heat fans.

Originally Published