Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Pony Blues
2. My Mistake
3. Sandy's Blues
4. Going Up The Country
5. Walking By Myself
6. Boogie Music
7. One Kinda Favor
8. Parthogenesis

Disc 2:

1. Refried Boogie

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38681 in Music
• Released on: 2003-09-22
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .28 pounds

Customer Reviews

A bit better than 'self-indulgent'!!
I agree with most of the previous review, but the album is full of gems. Yes, most of the guitar and bass and drum solos on 'Boogie' are disposable, but the first half of the track is boogie heaven, with Al's slide playing. And don't forget the brilliant blues piano song and some other cool bits in Parthenogenesis. And the whole of side 1 is ace!

Gems and monotonous stuff
Let me say it right away - I've always been very fond of the Heat's music, but really only the recordings they did with their Harmonica, slide/rhythm guitarist and vocalist Alan Wilson, who left this world much too early. For my part the real good albums was made while he was alive - and they are not that many, so therefore I welcome this album warmly.

BUT when that said "Living The Blues" is a mixed bag, but it do really have a lot a good stuff, I would just wish that they had made it a single album and not a double. Then it would have been 4 and half. The tiresome and uninspired performance of "Refried Boogie" could happily had been left totally out for my part. Their earlier version, released on "Boogie With Canned Heat" is much better and the later version from Woodstock is even better - so why release this VERY LONG tiresome version?

But the CD 1 is really fine with songs such as Pony Blues, My Mistake, Sandy's Blues and one of their big hits Going Up The Country. Parthenogenesis is created like a extended suite and is generally very, very nice with soundscapes of jaws harp, Indian tamboura and harmonica, to driving jazzy boogie inspired stuff, to stand-alone soloing of drums and guitar. For my taste the guitar solo becomes at bit tiresome, but all in all this suite is very good stuff.

This album was released in 1968 and shows the Heat's more experimental side and this is maybe the problem, but I believe that if you ignore the CD 2, then you have a lot of absolutely real good stuff.

I've written 4 stars, but in fact 3 and a ½ would be more accurate.

Indulgence
"A Musician" has to understand that music is product of its times. I bought this in 1969 and I still (occasionally) listen to it now. Yes, CD2 is long but that's what the best bands did then. It was experimental, stretching and although I can appreciate it isn't 2008's cup of tea, it was one of a number of landmark albums out of that era. I thought Henry Vestine's solo was great. Obviously, comparisons with a, say, Mars Volta today are unreasonable. Cut some slack, A Musician!