Canned Heat

Living The Blues, Collage, Live in Europe, Live at Topanga Corral, Historical Figures, Kings Of Boogie

VG+/VG+

US 1969 -81

Various Records - ####
Bob Hite (vocals) grew up in Torrence, California, near Los Angeles, collecting old blues jukebox 45's and 78's listening to the greats like Muddy Waters, Sunnyland Slim, Skip James, Robert Johnson, Elmore James and others. His voice grew as an inspiration from these blues masters. 
Alan Wilson (slide guitar, harmonica, vocals) was a blues scholar, majoring in music at Boston University and was also a solo blues musician playing the coffee houses in the Cambridge area. John Fahey (guitar) was working on a folklore degree through UCLA and invited his friend Alan to come out and offer help with the project.
Fahey knew Bob Hite and took Alan to his house, in Topanga Canyon, where he met Bob and Mike Perlowin (guitar, bass). They listened to these amazing blues records and decided to form a jug band. They chose the group name, Canned Heat, a term used for Sterno, a cooking fuel, that was consumed by the early blues players as a cheap way to get high.
John and Mike both bowed out but the initial band included Bob Hite (vocals), Alan Wilson (bottleneck guitar), Kenny Edwards (lead guitar), Stuart Brotman (bass) and Ron Holmes as a temporary (drummer). They went to The Ash Grove for their first gig and added Henry Vestine, who was fresh from The Mothers of Invention, to join as a third (guitarist).
Soon, Kenny Edwards left and formed The Stone Poneys with Linda Ronstadt. Vestine became (lead guitar) and Frank Cook replaced Ron Holmes on (drums). The band went to Eldorado Recording Studios and recorded an album's worth of tunes under the guidance of Johnny Otis. But this recorded session wasn't released until years later.
Gigs were infrequent and if they did find an engagement, they were fired because they refused to be a human jukebox playing the popular radio hits. The show at the Whisky A Go Go was so bad, they folded as a band. Three months later they decided to give it another go.  Skip Taylor was a former agent with The William Morris Agency back in New York and quit his job. He went to Los Angeles and opened a club called The Kaleidoscope with John Hartmann and formed his own production company. Somebody told him to check out these two bands playing at a UCLA frat party. The performing bands were The Doors and Canned Heat. The Doors were in litigation with Elektra Records and Canned Heat became the focus of Skip Taylor, who became their manager. 
Several gigs happened back at The Ash Grove where Jackie DeShannon saw them. She was married to Bud Dain, head of Liberty Records, and they finally got a record deal. Stuart Brotman left to join Kaleidoscope with David Lindley and they brought in Larry Taylor on (bass). They played at The Monterey Pop Festival to fan and critical appraise. The first self-titled album was recorded at RCA Studios in LA.
A promotional national tour ended abruptly due to their arrest for marijuana possession. But the whole thing was a setup by the Denver Police Department who planted the evidence at the Family Dog as part of their continual harassment towards the owners and promoters of the Hippie establishment. The band was jailed and didn't have enough $$$$ to hire a lawyer. They were forced to sell half of their publishing rights to Liberty Records who forwarded $10,000 to an attorney who could argue their defense. The sentence given was a simple probation, but it cost them dearly throughout their career.   Returning home, they shared a bill at the Magic Mushroom, formerly the Cinnamon Cinder owned by Bob Eubank, with Blueberry Jam, a band that included Adolfo de la Perra, an incredible (drummer). He and Frank Cook decided to switch bands. Adolfo with Canned Heat and Frank with Blueberry Jam, who evolved into Pacific Gas & Electric. 
The classic line-up for Canned Heat was complete and all the guys had nicknames with Bob Hite "The Bear", at over 350 Lbs. he was an imposing physical presence (vocals, harp), Alan Wilson "Blind Owl", who wore coke bottle glasses and could barely see (slide guitar, harp), Henry Vestine "The Sunflower", because of his blonde hair (lead guitar), Larry Taylor "The Mole", because he hunched over with his head down, playing (bass) and Adolfo de la Parra "Fito", because it was easier to pronounce (drums).
A second album, Boogie with Canned Heat, was recorded at Liberty Studios in LA with the single, "On the Road Again" topping the charts in several countries and becoming a rock anthem for the ages. The next national tour occurred without incident. Returning home a third LP, Living The Blues, was a double album that included "Going Up the Country", which was their second worldwide hit topping the charts.
Critics tabbed the band as blues innovators and you'd have to reach back to the early days of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Little Walter and others for anything comparable.
Henry and Larry began a spat that ultimately caused Henry to leave the band. Mike Bloomfield was asked to join but he refused due to his fear of touring. So, Henry was replaced by Harvey Mandel on (lead guitar). They played a magical set at the Woodstock Festival and were to be part of the movie. However, editing the film down to three hours forced their performance to be cut. Several tours of Europe happened and they put out a couple live albums to correlate their shows. Then "Let's Work Together" was a storming version of the Wilbert Harrison tune that was initially released only in Europe. It too, went to #1.
The song was included on their fifth album, Future Blues, and they were off to Germany to start another tour of Europe. Alan, to this point, was an environmentalist and concerned about pollution and nature in general. He suffered from anxiety and was often depressed. His hygiene was atrocious, never brushing his teeth and being reminded to bathe. 
Alan's life was a constant struggle. Bob bought him a camper to live in on his property, but he would sleep outside in a sleeping bag to be closer to nature. He developed a fear of flying and would not normally take flight with the band to wherever they were scheduled. But later forced himself to catch a flight, on his own, to be at the gig. The band was in Germany awaiting his arrival with no concerns, but they found that he died in Topanga Canyon in his sleeping bag outside, next to the camper from an overdose of barbiturates.
He was 27 years old, just like Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. Something about 1969, drugs, Rock-n-Roll stars and death. Alan's passing marked constant reconstruction within the group. Henry Vestine rejoined with Bob, Fito and Larry and a selection of others filling in on (second guitar) lasting a while until Bob Hite's death.
They were performing at The Palomino Club in North Hollywood, and a fan gave Bob a vile of heroin. He snorted it and went into a coma and died on the way to the hospital. April 5th 1981.
Over thirty albums released over the years. The band continues to perform to this day with only Adolfo 'Fito' de la Parra remaining from the classic band.
Musically hard boogie and classic blues with some screaming guitar, gut wrenching vocals and experimentation with blues standards. Psychedelic moves on the first three albums. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band comes close to their sound.
Six albums. All cover VG or better. All vinyl VG or better.

Long time buyer from E-bay and other record websites since the 90's.

Please bear with me. I'm selling off my entire record collection (about 40,000 LPs) listing them one at a time.

A long and arduous task. Lots of gems and rare stuff.

Check out the book I wrote called "THE PSYCHEDELIC DIGEST" only found at Amazon.com.

GRADING DETAILS - SHIPPING DETAILS - RETURNS - FEEDBACK - ETC.

Auctions are listed for 7 days.  

ITEMS PULLED FROM THE AUCTION LIST - Keep in mind that if I continue to relist auction items that have been sitting for weeks with NO ACTION and several watchers with NO BIDS, I may pull the record and sell it to my local buyer. This can occur before the auction ends. LPs will typically be discounted before this happens. So, please bid if you are at all interested. Bids can always be retracted for no reason.

All records are Graded to the best of my ability and are rated VINYL FIRST / THEN COVER. For Double LPs Vinyl / Vinyl / Cover. 

GRADING DETAILS – Everything I list will be at least VG+ or better, both visually and audibly, unless I state otherwise. 95% of what is offered and up for bid is very clean with maybe 1 or 2 minor flaws. If it’s very rare, it may be offered with obvious visual marks, scratches, warps and might make some low-level noise. But this would be a rare instance. I’ll describe any flaws as best I can. I ASK THAT YOU READ THE FULL DETAILS AS DESCRIBED BY ME ABOUT THE LOOKS AND SOUND OF THE RECORD. Don’t base everything on a simple grading rate M, EX, VG++, etc. I’m not that good at it.

AUDIBLE GRADING – All vinyl records are played before they are listed. Some records look bad and play good. Others look perfect but play badly. Any visual flaws that I see will be described and I will let you know if they make an audible noise. 95% of the records up for bid are very clean sounding. You may hear a minor tick or click as its spinning but typically light hairline scratches and sleeve marks Do Not Affect Play (DNAP) and should not detract from your overall listening pleasure.

VISUAL GRADING - PLEASE READ THIS!!!

COVERS - I'm a 73-year-old guy with Strabismus (an eye disorder). I try to visually describe every flaw that I can see, but sometimes I miss a small tear or a tiny seam split.

SHELF WEAR generally means that the cellophane was removed when the LP was new and it sat on a shelf or in a box without a plastic sleeve, before they were available, for several years, so there can be some rub blemishes, sticker residue if it was purchased used, tiny tears, slight seam splits and other defects.

EDGE WEAR usually means the picture wrap around the edge has been worn, sometimes into the cardboard itself. This usually happens on the top or bottom edge.

CORNER WEAR is the same as edge wear but sometimes there will be a dent or ding at the corner. All 4 sides are suspect for this occurrence.

RING WEAR occurs when a record was not stored in a protective sleeve for a very long time. Back in the day, plastic sleeves were not easily available. Most of us as teenagers, ripped off the cellophane and didn’t consider how the record cover was being stored. Most of the record covers laid on the floor or were stored in the closet or on a shelf for easy access. If they sat for a long time, earth movement, that nobody feels, causes vibration and the record sleeves would rub together and wear on the cover picture or illustration causing the ring wear and other flaws.

THE VINYL RECORD ITSELF - I will try to visually grade both sides of the vinyl record. There might be some sleeve rubs or marks on some of these. All of my records were played more than once, unless they are sealed. If I mention ticks and or clicks in the description, that means that you can visually see and sometimes hear the imperfection. Most of these Do Not Affect the Play (DNAP). I try my best to see any flaws but understand I don’t Inspect these LPs with a High Lumens Tactical Light and a Magnifying Glass. If the visual flaws are obvious or severe, I try and describe these as best as I can. If there are a lot of visual scratches, it won’t be listed. The exception is if the LP is very rare. I will list a rare record that looks bad but plays pretty good without skips.

SPINDLE MARKS can be obvious if a record was popular and played a lot. The record label material and finish will determine if marks are visible. Most of the big labels don't have this problem because the finish is unusually pretty solid and durable. It's the small and private labels or a matted finish where most spindle marks will be noticed. I don't mention these for any of my listings but if that is a concern to you, ask me before you make a bid.

INNER SLEEVES - Most of the inner sleeves are simple paper sleeves and have slight splits, bends and tears on older LPs. If they’re really bad or split in half, I replace them with a newer paper or plastic sleeve. GENERIC means a blank paper sleeve.

WARPED RECORDS normally occur when they are stored near high heat. I will never send a warped record unless it is very slight and doesn't affect play. If you live somewhere in the world that has high temperatures that could affect package delivery. Insurance is a must to guarantee no loss on the item you bought. You are responsible for this request and there is an additional charge for insurance. Let me know. There is NO REFUND for a record that was sent not warped when packed but was delivered as warped and unplayable. I cannot put records on ice for delivery to high heat areas of the world. Buy package insurance so there won't be any $$$$$ loss in case this happens.

HIGH END RECORDS - There will be a few more pictures for any records that are high end items. I will give a more critical inspection and description of both cover and vinyl. Ask for more pictures if you need them and I can send them to you.

PACKAGING - LPs will be packaged in the proper corrugated cardboard box, we all know about, with extra cardboard pads. Each LP will have a clear plastic sleeve. The record itself will be removed and shipped within the inner sleeve, outside the cover or inside the fold of a gatefold cover all within a plastic outer sleeve to prevent any seam splits. All of the boxes I package records in are new and there are typically no problems. I can also ship in a Whiplash Box which protects the edges and corners. But I will only do this if you request it. 

SEALED RECORDS - The vinyl record will NOT be removed from a sealed LP purchase for shipping. I would advise you to add additional insurance for all sealed LPs that are being shipped to high heat areas due to possible heat warping. No obligation, but it safeguards against some potential problems.

PAYMENT - Payment is good only through E-Bay options, either PayPal or Credit Card, and is due within 7 days unless you let me know. I will send you at least three invoices with reminders to pay during the 7-day period. If payment has NOT been received within that 7-day payment period and you have NOT contacted me, the order will be canceled and the record will be offered to the second place bidder or will be relisted. 

I WILL SHIP WORLDWIDE, BUT INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING IS DETERMINED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE PACKAGE. DO NOT MAKE A PAYMENT UNTIL I SEND YOU AN INVOICE.

INVOICES - E-Bay will always send you an invoice for each item ordered. If you ordered one item, there is no problem. Go ahead and make the payment. But, they DO NOT combine the shipping cost for multiple purchase orders. So, when they invoice you, the minimum shipping cost will multiply times that of however many items you won. Example: 5 items won will appear as 5 times the minimum postage rate. DO NOT PAY the separate E-Bay invoices you receive for multiple orders. Only I can discount the postage rate for two or more items ordered. So, wait for me to invoice you if you've won two or more items. I package them all together and send you an invoice with discounted postage costs.

PAYMENT EXTENTION - If you have won an auction and see another item that ends beyond the 7-day maximum payment period, let me know and I will hold your item until that bid period ends. This would be a special circumstance that would not typically extend beyond 10 days. I will invoice you for the full amount and expect payment at that point.

POSTAGE COST - Typically, the minimum cost for USPS Media mail in the USA would be 1-2 LPs $5.50 USD. Canada 1-2 LPs around $24.00 USD. Europe, Japan and other countries around the world, $33.00 USD for 1-2 LPs. Additional LPs as per total weight. I will send an invoice with the total postage cost. Everything is shipped via USPS. I don't use the E-Bay International shipping. 

TRACKING - Each package will be assigned a USPS tracking number. Tracking for International shipping only covers destinations within the USA and only gives Dates of Arrival for all countries outside of the USA. Customs delays can and do occur. Your package may have arrived in your country and/or city, but it is probably sitting at your customs depot. (Sometimes for weeks) It would be up to you to call them and provide the tracking number for details about your package.

POSTAGE DISCOUNT - I combine the shipping for multiple record purchases but will only send a maximum of 10-12 records per package. Additional postage will be determined by the total weight of the package. An invoice will be sent to you by me.

ADDITIONAL COSTS - Priority Mail, Insurance, etc. is available at additional costs. Let me know and I will send an invoice.

REFUNDS - I will Refund for any item purchased and received that was not fully as described. Grading is difficult and is the usual cause of concern. We're talking used and 30-60 years old. THERE ARE NO PERFECT RECORDS. Even sealed records can have visual and audible flaws, ticks, clicks, skips and heat warps. IF YOU OPEN A SEALED RECORD AND IT IS WARPED SO BADLY THAT IT DOESN'T PLAY, that usually means it was stored near or shipped in high heat. I have no way of knowing. All sealed records should be insured, just in case that happens. But with regard to a warped record that was sealed and is unplayable, contact me anyway, I will make it right. Any other flaws found on a sealed record that was opened by you, deems the LP non-refundable. If there is a concern, please contact me. We can always work things out.

DAMAGES DURING DELIVERY CAUSED BY THE POSTAL SERVICE - Any damages that are caused due to unfortunate circumstances during the delivery process, broken records, scrapes, heavy package dents caused by something heavy set on the box, warpage caused by excessive heat during delivery, etc. should be handled through E-Bay. They guarantee that packages arrive in the condition as described. If there are obvious damages to the package and the record is unplayable, email me with pictures of the record and the package as delivered and let me know. I mark all packages with "Fragile. Do Not Bend" notices marked in RED, so they should be careful. But $&#t happens. I will not be responsible for damages that were not incurred by me. But E-Bay can refund the transaction with proof. Pictures speak a thousand words.

Please message me through E-Bay to discuss any problems or concerns. ANY OBVIOUS MISTAKES I MADE IN THE DESCRIPTION OF AN ITEM PURCHASED WILL BE HONORED AND PARTIALLY OR FULLY REFUNDED. But email me through E-Bay to discuss the situation first. I'm always happy to work things out. Every customer is cherished.

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