Living the Blues

Living the Blues
Studio album by Canned Heat
Released	November 1, 1968
Recorded	August–October 1968
Studio	I.D. Sound Studios and "live" at the Kaleidoscope, Hollywood, California
Length	88:03
Label	Liberty
Producer	Skip Taylor
Canned Heat chronology
Boogie with Canned Heat (1968) Living the Blues (1968) Hallelujah (1969)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Rolling Stone	(neutral)
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings

Living the Blues is the third album by Canned Heat, a double album released in late 1968. It was one of the first double albums to place well on album charts. It features Canned Heat's signature song, "Going Up the Country", which would later be used in the Woodstock film. John Mayall appears on piano on "Walking by Myself" and "Bear Wires". Dr. John appears on "Boogie Music". The 20-minute trippy suite "Parthenogenesis" is dwarfed by the album-length "Refried Boogie", recorded live.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Pony Blues" (Charlie Patton) – 3:48
2. "My Mistake" (Alan Wilson) – 3:22
3. "Sandy's Blues" (Bob Hite) – 6:46
4. "Going Up the Country" (Alan Wilson; Henry Thomas) – 2:50
5. "Walking by Myself" (Jimmy Rogers) – 2:29
6. "Boogie Music" (L.T. Tatman III) – 3:00

• "Tell Me Man Blues" (1929 recording by Henry Sims) – 0:15

Side two

1. "One Kind Favor" (Lemon Jefferson) – 4:44
2. "Parthenogenesis" (Canned Heat) – 19:57

• I Nebulosity
• II Rollin' and Tumblin'
• III Five Owls
• IV Bear Wires
• V Snooky Flowers
• VI Sunflower Power (RMS Is Truth)
• VII Raga Kafi
• VIII Icebag
• IX Childhood's End

Side three

1. "Refried Boogie (Part I)" (Canned Heat) (Recorded Live) – 20:10

Side four

1. "Refried Boogie (Part II)" (Canned Heat) (Recorded Live) – 20:50

Personnel

Canned Heat

• Bob Hite – vocals
• Alan Wilson – slide guitar, vocals, harmonica, jaw-harp (tracks 2.I, 2.II, 2.IX), chromatic harp (track 2.VIII)
• Henry Vestine – lead guitar
• Larry Taylor – bass, congas (track 2.V)
• Adolfo de la Parra – drums

Additional Personnel

• Dr. John – horn arrangements, piano (track 6)
• Miles Grayson – horn arrangements (track 3)
• John Fahey – guitar (track 2.I)
• John Mayall – piano (tracks 5 & 2.IV)
• Jim Horn – flute (track 4)
• Joe Sample – piano (track 3)

Production

• Rich Moore – engineer
• Ivan Fisher – assistant engineer
• Skip Taylor – producer
• Canned Heat – producer

References

• Planer, Lindsay. "Living the Blues – Album Review". allmusic. Retrieved December 10, 2010.