Live at the Fillmore West 3rd July 1971

Taste is subjective. I think this is a GREAT album.

This is a live recording of Hot Tuna, originally conceived as a side project by Jefferson Airplane founding members Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady. It was recorded during the closing week of the Fillmore West in San Francisco in early July of 1971. Some of the music from this show has been released through the years on the Last Days of the Fillmore box set, the Relix label as Historic Hot Tuna-Electric, and it has been bootlegged. This is the first time that the complete show has been released. The lineup is Jorma Kaukonen on electric guitar and vocals, "Papa John " Creach on electric violin, Jack Casady on bass guitar, and Sammy Piazza on drums. Harmonica player Will Scarlett had departed by this point, which is fine by me, since I always thought he fit the acoustic Hot Tuna format better. By the early 70s, and in the wake of the Cream and the Experience, the psychedelic blues rock trio had become a bit of a cliche. However, thanks to Kaukonen's background as a folk musician, Hot Tuna's take on the genre was quite unique. Most blues rock derived it's style from the urban Chicago electric style pioneered by Muddy Waters. However, Kaukonen's finger-picking guitar technique, influenced by the Rev. Gary Davis, was based on a more rural Piedmont blues style that combined blues, folk, and ragtime. The band blended this into the intense, improvisational acid rock that Kaukonen and Casady had pioneered with the Airplane. IMO, this was the peak period for Hot Tuna. In the mid 70s, the band veered toward a more conventional heavy rock sound and drummer Piazza was replaced by Bob Steeler, whose stiff, heavy handed drumming style was more suited to a 90s grunge band than a psychedelic jam band (sorry, Bob, nothing personal). Piazza was no Ginger Baker either, but at least he could execute the rhythmic gear-shifting required to keep things moving during the long jams. The concert performance here is arguably better than the Santa Cruz gig captured on the 1971 RCA set, First Pull Up, Then Pull Down. The playing is tighter and more cohesive. The numbers performed are a combination of Kaukonen originals like "Been So Long" and "New Song for the Morning" and coffehouse classics like "Candyman" and "I Know You Rider". The big treat that trumps previous legitimate issues of the concert, is the inclusion of a 22 minute performance of Kaukonen's "Feel So Good" , which also appeared on the 1972 live Jefferson Airplane album, Thirty Seconds Over Winterland. Casady's pile driving bass solo sets the platform for some really "sick" (as the young folks say) jamming. Kaukonen cuts loose with some wicked leads, but he was also a better rhythm guitarist than he's been given credit for. I've knocked off one star for the sound. It's actually not bad, being comparable to the Relix release. Had a bootleg of this quality been released 35 years ago, it would have been the Holy Grail of Hot Tuna fans. However, since I presume that the Fillmore West closing week was recorded on multi-track tape for release on the box set, it would have been really cool if it had been remastered from the original tape for a more dynamic sound. This band merits it.

This album has already been reviewed but it's so good I couldn't help myself.Hot Tuna fans--what are you waiting for? Get this--now. The sound is good/very good bootleg quality. If you're familiar with the Quicksilver Messenger Service set "Live At The Fillmore June 7, 1968", the sound here is even better. But it's the performances of a number of tunes the band liked to play that makes this set worth parting with some of your money. And for those who wish that Papa John Creach would sit this one out because of his sometimes screeching fiddle sound, here he's fully integrated into the band's sound, and is a good foil for Kaukonen's guitar work. And Casady is prime Casady . His deep, organic, melodic bass lines are both a foil for the other instrumentalists, and an anchor that keeps everything from blowing away. Piazza's drumming adds weight to the music. His straightforward, no-frills time-keeping fits this music like a glove.For Tuna fans (like me) this is a great set of tunes with no filler. This is prime Tuna on a good night. I was lucky enough to hear this loose band between Airplane sets a few times while I was in college in Palo Alto. And from the beginning they were a red hot band. And this smokin' set is what electric Hot Tuna was all about--good-time music that rocked. It's interesting that whether it was acoustic or electric Tuna, the Rev. Gary Davis was never far away. You should check him out if you want to hear where Kaukonen's main inspiration for acoustic blues came from.But now Tuna fans have another chance to hear a good live set on a good night. Everything that Hot Tuna was known for is here in this music. One listen and you'll hear what I mean. Oh yeah, play loud.

I have been a Tuna Head/ Jorma fanatic since day one. I just love the blues based rock of the period. Through in the telepathic interaction between Jorma and Jack along with Papa John's fiddle and you can't ask for more. But wait there is more for you blues lovers out there. Acoustic they are strait blues but even electric the lever tilts more toward blues than rock. Ok now this release. The full show of the closing of The Fillmore West. The show itself is phenomenal with everyone on fire, I've had it since its release a couple of years ago and it's still a regular play. A word about the sound quality. Keyhole has put out some let's be truthful garbage but this thankfully is not one of them. While not a big boy multi track professional release it is as good as grey market/bootleg gets. Some have taken a point off because it's not perfection. While I respect that view I disagree. Only the most demanding audiophile could find any fault and it is their loss. If you're a tuna fan this belongs in your library buy it !

My Hot Tuna collection had a glaring hole in it that has now been successfully plugged by getting this live concert CD. To say I'm pleased is a gross understatement. Yes the recording is old and yes it's far from a perfect recording, but I listened with glee and simply adjusted the bass, treble, and balance settings, sat deeper in my chair and let this great historical recording wash over and into me. In my opinion this is the greatest era for this band, and this is now one of my most treasured recordings...The set list and times are missing from the Amazon site. They are:CD 1That'll Never Happen no more...6:17How Long...5:35Candy Man...5:46New Song For The Morning....4:47Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning...7:39Uncle Sam Blues......5:38John's Other....5:54Rock Me Baby...8:51Babe I Want You To Know....5:07Know You Rider...8:02CD2Been So Long...3:48Come Back Baby.....8:59Feel So Good....21:52

This period of Hot Tuna has always been my favourite version of the band from the "First pull up, then pull down" and "Burgers" LPs era and the material on this double CD largely reflects that. Recorded at the Fillmore in mid-1971 also made it a home base and home crowd session so all should have been good.The failing is however that the sound is not that great - listenable like a radio broadcast or mixing deck tape but lacking in the separation of the instruments and vocals. Others reviewers make comments that the sound is now a lot clearer than it has been but having just bought (and thus one assumes the latest release) that is not how it sounds to my ears on my audio system sadly.The energy in the playing is definitely there but after a few listens it all still sounds muddy in parts especially the longer improvised blues numbers. So probably best savoured by Hot Tuna diehards only - anyone wanting an introduction to the band would be better placed buying the recently remixed and improved quality sound of the double CD of "First pull up.." and "Burgers".

Cracking album from a band on top of their form.

Un disco en vinilo muy aconsejable para conocer una época de la música rock. Con reminiscencias de Jefferson Airplane y unos músicos que fueron unos auténticos virtuosos.

Fantastic recording of Hot Tuna in full swing!