Henry Vestine & The Heat Bros - I Used To Be Mad! (But Now I'm Half Crazy) (2002)

Previously with Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention, before Canned Heat he was nicknamed Sunflower, but also often called The Wildman. He played with a fire and a passion as if his very life depended on every single solo he took, the embodiment of the living bluesman, the true spirit of Canned Heat. This is the first European release of his debut solo album in which Vestine and members of Canned Heat (Mike 'The Mouth' Halby on guitar & vocals, Raul 'Ernie' Rodriguez on bass & vocals, Ricky 'Cherry Red' Kellogg on harmonica & vocals, and Fito De La Parra on drums) entered a studio in 1981, in New Zealand, to record this album. The tapes were shelved for over two decades until, upon the appeal of Canned Heat vocalist James Thornbury, and a diehard South African fan, 'I Used To Be Mad' finally emerged on disc. The recordings demonstrate Henry Vestine's gutsy guitar licks and deeply entrenched blues roots. The Heat Bros pick through soul-drenched rock numbers and a garage band-type rendition of 'Johnny b. Goode' amid a clear-cut version of the Canned Heat hit 'Let's Work Together'. One of the highlights, however, features Henry's soloing on the walking blues-type theme titled 'Loquisimo', which is a title that signifies yet another of the guitarist's various nicknames. Overall, Vestine's gritty and vigorous guitar-attack is prominently displayed. Henry Vestine died in 1997. "I Used To Be Mad (But Now I'm Half Crazy)" is a must: not only for Canned Heat fans, but also for all blues music aficionados and guitar freaks!