Canned Heat, 1969, is one hell of a band. The rhythm section has never sounded better; Larry Taylor and Fito de la Parra give the music drive, Henry Vestine is in top form, Alan Wilson, the most highly-skilled mouth-harp player in rock, opens up some new frontiers for the instrument, and both he and Bob Hite sing movingly. The recording has clarity, and balls as well. “Hallelujah” is basically one great blues song after another, in an impressively eclectic set. It opens with a classic sing-along blues shuffle, “Same All Over”, featuring one of the best Hite vocals ever. “Change My Ways”, starts with a great organ and drum opening, then moves into a Wilson boogie, with interesting tempo changes and bridges. On “Canned Heat” Wilson holds forth on one speaker, hammering out peerless Delta rhythm, while Vestine flies freely from the other and Hite sings impressively. The piece de resistance, “Sic ‘Em Pigs.” is about police harassment, with deliciously sarcastic lyrics and marvelous sound effects. “I’m Her Man”is a shuffle that cooks, spiced up with some great leads by Vestine. “Time Was” ends side 1, a slower number that has a good sense of movement, with some good tempo changes. Flip the reord over or more fine blues.