Alan Wilson
The Blind Owl
Severn Records |
Even though Alan Wilson has been dead for
over 40 years, his impact on music, particularly
blues and blues/rock, is still being felt. One of
the founders of the venerable blues/rock group
Canned Heat, the guitarist/harmonica player was also
the man that Dick Waterman recruited in 1964 to
teach the newly rediscovered Son House how to play
his old songs. John Lee Hooker once said that Wilson
“plays my music better than I knows it myself.”
Wilson was also the voice on Canned Heat’s biggest hits, “On The Road
Again,” and the classic “Going Up The Country,” but despite his musical
success, he was an awkward, tortured soul who battled depression and
anxiety issues, themes he often touched on in his songwriting. He passed
away in September, 1970, the victim of a drug overdose, at the age of
27.
It seems a bit surprising, given the wealth of talent that Wilson
possessed, that a retrospective of his career has never been issued.
That shortcoming has been rectified by Severn Records, who recently
released a two-CD set, The Blind Owl (a nickname bestowed on the
badly nearsighted Wilson by John Fahey), which features 20 tracks
capturing Wilson’s finest moments with Canned Heat.
As might be expected, the group’s two big hits are present on this
collection. “On The Road Again” was inspired by Chicago bluesman Floyd
Jones and adapted by Wilson, whose unique high-pitched vocals and
amazing harmonica are on full display. Wilson’s vocals are reminiscent
of Skip James’ and were ideal for conveying the language of the
blues….exuberance, pain, tragedy, and vulnerability.
“Going Up The Country,” an anti-Vietnam War song, was inspired by the
melody of an ancient Henry Thomas song from the 1920s (“Bulldoze Blues”)
and became the anthem for the Woodstock Generation. Other highlights
include covers of Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Help Me,” Wilson’s debut as
vocalist, an adaptation of Charley Patton’s “Shake It And Break It,” and
“Mean Old World,” one of Wilson’s favorite old blues tunes. There are
also some great opportunities to check out Wilson’s amazing musical
gifts on guitar and harmonica, with tracks like “Alan’s Intro,”
showcasing his slide guitar work, and the tracks from “Parthenogenesis,”
a musical adventure where each member of the group was allowed to play
unencumbered by the others.
Wilson’s own compositions were highly personal, often reflecting his
awkwardness and shyness in dealing with everyday life. “My Mistake” and
“Change My Ways” examined his social difficulties and attempts to
rectify them. “Time Was,” one of Canned Heat’s most popular tunes, is
about some of the band’s difficulties in getting along, and songs like
“My Time Ain’t Long,” “Pulling Hair Blues,” and “Human Condition” (the
last song Wilson recorded before his death) show Wilson’s battle with
depression.
The Blind Owl is an excellent collection that captures Alan
Wilson at his best as a musician, singer, and songwriter. Sadly, we will
never know how great he could have been, but at least now we have a
worthy retrospective of how good he, and the band he played in, were in
their day and how overlooked they are in the modern era.
--- Graham Clarke
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