Of all the American rock bands that embraced the blues in the 1960s, none took their musical mission more seriously than Canned Heat. The California quintet, led by vocalists Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson and Bob “The Bear” Hite and featuring the brilliant guitarist Henry Vestine, combined fiery instrumental chops with a vast knowledge of blues history. Canned Heat quickly carved out a unique niche in that heady era, making high-profile appearances at Woodstock and other notable rock festivals, and managing to break into the pop singles charts without diluting their sound.

Canned Heat’s eponymous 1967 debut LP, released shortly after their attention-getting performance at the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, introduced the band’s audacious synthesis of blues tradition and electrified boogie. The 11-song album features raw, fiercely soulful interpretations of material by such blues masters as Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson, powered by Wilson and Hite’s contrasting vocal styles and Vestine’s explosive fretwork. The result is one of the most distinctive and dynamic blues-rock recordings of the ’60s, and the album that launched Canned Heat’s five-decade musical journey.

This new vinyl edition of this landmark debut effort has been sourced from the original mono masters and pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and features a meticulous reproduction of the LP’s original cover art.