Canned Wheat [Original recording remastered]

The Guess Who | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 12, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 1969
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Buddha
• ASIN: B00005173J
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,207 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars another great remastering job by Buddah, December 31, 2000

By 

Steve Marshall "Steve" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canned Wheat (Audio CD)

Canned Wheat was The Guess Who's second album for RCA, containing the hits "Laughing" and "Undun." It also included the original version of "No Time," later re-recorded for the American Woman album. The later version is the one that you're familiar with. The original has an extended intro and outro, plus a different guitar solo by Randy Bachman. Musically, this was always my least favorite album of the band's catalog. Still, there are quite a few tracks worth mentioning (besides the hits).

"Old Joe" is one of the better tunes on Canned Wheat, featuring a theme that would show up later on "Those Show Biz Shoes," a song from the band's Artificial Paradise album. Another highlight on the CD is "Of a Dropping Pin." Originally recorded during the band's ill-fated London sessions, this version is a bit more polished than the earlier one. The album's centerpiece is the ambitious, 11-minute "Key." Reminiscent of Buffalo Springfield's "Bluebird," the song gives everyone in the band the chance to stretch out a bit--especially drummer Garry Peterson, who turns in an extended solo.

There were a couple production problems on Canned Wheat. Several copies of the CD were pressed and released with a different bonus track ("Miss Frizzy") instead of the one that was listed on the jewel box ("Species Hawk"). Unfortunately for the collectors out there, there's no way to tell which 'version' of the CD you're getting until you put it in your CD player. The other problem concerns the way the songs are tracked. Five of the songs have 'interludes' before them. In every instance, these 'interludes' are part of the previous song on the CD. None of this affects the music in any way, as long as you're listening to the CD from start to finish. The problem only occurs when you try to go to a specific track.

It's great to see these albums finally getting the treatment they deserve. Aside from the minor production problems mentioned above, the folks at Buddah have done a great job with the recent reissues from The Guess Who. The sound quality has been superb (far surpassing the original vinyl), and the packaging has been outstanding (with new liner notes, photos, and bonus tracks). All they need to do now is release the rest of the band's RCA catalog.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Canadian Praries Rock, April 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Canned Wheat (Audio CD)

A definite original! The songwriting style of Bachman & Cummings couldn't have come out of anywhere but the Canadian midwest. The sometimes nieve (or maybe just young) lyrics and fresh/clean instrumentation combine with melodies an artist of any genre would be proud of.

The marathon KEY (the one with the obligatory drum solo)is still interesting to listen to thirty years later and has definitely aged better than FRIENDS OF MINE from Wheatfield Soul. The musical styling is more diverse and the lyrics both poetic and insightful without being overly preachy.

The album ends with some really tasty guitar styling by Randy Bachman in FAIR WARNING. A tune with a message as relevent today as thirty years ago.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars gems amidst the clutter, September 6, 2002

By 

"simnia" (snowy bayou country, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canned Wheat (Audio CD)

Most of the songs on this album aren't very exciting, but the few exceptions make it very worthwhile. "Of A Dropping Pin" is an undiscovered gem that sounds somewhat like fast-paced Moody Blues songs, "Undun" is generally considered by musicians to be one of this group's best, and I much prefer this alternative version of "No Time" because the strummed acoustic guitar chords are clearer, the guitar solo is extended, and the ending is more climactic than in the Top 40 version of early 1970.