Feel the Sound of Harvey Mandel
(P)1974 Janus Records
CD Repertoire Records 1998
01 Got To Be Bad (3'52")
02 Sore Throat (2'35")
03 Just Wanna Be There (4'26")
04 Candles By The Bedside (4'9")
05 Feel The Sound (6'3")
06 I Got Your Slot (2'56")
07 Rankachank Blues (2'51")
08 Forever And Forever (2'36")
Legendary guitar virtuoso Harvey Mandel, aka "The Snake," truly one of the most distinctive and innovative musicians, continues to perform throughout the world, captivating audiences with his inventive style of electric guitar playing. He emerged as one of the most innovative guitar players to come out of the psychedelic blues boom of the late 1960’s. Harvey “The Snake” Mandel pioneered electric fusion guitar with a string of jazz influences and an unmatched Blues background honed in the Windy City’s (Chicago) seediest clubs. He employing a distinctive two-handed finger-tapping method that many guitarists including Eddie Van Halen later mimicked.
In July 1969 he replaced Henry Vestine as lead guitarist in the blues band Canned Heat. Harvey remained with Canned Heat for nine months (until April 1970) with slide guitarist/vocalist Alan Wilson and singer Bob "The Bear" Hite. The custom of Canned Heat suggested that each member of the band acquired a nickname upon joining the band. Harvey's nickname, "The Snake," was given to him years before by keyboardist Barry Goldberg in Chicago (attributed to his cracked leather jacket and "snake-like guitar licks"). After several tours and three albums, including Future Blues, he was recruited by British bluesman John Mayall to be a member of the Bluesbreakers, recording the album, entitled USA Union together.
One of Mandel's most significant session credits was his participation on Black and Blue, the 1976 album by The Rolling Stones, where Mandell appears on Hot Stuff and Memory Motel. Following his stint with the Stones, he became a busy session player, with groups such as Love and The Ventures, and opened for Jeff Beck on his Canadian tour as a power trio with Jimmy Haslip, bassist for The Yellowjackets. He relocated to Chicago in the late 1970s and continued to tour extensively, as well as supporting groups such as Roxy Music. In 1980, Mandel relocated to Florida as a member of the house band at Ron Wood's Miami nightclub, "Woody's," with Rolling Stones attendant saxophonist, Bobby Keys.
Harvey Mandel, "The King Of Sustain", has been cited as a major influence by many of today's music superstars. The critics call him "an unsung hero," "a hugely influential but almost forgotten giant of instrumental rock" and "the best known unknown in pop guitar." He influenced the guitar sound of Beck, Clapton, the Stones, Canned Heat, John Mayall, The Ventures, Charlie Musselwhite, and many others. Blues-rock-psychedelic-metal-jazz-country-roots-fusion or let's just call it Harvey Mandel music! If you like the blues with a strong Chicago style expression then this Harvey Mandel is your music.
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