Hot Tuna
Double Dose

For those like me who bought and lived music especially in the '70s and '80s, the enthusiasm for the release of a double live album by any artist or group we appreciated is a vivid memory. It was a celebration and a proving ground to demonstrate the authentic and 'real' character of one's music and to secure a place among the live acts worthy of history. Artists outside of rock (Schulze, Tangerine Dream) did not shy away from this rite, nor did singer-songwriters or world artists (Osibisa), and there are few missing pieces in an ideal collection of great concerts, real or reconstructed as they may be. On the other hand, many artists saw increased appreciation because of a good live act, even if somewhat artificially assembled, as long as it was well documented (the blatant case of Peter Frampton and the Wings), while in other cases the snapshot of a not particularly representative moment in their artistic path is still the subject of debate and regret ('On The Road' by Traffic, 'USA' by King Crimson, 'Vital' by VDGG).

‘Double Dose’ by Hot Tuna is an example of how a good live album can enhance the image and overall performance of a band that at the time risked being decidedly underrated. Before these four sides, not only did the group struggle to be considered more than just a side project of Jefferson Airplane, but few were aware of the true ‘rocking’ nature of their concerts, which certainly did not 'limit' themselves to the commendable acoustic revivals of blues standards and precious pieces. Indeed, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady founded the band during a forced hiatus of the Airplane activities, but the peculiar characteristics did not take long to emerge, and the new creature soon stood out for its greater tendency to improvise and more guitar distortion, as well as the well-known choice of a more traditional repertoire (a kind of ‘Grateful Airplane’, so to speak).

‘Double Dose’ would be the third live album by Hot Tuna, because initially, the band was not conceived as a separate studio entity but as a live spin-off of the Jefferson, and the early concerts were captured directly onto vinyl, but it is the first to offer an extended repertoire and a reworking of songs whose studio versions sound tender and contained compared to the performances documented here (by this 1977 the group had become a true hard rock combo in the form of a power trio). In keeping with the spirit of 1969, the first side hosts ragtime and blues in an acoustic key performed by Jorma alone, whose beautiful mellow voice and well-known expertise in fingerpicking really do an excellent service to the repertoire, but from the notable cover of ‘I Wish You Would’ onwards the quartet (there are keyboards, but they are absolutely in the background) incorporates distorted guitars, wah-wah, blazing tracks, jams and everything that makes heavy rock, including a wonderful version of the beautiful and famous ‘Genesis’ by solo Kaukonen. Special mention for the long and elaborate ‘Funky #7’ by Casady, but original songs and covers follow one another in great harmony, and all the vibrant performances are as mentioned, markedly above the studio versions (especially ‘Bowlegged Woman, Knock-Kneed Man’ and ‘Serpent Of Dreams’).

It will be the last act for the Tuna, who disband in 1978. (They will return together in 1990 for a negligible career tail, mostly dedicated to concerts). All things considered, ‘Double Dose’ still represents the must-have album of Hot Tuna today, the one to track down if you don't want to be completist about the band, a comprehensive representation of their overall production (with the only exception of the notable appearances of Papa John Creach, period 1971-72). It is one of the best live albums of the period, somewhat overshadowed by the notoriety of the 'usual' live albums of the '70s but just for this reason worthy of a rediscovery that saves us – for example – from yet another concert of the Grateful Dead or Deep Purple (with all due respect and appreciation, we are honestly saturated). The album took years to be decently reissued among criminal cuts and editions of dubious legitimacy, and even today, it isn't as readily available as one might wish, but it's definitely worth a little search.