Hot Tuna - Uncle Sam Blues (1971)

[psicochikrock]

:)

[MrNevadared]

Thanks for posting this. I saw them at Winterland in 72-or73 and they played for a full 6 hours without leaving the stage. They really knew how too rock. I still own their records.

[plumpjoint]

I saw them in march 2011 I had not been to a concert in 15 years.I was totally blown away. At Juanita K. Hammons Center for the Performing Arts. They played an acoustic set took a break came back electric and fucking laid IT DOWN.The audience was a little strange mostly Granmas & Granpas very few young folk I am only one with a ponytail in the audience. Nobody seemed to get into it except the few that went with me on break and burned a fatty I am 55 and had to supply the buzz!

[plumpjoint]

FUK the Beatles. These guys ROCK!!! and they are from good ole USA

[XtraPibbDude]

so its pronounced yoma cowkonan

[BobbyORiley]

When musicians were musicians. Love it!

[THIRDLEGBLIND]

i still like lady gaga better.

[huskerrock1]

@THIRDLEGBLIND fuck you

[THIRDLEGBLIND]

@huskerrock1 pfffttt! stupid hater.

[TheCOMPUTERJAZZMAN]

I had the 3 LP sountrack to this film a long time ago on vinyl. Lots of great stuff on it, mostly SF Psychedlic Rock Bands from the 60's

[MultiCandor]

Sex Scandal of Scandinavia

lolz

[peaceloveandrockism]

@MultiCandor *symbol

[quoamerica]

papa john creach..that man could play!!

[gcdailey317]

I seem to remember a point in this or Hesitation Blues when the sound of breaking glass was audible in the audience. Anybody help me out?

[taariqtaariq]

@gcdailey317 that is on the the 1st HT LP which was unplugged and came out in 1970 ish.

[kontrapunkti]

Sex Symbol Of Scandinavia:)

[sdgakatbk]

Saw them at GMU the weekend before last, (obviously not with Papa John-rip). Cool show, and they did this song. BTW, they have new music coming out in the Spring.

[jazzmessenger123]

Papa John ! Love that fiddle !!! Bless your soul !!!!

Just favorited this video on my youtube channel of eclectic VIOLIN music of all genres: rock, jazz, bluegrass and many you've probably never imagined. Check 'em out at the jazzmessenger123 link below in blue to the left.

[paulypoo66]

I saw Hot Tuna back in the mis 80s in a small club outside Washington DC. The warm up band was a local group with lots of fans, lots. As the band left the stage bout 90% of the sheeple left.... Me and about 20 others got a live up front unplugged concert from the Tuna. Idiots all left the good show and followed the young turks and missed out one one of the best shows I've ever seen....

[lloyger]

From listening to their recordings Hot tuna in my opinion is the best "rock band" in 20th century history, however I saw them this summer at the Calvaris county Furthur fest for the first time and I was not impressed, i expected a lot more ooomf.... albeit I'm a whippersnapper and they're old farts.

[aurora1957A]

@lloyger

stylistically IMHO Jack and Jorma have become masters of stealth and the understatement, i.e. the "ooomf" is there if one knows where to look. It may take you more than one show, and if you are lucky enough to catch them acoustic, well... miracles can happen.

Jes sayin'

:)

[dantean]

@lloyger Hard to reconcile "lack of oomph" with "best rock band," as going to see the Rolling Stones or The Who tends to be a lesson in bands that deliver every time. "Best Ever" lists aren't really what artistic expression is really supposed to be all about, anyway.

[audadvnc]

@lloyger - Keep in mind these guys are pushing 70, they can't do all the crazy drugs and stay up all night like they did way back when.

[tomw58]

@lloyger I saw them at the Beacon in NY in 2010 for Jormas 70th birthday and my friend that entire show was pure ooomf!

[keaton1895]

@lloyger The Beatles have that title. Every band since 1964 have been influenced by The Beatles and even today.

[plumpjoint]

@keaton1895 Yea they want to play something else. That is their bubblegum influence.HOT TUNA ROCKS. The Beatles tried to and got scared.

[Akindone53]

@keaton1895 Every Band? Bullshit!! More like there were many bands before and during the Beatles that influenced the Beatles. How could you even allude Hot Tuna and the Beatles together is a contortion of reality

.

[keaton1895]

@Akindone53 Not bullshit! Yes the Beatles were influenced by others but the Beatles is why a lot of people decided to go into music. I am not saying anything bad about Hot Tuna.

[Akindone53]

@keaton1895 Didn't mean to step on your Beatle Boots ,but you go from., " Every band since 1964 have been influenced by The Beatles and even today." to "but the Beatles is why a lot of people decided to go into music." That is a big Big difference,plus  the first statement is an insult to many original musicians, the second is a assumption based on no evidence, and your opinion. How the Beatles got mentioned here on a video about Hot Tuna is like that zombie kid declaring "I LIKE TURTLES"

[Binabik56]

Something I've been wondering about for more than 40 years. Was Papa John dropping acid with them there young hippies?

[voodoob4u]

these were the daze... young,dumb and fulla come..now i'm just old.. were did the damn time go HFT~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[bluesborn]

I loved this band when I was a kid.What I remember about that time was how deeply we felt about the music which this audience demonstrates by their excitement.Back before all the distractions of computers and blackberries and cellphones and 10 thousand TV channels.

[aurora1957A]

@bluesborn

Yeah me too, Burgers was the second lp I ever bought, back then it seemed like the music was part of something bigger and listening to it was like gaining membership to that thing... now days everything is fragmented & you have to look so hard to find the right stuff... My two cents worth anyway...

I still think HFT is the bomb, and will catch Jack and/or Jorma live whenever I can, with age they have become true masters of their art. Can't wait til the new studio CD comes out!

:)

:)

[bluesborn]

@aurora1957A -nice to hear from a fellow traveler.Good stuff.

[wonderlin1]

@bluesborn I'm getting a flashback!!!!!!!!!

[keo774]

9994 wiews for the magnificent hot tuna

!

[PaulCPHhhh]

These Airplanepeople can really play !!

[hjason55]

I was at the Filmore East watching Jefferson Airplane. If that were not great enough at break out come a branch group called Hot Tuna. A good concert became a great concert.

[rorygg1]

i met papa john in raleigh nc eating breakfast at the hilton hotel. this was around 1977. a very gracious man. he signed a napkin for me. he referred to midnight sun,his backing band, as "my boys". his playing is so soul soulful and expressive. we'll never hear the likes of him and vassar clements again.

[hazybasementmusic]

Excellent.

[lukea9225]

johnny winters at 3:22

[MrDougpro]

Help you out? How?

[yankeesrule009]

HOT FUCKIN TUNA!!!!

[deedrh]

hey, i was at asbury park sunday night. they rocked

[egits]

Saw them last night on LI- the best show i've seen in years... fantastic

[aurora1957A]

@egits

I'm glad the guys are in good form, I've got tix for a show next week!

:)

[conman556]

@egits Hey were you at the Suffolk forum in 1977 with papa john

[egits]

@conman556 No. I wasn't alive yet. Born in 78. I meant the best show overall that I've seen. It felt like what a concert should feel like. Hot Tuna has the attitude and the audience felt it. Great vibe!

[dchm2008]

Hot Tuna oh man those were the days at Bill Grahams Filmore !!

[Gosseyn4]

Fillmore: The Last Days - Available once more

[nebnis81]

Bill Graham was a penis

[MrDougpro]

@nebnis81 Graham was a penis alright....i think his religion had alot to do with that...LOL.

[nebnis81]

@MrDougpro Can you help me out a bit with Mr. CitizenMusicUSA ?

[CitizenMusicUSA]

@nebnis81 of all of the legendary characters that emerged from this era, bill graham was undoubtedly one of the most important. where do you think a little band called the warlocks, later called the grateful dead, got their start before anyone knew who they were? who a 16 year old kid named carlos santana play as an opener for butterfield blues band until everyone in the world knew his name? who took some canadian cats who called themselves the band and presented them to the world? blasphemer.

[nebnis81]

@CitizenMusicUSA All that is true sir....and dont forget Quicksilver and the Flying Burritos. Just by listing the great acts he nurtured and brought to the stage does not change the fact that many around him ....well.....felt he was a penis. Not blasphmy...just a fact.

[CitizenMusicUSA]

@nebnis81 i understand what you're saying, but; as a man of the same profession as as mr. graham i can tell you that one has quite often got to be 'the bad guy.' (i'd assume it's not terribly different from many, if not most, positions of particular influence.) and, let me tell you from experience that bands are extraordinarily difficult entities with which to deal. i respect the man and his indelible contributions to the world too much not to stand up and declare, "BILL GRAHAM WAS NOT A PENIS!"

[nebnis81]

@CitizenMusicUSA You're gettin too heavy on me man....

[CitizenMusicUSA]

@nebnis81 ha, sorry bro. didn't mean to. chalk it up to having a soft spot for the guy, eh? btw, we forgot to put the great moby grape (and i'm sure countless others) in our list of great acts he supported, if not broke. is there an emoticon in the form of a peace sign?

[nebnis81]

@CitizenMusicUSA Peace is a great thing...and a great suggestion. Moby WAS cool...thank you for remembering them for the list. Not that he was a Grahamite...but are you as big a Bloomfield fan as me ?

[CitizenMusicUSA]

@nebnis81 no..... not yet at least. bloomfield's is just one of those catalogs i've yet to sink my teeth into. but, i would dare say he was very much a grahamite. bbb played the shit out of the original fillmore. where do you suggest i start with bloomfield?

[nebnis81]

@CitizenMusicUSA Go to "Zinedine05" channel on youtube. This guy has it ALL on Mike Bloomfield. Try the "live" stuff between 67 and 72 ( before heroin) . If you slowly check out all that zinedine has....there are some SERIOUS gems in there.

[nebnis81]

@CitizenMusicUSA Start off with "Wintry Country Side" out of the zinedine stuff

[CitizenMusicUSA]

@nebnis81 of all of the legendary characters that emerged from this era, bill graham was undoubtedly one of the most important. where do you think a little band called the warlocks, later called the grateful dead, got their start before anyone knew who they were? who gave a 16 year old kid named carlos santana play as an opener for butterfield blues band until everyone in the world knew his name? who took some canadian cats who called themselves the band and presented them to the world?

[gsasko]

Hot!!!!

[TheWilliamville]

i saw a damn good Hot Tuna show a few years back. they still got it.

[keo774]

I prefere woodstook version, but this is very good too

[Katmundu]

vintage Tuna!!!

[54sks]

Don't forget that Bill Graham has also gone on to that big Filmore in the sky nearly 20 years now.

[MERRYJERRYL]

LSDAZE...

[sparkyization]

Tuna took it all, that early Jefferson Airplane thing, to a whole 'nuther level

[ciansdad7299]

never heard of them - sounds like a pretty good jam band tho-

[GrizzlyGunsmith99]

bad ass!!

[jenniferjuniper97]

wow...

[mokelumnekid]

I'm gonna get shelled here, but was never a fan of what Papa John brought to the mix, but that's just me. Huge fan of Jorma and Jack and see 'em many times.

[sportster16301]

You sure don't hear of lead fiddles but if anybody could do it, it was Papa John.

[TheBluesguy62154]

Innovation.and blues Fiddle.the first i ever heard

[mobeers1]

I don't know who you are~But~DAMN man~sure miss the daze~Thank you for sharing~

[WEIR4EVER]

Happy holidays, Aurora... Just perusing a few good vids on xmas eve, and recalling the good times.

[PanekPL]

the woodstock version is way better

[danoinreno]

this is one of the 1st band I ever saw live as a teenager, they were a big time act in the San Francisco bay area in the early

70s

thanks for uploading

[wellspout]

pleaze post more of this era hot tuna, keep yr lamps trimmed and burning!!!!!!!!!!, etc, i was there also, and have not seen anything like it since

[mimichou53]

de grands musiciens que j'ai aimé dans ma jeunesse et que j'écoute toujours avec autant de bonheur

michel ( valence fr )

[irlandos1]

Super!

[1musiclvr]

I was lucky enough to see them at the Fillmore west in early '71 and still have the handbill they gave out.

[skifiles]

2:27 God!!!!

[suziemcalister]

The Introduction from this song, by Bill Graham, was dubbed onto the 3 LP set, "Fillmore: The Last Days".

The tune this intro was added to was "Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning".

That is the Definitive Version of "Keep Your Lamps"

July 4, 1971 was the last concert at Fillmore West in SF, California.

The Album included concerts from previous sessions with many Bands; but noticeably absent was Jefferson Airplane.

Paul and Jorma and Papa JC playing as Hot Tuna made up for it!

[6749er]

Was there this night & Dead's night & last night & all of it was on local FM Raido

was quite a week. Fillmore West aka The Carousal was a beautiful old SF Victorian style ballroom. Great place to see & hear great music & we sure did. Thanks Bill from Old Fillmore to this one & beyound..

[SpielPalastD]

this is the best band in the world...no matter what, they put a smile on my face, even on the greyest of days.

[mpjrdldn]

I love Hot Tuna. I've sort of discovered them this year!!!!!!

[frederickus]

@mpjrdldn This year? Yer sleepin' or you were just born!

[mphrdldn]

@frederickus I was stoned.

[npspec34]

The film came out in 1972 but the last week closed on 4th of July weekend 1971. "Keep Your Light Trimmed and Burning" made the LP but this (which is great) did not. Shame.

Thanks for a tremendous post.

Saw Santana on July 4th, 1981(Cape Cod) and they did a whole 10 yr anniversary thing on the Filmore.

One can not overstate how BIG the Fillmore(s) were and the influence Bill Graham had on the music scene.

[SkopTeocratico]

Fantastic performance. W Papa John!

[cousinneal]

if you don't know jorma you don't know jack

[sbrasw]

The original name of the band was Hot Shit, but that was nixed by the record company, so they went with Hot Tuna, not sure where the Tune part came from. Hot Tuna was also a splinter group from the Jerfferson Airplane, so that Jack and Jorma could experiment with a more blues sound.

[Abernis]

the fuck are you talking about?

this IS the splinter grp!

[pyrophore]

The hot shit name is a long time rumor. They were never called that. The name comes from the line in 'Keep On Truckin'; "What's that smell like fish obaby" etc. Someone jokingly said Hot Tuna!

[SpielPalastD]

actually, it is not a rumour, jorma told me the story himself

[pyrophore]

Sorry to disbelieve you but jorma has denied this rumor for some 40 years.

Do a search on youtube on "jim clash jorma interview" Two minutes into the part 2 interview he sets the record straight.

[Pinchysandcrab]

Outstanding! Thanks PETEM4 for share!

[aurora1957A]

If you get a chance, go see these guys play!

HOT FUCKING TUNA!!

[Weltar]

they are still playin'?!

[aurora1957A]

Jack & Jorma are! See the "more info" link.

[leadzeppbelly]

i really want to see them. They sound awesome

[umberto5151]

Great! Thanks...

[GeeTee68]

That would be Bill Graham, Legendary promoter and originator of the Filmores East and West.

[GeeTee68]

That would be Bill Graham. Promoter and crator of the Fillmores east and west

[snuffelsuf]

thats that jewish guy who did all the concerts back in the day.whats his name again...anyway hes famous

[aurora1957A]

lol.. Bill something or other..

you got some good tunes in your favorites!

[sbrasw]

Bill Graham is his name.

[aurora1957A]

LOL

:)

[zolf1988]

"on bass, devil, devil, devil, devil of a man, Jack Casady" :) WOW!!!

[Bilko2720]

Fillmore: The Last Days is scheduled for release nov. 2008

[baptist]

this song was also played at woodstock 69 by Jorma and it´s title is: UNCLE SAM BLUES

see jefferson airplane at woodstock

[Renshen1957]

Will having been to Clovis close enough?

[TuneInTurnOnDropOut]

Are you sure this is the correct title? Isn't this "Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning"?

[aurora1957A]

I wish!

:)

[baptist]

where can i get Fillmore 71? thx

[aurora1957A]

Fillmore: The Last Days, otherwise known as Fillmore (1972), hasn't been released on DVD, there are some old VHS copies floating around, pretty hard to find, the CD is available on Amazon but doesn't have "Uncle Sam Blues" on it (but it does have a smokin' Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burnin).

Good luck! Let me know how you make out!

:)

[TuneInTurnOnDropOut]

I have a bootleg DVD copy I can sell you.

[TuneInTurnOnDropOut]

I have a bootleg DVD copy I can sell you..let me know.

[loybillyrock]

Great!

[AWESOMEphysco]

HOT FUCKING TUNA!!!!!!

[wygakyl]

I remember watching this on PBS, who broadcasted part of the closing of the Fillmore. I, too, was born in '57, and was 14. thinking, "This place is closing now,just when I'm coming of age. Shit!!" I knew I was headed for a psychadelic waterfall..., and glad to catch the 70's, great music, shows, (drugs), and memories.

[Renshen1957]

I too was born in '57 and my sister who was 6 years older went to all the major events in and around SF, we lived nearby in Napa, and my Dad drove her and the rest of the family to them. So I saw Haight and Ashbury, the Summer of Love, the free Concerts in Golden Gate Park (the Dead), she saw Jimi Hendrix in SF just after Monterey Pop Festival (missed it but got to the earlier Magic Mtn festival), and brought home home albums of every one. It was Great.

[zwolfen]

I'll take the fiddle and spot you two strings.

[reefrunner9]

Saw them in the Winter of 72 at Eau Claire Arena. Took me 30 years to finish college after that concert.

The Diathlyamide Resistance didn't die, it evolves like sourdough, more in touch with the Cosmos than standard fare, if you know what I mean. Visceral Chords Forever....Humbug Guitarist

[reefrunner9]

Saw these guys a cold winter night in northern wisconsin in 72ish. It took me 30 years to recover from the boogie they instilled in me. For the record, still recovering, a bit slower but visceral, just the same....

[bertbrains]

No shit Sherlock ...twice that year for me at Cowtown Palace K.C. Missouri ...the munchkins are still walking through fields of accordians in my head...scary good stuff!

[phallystorm]

I saw TUNA back in the late 70s several times at the Commack Arena in NY. They used to play for HOURS!! LONG LIVE HOT FUCKIN TUNA!!!!

[kboyxx]

Commack. One big airplane hanger . Hot Fucking Tuna.

My second night in the Haight I got see Tuna at the Carosell Ball room for free. Had a Grottna T hsirt somewhwere.

[jerrysizzle]

would like to know where I can get this "final days of the fillmore" film......I have the three record set.........this is really good.

[enjoypot]

Awesome

[marcopicker]

That's the real Burning Hot Tuna!

[rosedore]

i was born in 57 and i could have been the skinny long haired blonde chick if she were dancing a little less acid induces and not on someones shoulders!!I saw them a few weeks ago in New York and I was so attracted to their groove still!Although I miss Papa John Dearly and wish at shows they'd bring aboard a cool electric violin player. thanks for this enjoyable clip!

[aurora1957A]

I recently saw them too, in between snowstorms!

:)