Search - Hot Tuna :: The Phosphorescent Rat

A true masterpiece

DAVID ARNSON | Los Angeles | 08/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jorma Kaukonen really comes into his own as a songwriter here, and his blend of acoustic picking and psychedelic lead electric guitar is absolutely engaging. 'I See the Light' and 'Easy Now' are both smoldering rockers, while 'Corners without Exits'(beautiful 'crying' leads), 'Soliloquoy for Two' and 'In the Kingdom' are on the gentler ,moodier side. 'In the Kingdom', with its immortal lines "I've been living blind in one-eyed lands",Casady's orchestrally phrased fuzz bass,and Kaukonen's silvery soloing around the lyrics, shape it up to be one of the best love songs of all time that you've never heard...! Speaking of Jack Casady, his bass

playing is magnificent here,ranging from ragtime counterpoint to foghorn -like distortion,and the newly-remastered disc fortunately pumps the bass up from its previously understated levels . Hot Tuna's 'Phosphorescent Rat' has a great balance of bluesy numbers, psychedelic raveups, and introspective musings, and they never again added so many colors to their songs,with some tunes accented with steel drums or string arrangements.

This cd wrestles with the 'Burgers' lp for my Tuna 'desert island' disc', but i'll stick up for this one as it it remains a much-overlooked masterpiece."

Superb Hot Tuna

J. Nichols | South Glens Falls,New York USA | 04/29/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jack and Jorma in some classic tunes for the fans. This CD is a classic and should be listened to loud..or low but, listen to these guys. A great CD !!!!"

Excellent Album

09/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I highly reccomend this ablum. If you are a Hot Tuna fan you will love this album. It was the last Hot Tuna album to feature Sammy Piaza on drums. The album has a good mix of rock, blues and country music. There is also a good mix of Jorma's finger-picking guitar style along with his siering solos. There is a nice panning effect on the album that breaks up the guitar solos so different parts of the solos come out of different speakers. The album also features great songs such as I See The Light, Day To Day Out The Window Blues, Easy Now and Living Just For You. This one's a keeper."