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The Phosphorescent Rat

 
Album Review: The Phosphorescent Rat

  • Artist: Hot Tuna
  • Rating: StarStarStar
  • Release Date: 1973
  • Total Time: 37:46
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Hot Tuna's first album made after the breakup of Jefferson Airplane found Jorma Kaukonen taking a firm hand: he's the author of nine out of 10 songs. The walking tempos and familiar soaring, psychedelic guitar solos are in place, but much of the music is given over to Kaukonen's reflective lyrics, sung in his matter-of-fact voice, and there are strings on a couple of tracks. Although the approach would produce Kaukonen's most impressive record the following year when he made the acoustic solo album, and although critics have pointed to The Phosphorescent Rat as among Hot Tuna's better efforts, the group's fans, devoted as they were to its extended versions of blues standards, seem to have been unimpressed: the album was Hot Tuna's lowest charting among those released during its 1970-1978 heyday. Probably a lack of enthusiasm at RCA, due to the demise of Jefferson Airplane, didn't help in the album's promotion, either. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
I See the Light (Lyrics) Jorma Kaukonen Hot Tuna (4:16)
Letter to the North Star (Lyrics) Jorma Kaukonen Hot Tuna (2:32)
Easy Now (Lyrics) Jorma Kaukonen Hot Tuna (5:11)
Corners Without Exits (Lyrics) Jorma Kaukonen Hot Tuna (3:38)
Day to Day Out the Window Blues Jorma Kaukonen Hot Tuna (3:28)
In the Kingdom (Lyrics) Jorma Kaukonen Hot Tuna (5:27)
Seeweed Strut Jorma Kaukonen Hot Tuna (3:26)
Living Just for You (Lyrics) Jorma Kaukonen Hot Tuna (3:20)
Soliloquy for 2 Jorma Kaukonen Hot Tuna (3:43)
Sally, Where'd You Get Your Liquor From? Rev. Gary Davis Hot Tuna (2:58)

Credits

Marty Balin (?), Hot Tuna (Main Performer), Jorma Kaukonen (Guitar), Jorma Kaukonen (Vocals), Jorma Kaukonen (?), Grace Slick (?), Andy Narell (Percussion), Papa John Creach (Violin), Papa John Creach (Vocals), Paul Kantner (?), Jack Casady (Bass), Jack Casady (Vocals), Jack Casady (?), Mallory Earl (Engineer), Bill Lacey (Audio Restoration), Sammy Piazza (Percussion), Sammy Piazza (Drums), Sammy Piazza (Vocals), Tom Salisbury (String Arrangements), Pat (Maurice) Leraci (Producer), Mike Hartry (Digital Transfers), Jeff Tamarkin (Liner Notes)
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Wikipedia: The Phosphorescent Rat
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The Phosphorescent Rat
Studio album by Hot Tuna
Released January 3, 1974
Recorded May - October, 1973 at Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco
Genre Rock
Label Grunt Records
Producer Mallory Earl
Professional reviews
Hot Tuna chronology
Burgers
(1972)
The Phosphorescent Rat
(1973)
America's Choice
(1975)

The Phosphorescent Rat is the fourth album by the rock group Hot Tuna. It was released in 1973.

The Phosphorescent Rat was a transitional album for Hot Tuna. Their blues-rock playing was moving away from the softer, more acoustic sound of their first three albums, and towards a more hard rock sound. Singer and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen's increasing focus on original composition and new musical direction is also evidenced by the first appearance of strings and woodwind orchestrations on a Hot Tuna LP.

This was the first Hot Tuna album recorded after Kaukonen and bass player Jack Casady had left Jefferson Airplane. They were joined as before by drummer Sammy Piazza. With the departure of Papa John Creach, who had left the band for Jefferson Starship, the stage was set for the power trio playing of their next four albums.

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by Jorma Kaukonen, except where noted

Side one
# Title Length
1. "I See the Light"   4:15
2. "Letter to the North Star"   2:31
3. "Easy Now"   5:10
4. "Corners Without Exits"   3:37
5. "Day to Day Out the Window Blues"   3:26
Side two
# Title Length
1. "In the Kingdom"   5:26
2. "Seeweed Strut"   3:25
3. "Living Just for You"   3:18
4. "Soliloquy for 2"   3:42
5. "Sally, Where'd You Get Your Liquor From?" (Reverend Gary Davis) 2:56

Personnel

Additional Personnel

  • Tom Salisbury – conductor of strings and woodwinds on "Corners Without Exits" and "Soliloquy for 2"
  • Andrew Narell – steel drums on "Living Just for You"

Production

  • Pat Ieraci – production coordinator
  • Mallory Earl – recording engineer, mixing engineer
  • Steve Mantoani – assistant engineer
  • Marek A. Majewski – cover design
  • Recorded at Wally Heider's, San Francisco
  • Mastered at The Lacquer Channel, Sausalito

 
 
Learn More
America's Choice (1975 Album by Hot Tuna)
The Phosphorescent Rat (1973 Album by Hot Tuna)
Final Vinyl (1979 Album by Hot Tuna)

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Phosphorescent Rat" Read more