Album of the Day

When Jefferson Airplane was briefly sidelined in 1969, band guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady kept busy by forming Hot Tuna. While their initial repertoire was acoustic blues-inspired, by the time of AMERICA’S CHOICE, the group had turned up the volume. With detergent-box cover art ideal for the slogan “new and improved,” the 1974 Grunt album was the first of a trilogy cut in power trio mode (with Bob Steeler here on drums). Beyond a version of Robert Johnson’s “Walkin' Blues,” the songs are all Jorma originals, with opener “Sleep Song” and the ironically titled “Hit Single #1” among the highlights. One of their highest-charting studio sets, AMERICA’S CHOICE shows Hot Tuna could really bring the heat.