Steady as She Goes (Hot Tuna album)

Steady as She Goes is a 2011 album by Hot Tuna, the band's first studio album since 1990.[4] After Jorma Kaukonen recorded his solo album in 2009 at Levon Helm's studio in NY, he asked his new record company Red House if they would be interested in a Tuna album.[5] The band started recording new tracks in November 2010[6] with the same producer and studio that Kaukonen used for River of Time and features the latest lineup of the band that formed in 2009 when Skoota Warner joined on drums. On March 11, 2011 Red House released Angel of Darkness as a free single. The album was released on CD and on iTunes April 5, 2011 and was released on vinyl in May.[7] The album first charted on the Tastemaker and Independent album lists compiled by Billboard for the week of April 23.[8]

Steady as She Goes
Studio album by
Hot Tuna
ReleasedApril 5, 2011
RecordedNovember - December, 2010 at Levon Helm Studios, Woodstock, NY
GenreBlues rock
LabelRed House[1]
ProducerLarry Campbell
Hot Tuna chronology
Live at New Orleans House: Berkeley, CA 09/69
(2010)		 Steady as She Goes
(2011)
Singles from Steady as She Goes
  1. "Angel of Darkness"
    Released: March 11, 2011
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Philadelphia Daily News(A-)[3]

Released as "Collector's Edition: Half-speed Mastered 180 Gram HQ Vinyl"[9] with only a few hundred made, in gatefold form and including a Hot Tuna tattoo, as well as the CD version, it includes two LPs, with an etched portrait on side four. Each side without the etching has four songs.[10]

Recording

After years of releasing live albums, Kaukonen felt it was time to record a new electric studio album with the band when his current label for his solo work, Red House Records, was interested.[11] Kaukonen started by writing one song, but with deadlines set and being locked in to studio time with the band, he collaborated and ended up writing six songs for the album.[11] The band used Levon Helm's studio where Kaukonen had recorded his previous solo album, River of Time.[12] For the new album, Kaukonen decided to take the approach he used with Jefferson Airplane, letting others work out the charts for the rhythm section and concentrating on the lead guitar lines.[5] Also to reflect back to Jefferson Airplane's style, Teresa Williams recorded harmony vocals similar to Grace Slick's on several tracks.[12]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Angel of Darkness"Larry Campbell, Jorma KaukonenCampbell4:43
2."Children of Zion"Rev. Gary DavisDavis4:50
3."Second Chances"KaukonenKaukonen4:21
4."Goodbye to the Blues"Marshall WilbornWilborn4:32
5."A Little Faster"John HurlbutHurlbut4:55
6."Mourning Interrupted"KaukonenKaukonen5:06
7."Easy Now Revisited"KaukonenKaukonen, Campbell3:41
8."Smokerise Journey"KaukonenJack Casady, Campbell4:28
9."Things That Might Have Been"KaukonenKaukonen4:15
10."Mama Let Me Lay It On You"DavisDavis4:46
11."If This Is Love"Mark MarkhamMarkham5:01
12."Vicksburg Stomp" (instrumental) Papa Charlie McCoy3:44

Personnel

Hot Tuna

Additional musicians
  • Larry Campbell – electric/acoustic/pedal steel rhythm guitar, fiddle, violin, organs, vocals
  • Teresa Williams – vocals

Production
  • Larry Campbell – producer
  • Justin Guip – engineer
  • David Glasser – mastering
  • Kevin Morgan – cover art

Charts
Chart Peak
position
US Billboard Independent Albums 46
US Billboard Tastemaker 13

References
  1. Hot Tuna biography at Red House Records
  2. Horowitz, Hal. Steady as She Goes at AllMusic
  3. Takiff, Jonathan (April 5, 2011). "Music Legends Get New Airing", The Philadelphia Inquirer
  4. Spillane, Sean (July 20, 2010). "Hot Tuna Goes Electric for Shubert Show", The News-Times
  5. Robbins, Brian (January 27, 2011). "The Tuna Is Hotter than Ever — Steady as She Goes with Jorma and Jack", Jambands.com
  6. "Woodstock and the Music", JormaKaukonen.com, November 19, 2010
  7. Robbins, Brian (February 9, 2011). "Steady as She Goes with Jack Casady (The Tuna Is Hotter than Ever Part II)", Jambands.com
  8. Steady as She Goes at Billboard.com
  9. RHR 241B
  10. RHR LP 241
  11. Olwell, Greg. "Hot Tuna: 50+ Years of Flavor Freshness", Premier Guitar, April 2011
  12. Steady as She Goes Red House Records official press kit
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