''The Best of Hot Tuna'' is a Hot Tuna compilation album released in 1998. It covers songs from all the Hot Tuna albums released on

Grunt Records Grunt Records was a vanity label founded in 1971 by Jefferson Airplane and distributed by RCA Records. Initially created to sign local Bay Area acts, the label later was used only for Jefferson Starship and Hot Tuna releases. The label ended use ...

. Bill Thompson, former manager of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna helped select the songs for inclusion. The artwork on the cover is a painting of

Jorma Kaukonen Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen, Jr. (; ; born December 23, 1940) is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist. Kaukonen performed with Jefferson Airplane and still performs regularly on tour with Hot Tuna, which started as a side project with bass ...

and

Jack Casady John William "Jack" Casady (born April 13, 1944) is an American bass guitarist, best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. Jefferson Airplane became the first successful exponent of the San Francisco Sound. Singles including " S ...

made by

Grace Slick Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing; October 30, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter, artist, and painter. Slick was a key figure in San Francisco's early psychedelic music scene in the mid-1960s. With a music career spanning four decades, ...

. The album was released as a double CD.

Track listing

Disc one

#"Hesitation Blues" (Traditional) (from '' Hot Tuna'') – 5:05 #"Know You Rider" (Traditional) (from ''Hot Tuna'') – 4:07 #"Winin' Boy Blues" (

Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (later Morton; c. September 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941), known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer. Morton was jazz's first arranger, proving that a gen ...

) (from ''Hot Tuna'') – 5:31 #"Mann's Fate" (

) (from ''Hot Tuna'') – 5:20 #"Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning" ( Rev. Gary Davis) (from ''

First Pull Up, Then Pull Down ''First Pull Up, Then Pull Down'' is the second album by Hot Tuna, released in 1971 as RCA Victor LSP-4550. The album was recorded live with electric instruments, instead of the acoustic instruments used on the previous album, '' Hot Tuna''. T ...

'') – 8:15 #"Candy Man" (Davis) (from ''First Pull Up, Then Pull Down'') – 5:48 #"Been So Long" (Kaukonen) (Studio Version) (from "Been So Long" single) – 3:45 #"Keep On Truckin'" (B. Carleton) (from '' Burgers'') – 3:40 #"99 Year Blues" (

Julius Daniels Julius Daniels (November 20, 1901 – October 18, 1947) was an American Piedmont blues musician. His song "99 Year Blues" appeared on the box set ''Anthology of American Folk Music'' and has been covered by Jim Kweskin, Chris Smither, Johnny Winte ...

) (from ''Burgers'') – 3:57 #"Ode for Billy Dean" (Kaukonen) (from ''Burgers'') – 4:50 #"Sea Child" (Kaukonen) (from ''Burgers'') – 5:00 #"Water Song" (Kaukonen) (from ''Burgers'') – 5:15 #"I See the Light" (Kaukonen) (from '' The Phosphorescent Rat'') – 4:15 #"Living Just for You" (Kaukonen) (from ''The Phosphorescent Rat'') – 3:18 #"Easy Now" (Kaukonen) (from ''The Phosphorescent Rat'') – 5:10 #"Sally Where'd You Get Your Liquor From" (Davis) (from ''The Phosphorescent Rat'') – 2:56

Disc two

#"Hit Single #1" (Kaukonen) (from ''

America's Choice ''America's Choice'' is the fifth album by the American blues rock band Hot Tuna, recorded in 1974, and released in 1975 as Grunt BFL1-0820. The album was also released in Quadraphonic as Grunt BFD1-0820. The first of the "Rampage" trilogy album ...

'') – 5:13 #"Serpent of Dreams" (Kaukonen) (from ''America's Choice'') – 6:51 #"Sleep Song" (Kaukonen) (from ''America's Choice'') – 4:23 #"Funky #7" (

, Kaukonen) (from ''America's Choice'') – 5:47 #"Hot Jelly Roll Blues" (

Bo Carter Armenter (or Armentia) Chatmon (March 21, 1893 or January 1894 – September 21, 1964), known as Bo Carter, was an early American blues musician. He was a member of the Mississippi Sheiks in concerts and on a few of their recordings. He also m ...

) (from ''

Yellow Fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

'') – 4:21 #"Sunrise Dance with the Devil" (Kaukonen) (from ''Yellow Fever'') – 4:28 #"Bar Room Crystal Ball" (Kaukonen) (from ''Yellow Fever'') – 6:52 #"I Wish You Would" (

Billy Boy Arnold William "Billy Boy" Arnold (born September 16, 1935, Chicago, Illinois) AllMusic biography">AllMusic.html" ;"title="AllMusic">AllMusic biography/ref> is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. Arnold is a self-taught harmonica p ...

) (from '' Hoppkorv'') – 3:10 #"Watch the North Wind Rise" (Kaukonen) (from ''Hoppkorv'') – 4:39 #"It's So Easy" ( Buddy Holly,

Norman Petty Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician, record producer, publisher, radio station owner, and considered to be one of the founding fathers of early rock & roll. Biography Petty was born in the small town of Clo ...

) (from ''Hoppkorv'') – 2:35 #"Song from the Stainless Cymbal" (Kaukonen) (from ''Hoppkorv'') – 4:02 #"Genesis" (Kaukonen) (from '' Double Dose'') – 4:27 #"Rock Me Baby" ( Joe Josea, B. B. King) (previously unreleased) – 7:36 #"Extrication Love Song" (Kaukonen) (from ''Double Dose'') – 5:20

Personnel

– guitars, vocals *

– bass *Will Scarlett – harmonica * Sammy Piazza – drums *

Papa John Creach John Henry Creach (May 28, 1917 – February 22, 1994), better known as Papa John Creach, was an American blues violinist who also played classical, jazz, R&B, pop and acid rock music. Early in his career, he performed as a journeyman musician wi ...

– violin * Bob Steeler – drums * Nick Buck – synthesizer

Production

*Paul Williams – producer, compilation, tape research *Bill Thompson – compilation, assistant *Ray Loughren – assistant, sequencer *Jim Cooperman – assistant *Brian Mayer – assistant *Bill Lacey – audio restoration *Mike Harty – digital transfer *Michael Drexler – digital transfer *Dalita Keumurian – project director *Dave Cohen – essay *Tori Larkey – vault research *Jack Rovner – creative director *Henry Marquez – art direction *

– illustrations *Mike Diehl – design

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Best Of Hot Tuna, The 1998 greatest hits albums Hot Tuna compilation albums RCA Records compilation albums