Unlike recent Hot Tuna albums, Hoppkorv found the group acting less as a mouthpiece for guitarist Jorma Kaukonen’s compositions and more as a heavy rock cover band, handling such familiar material as Buddy Holly’s “It’s So Easy” and Chuck Berry’s “Talkin’ ‘Bout You,” although “Watch the North Wind Rise” was one of Kaukonen’s better tunes. Even on the originals, the tempo had picked up, the arrangements were shorter; nothing here ran as long as five minutes, and the sound had been filled out by the occasional addition of keyboards, second guitar, and background vocals. So, Hoppkorv was closer to a straightforward pop/rock album than many Hot Tuna releases, and for that, predictably, it got higher marks from critics, who appreciated the variety, and lower marks from Tuna fans, who found less music to boogie to.
Tracks
1 Santa Claus Retreat (Kaukonen) 4:14
2 Watch the North Wind Rise (Kaukonen) 4:41
3 It’s So Easy (Holly, Petty) 2:37
4 Bowlegged Woman, Knock Kneed Man (Carter, Rush) 3:10
5 Drivin’ Around (Buck, Davis) 2:57
6 I Wish You Would Arnold 3:20
7 I Can’t Be Satisfied (Morganfield, Waters) 3:56
8 Talking ‘Bout You (Berry) 3:33
9 Extrication Love Song (Kaukonen) 4:17
10 Song from the Stainless Cymbal (Kaukonen) 4:04