The Hatters - Live Thunderchicken (CD)

All Music Guide

Live Thunderchicken was recorded live at ~the Wetlands Preserve in New York City on July 29, 1993. The CD was released in advance of the Hatters' Atlantic debut The Madcap Adventures of the Avocado Overlord. Two of the ten songs included in Live Thunderchicken were also on that album. The standout track is definitely "Sip of Your Wine," which features harmonica by Blues Traveler's John Popper. the Hatters hoped their affinity with other East Coast jam bands would help them succeed in the major-label game. Unfortunately, it never happened, and the band disbanded in the late-1990s. "The Naked Song" from 1995's You Will Be You did receive some minor radio attention. the Hatters were an above average jam band with roots more in the Allman Brothers than the Grateful Dead, and fitting somewhere between Allgood and Moe. Because of the Popper collaboration, Live Thunderchicken should be where collectors or archivists begin to understand the Hatters.

- JT Griffith, All Music Guide