Jimi Hendrix
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Cord Hurn
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Jimi Hendrix
In a discussion with peter in his Your '10 Greatest' Rock And Roll MixTape thread, I mentioned that I felt this sub-forum should have a Jimi Hendrix thread. The man revolutionized rock guitar at a level that may be incalculable, as it would be too hard to list all the guitarists he has influenced directly or indirectly. I did a search to make sure such a thread had not been created already, and there was only a Possible Hendrix find thread, about one of his recordings. So, I'm starting off this thread of music appreciation for Jimi with a review of one of his studio albums, :blues. Jimi's output was amazingly prolific, considering he had only a four-year career in professional recording. I haven't got all his studio albums, but I'm planning to post track-by-track reviews for the albums I possess.
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Cord Hurn
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In the early 1990s, Jimi's dad Al Hendrix gained control of rights to his recordings, and the Experience Hendrix label was created. :blues was an early release from this label.
:blues
Hear My Train A-Comin' (Acoustic) - With all the fame that Jimi Hendrix achieved for groundbreaking work on the sound of the electric guitar, it makes me realize that he rarely was recorded playing acoustic guitar. So, this is a treat for me, just to hear what acoustic Hendrix sounds like. I admit sometimes it sounds like he hits the strings too hard.
Born Under A Bad Sign - The bass and drum parts on this track sound too pedestrian to hold my attention for long. This song uses the guitar tone that Jimi employed often on his Band Of Gypsys album, especially on the memorable "Machine Gun". In places Jimi uses the same kind of guitar licks he used on the song "Gypsy Eyes".
Red House - One of Jimi's most-covered compositions, with classic blues-sounding intro. Jimi's guitar captures a perfect mix of trepidation, anticipation, and resignation in one tune. Drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding seem to be going through the motions on this one, alas.
Catfish Blues - Why would Jimi want to be a catfish? To wind up in "the deep blue sea", he tells us. But topmost of my reasons to not want to be a catfish is that it dwells in muddy fresh water and eats the crud other fish reject! Mitch gets it all sounding sassy, snappy, and brisk on the skins, making his drumming this song's highlight.
Voodoo Chile Blues - This song is an example of Jimi taking parts of his rendition of "Catfish Blues" and trying to transform it into another song. It's still a long way from sounding like the song it would ultimately evolve into being, the legendary "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)". At this phase in its creation, it still more closely resembles "Catfish Blues".
Mannish Boy - Jimi here melds the lyrics of Bo Diddley's "I'm A Man" with Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy", with just a shot of The Spencer Davis Group's song "I'm A Man" for good measure. It all fits together really smoothly, with maracas adding to this track's urgent-sounding feel.
Once I Had A Woman - This is from one of the sessions with Jimi's project Band Of Gypsys with Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox on bass. This track has Jimi playing what seems to be one of the slowest paced (for him) guitar ever on a blues song. This song plods for me because of that, despite Jimi's talent, until the song catches fire about halfway through.
Bleeding Heart - It is now unknown what musical personnel Jimi put together to make this particular song recording. Jimi shows his influence from Elmore James here, emulating James' slide guitar with an amplified signal sustain (yet Hendrix doesn't employ a slide for this!).
Jelly 292 - An extended boogie romp that pretty much just repeats the same emotional vibe over and over, but with some lead guitar changes to break up the monotony. Competent playing, but this one doesn't inspire me. As with the previous track, it's now unknown who were the backing musicians.
Electric Church Red House - A version of "Red House" with an electric organ in the sound. At times, Hendrix seems to be getting ahead of the band on this song. Because of that, I find listening to this track a little disorienting, and not in a good way. Piercing feedback ends this number.
Hear My Train A-Comin' (Electric) - I think some of Jimi Hendrix's best-ever blues guitar playing occurs right here. He manges to sound both illuminating and abrasive on this track, and I find it a stimulating combination. The sound slightly burns the eardrums and seems to spiral out from down-to-earth standard blues up into an eccentric and erratic interplanetary orbit, with unexpected dramatic moments all along the way. This is my favorite track of the album.
:blues
Hear My Train A-Comin' (Acoustic) - With all the fame that Jimi Hendrix achieved for groundbreaking work on the sound of the electric guitar, it makes me realize that he rarely was recorded playing acoustic guitar. So, this is a treat for me, just to hear what acoustic Hendrix sounds like. I admit sometimes it sounds like he hits the strings too hard.
Born Under A Bad Sign - The bass and drum parts on this track sound too pedestrian to hold my attention for long. This song uses the guitar tone that Jimi employed often on his Band Of Gypsys album, especially on the memorable "Machine Gun". In places Jimi uses the same kind of guitar licks he used on the song "Gypsy Eyes".
Red House - One of Jimi's most-covered compositions, with classic blues-sounding intro. Jimi's guitar captures a perfect mix of trepidation, anticipation, and resignation in one tune. Drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding seem to be going through the motions on this one, alas.
Catfish Blues - Why would Jimi want to be a catfish? To wind up in "the deep blue sea", he tells us. But topmost of my reasons to not want to be a catfish is that it dwells in muddy fresh water and eats the crud other fish reject! Mitch gets it all sounding sassy, snappy, and brisk on the skins, making his drumming this song's highlight.
Voodoo Chile Blues - This song is an example of Jimi taking parts of his rendition of "Catfish Blues" and trying to transform it into another song. It's still a long way from sounding like the song it would ultimately evolve into being, the legendary "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)". At this phase in its creation, it still more closely resembles "Catfish Blues".
Mannish Boy - Jimi here melds the lyrics of Bo Diddley's "I'm A Man" with Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy", with just a shot of The Spencer Davis Group's song "I'm A Man" for good measure. It all fits together really smoothly, with maracas adding to this track's urgent-sounding feel.
Once I Had A Woman - This is from one of the sessions with Jimi's project Band Of Gypsys with Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox on bass. This track has Jimi playing what seems to be one of the slowest paced (for him) guitar ever on a blues song. This song plods for me because of that, despite Jimi's talent, until the song catches fire about halfway through.
Bleeding Heart - It is now unknown what musical personnel Jimi put together to make this particular song recording. Jimi shows his influence from Elmore James here, emulating James' slide guitar with an amplified signal sustain (yet Hendrix doesn't employ a slide for this!).
Jelly 292 - An extended boogie romp that pretty much just repeats the same emotional vibe over and over, but with some lead guitar changes to break up the monotony. Competent playing, but this one doesn't inspire me. As with the previous track, it's now unknown who were the backing musicians.
Electric Church Red House - A version of "Red House" with an electric organ in the sound. At times, Hendrix seems to be getting ahead of the band on this song. Because of that, I find listening to this track a little disorienting, and not in a good way. Piercing feedback ends this number.
Hear My Train A-Comin' (Electric) - I think some of Jimi Hendrix's best-ever blues guitar playing occurs right here. He manges to sound both illuminating and abrasive on this track, and I find it a stimulating combination. The sound slightly burns the eardrums and seems to spiral out from down-to-earth standard blues up into an eccentric and erratic interplanetary orbit, with unexpected dramatic moments all along the way. This is my favorite track of the album.
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Cord Hurn
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Are You Experienced?
Purple Haze - I've got nostalgia for this one, especially because it's one of the first rock tunes I learned to play on the drums, studying the way Mitch Mitchell is able to drum "around the beat", the way he creatively played rhythms that weren't always the obvious choices to accompany the guitar riffs.
Manic Depression - This is one that I really like, as it bristles with vitality from what sounds like a duel between Jimi's guitar and Mitch's drums. The driving melody is hammered out with precision and enthusiasm. Manic Depression may indeed be a frustrating mess, but it's an inspired concoction.
Hey Joe - I really don't like this song. A tune with the lyrics, "I'm going down to shoot my lady, you know I caught her messin' 'round with another man" is deplorable to me. Besides, Jimi didn't even write this, for it's a cover of a Billy Roberts song. Though I admire a lot of JH's work, and this is a signature song of his, I HATE IT!
Love Or Confusion - A warm sizzling tone opens this song, another number from Hendrix's mind that marches onward with confidence and strength. This sounds like the first track on the album where Jimi is putting an actual effort in singing, rather than just shouting out the lyrics.
May This Be Love - One of the more gentle and serene efforts to emanate from Jimi's brain and hands. Mitch's typically hard thumping on the skins seems a little too heavy-handed for the mood of the song, here, and that's about the only complaint that I have for this.
I Don't Live Today- Frustration and fear are the two most prevalent emotions radiating outward from this Hendrix work, and the voice communicates genuine concern that life threatens to be 'unfulfilling-ly" short in how it all plays out. The guitar supports the vocal emotion nicely.
The Wind Cries Mary - What I've always enjoyed about this song is that the guitar itself almost seems to be singing, and the vocal lines are also delivered in a smooth and compelling style. Even if the tune's meaning is downbeat, even depressing, its execution makes it uplifting.
Fire - This is probably one of the very first Jimi Hendrix songs that I ever heard, and what really makes it work for me id the busy bass line of Noel's. The backing vocals sound too nasal and abrasive for me to really enjoy, but they don't take away from this song's solid energy.
Third Stone From The Sun - An amusingly ridiculous concept forms the central theme for this effort: an alien visits Earth by hovering and observing the planet in its spacecraft, finds great wisdom in chickens, and decides to destroy all human life on Earth to make it safe for chicken domination. Fun!
Foxey Lady- Certainly this is one of the most popular Jimi Hendrix tunes, and he sings it with what sounds like genuine enthusiasm. There's a structural similariy between this song and "Purple Haze", but I feel that this song works better because it has less chaotic noise and more driving purpose.
Are You Experienced? - The brisk windy sound of the backwards-played guitar effects add a lot to this song's mystique, but it's the warm, enticing tone of the sing-string axe's main melody line that contributes most to my listening enjoyment. One of my favorites.
The following tracks did not appear on the original release of Are You Experienced?, but when the Hendrix family launched the Experience Hendrix label in the 1990s, these songs were added to this album as bonus tracks. So, I'll go ahead and review them here.
Stone Free - Though I feel that the cowbell sound is mixed too heavily to give the song a really good balanced sound, it really feels like it is part of a compelling and infectious offbeat. The song itself is a declaration of independence that grooves.
51st Anniversary - These lyrics tell a story that, strangely enough, goes backwards in time from when a couple has satisfyingly overcome all their differences to find mutual happiness to their earlier troubled years in the relationship, to their love saga's shaky start. Interesting.
Highway Chile - I find this particular song to be relatively boring compared with most of the other tracks on this album. The tone is supposed to be sympathetic to the hobo character who gave up his mainstream life because of lost love, I guess, but I don't like this much.
Can You See Me - Another song that I consider to be relatively uninspiring listening, when I consider what Jimi Hendrix was really capable of when he put his mind to song crafting. I mean, this works okay as a straightforward rocker, but it's average for JH.
Remember - Okay, this one usually always gives me a pleasant sensation in the way Jimi, Noel, and Mitch lock together as if bound together in telepathy. The value given to a missing love being potent enough to make the bird stop singing is an enjoyable exaggeration. It's a heartfelt salute to a crumbled relationship.
Red House - I already commented on this one when reviewing the :blues album, but here I'll add that the rich tones of this song make it deservedly a standard in the repertoire of blues musicians.
Purple Haze - I've got nostalgia for this one, especially because it's one of the first rock tunes I learned to play on the drums, studying the way Mitch Mitchell is able to drum "around the beat", the way he creatively played rhythms that weren't always the obvious choices to accompany the guitar riffs.
Manic Depression - This is one that I really like, as it bristles with vitality from what sounds like a duel between Jimi's guitar and Mitch's drums. The driving melody is hammered out with precision and enthusiasm. Manic Depression may indeed be a frustrating mess, but it's an inspired concoction.
Hey Joe - I really don't like this song. A tune with the lyrics, "I'm going down to shoot my lady, you know I caught her messin' 'round with another man" is deplorable to me. Besides, Jimi didn't even write this, for it's a cover of a Billy Roberts song. Though I admire a lot of JH's work, and this is a signature song of his, I HATE IT!
Love Or Confusion - A warm sizzling tone opens this song, another number from Hendrix's mind that marches onward with confidence and strength. This sounds like the first track on the album where Jimi is putting an actual effort in singing, rather than just shouting out the lyrics.
May This Be Love - One of the more gentle and serene efforts to emanate from Jimi's brain and hands. Mitch's typically hard thumping on the skins seems a little too heavy-handed for the mood of the song, here, and that's about the only complaint that I have for this.
I Don't Live Today- Frustration and fear are the two most prevalent emotions radiating outward from this Hendrix work, and the voice communicates genuine concern that life threatens to be 'unfulfilling-ly" short in how it all plays out. The guitar supports the vocal emotion nicely.
The Wind Cries Mary - What I've always enjoyed about this song is that the guitar itself almost seems to be singing, and the vocal lines are also delivered in a smooth and compelling style. Even if the tune's meaning is downbeat, even depressing, its execution makes it uplifting.
Fire - This is probably one of the very first Jimi Hendrix songs that I ever heard, and what really makes it work for me id the busy bass line of Noel's. The backing vocals sound too nasal and abrasive for me to really enjoy, but they don't take away from this song's solid energy.
Third Stone From The Sun - An amusingly ridiculous concept forms the central theme for this effort: an alien visits Earth by hovering and observing the planet in its spacecraft, finds great wisdom in chickens, and decides to destroy all human life on Earth to make it safe for chicken domination. Fun!
Foxey Lady- Certainly this is one of the most popular Jimi Hendrix tunes, and he sings it with what sounds like genuine enthusiasm. There's a structural similariy between this song and "Purple Haze", but I feel that this song works better because it has less chaotic noise and more driving purpose.
Are You Experienced? - The brisk windy sound of the backwards-played guitar effects add a lot to this song's mystique, but it's the warm, enticing tone of the sing-string axe's main melody line that contributes most to my listening enjoyment. One of my favorites.
The following tracks did not appear on the original release of Are You Experienced?, but when the Hendrix family launched the Experience Hendrix label in the 1990s, these songs were added to this album as bonus tracks. So, I'll go ahead and review them here.
Stone Free - Though I feel that the cowbell sound is mixed too heavily to give the song a really good balanced sound, it really feels like it is part of a compelling and infectious offbeat. The song itself is a declaration of independence that grooves.
51st Anniversary - These lyrics tell a story that, strangely enough, goes backwards in time from when a couple has satisfyingly overcome all their differences to find mutual happiness to their earlier troubled years in the relationship, to their love saga's shaky start. Interesting.
Highway Chile - I find this particular song to be relatively boring compared with most of the other tracks on this album. The tone is supposed to be sympathetic to the hobo character who gave up his mainstream life because of lost love, I guess, but I don't like this much.
Can You See Me - Another song that I consider to be relatively uninspiring listening, when I consider what Jimi Hendrix was really capable of when he put his mind to song crafting. I mean, this works okay as a straightforward rocker, but it's average for JH.
Remember - Okay, this one usually always gives me a pleasant sensation in the way Jimi, Noel, and Mitch lock together as if bound together in telepathy. The value given to a missing love being potent enough to make the bird stop singing is an enjoyable exaggeration. It's a heartfelt salute to a crumbled relationship.
Red House - I already commented on this one when reviewing the :blues album, but here I'll add that the rich tones of this song make it deservedly a standard in the repertoire of blues musicians.
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JIkj fjds j
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The Stars That Play in Laughing Sam's Dice - is one of my fave Hendrix songs. I've often wondered who Laughing Sam was, until that is, I looked for the song online and read something about a tribute to the Beatles, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. So now I know!!!
The main reason for liking this number is the simple but effective way Jimi scrapes the plectrum across the strings, with a kinda click! cluck!, to mimic the sound of an opening door. And of course the payoff to the trick is one of Jimi's most explosive guitar breaks.
The main reason for liking this number is the simple but effective way Jimi scrapes the plectrum across the strings, with a kinda click! cluck!, to mimic the sound of an opening door. And of course the payoff to the trick is one of Jimi's most explosive guitar breaks.
I play guitar. Not well, but I play, and I've played for 30 some years. While I can extol the virtues of "Red House" for hours, I can't stand Hendrix. He was facile and simplistic. He was sloppy (as was most of the music of the '60s).
He was a novelty because he was black and played rock. He did do some interesting things. But dammit, he was no Jeff Beck, or Eric Clapton, or Jimmy Page, or even Eddie Van Halen or George Lynch.
He was a novelty because he was black and played rock. He did do some interesting things. But dammit, he was no Jeff Beck, or Eric Clapton, or Jimmy Page, or even Eddie Van Halen or George Lynch.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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Zarathustra
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Page was sloppy as hell. Clapton sounds like he's been playing the same five notes for 50 years. I'll grant that Hendrix was no Eddie Van Halen in terms of skill, but he was similar in reinventing what rock guitar could do, how it sounded.
These guys were all inspired by black blues players. I don't think the "novelty" of a black guitarist had any affect on them whatsoever. No one else on the planet sounded like Hendrix--not then, not now. Hendrix had a funk, a swing, a groove to him. Even if you ignore his stage antics for a second (which we really shouldn't), he sounded like he was making love with his guitar. Raw and sweet at the same time. Psychedelic, bluesy, and hard rocking ... there was nothing else like him. (If you really dig into his style, there is even some country style acoustic picking.)
Perhaps too much credit is often given to a guitarist's effects, but he pioneered guitar sound beyond anything anyone else was doing, especially in the studio. Given the limited technology of the time, he was decades ahead of everyone else. He opened up a sonic landscape that had not been previously imagined, showing generations of musicians a new way forward. I think only Eddie Van Halen tops him in this regard.
These guys were all inspired by black blues players. I don't think the "novelty" of a black guitarist had any affect on them whatsoever. No one else on the planet sounded like Hendrix--not then, not now. Hendrix had a funk, a swing, a groove to him. Even if you ignore his stage antics for a second (which we really shouldn't), he sounded like he was making love with his guitar. Raw and sweet at the same time. Psychedelic, bluesy, and hard rocking ... there was nothing else like him. (If you really dig into his style, there is even some country style acoustic picking.)
Perhaps too much credit is often given to a guitarist's effects, but he pioneered guitar sound beyond anything anyone else was doing, especially in the studio. Given the limited technology of the time, he was decades ahead of everyone else. He opened up a sonic landscape that had not been previously imagined, showing generations of musicians a new way forward. I think only Eddie Van Halen tops him in this regard.
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Cord Hurn
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First Rays Of The New Rising Sun
After Jimi Hendrix's death, some contractual obligations had to be fulfilled, and so the songs he had slated for the double-length fourth studio album First Rays Of The New Rising Sun got distributed among three posthumous releases, The Cry Of Love, Rainbow Bridge, and War Heroes. An attempt by producer Alan Douglas to realize JH's vision was released in 1994, and called Voodoo Soup. When the Hendrix family gained control of Jimi's output, they enlisted Hendrix's former engineer Eddie Kramer to construct that never-realized FROTNRS album based upon JH's notes about the songs he wanted to include. Kramer was forced to do some speculation at times as to what should be included, and he admitted that the demo "Belly Button Window" would probably had been altered a lot before being released had Jimi lived, but the result here is a true labor of love that has many fine moments.
Freedom - This is one of my favorite JH compositions and is a great choice as an album opener. Billy Cox's rumbling bass easily has my head nodding and my foot tapping. My favorite part is the rhythm guitar that sounds both subtle and sassy from 2:22 to 2:30--and Jimi intended to remove that part, ironically. This tune features a terrific drum solo break from Mitch Mitchell that is a glorious burst of energy.
Izabella - The bass and drums on this one are the most enjoyable parts of the song to my ears, and I like the line, "Soon I'll be holding you instead of this machine gun, but the song's guitar tone I find annoying, as it doesn't seem to "fit".
Night Bird Flying - The guitar seems to be singing, and I like that. But the lyrics annoy the heck out of me. "She's just a night bird flying through the night/ she's just a night bird on a midnight flight"--is it possible to be any more redundant than that?
Angel - A sparkling, emotionally warm guitar sound initiates this ballad that has become a comfortably familiar ode to a favorite muse. I've heard other artists cover this, but always without altering the original melody. This track just works for me; all there is to it.
Room Full Of Mirrors - Though the tones of the lead guitar give another example of Jimi's innovation, I don't care to listen to its irritating strangeness. The drums are too busy and repetitive to complement the other instruments, and tend to undermine the pleasure of the song. Billy Cox's bass lines are all that keep me interested on this listening.
Dolly Dagger - I like this a bit better, mainly because of the dramatic music that caps off the verses. Juma Sultan's percussion work blended with Mitch Mitchell's drumming give the song a truly spicy zest, especially at the end of the verses. The backing vocals of Arthur and Albert Allen (the "Ghetto Fighters") are an improvement over Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, complementing the music well.
Ezy Rider - My favorite thing about this number is the fade-in; I find listening to it energizing. It's Inviting, and it follows with tight playing between all participants which include drummer Buddy Miles, bassist Billy Cox and percussionist Billy Armstrong)..
Drifting - JH's best vocals re when he's not rushing it and not having to shout. The guitar tone, elegantly soothing, was reportedly achieved by running the guitar output through a Leslie organ speaker. "Drifting...on a sea of forgotten teardrops...on a lifeboat...sailing for...your love": the lyrical melody flows as gracefully as its companion music.
Beginnings - It's like you've been invited to watch Jimi and his band rehearse, and Eddie Kramer (the engineer) did stellar work on the re-mastering. And the music goes in interesting places, so I'm never bored with this. Extra points for the grand finale.
Stepping Stone - This song never has appealed to me. The singing, songwriting, production, and lyrics have always seemed substandard for a Hendrix song. The change in melody that is introduced well past its halfway mark of this song is okay, but not much of an improvement.
My Friend - I can't say I like the clinking "club atmosphere" dubbed onto this song; it is a bit amusing, but mostly annoying. Stephen Stills contributes the piano that is at the beginning, and Hendrix's old friends Ken Pine (12-string guitar) and Paul Caruso (harmonica) contribute support along with Joe Dee and the Starlighters drummer Jimmy Mayes. The lyrics tell a rambling story that is somewhat reminiscent of Bob Dylan's style, with the conclusion that you can't rely too much on others.
Straight Ahead - Apparently a lot of work was put into making this one, with 25+ rehearsal takes pus 18 recorded takes. I like this song alright, particularly with the words admonishing taking care of the younger generation's needs so that they can run things well, but I find myself wishing the lead guitar was a bit quieter in the mix.
Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) - The song has a somewhat raw feel to it, which is reflected particularly in Jimi's lead vocals, but musically the team of Hendrix, Cox, Mitchell, and Sultan is tightly locked together for this recording. The song had been repeatedly road-tested, and it shows. I don't love it, but I kind of like it.
Earth Blues - The backing vocals have more than the usual number of contributors, as they are performed by JH, Buddy Miles, Billy Cox, and the Ronettes. And yet with all that effort, they annoy me and diminish my pleasure in this song. However, I feel the ending provides a great finishing touch.
Astro Man - It's been reported that Jimi Hendrix loved cartoon and comic book characters, and that love is in evidence on this track. It starts out with the Mighty Mouse line, "Here I come to save the day!" and goes on to muse on what qualities the invented character "Astro Man" possesses. Impressive synchronicity from Cox and Mitchell is on display throughout this tune.
In From The Storm - Billy Cox's bass is what I like best about this song; it's such a solid anchor for everything else that's happening musically. The words about how it was "so cold and lonely, and the wind and the rain was tearing me up" are delivered with conviction. Jimi's guitar flutters, warbles, and buzzes with beautiful power.
Belly Button Window - "I'm gonna sit up in your bed, Mama, and just grin right in your face/ and then I'm gonna eat up all your chocolates, and say, 'I hope I'm not too late.'" So says the unborn soul to its potential mother (Mitch Mitchell's wife Lynn) as it looks out into the world through the maternal navel to determine if it is going to be a wanted arrival and if the world in general will be ready for it. This isn't deep philosophy, just playful humor. And it's rather cute.
After Jimi Hendrix's death, some contractual obligations had to be fulfilled, and so the songs he had slated for the double-length fourth studio album First Rays Of The New Rising Sun got distributed among three posthumous releases, The Cry Of Love, Rainbow Bridge, and War Heroes. An attempt by producer Alan Douglas to realize JH's vision was released in 1994, and called Voodoo Soup. When the Hendrix family gained control of Jimi's output, they enlisted Hendrix's former engineer Eddie Kramer to construct that never-realized FROTNRS album based upon JH's notes about the songs he wanted to include. Kramer was forced to do some speculation at times as to what should be included, and he admitted that the demo "Belly Button Window" would probably had been altered a lot before being released had Jimi lived, but the result here is a true labor of love that has many fine moments.
Freedom - This is one of my favorite JH compositions and is a great choice as an album opener. Billy Cox's rumbling bass easily has my head nodding and my foot tapping. My favorite part is the rhythm guitar that sounds both subtle and sassy from 2:22 to 2:30--and Jimi intended to remove that part, ironically. This tune features a terrific drum solo break from Mitch Mitchell that is a glorious burst of energy.
Izabella - The bass and drums on this one are the most enjoyable parts of the song to my ears, and I like the line, "Soon I'll be holding you instead of this machine gun, but the song's guitar tone I find annoying, as it doesn't seem to "fit".
Night Bird Flying - The guitar seems to be singing, and I like that. But the lyrics annoy the heck out of me. "She's just a night bird flying through the night/ she's just a night bird on a midnight flight"--is it possible to be any more redundant than that?
Angel - A sparkling, emotionally warm guitar sound initiates this ballad that has become a comfortably familiar ode to a favorite muse. I've heard other artists cover this, but always without altering the original melody. This track just works for me; all there is to it.
Room Full Of Mirrors - Though the tones of the lead guitar give another example of Jimi's innovation, I don't care to listen to its irritating strangeness. The drums are too busy and repetitive to complement the other instruments, and tend to undermine the pleasure of the song. Billy Cox's bass lines are all that keep me interested on this listening.
Dolly Dagger - I like this a bit better, mainly because of the dramatic music that caps off the verses. Juma Sultan's percussion work blended with Mitch Mitchell's drumming give the song a truly spicy zest, especially at the end of the verses. The backing vocals of Arthur and Albert Allen (the "Ghetto Fighters") are an improvement over Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell, complementing the music well.
Ezy Rider - My favorite thing about this number is the fade-in; I find listening to it energizing. It's Inviting, and it follows with tight playing between all participants which include drummer Buddy Miles, bassist Billy Cox and percussionist Billy Armstrong)..
Drifting - JH's best vocals re when he's not rushing it and not having to shout. The guitar tone, elegantly soothing, was reportedly achieved by running the guitar output through a Leslie organ speaker. "Drifting...on a sea of forgotten teardrops...on a lifeboat...sailing for...your love": the lyrical melody flows as gracefully as its companion music.
Beginnings - It's like you've been invited to watch Jimi and his band rehearse, and Eddie Kramer (the engineer) did stellar work on the re-mastering. And the music goes in interesting places, so I'm never bored with this. Extra points for the grand finale.
Stepping Stone - This song never has appealed to me. The singing, songwriting, production, and lyrics have always seemed substandard for a Hendrix song. The change in melody that is introduced well past its halfway mark of this song is okay, but not much of an improvement.
My Friend - I can't say I like the clinking "club atmosphere" dubbed onto this song; it is a bit amusing, but mostly annoying. Stephen Stills contributes the piano that is at the beginning, and Hendrix's old friends Ken Pine (12-string guitar) and Paul Caruso (harmonica) contribute support along with Joe Dee and the Starlighters drummer Jimmy Mayes. The lyrics tell a rambling story that is somewhat reminiscent of Bob Dylan's style, with the conclusion that you can't rely too much on others.
Straight Ahead - Apparently a lot of work was put into making this one, with 25+ rehearsal takes pus 18 recorded takes. I like this song alright, particularly with the words admonishing taking care of the younger generation's needs so that they can run things well, but I find myself wishing the lead guitar was a bit quieter in the mix.
Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) - The song has a somewhat raw feel to it, which is reflected particularly in Jimi's lead vocals, but musically the team of Hendrix, Cox, Mitchell, and Sultan is tightly locked together for this recording. The song had been repeatedly road-tested, and it shows. I don't love it, but I kind of like it.
Earth Blues - The backing vocals have more than the usual number of contributors, as they are performed by JH, Buddy Miles, Billy Cox, and the Ronettes. And yet with all that effort, they annoy me and diminish my pleasure in this song. However, I feel the ending provides a great finishing touch.
Astro Man - It's been reported that Jimi Hendrix loved cartoon and comic book characters, and that love is in evidence on this track. It starts out with the Mighty Mouse line, "Here I come to save the day!" and goes on to muse on what qualities the invented character "Astro Man" possesses. Impressive synchronicity from Cox and Mitchell is on display throughout this tune.
In From The Storm - Billy Cox's bass is what I like best about this song; it's such a solid anchor for everything else that's happening musically. The words about how it was "so cold and lonely, and the wind and the rain was tearing me up" are delivered with conviction. Jimi's guitar flutters, warbles, and buzzes with beautiful power.
Belly Button Window - "I'm gonna sit up in your bed, Mama, and just grin right in your face/ and then I'm gonna eat up all your chocolates, and say, 'I hope I'm not too late.'" So says the unborn soul to its potential mother (Mitch Mitchell's wife Lynn) as it looks out into the world through the maternal navel to determine if it is going to be a wanted arrival and if the world in general will be ready for it. This isn't deep philosophy, just playful humor. And it's rather cute.
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Cord Hurn
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Yes, there are a number of entertaining moments in that song, Rune. I also like the lyrics about how "there will be no throwing cigarette butts out the window" of the spaceship they're all traveling in, and the words "get away from that door...I said, 'GET AWAY FROM THAT DOOR!'...Oh well, that's the way it goes!"Rune wrote:The Stars That Play in Laughing Sam's Dice - is one of my fave Hendrix songs. I've often wondered who Laughing Sam was, until that is, I looked for the song online and read something about a tribute to the Beatles, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. So now I know!!!
The main reason for liking this number is the simple but effective way Jimi scrapes the plectrum across the strings, with a kinda click! cluck!, to mimic the sound of an opening door. And of course the payoff to the trick is one of Jimi's most explosive guitar breaks.
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Cord Hurn
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Couldn't have said it better myself, so I won't even try!Zarathustra wrote:Page was sloppy as hell. Clapton sounds like he's been playing the same five notes for 50 years. I'll grant that Hendrix was no Eddie Van Halen in terms of skill, but he was similar in reinventing what rock guitar could do, how it sounded.
These guys were all inspired by black blues players. I don't think the "novelty" of a black guitarist had any affect on them whatsoever. No one else on the planet sounded like Hendrix--not then, not now. Hendrix had a funk, a swing, a groove to him. Even if you ignore his stage antics for a second (which we really shouldn't), he sounded like he was making love with his guitar. Raw and sweet at the same time. Psychedelic, bluesy, and hard rocking ... there was nothing else like him. (If you really dig into his style, there is even some country style acoustic picking.)
Perhaps too much credit is often given to a guitarist's effects, but he pioneered guitar sound beyond anything anyone else was doing, especially in the studio. Given the limited technology of the time, he was decades ahead of everyone else. He opened up a sonic landscape that had not been previously imagined, showing generations of musicians a new way forward. I think only Eddie Van Halen tops him in this regard.
Except to say that I admire Page's skills as a songwriter and producer, but not so much as a live musician. As for Clapton, other than "The Core", "Badge" and "Let It Rain", he's always bored me. 
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Cord Hurn
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FREEDOM
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
You got my pride
Hanging out of my bed
You're messin' with my life
So I brought my lead
You even mess with my children
And you're screamin' at my wife, baby
Get off my back,
If you want to get outta here alive
Freedom,
That's what I want now
Freedom, that's what I need now
Freedom to live
Freedom, so I can give
You got my heart
Speak electric water
You got my soul
Screamin' and howlin'
You know you hook my girlfriend
You know the drugstore man
When I don't need it now
I was trying to slap it out of her head
Freedom, so I can live
Freedom, so I can give
Freedom, yeah
Freedom, that's what I need
You don't have to say that you love
If you don't mean it
You'd better believe
If you need me
Or you just want to bleed me
You'd better stick in your dagger in someone else
So I can leave
Set me free
(Yeah)
Right on, straight ahead
Stay up and straight ahead
Freedom, so I could live
Freedom, 'cause I've got lotta to give, baby
Freedom, so I can live, freedom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDvlErh ... OqFlyMN4NY
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
You got my pride
Hanging out of my bed
You're messin' with my life
So I brought my lead
You even mess with my children
And you're screamin' at my wife, baby
Get off my back,
If you want to get outta here alive
Freedom,
That's what I want now
Freedom, that's what I need now
Freedom to live
Freedom, so I can give
You got my heart
Speak electric water
You got my soul
Screamin' and howlin'
You know you hook my girlfriend
You know the drugstore man
When I don't need it now
I was trying to slap it out of her head
Freedom, so I can live
Freedom, so I can give
Freedom, yeah
Freedom, that's what I need
You don't have to say that you love
If you don't mean it
You'd better believe
If you need me
Or you just want to bleed me
You'd better stick in your dagger in someone else
So I can leave
Set me free
(Yeah)
Right on, straight ahead
Stay up and straight ahead
Freedom, so I could live
Freedom, 'cause I've got lotta to give, baby
Freedom, so I can live, freedom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDvlErh ... OqFlyMN4NY
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Cord Hurn
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Axis: Bold As Love
EXP - The track opens with the intro to "Stone Free", very quietly, then has drummer Mitch Mitchell as a program host asking Jimi Hendrix (playing alien expert "Paul Caruso--the real name of one of JH's friends) about extraterrestrials. Then follows a lot of feedback noise, which I guess represents Jimi's character flying off in a spaceship or else doing something else weird. When I put on this album, I often skip this.
Up From The Skies - After the abrasive chaos that ends this album's opening number, we have this rather low-key song that tends to flow and ripple along without really going anywhere emotionally, musically speaking. It's just a filler, really.
Spanish Castle Magic - Energetic music grabs my attention right away, but after that it all starts to grate on me fairly quickly, except for the some of the sizzling lead guitar fills. The only truly cool thing for me is the enticing title.
Wait Until Tomorrow - I love the way the guitar melody tickles and tingles my eardrums, and I also enjoy the somewhat amusing tale of an elopement attempt gone decidedly wrong. The only fly in the ointment is that the falsetto voices don't blend well with Jimi's vocals.
Ain't No Telling - A separation song that hasn't really much else to say other than that there's some hope that the separation won't be very long. The melody doesn't really move me on this listening.
Little Wing - Though I feel Mitch's playing of chimes is a bit overdone and overmixed (too loud in the mix, in other words), it is not enough to tarnish this sparkling gem of a song. It's an ode to a dreamer, and it's all over too soon, leaving me languishing to hear more of it.
If 6 Was 9 - If there's any song of JH's that could be designated as his defining anthem, this would be it. "They're hoping my kind will drop and die, but I'm gonna wave my freak flag high, high." There seems to be a prescience here that he won't be living very much longer.
You Got Me Floatin' - A tribute to being in love. "There's only one thing I need to really get me there, is to hear you laugh without a care." Again, I think Mitch and bassist Noel Redding doing the backing vocals doesn't work well, because they don't have much harmony.
Castles Made Of Sand - Ah, the guitar line is somber and sweet, and it can gently float me along, punctuated by bubbling bumps from the rhythm section. It's a difficult song to get out of my head, and even the depressing lyrics about dreams destroyed can't ruin it for me.
She's So Fine - Noel takes over the duties of lead vocalist and lead guitarist, with Jimi carrying the bass lines. This makes for some interesting variety on the album, and Noel does manage to show his competency with his playing, though his vocals sound too nasal.
One Rainy Wish - Nice build-up on this song, and Jimi's singing here is the best performance he turns in on this album. The abrupt musical turn that occurs on "I have never laid eyes on you..." injects more vitality into this composition. It's like a pleasing painting rendered into sound.
Little Miss Lover - The song comes on like a brisk stimulating slap of crisp air, and it has a groove which owes much of its likeability to Noel's catchy bass playing and Mitch's hi-hat flourishes. It feels like there's just the right amount of punch and sass, of silence and boom, to swaddle the listener in gavotte of funky satisfaction.
Bold As Love - As best as I can tell, this is a song about mood swings that threaten to overwhelm, and about how every mood has its own appreciable character. But what I really remember about this song is the fiery instrumental outro, which sounds so good that I'm tempted to call it epic. Credit goes to engineer Eddie Kramer for his interpretation of JH's wish to have his guitar "sound like he was playing it underwater", because it gives the closing jam session a certain piquant effervescence that makes "Bold As Love" one of Hendrix's most enjoyable compositions. All In all, this is an inspiring closer for the album, making it tempting for me to play the whole thing again, despite whatever gripes I may have about some of the songs.
EXP - The track opens with the intro to "Stone Free", very quietly, then has drummer Mitch Mitchell as a program host asking Jimi Hendrix (playing alien expert "Paul Caruso--the real name of one of JH's friends) about extraterrestrials. Then follows a lot of feedback noise, which I guess represents Jimi's character flying off in a spaceship or else doing something else weird. When I put on this album, I often skip this.
Up From The Skies - After the abrasive chaos that ends this album's opening number, we have this rather low-key song that tends to flow and ripple along without really going anywhere emotionally, musically speaking. It's just a filler, really.
Spanish Castle Magic - Energetic music grabs my attention right away, but after that it all starts to grate on me fairly quickly, except for the some of the sizzling lead guitar fills. The only truly cool thing for me is the enticing title.
Wait Until Tomorrow - I love the way the guitar melody tickles and tingles my eardrums, and I also enjoy the somewhat amusing tale of an elopement attempt gone decidedly wrong. The only fly in the ointment is that the falsetto voices don't blend well with Jimi's vocals.
Ain't No Telling - A separation song that hasn't really much else to say other than that there's some hope that the separation won't be very long. The melody doesn't really move me on this listening.
Little Wing - Though I feel Mitch's playing of chimes is a bit overdone and overmixed (too loud in the mix, in other words), it is not enough to tarnish this sparkling gem of a song. It's an ode to a dreamer, and it's all over too soon, leaving me languishing to hear more of it.
If 6 Was 9 - If there's any song of JH's that could be designated as his defining anthem, this would be it. "They're hoping my kind will drop and die, but I'm gonna wave my freak flag high, high." There seems to be a prescience here that he won't be living very much longer.
You Got Me Floatin' - A tribute to being in love. "There's only one thing I need to really get me there, is to hear you laugh without a care." Again, I think Mitch and bassist Noel Redding doing the backing vocals doesn't work well, because they don't have much harmony.
Castles Made Of Sand - Ah, the guitar line is somber and sweet, and it can gently float me along, punctuated by bubbling bumps from the rhythm section. It's a difficult song to get out of my head, and even the depressing lyrics about dreams destroyed can't ruin it for me.
She's So Fine - Noel takes over the duties of lead vocalist and lead guitarist, with Jimi carrying the bass lines. This makes for some interesting variety on the album, and Noel does manage to show his competency with his playing, though his vocals sound too nasal.
One Rainy Wish - Nice build-up on this song, and Jimi's singing here is the best performance he turns in on this album. The abrupt musical turn that occurs on "I have never laid eyes on you..." injects more vitality into this composition. It's like a pleasing painting rendered into sound.
Little Miss Lover - The song comes on like a brisk stimulating slap of crisp air, and it has a groove which owes much of its likeability to Noel's catchy bass playing and Mitch's hi-hat flourishes. It feels like there's just the right amount of punch and sass, of silence and boom, to swaddle the listener in gavotte of funky satisfaction.
Bold As Love - As best as I can tell, this is a song about mood swings that threaten to overwhelm, and about how every mood has its own appreciable character. But what I really remember about this song is the fiery instrumental outro, which sounds so good that I'm tempted to call it epic. Credit goes to engineer Eddie Kramer for his interpretation of JH's wish to have his guitar "sound like he was playing it underwater", because it gives the closing jam session a certain piquant effervescence that makes "Bold As Love" one of Hendrix's most enjoyable compositions. All In all, this is an inspiring closer for the album, making it tempting for me to play the whole thing again, despite whatever gripes I may have about some of the songs.
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Cord Hurn
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LITTLE WING
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Well she's walking through the clouds
With a circus mind
That's running wild
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And fairly tales
That's all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind
When I'm sad she comes to me
With a thousand smiles
She gives to me free
It's alright, she says
It's alright
Take anything you want from me
Anything
Fly on, little wing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENXDNjROZSM
[Little Wing - Behind The Scenes]
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Well she's walking through the clouds
With a circus mind
That's running wild
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
And fairly tales
That's all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind
When I'm sad she comes to me
With a thousand smiles
She gives to me free
It's alright, she says
It's alright
Take anything you want from me
Anything
Fly on, little wing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENXDNjROZSM
[Little Wing - Behind The Scenes]
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Cord Hurn
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SPANISH CASTLE MAGIC
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
It's very far away,
It takes about half a day,
To get there, if we travel by my a.....dragonfly
No, it's not in Spain,
But all the same,
You know,
It's a groovy name
And the wind's just right.
Hang on, My Darling,
Hang on if you want to go
You know it's a really groovy place
And it's just a little bit of Spanish Castle Magic.
The clouds are really low,
And they overflow,
With cotton candy
And battle grounds,
Red and brown.
But it's all in your mind,
Don't think your time,
On bad things,
Just float your little mind around.
Look out
Hang on, My Darling, Yeah
Hang on if you want to go
It puts everything else on the shelf
With just a little bit of Spanish Castle Magic
Just a little bit of daydream here and there.
Hang on, My Darling, Yeah
Hang on if you want to go
It puts everything else on the shelf
With just a little bit of Spanish Castle Magic
Just a little bit of daydream here and there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E1qCAPJJPE
[Jimi Hendrix Experience Live in Sweden 1969: Spanish Castle Magic]
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
It's very far away,
It takes about half a day,
To get there, if we travel by my a.....dragonfly
No, it's not in Spain,
But all the same,
You know,
It's a groovy name
And the wind's just right.
Hang on, My Darling,
Hang on if you want to go
You know it's a really groovy place
And it's just a little bit of Spanish Castle Magic.
The clouds are really low,
And they overflow,
With cotton candy
And battle grounds,
Red and brown.
But it's all in your mind,
Don't think your time,
On bad things,
Just float your little mind around.
Look out
Hang on, My Darling, Yeah
Hang on if you want to go
It puts everything else on the shelf
With just a little bit of Spanish Castle Magic
Just a little bit of daydream here and there.
Hang on, My Darling, Yeah
Hang on if you want to go
It puts everything else on the shelf
With just a little bit of Spanish Castle Magic
Just a little bit of daydream here and there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E1qCAPJJPE
[Jimi Hendrix Experience Live in Sweden 1969: Spanish Castle Magic]
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Cord Hurn
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LITTLE MISS LOVER
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Little Miss Lover, where have you been in this world for so long?
Well, I love a lover that feels like you, would you like to tag along?
Well, I really don't need any help little girl,
But I think you could help me out anyway
Would you believe, baby, I've been looking for a Sun
That feels like you for some time
Excuse me while I see if the gypsy in me is right
If you don't mind
Well, she signals me O.K.
So I think it's safe to say,
I'm gonna make a play, ohhh yeah!
Hey, hey, little Miss Lover,
There's so much you and me can discover
And I think we should start, start right now
Hey little Miss Lover!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBbw7aIK-7E
[BBC Sessions]
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Little Miss Lover, where have you been in this world for so long?
Well, I love a lover that feels like you, would you like to tag along?
Well, I really don't need any help little girl,
But I think you could help me out anyway
Would you believe, baby, I've been looking for a Sun
That feels like you for some time
Excuse me while I see if the gypsy in me is right
If you don't mind
Well, she signals me O.K.
So I think it's safe to say,
I'm gonna make a play, ohhh yeah!
Hey, hey, little Miss Lover,
There's so much you and me can discover
And I think we should start, start right now
Hey little Miss Lover!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBbw7aIK-7E
[BBC Sessions]
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Cord Hurn
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Band Of Gypsys
Who Knows - It's Jimi Hendrix's song, but drummer Buddy Miles is letting loose as lead vocalist, sounding both carefree and emotionally charged at the same time, somehow. I like Buddy's voice. Billy Cox, Jimi's old Army buddy, is keeping a toe-tapping bass line sparking the entire process. Jim prefers to stay in wah-wah pedal mode for the song's bridge, while Buddy sporadically does energetic rolls. I think I like this.
Machine Gun - A wavering yet plaintive melody on guitar begins this, then the string-scratching heralds the start of a musical odyssey. The wailing Jimi does with his guitar here is some of the fiercest and most fluent playing he ever got recorded. It gets like a screaming siren at times in this song, that guitar, and the power trio of Jimi, Buddy, and Billy create an atmosphere of suspense that makes this song so memorable. This is justifiably one of Jimi's signature pieces, and one of the songs that most often flash in my mind when I think of Hendrix music, particularly the beginning of this song.
Changes - The intro is a wind-up into the first of the two Buddy-penned tunes on this album, the other one being, "We Gotta Live Together". What's advantageous for this song is Billy's frisky bass lines keeping it all lively-sounding. Miles' voice is smoother than JH's. The get-all-quiet-then-get-loud-again part sounds out of place here in a way it would not have on "Machine Gun".
Power To Love - "With the power of soul, anything is possible." I've been fond of this song ever since I say Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble perform it live back in 1986. The piece is rousing, dramatic, perhaps even almost anthem-like. Very bluesy, with Hendrix's trademark howling on the axe, and all involved moving skillfully through changes that could have been stumbling blocks for less-talented players. It's hard to believe that this album is part of the only live performace by Band Of Gyspsys, because they sound like they've been playing together for years.
Message Of Love - The interplay between lead vocals, lead guitar, background vocals, bass, and drums is especially sweet for my eardrums in this song, which I declare to be my favorite track from this live album. Hendrix gets loud and fast, even searing at times, but never loses his flair for hummable melody in the process.
We Gotta Live Together - This is similar to the other Buddy Miles tune, "Changes", in having a moment in the song when everything gets quiet and then starts ascending in volume again. It seems rather off, not quite comprehensible to me--why did Buddy think this was a good idea? Perhaps he envisioned this as a way to get the audience to listen more carefully--when the performers quiet down, usually an audience does, too. I feel this is a somewhat weak ending to the album, but it's a solid album all the same. One of my favorite live rock albums, in fact. I realized I wanted to review this album along with the JH studio albums I own, because it sounds so well-recorded, well-played, and it has a track list unlike the track lists of the other JH albums I have. So it seemed worth reviewing, considering all that.
Who Knows - It's Jimi Hendrix's song, but drummer Buddy Miles is letting loose as lead vocalist, sounding both carefree and emotionally charged at the same time, somehow. I like Buddy's voice. Billy Cox, Jimi's old Army buddy, is keeping a toe-tapping bass line sparking the entire process. Jim prefers to stay in wah-wah pedal mode for the song's bridge, while Buddy sporadically does energetic rolls. I think I like this.
Machine Gun - A wavering yet plaintive melody on guitar begins this, then the string-scratching heralds the start of a musical odyssey. The wailing Jimi does with his guitar here is some of the fiercest and most fluent playing he ever got recorded. It gets like a screaming siren at times in this song, that guitar, and the power trio of Jimi, Buddy, and Billy create an atmosphere of suspense that makes this song so memorable. This is justifiably one of Jimi's signature pieces, and one of the songs that most often flash in my mind when I think of Hendrix music, particularly the beginning of this song.
Changes - The intro is a wind-up into the first of the two Buddy-penned tunes on this album, the other one being, "We Gotta Live Together". What's advantageous for this song is Billy's frisky bass lines keeping it all lively-sounding. Miles' voice is smoother than JH's. The get-all-quiet-then-get-loud-again part sounds out of place here in a way it would not have on "Machine Gun".
Power To Love - "With the power of soul, anything is possible." I've been fond of this song ever since I say Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble perform it live back in 1986. The piece is rousing, dramatic, perhaps even almost anthem-like. Very bluesy, with Hendrix's trademark howling on the axe, and all involved moving skillfully through changes that could have been stumbling blocks for less-talented players. It's hard to believe that this album is part of the only live performace by Band Of Gyspsys, because they sound like they've been playing together for years.
Message Of Love - The interplay between lead vocals, lead guitar, background vocals, bass, and drums is especially sweet for my eardrums in this song, which I declare to be my favorite track from this live album. Hendrix gets loud and fast, even searing at times, but never loses his flair for hummable melody in the process.
We Gotta Live Together - This is similar to the other Buddy Miles tune, "Changes", in having a moment in the song when everything gets quiet and then starts ascending in volume again. It seems rather off, not quite comprehensible to me--why did Buddy think this was a good idea? Perhaps he envisioned this as a way to get the audience to listen more carefully--when the performers quiet down, usually an audience does, too. I feel this is a somewhat weak ending to the album, but it's a solid album all the same. One of my favorite live rock albums, in fact. I realized I wanted to review this album along with the JH studio albums I own, because it sounds so well-recorded, well-played, and it has a track list unlike the track lists of the other JH albums I have. So it seemed worth reviewing, considering all that.
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Cord Hurn
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MACHINE GUN
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Happy New Year, first of all
I hope we have about a million, or two million more of them
If we can get over this summer; hehehe
I'd like to dedicate this one to, uh
The draggy scene that's going on
All the soldiers that are fighting in Chicago and Milwaukee and New York
Oh yes, and all the soldiers fighting in Vietnam
I'd like to do a thing called "Machine Gun"
Machine gun
Tearing my body all apart
Machine gun
Tearing my body all apart
Evil man make me kill you
Evil man make you kill me
Evil man make me kill you
Even though we're only families apart
Well I pick up my axe and fight like a farmer
You know what I mean?
Hey, and your bullets keep knocking me down
Hey, I pick up my axe and fight like a farmer now
Yeah, but you still blast me down, to the ground
The same way you shoot me down, baby
You'll be going just the same
Three times the pain
And your own self to blame
Hey, machine gun
I ain't afraid of your mess no more, babe
I ain't afraid no more
After awhile your, your cheap talk won't even cause me pain
So let your bullets fly like rain
Because I know all the time you're wrong baby
And you'll be going just the same
Yeah, machine gun
Tearing my family apart
Yeah, yeah, alright
Tearing my family apart
Don't you shoot him down
He's about to leave here
Don't you shoot him down
He's got to stay here
He ain't going nowhere
He's been shot down to the ground
Oh where he can't survive no, no
Yeah, that's what we don't want to hear anymore, alright
(No bullets)
At least here, huh huh
(No guns, no bombs)
Huh huh
No nothing, just let's all live and live
You know instead of killing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJw_XqvsSIs
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Happy New Year, first of all
I hope we have about a million, or two million more of them
If we can get over this summer; hehehe
I'd like to dedicate this one to, uh
The draggy scene that's going on
All the soldiers that are fighting in Chicago and Milwaukee and New York
Oh yes, and all the soldiers fighting in Vietnam
I'd like to do a thing called "Machine Gun"
Machine gun
Tearing my body all apart
Machine gun
Tearing my body all apart
Evil man make me kill you
Evil man make you kill me
Evil man make me kill you
Even though we're only families apart
Well I pick up my axe and fight like a farmer
You know what I mean?
Hey, and your bullets keep knocking me down
Hey, I pick up my axe and fight like a farmer now
Yeah, but you still blast me down, to the ground
The same way you shoot me down, baby
You'll be going just the same
Three times the pain
And your own self to blame
Hey, machine gun
I ain't afraid of your mess no more, babe
I ain't afraid no more
After awhile your, your cheap talk won't even cause me pain
So let your bullets fly like rain
Because I know all the time you're wrong baby
And you'll be going just the same
Yeah, machine gun
Tearing my family apart
Yeah, yeah, alright
Tearing my family apart
Don't you shoot him down
He's about to leave here
Don't you shoot him down
He's got to stay here
He ain't going nowhere
He's been shot down to the ground
Oh where he can't survive no, no
Yeah, that's what we don't want to hear anymore, alright
(No bullets)
At least here, huh huh
(No guns, no bombs)
Huh huh
No nothing, just let's all live and live
You know instead of killing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJw_XqvsSIs
-
Cord Hurn
- Servant of the Band
- Posts: 7650
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:08 pm
- Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Has thanked: 6 times
- Been thanked: 4 times
MESSAGE OF LOVE
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Yeah, ooo
Well I travel at the speed of a reborn man
I got a lot of love to give
From the mirrors of my hand
I sent a message of love
Don't you run away
Look at your heart baby
Come on along with me today
Well I am what I am thank God
Some people just don't understand
Well help them God
Find yourself first
And then your tool
Find yourself first
Don't you be no fool
Here comes a woman
Wrapped up in chains
Messin' with that fool baby
Your life is pain
If you wanna be free
Come on along with me
Don't mess with the man
He'll never understand
I said find yourself first
And then your talent
Work hard in your mind
So you can come alive
You beter prove to the man
You're as strong as him
Cause in the eyes of God
You're both children to Him
Da da doo doo
Everybody come alive
Everybody live alive
Everybody love alive
Everybody hear my message
Hey, ooooo
Hey, ooooo
Hey, ooooo
Hey, ooooo
Hey, ooooo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xTpQem36uA
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Yeah, ooo
Well I travel at the speed of a reborn man
I got a lot of love to give
From the mirrors of my hand
I sent a message of love
Don't you run away
Look at your heart baby
Come on along with me today
Well I am what I am thank God
Some people just don't understand
Well help them God
Find yourself first
And then your tool
Find yourself first
Don't you be no fool
Here comes a woman
Wrapped up in chains
Messin' with that fool baby
Your life is pain
If you wanna be free
Come on along with me
Don't mess with the man
He'll never understand
I said find yourself first
And then your talent
Work hard in your mind
So you can come alive
You beter prove to the man
You're as strong as him
Cause in the eyes of God
You're both children to Him
Da da doo doo
Everybody come alive
Everybody live alive
Everybody love alive
Everybody hear my message
Hey, ooooo
Hey, ooooo
Hey, ooooo
Hey, ooooo
Hey, ooooo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xTpQem36uA
-
Cord Hurn
- Servant of the Band
- Posts: 7650
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:08 pm
- Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Has thanked: 6 times
- Been thanked: 4 times
POWER TO LOVE
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Shoot down some of those airplanes you're flyin'
Especially the ones that are flyin' too low
Shoot down some of those airplanes
Especially the ones that your flyin' too low
Come on back to earth my friend
Come on back up with me
We've all been up through the night time baby
Now let's read the rays of the day
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
Flyin' too much today
It's so groovy to float around sometimes
Even a jelly fish will tell you that
I said flotation is groovy
And he said
And a jelly fish will agree to that
Yeah, but that old jelly fish
Been floatin' around so long
Lord he ain't got a bone in his jelly back
Floatin' every day and every night
Ridin' high is a risk
Sometimes the wind ain't right
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of you
Anything you want to do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ3EWmdEki8
(Written by Jimi Hendrix)
Shoot down some of those airplanes you're flyin'
Especially the ones that are flyin' too low
Shoot down some of those airplanes
Especially the ones that your flyin' too low
Come on back to earth my friend
Come on back up with me
We've all been up through the night time baby
Now let's read the rays of the day
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
Flyin' too much today
It's so groovy to float around sometimes
Even a jelly fish will tell you that
I said flotation is groovy
And he said
And a jelly fish will agree to that
Yeah, but that old jelly fish
Been floatin' around so long
Lord he ain't got a bone in his jelly back
Floatin' every day and every night
Ridin' high is a risk
Sometimes the wind ain't right
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of soul
Anything is possible
With the power of you
Anything you want to do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ3EWmdEki8