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Rating: Those who truly love Hendrix and understand his music cannot ignore the established fact that among the most genuine testimonies of his genius are his live performances. In the rather complicated Hendrix discography, I assume that (I haven’t done an exact count...) a large part of it is composed of official compilations and concert bootlegs for over 70%.
Pure madness would be not to draw from this invaluable treasure, given also the decent recording quality of most of them.
Taking the aforementioned information as coordinates for listening orientation, one of the most valid and beautiful examples is a milestone of the Hendrix genesis: the farewell concert of the historic Experience on February 24, 1969, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
The performance was decided to celebrate the definitive dissolution of the original three-piece formation of the Experience Hendrix, which was formed in 1967 by the then discoverer and manager of the Seattle guitarist, the bassist of the Animals, Chas Chandler. Accompanying Hendrix were Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums.
The set arranged for the occasion could not fail to include all the band's classics and the “usual” (so to speak, eh...) covers of classic blues dear to Hendrix.
Upon first listening, not necessarily attentive, one immediately perceives that the entire trio is in brilliant form, highly inspired, and furious. Probably the now-digested idea of being able to free themselves from a situation that for many reasons had become unsustainable within the band had benefited all three of them, allowing them to express themselves at their best, with a clear mind and without stress.
Considering the entire concert setlist, not present on this album and contained in other compilations, Hendrix now appears as a super-blues guitarist, the absolute and inimitable master of the electric guitar, and everything that makes it work.
He masterfully handles the feedback from his legendary Marshalls with shocking ease, using it irresistibly and magnificently as an ornament and variation to his style, skillfully combining it with the new octavia pedal he has recently had built, achieving goosebump-inducing tones and bursts. The way he torments the strings with the tremolo, continuously elongating and shortening them, the frenzy of continuously moving the distortion lever up and down on the Strat, and the way he plucks or strikes the strings, essentially his entire technique is at its peak.
If that weren’t enough, Jimi on this precise occasion is incredibly inspired: in no track, without exception, does he fail to improvise in an unbelievable manner, creating magnificent and incredible developments and reprises in the tracks. Those of you who know how difficult it is to improvise on any musical instrument can easily understand the value of the Hendrixian art.
Among the must-hear tracks are a spine-tingling version of “Fire,” with a swirling Redding on bass, a “Red House” varied into “Born Under A Bad Sign” by mentor Albert King, and a “Stone Free” with an improvised Spanish-style arpeggio break.
One of the most beautiful concerts by Hendrix and his English companions.
Tracklist and Lyrics
05 Voodoo Chile (07:16)
Well, I'm a voodoo chile
Lord I'm a voodoo chile
Well, the night I was born
Lord I swear the moon turned a fire red
The night I was born
I swear the moon turned a fire red
Well my poor mother cried out "lord, the gypsy was right!"
And I seen her fell down right dead
(Have mercy)
Well, mountain lions found me there waitin'
And set me on a eagles back
Well, mountain lions found me there,
And set me on a eagles wing
(It's the eagles wing, baby, what did I say)
He took me past to the outskirts of infinity,
And when he brought me back,
He gave me a Venus witch's ring
Hey!
And he said "Fly on, fly on"
Because I'm a voodoo chile, baby, voodoo chile
Hey!
Well, I make love to you,
And lord knows you'll feel no pain
Say, I make love to you in your sleep,
And lord knows you felt no pain
(Have mercy)
'Cause I'm a million miles away
And at the same time I'm right here in your picture frame
(Yeah! What did I say now)
'Cause I'm a voodoo chile
Lord knows I'm a voodoo chile Yeah!
(Yeah, but I say now yeah)
Well my arrows are made of desire
From far away as Jupiter's sulphur mines
Say my arrows are made of desire, desire
From far away as Jupiter's sulphur mines
(Way down by the Methabe Sea, yeah)
I have a humming bird and it hums so loud,
You think you were losing your mind, hmmm...
Well I float in liquid gardens
And Arizona new red sand
(Yeah)
I float in liquid gardens
Way down in Arizona red sand
Well, I taste the honey from a flower named Blue,
Way down in California
And the New York drowns as we hold hands
'Cause I'm a voodoo chile
Lord knows I'm a voodoo chile
Yeah!
06 Room Full Of Mirrors (02:54)
I used to live in a room full of mirrors
All I could see was me
Then I take my spirit and I smash my mirrors
And now the whole world is here for me to see
Now I'm searching for my love to be, Hey!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
All right
A broken glass was solvin' my brain
Cut and screamin' crowdin' in my head
A broken glass was loud in my brain
It used to fall on my dreams and cut me in my bed
It used to fall on my dreams and cut me in my bed
I say making love was strange in my bed
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Hey, ooh
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Hey!
07 Fire (03:43)
Alright,
Dig this baby
You don't care for me
I don'-a care about that
You gotta new fool, ha!
I like it like that
I have only one burning desire
Let me stand next to your fire
Let me stand next to your fire (Repeat 4 times)
Listen here, baby
and stop acting so crazy
You say your momma ain't home,
it ain't my concern,
Just play with me and you won't get burned
I have only one itching desire
Let me stand next to your fire
Let me stand next to your fire (Repeat 4 times)
Oh! Move over, Rover
and let Jimi take over
Yeah, you know what I'm talking 'bout
Yeah, get on with it, baby
That's what I'm talking 'bout
Now dig this!
Ha!
Now listen, baby
You try to gimme your money
you better save it, babe
Save it for your rainy day
I have only one burning desire
Let me stand next to your fire
Let me stand next to your fire
08 Purple Haze (04:24)
Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things just don't seem the same
Actin' funny, but I don't know why
'Scuse me while I kiss the sky
Purple Haze all around
Don't know if I'm comin' up or down
Am I happy or in misery?
What ever it is, that girl put a spell on me
Help me
Help me
Oh, no, no
Hammerin'
Talkin' 'bout heart 'n'...s-soul
I'm talkin' about hard stuff
If everbodys still around, fluff and ease, if
So far out my mind
Somethings happening, somethings happening
Ooo, ahhh
Ooo, {click} ahhh,
Ooo, ahhh
Ooo, ahhh, YEAH!
Purple haze all in my eyes, uhh
Don't know if its day or night
You got me blowin', blowin' my mind
Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?
Ooo
Help me
Ahh, yea-yeah, purple haze, yeah
Oh, no, oh
Oh, help me
Tell me, baby, tell me
I can't go on like this
You're makin' me blow my mind...mama
n-no, nooo
No, its painful, baby
09 Wild Thing (05:28)
At the Monterey Pop Festival
Come on man sing it with me
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
Oh
You make a everything, groovy
Wild thing
Wild thing I think you move me
But I want a know for sure
Come on and ssssssock it to me one more time
(Click) you move me
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
Oh
You make a everything, groovy
A sing again
Wild thing
Yeah
Wild thing I think you move me
But I want a know for sure
Come on and ssssssock it to me one more time again
Oh shucks I love ya
Wild thing, you make my heart sing
You make a everything, groovy
Yeah wild thing
Yeah wild thing
Yeah yeah wild thing
Yeah yeah yeah wild thing
Oh sock it to me
Wild thing
Jimi Hendrix!
10 Bleeding Heart (05:00)
Peoples, peoples, peoples
You know what it means to be left alone
Peoples, peoples, people, (now hear me!)
You know what it means to be left alone
Yeah
Lord it happened to day
Lord not even a call on my telephone
Understandin'
Lord a little love, babe
In the world is all I need
A little love and understanding baby
It's all in the world I need
Lose of love
A misunderstanding of a no good woman
Lord they've both caused my heart to bleed
All right
Every mornin'
Every mornin' the willows weep among for me
Every mornin' yes the willows weep among for me
The birds sang the love song
My baby's caused my heart to bleed down
Every mornin', every mornin'
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