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Jimi
Hendrix
Winterland, San Francisco, California, USA
11th Oct 1968 - Early Show
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Jimi
Hendrix - guitar, vocals
Noel Redding - bass
Mitch Mitchell - drums
Guest: Virgil Gonzalez - flute on "Are You Experienced"
This run of Jimi Hendrix concerts at Winterland, with Dino
Valenti and then Buddy Miles Express opening, are some of
the most interesting Hendrix sets ever recorded. In mid 1968,
as Hendrix had just released his monumental Electric Ladyland
album, he began actively pursuing opportunities to jam with
other musicians. He became more open to his improvisational
abilities than at any other time in his too brief career.
These shows capture Hendrix at his most exploratory, expanding
the boundaries of his music and adding other musicians to
the mix, in this case with no rehearsals. This new approach
would eventually spell the demise of The Jimi Hendrix Experience
as a band, but for a brief time, would open up inspiring new
possibilities within the music. These sets illustrate this
new improvisational approach that Hendrix was beginning to
explore. Without exception, these Winterland sets offer fascinating
glimpses into Hendrix's thought process and the new approach
he was taking to his music in 1968.
The early show on the second night repeats the setlist from
the early show the previous night, but the performances are
quite different. The recording begins with a long tuning section
that lasts over five minutes, where you can hear stage adjustments
being made over an excited crowd.
Finally Bill Graham introduces the band and they head straight
into heavy psychedelic territory with "Are You Experienced."
This version is radically different than the night before,
as the group gets into a highly improvisational jam. Incredibly
enough, a flute player, Virgil Gonzales, jams along with the
band, adding some interesting Latin jazzy texture to the proceedings,
inspiring the band to experiment with their dynamics and approach
to the song.
The band returns to form for "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return),"
here played much like the album version but with added flair.
The song was still rather new at this point and hadn't developed
into the set closing monster it would eventually become. However,
what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in intensity.
The "Red House" that follows brings a bit of relief after
the previous onslaught. Although shorter than the previous
night, it's another perfect example of Hendrix's deep rooted
blues playing. His phrasing is exemplary and the emotion he
squeezes out of every note is astounding. The soundboard tape
ends here and the last three songs are from a greatly inferior
audience recording. These three songs are the only songs from
this run that were not captured by the professional recording
crew.
As the early shows tended to have a younger audience who were
less appreciative of experimentation, Hendrix appeases them
with "Foxy Lady" before assaulting them with his "This Is
America" experiment, which eventually morphs into the opening
of "Purple Haze" to end the set.
Track Details: |
1.
Are You Experienced? (16:26)
2. Tuning (1:29)
3. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (7:15)
4. Tuning (0:59)
5. Red House (11:15)
6. Tuning (1:03)
7. Foxy Lady (5:38)
8. This Is America (6:22)
9. Purple Haze (5:59) |
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| This
recording has been captured into a wave editor (Audition 1.5)
via streaming the playback of this concert from Wolfgangs
Vault website. The quality is excellent. At any one time you
may find around 300 concerts available to play at www.wolfgangsvault.com.
You can either play a single track or play the complete show.
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