Identifier1454995
Created AtTue May 23 2023 23:54:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Media TypeShn
Media Count1
Source Info AUD -> ? -> CD -> EAC -> SHN
J-Card CommentThe Experience February 4, 1967 Flamingo Club, Wardour Street, London Hendrix/Redding/Mitchell Source: AUD -> ? -> CD -> EAC -> SHN 01. Killing Floor 02. Have Mercy 03. Can You See Me 04. Like A Rolling Stone 05. Rock Me Baby 06. Catfish Blues 07. Stone Free 08. Hey Joe 09. Wild Thing From Chris Dixon's Anniversary Series ? C S Dixon February 4th, 2001 marks the 34th anniversary of the Jimi Hendrix Experience show at the Flamingo Club in Wardour Street, London. This our only known tape of an early 67 club show by the band, when they were forging their reputation in the UK before stepping into the worldwide limelight at Monterey. It's a fascinating look at the early repertoire and represents the earliest (only, in one case) recorded examples of a number of his stage numbers. This is an audience tape and quality leaves a bit to be desired. It's distorted (tho we've heard a *lot* worse) and the vocals are very low in places (no doubt the PA system was laughable even by the standards of the day!). Noel's bass is almost non existent but in all it's a good listen IMO. As always, the sonic limitations pale next to the historical importance (especially so in this unique case). (Setlist): Killing Floor; Have Mercy On Me; Can You See Me; Like A Rolling Stone; Rock Me Baby; Experiencing the (aka Catfish) Blues; Stone Free; Hey Joe; Wild Thing. The tape cuts in just before the last vocal verse of Killing Floor, catching only a quick snatch of soloing before and after same, lasting just over a minute in total. This is our only known recording of the Experience playing the old American R&B standard 'Have Mercy'. Previously, there is a recording of Jimi playing it with Curtis Knight ca 65 and he is said by some to have played on a studio version with Don Covay, though that record does not offer absolute audio proof one way or the other. His Curtis Mayfield inspired rhythm work is in fine form here and though it lasts over 4 minutes, there is no solo proper. At the end we hear what sounds like Jimi off-mic telling someone "..get off the stage, man..." as Noel tests his mic. Jimi introduces 'Can You See Me' as "..an original, very simple to understand". This is the first of three documented live performances, the others being Stockholm 5/67 and Monterey in June and, like he would at all three, Jimi feels the need to point out that it's "...in the key of F sharp.. .". He doesn't sing at the first stop, and stretches the solo out a bit more than the studio version. 'Like A Rolling Stone' is our first recorded example of same. A studio version was apparently recorded the following month, but it has never circulated. He would play it sporadically through late 68. After a bit of tuning (the low E often needs to be tuned a hair flat when using the thumb over the neck for bass notes, since the thumb will try to pull it sharp!) he starts it very quietly and cleanly, with a nice fat tone from the Strat neck pickup and rolled-back volume control into the Marshall (almost surely a single stack, but still practically brand new!). He establishes the chords then introduces the song over the guitar, the band joining at around 1:00. Typically brilliant fills throughout but another with no actual solo. A particularly nice modal- sounding line before the "Going to the finest school..." lyric. In and around the "...got it made ..." and "...pawn it, babe..." lines it sounds like he flirts with the 'I Feel Fine' riff...but he doesn't quite play it! He introduces "..our own arrangement of 'Rock Me Baby' ", the first recorded example of eight before the BB King song became 'Lover Man' with Jimi's own lyrics. An early instrumental studio version of RMB, retitled as LM (sorry, BB!), was released on the recent box set. Jimi plays the second (of 2) 12 bars of the solo with his teeth. With the comment of "Muddy Waters, slightly..." Jimi starts 'Experiencing the Blues/Catfish Blues' by himself and solos for a minute or so with the band coming in very lightly behind. One really gets a sense of how Jimi's sound filled a small room here, and the punch of the Marshall may have been on Jimi's mind when he once told an interviewer that they didn't go for volume so much as impact. That small room feel (literally!) may have been something Jimi missed as the halls got bigger. He does the "I wish I was a Catfish..." lyric then solos at 2:45 with the band going to a double time feel. At 4:10 he does what I call the 'Gloria' chords that would often be heard coming out of the last verse of 'Hear My Train' live versions. We get some playing with teeth around 5:45 and he pulls back again at 6:10 for the "...two trains running..." lyric variation. At 7:00 he builds it back up to a Hooker-style boogie feel and slips in the melody line from 'Wang Dang Doodle' (his later quotes of same during jams would be variously ID'ed as 'Willie the Pimp' and 'Power of Soul' as the lines are similar!). He then quotes the riff from Cream's 'Cat's Squirrel' and they go into a little free-time jam to end at about 9:00 with a final quote from Cream's 'Spoonful' (their first album had just been released). Jimi intro's 'Stone Free' as "..the B side of our record". It's also our first known live version, with the BBC performance coming just over a week later. Keeps it short, and we hear Noel singing on the title refrain. He then plays the 'A' side of the single, Hey Joe. Does the first solo with teeth. One sliding- interval fill, in the middle of the "..where you gonna run to now.." verse, is identical to one he would pull out during the Monterey 'Like A Rolling Stone'. A squeal at the end prompts Jimi to say "This guitar is falling to pieces..."! Jimi winds it up by introducing 'Wild Thing' as the "British national anthem". Does a free form feedback intro of around :20. Noel sings on the "..but I wanna know for sure" lines. Jimi has not started to do the 'Strangers In the Night' quote during the solo but plays a line reminiscent of one of Claptons in 'I Feel Free' (also a little like Beck in 'Shapes of Things'!). He goes on to quote the then relatively current Beatles 'Day Tripper' at 3:45. Jimi was such a 'toast of the town' at that point that for all we know there were members of all the above in the audience this night! He returns to the words at 4:10 and does a 'raveup' ending starting at around 5:00. The guitars smooth whammy'd feedback almost sounds like a theremin at one point! If he didn't actually destroy a guitar here, it sounds like one at least got a firm spanking. The tape ends with a hapless (hipless?) emcee calling for a round of applause as the smoke clears... Chris
Trades Allowed
Performance
Jimi Hendrix 1967-02-04 Flamingo Club, London, England
Set 1Killing Floor, Have Mercy, Can You See Me, Like A Rolling Stone, Rock Me Baby, Catfish Blues, Stone Free, Hey Joe, Wild Thing
Set 2

Set 3

CommentThe Jimi Hendrix Experience

Jimi Hendrix - Electric Guitars, Vocals
Noel Redding - Electric Bass
Mitch Mitchell - Drums