Improvisation At Newport (Rattle Snake RS145)
San Fernando Valley State College, Devonshire Downs, Northridge, CA – June 22nd,1969
Disc 1: Intro by Jimi, Earth versus Space/Keep On Groovin/Gypsy Eyes, Machine Gun’Sometimes i Wonder, The Things That I Used To Do, We Gotta Live Together, Feeling So Good
Disc 2: The Train Kept A Rollin/Paper Airplanes/Earth Blues, Getting My Heart Back Together Again, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), Instrumental Jam/We Gotta Luve Together/Come On Over Baby, Sunshine of Your Love/Come On pt.1, Star Spangled Banner/Instrumental Improvisation, Here Comes Your Lover Man pt. 1 & 2
This post Experience outfit has Buddy Miles on drums, Brad Campbell on bass, Snooky Flowers on sax, Terry Clements on sax,Lee Oscar on harmonica, Eric Burdon on vocals on Feeling So Good,and Tracy Nelson as well on vocals on Feeling So Good.
Hendrix sulked onstage and mumbled something about making up for the poor performance on Friday night at this festival’s 40th anniversary; joined by Buddy Miles with Eric Burdon and Tracy Nelson on Feeling So Good, announced to the crowd “This is where earth meets space” ; opening up with a jam Earth versus Space/Keep On Groovin’/Gypsy Eyes; following the opening track is a smoldering version of Machine Gun; sounding as if one were trekking through the jungles of south-east Asia late 1960s; powerful, intense and passionate version with sometimes i wonder ending this great track.
The things that i used to do get the entire band locked in a hot groove with the two aforementioned sax players blowing hot notes. Feeling So Good ends disc 1 with Eric Burden and Tracy Nelson (Mother Earth) joining Jimi onstage for a jam.
Disc two opens with The Train Kept a Rollin/Paper Airplanes/Earth blues with a funky heavy blues groove; a fluid smooth jam to lock into. Following the opener on disc two is one of my favorite Hendrix tunes titled Getting My Heart Back Together Again with some passionate riffing and intense power chords.
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) follows with Jimi exploring space and time with use of an echoplex and wah-wah; superb rendition here. Instrumental Jam/We Gotta Live Together follows with the band flowing quite well with all the instruments meshing nicely.
Next is the classic Cream track Sunshine of Your Love; although not near as impressive as various Cream tracks I’ve heard of this song; it has its own merit with some superb Hendrixsque power surges with his rendition of it.
Star Spangled Banner follows with Jimi pulling out all the stops for this famous track with some instrumental improv ending the song in all its psychedelic glory.
This cd ends with a song performed on the “Tonight Show”July 10th 1969 as Jimi performs Here Comes Your Lover Man (other versions list this track as Lover Man); this is a tune written about one of jimi’s dearest friends who passed away seven days before this show aired, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones.
All in all an excellent piece by Rattle Snake; excellent sound and a very good performance.
