Now Jimi gimme some feedback

Bootleg collecting can be very frustrating at times. 

You have to pick your way through a lot of dross in order to find the real gems. Of course, the more prolific the artist is, the harder you have to dig to find the good stuff - people like Zappa, Dylan, the Stones, the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix.

So, here's one from Jimi and it's a real mixture, spanning the years 1968 to 1970. There's Jimi solo, with the original Experience, the Band of Gypsys, and Lonnie Youngblood. Quite why it's called "The Capricorn Tape" is a mystery, as there's no reason or cohesion, and nothing in common here - just a seemingly random collection of tracks. It's not even as if Jimi was born a Capricorn...he was Sagittarius. However, what sets this apart from the usual dodgy bootleg stuff is that everything on it is well worth hearing. What's more, it's in great sound quality.

This collection kicks off with "Hear My Train A' Comin'" - or "Getting my Heart Back Together", as it's sometimes called. It's a classic slow burning slow blues that seems to be a composite of two sessions - the change in tempo and studio ambience is a big clue! It sounds as if Billy Cox is there in both sections, and also Buddy Miles in the first half, and then Mitch Mitchell in the second. It's as good as any other version I've heard.

Next is "Belly Button Window" with just double tracked guitars - one straight and one with wah-wah - and Jimi's vocals. It always stayed this simple - even when it eventually got a posthumous release on "Cry of Love". 

By GabeMc - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29476894

 

Almost 20 minutes of "Villanova Junction Jam" follows, with a lovely solo rhythm guitar intro. This leads into the main theme with Cox and Miles joining in. It then wanders about as a very loose jam (hence the title!) exploring the band's appreciation of dynamics with alternate soft and raucous passages. A harmonica joins in towards the end for some reason. It's all a bit formless, but there's a lot of superb guitar from Jimi, with him summoning what he calls "jungle sounds" from his guitar at one point. 

"Mother" (aka "Georgia Blues") comes next and Jimi gets a chance to show off his blues chops as he accompanies Lonnie Youngblood, who contributes vocals. It's a jazzy take on a slow blues with some impressive chord work from Jimi, and his playing meshes well with the organist attending the session. This is the non-sax version, so you can hear Jimi's rhythm guitar more clearly.

One of the many attempts to record "Lover Man" follows - work on it started a year previously - and it features the original Experience. It's a straight live in the studio take, much briefer than others, with no overdubs and what sound like live vocals. As it's not one of the earliest versions, the band really know their way round the piece, and it's certainly one of the best recordings of the song in spite of, or perhaps because of, this stripped down form. 

Another work in progress is next - "New Rising Sun". Recorded solo with drums and guitar overdubs from Jimi, it's very much a soundscape in places - along the lines of "1983" from "Electric Ladyland" - with lots of studio effects coming in behind some beautiful chordal solo passages. Eventually, the piece gained lyrics and developed into "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)", although it bears very little resemblance to this early take. 

 "Midnight" closes proceedings with Noel and Mitch in another live in the studio take. After the main theme, Jimi kicks in fuzz and cocked wah and just scythes through the mix with a vicious solo. At about the 5 minute mark, after another written ensemble section, it almost stops and then takes off again with Jimi beating the crap out of his Strat. The end comes with a prolonged wash of high and heavily delayed feedback, repeatedly and rapidly bent with the whammy bar.

So OK, yet another Hendrix bootleg, but definitely one of the better ones. I've read that this might have been intended for legitimate release, but was shelved when the ":Blues" album was compiled. Who knows? Of course, it could just have been thrown together by a fan but, whatever its origin, it's a fine compilation showing off the qualities which made Jimi a true musical legend.

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