Live? Really? What a power, energy, never-ending guitar madness from heaven. Recorded live at Fillmore East, New York in 1970. You should have been there. Well, I was not even born back then, but this record brings you right back to that moment in time. Close your eyes and enjoy!
Two light blue eyes stare at you from the cover (Polydor Records Ltd., 1970), scare you off almost. The six other eyes seem to stare at the ground. The colourfull clothing does not distract you from the puppet in the middle. Unmistakably Jimi Hendrix. How about the others? John Peel, Brian Jones, Bob Dylan... what do they have to do with this album? More question marks pop up when you see the Jimi-puppet on the back 'playing' guitar. What happened to Jimi being left-handed? Possibly one of the reasons the sleeve was replaced by a gatefold sleeve with pictures from the Isle of Wight festival. Despite the controversy of the original sleeve, I rather like the puppets trying to tell a story, standing against a corrugated wall. How does this cover prepare you for the music this record holds?
Well, it doesn't. Amazing guitar riffs and clean tunes, combined with occasional singing. All tracks bring their own dynamics and vibe, and there is a nice cooperation with Buddy Miles (track 3 and 6) and Billy Cox. It fills the living room with fresh energy on this rainy autumn day. But there is no denying that the true beauty of the vinyl spinning on my Triotrack is all in the second half of side 1. Machine gun just aims straight at your heart and head, knocks you over. Sometimes, music is just that simple.
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