Spokane (Coliseum) : 8 septembre 1968

Spokane (Coliseum) : 8 septembre 1968


Titres :  

1. Foxy Lady
2. Little Wing
3. Red House
4. Fire



Source : c'est un enregistrement amateur d'une vingtaine de minutes seulement, de qualité très moyenne. La définition du son n'est pas top, et les aigus aux abonnés absents. Par contre, la voix et la guitare de Jimi sont audibles.


De "Foxy Lady", il ne reste que la fin : la bande débute après la fin du solo central. Jimi se réaccorde tout en sortant sa blague préférée ("on fait très attention à vos oreilles, c'est pour ça qu'on ne joue pas si fort")...

Le tiers de la douzaine de versions documentées de "Little Wing" a été enregistré en septembre 1968. A l'image de celle jouée le lendemain à Portland, celle-ci annonce la superbe version du Winterland - le solo reposant sur le même traitement de la wah wah, jouée de façon très rapide. Le chant est là encore très beau, mais Jimi rencontre toutefois de gros problèmes de justesse en fin de titre.

Jimi annonce alors "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"... mais le titre suivant est "Red House", joué sur un tempo lent, avec de la retenue et des silences. Le blues part sur d'excellentes bases, avec un chant convaincant, ponctué de superbes traits de guitare... mais lors du premier cycle de 12 mesures en solo (où Jimi en garde sous la semelle), il casse une corde - et laisse Mitch Mitchell prendre un solo de batterie, histoire de meubler.
Jimi revient un peu plus tard, armé de sa wah wah, dans un registre calme là encore puis conclut avec le dernier couplet. Sans ce problème technique, on tenait sans doute là une excellente version...

L'enregistrement se termine par une version de "Fire" solide. Le solo central, très court, est calqué sur celui de la version studio.

Au final ? Un document... fragmentaire !

1. FOXY LADY [Backing vocal - Noel]
………

[Solo]

I’ve made up my mind
I’m tired of wastin’ all my precious time
You’ve got to be all mine
Ooh, foxy lady

Here I come, baby
Comin’ to get you

(Foxy)

Noel: Thank you very much, thank you, that was Foxy Lady
Jimi : [Tuning] That feels better, try to do a song off our second LP [tuning] You’ll notice that we toon up between every song, because we care for your ears, an’ that’s why we don’t play so loud
Aud : [Laughter]
Jimi : Tuned it better [tuning] … Y’all look very sleepy, so that’s about as far as you would go, we’ll have to be doing the steady songs, so you’ll have to please sit down probably-heh [tuning]


2. LITTLE WING

Well, she’s walkin’ through the clou-ou-ou-ouds
With a circus mind that’s running round
Butterflies and zebras and moonbeams
An’-uh fairy ta-ale
That’s all she thinks about
Riding with the wi-ind

When I’m sad, she comes to me-e-e
With a thousand smiles, she’s given me free
It’s all right, it’s all right. She says It’s all right.
So listen to this, take anything you want from me
Anything, baby, anythi-ing

Noel: Thank you very much
Jimi : Like to do a song, a very, very straight song that was - ooh, don’t worry about it – anyway, forgetten now, oh yeah, the straight song, yeah, that’s right heh
Aud : [Laughter]
Jimi : Yeah, anyway, we got this little peek around song from Electric Ladyland and-uh, it was in it’s cover they called it Voodoo Child Slight Return, an’ it’s very straight blue Rock and Roll which I know, which, which you all like the best thing for as me. But anyway we like to call it an ‘electric funk’
Aud : [Laughter]
Jimi : Then they funked F. U. N. K less divided. Just for that all your kids, nothing matter with your kids, but all your kids will be born boogie butt naked. Let me say hello from now on [tuning]
Aud : [Applause]


VOODOO CHILD (Slight Return) [missing]


Jimi : Thank you [tuning] And a slow one recorded about 1738*, a thing by-uh Aretha Franklin… an me present. An’ then they call huh-it, calls it blues, but we didn’t release it over here on record, it was on the-eh first Are You Experienced LP, and it’s called Red House, we’d like to do it now [tuning]…

*Twentythird recorded mention of Jimi referring to some of his early singles and songs off his first LP (most frequently ‘Red House’ or ‘Hey Joe’,) as being recorded a long time ago (usually over a hundred years ago). Possibly a reference to Elmore James’ strange 1954 song ‘1839 Blues’ which starts with him singing in a weird voice:
“Hey Joe… you know I’m a young man this time
And you know I ain’t seen my baby since 1839
I got to find her. What you say?”
…

3. RED HOUSE

There’s a red house over yonder, baby
That’s where my-y baby stay-y-yeah
Red house over yonder
Lo-ord, where my baby stay-y-yeah
I ain’t been home to see my baby
In about ninety nine and one half day*

Wait a minute somethin’s wrong
The key won’t unlock this doo-oor
Wait a minute somethin’s wrong, baby
Lord, key wouldn’t unlock this do-o-o-oor
I’ve got a bad, bad feelin’
My baby, don’t live here no more
Sure was ever fond of leavin’
That’s all right I still got my guitar

[Solo/drum solo]

I might as well go back over yonder, baby
Way back over yonder, across the hi-ill
Lord, I might as well go back over yonder, baby yeah
Way back over yonder, across the hi-i-ill
If my baby don’t love me no more
Lord, I know, good and well, that her
Her sister wi-i-ill

*Three month jail term

Noel: Thank you very much for that blues, thank you very much…From us
Jimi : I do believe I will rock your fire, Yeah okay then that’s a new old one, we gotta pull‘em up, do a thing called Let Me Stand Next To Your Old Lady, I mean, Let Me Stand Next To You School Punks, Fire that is
Aud: [Applause]…


4. FIRE [Backing vocal - Noel]

Okay, baby, come here an’ I’ll tell you somethin’
It isn’t cool, right now

You don’t care for me, I don’t-uh care about that
You’ve got a new fool, hah, I like to laugh at
I have only one h’itchin’ desire
Let me stand next to your fire
(Let me stand next to your fire) Let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire) Let me sta-and
(Let me stand next to your fire) Woah, let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire)

Oh, hear me talkin’ , and stop actin’ so damned crazy

You say your mom ain’t home, it ain’t my concern
Just don’t play with me and you won’t get burned
I have only one-uh, h’itchin’ desire
Let me stand next to your…[plays trill]
(Let me stand next to your fire) Hey! let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire) Let me sta-and
(Let me stand next to your fire) I ain’t gonna do you no harm, girl
(Let me stand next to your fire)

Oh, move over Rover* and let Jimi take over
Yeah, you know what I’m talkin’ about

[Guitar & Drum jam]

Yeah

You try to give me your money
You’d better save it babe
Save it for your rainy day
I have only one-uh burnin’ desire
Let me stand next to your … [plays feedback howl with whammy]
(Let me stand next to your fire) Hey, let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire) Yeah, let me sta-and
(Let me stand next to your fire) Yeah, girl
(Let me stand next to your fire)

*From ‘Stoop Down Baby’ aka ‘Two Old Maids’ (Chick Willis?): “Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard… But when she bent over Rover took over. ‘Cause you know he had a bone of his own” ha-ha-ha. Jimi covered this at least five times from 1965 to 1970. He also get’s a mention in ‘Highway of Broken Hearts’, ‘Keep On Groovin’ & ‘Hound Dog’. This, coupled with the story of Jimi asking if their dog could be moved so he could warm himself at the fire in Noel’s mother Margaret’s house at New Year 1966/67, would appear to be the inspiration for ‘Fire’

SPOKANE DAILY CHRONICLE - by John Bates:
“The Jimi Hendrix Experience, performing last night before a near capacity crowd at the Spokane Coliseum, proved itself a real experience, and the 25 city policemen - many of them with cotton stuffed in their ears - probably would vouch for it. The “experience” is to both ears and eyes.
Using a mountain of amplifiers and speakers to put out a sound at least as loud as twin jet engines, the Jimi Hendrix Experience creates a new music that fascinates those who like it and punishes the ears of those who don’t. Rated as possibly the best guitarist in the field, Hendrix produced sounds from his guitar last night that amazed even the dour policemen - who apparently could hear through the cotton.
The visual experience included the showmanship of Hendrix. . . and the appearance of the three musicians, whose dress and grooming go far beyond anything that can be seen walking barefoot on the streets of down town Spokane. A difficult performer to interview, Hendrix doesn’t like to talk about his music. ‘Don’t call it anything; it shouldn’t be labeled,’ he said. ‘Just go out and listen to it”

NATURAL - ‘Heavy Rock Makes A Splash In Spokane’ by George D. Maloney and John Currier:
“On Sunday night, September 8, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Vanilla Fudge, the Soft Machine and the Eire Apparent put up one of the finest rock concerts [Spokane Coliseum] that …….. have been able to see. With the seats costing as little as $3 there [really?] was no excuse for missing it.
The EIRE APPARENT billed as Ireland’s top underground group tried to warm up the audience - - but no one responded - - for over 25 years Spokane has had the reputation of having the most unappreciative audience in the country. The group was young, fresh faced, perhaps a little shy …and pretty competent, but they weren’t ….The lead and rhythm guitars were well…the rhythm guitar was not too loud.At one point the band became so exasperated at the audience that the lead singer yelled ”Jesus Christ are you all stoned!” They deserved a better reception than they got.
The SOFT MACHINE was the sleeper of the concert. They did one long (about 40 minutes) number, with elements of jazz, rock, …..music, and some very…. atonal and….stuff
The highlight of the show was the Jimi Hendrix Experience as was to be expected. Hendrix is a showman; he talked to the audience, played and sang well, and his body movements were part of the music, not something added on for style. Although Eric Clapton has more lyrical style, Hendrix is better at holding the group together, as he chords and soloes at the same time far more frequently than Clapton. And although the drummer and the bass guitarist are very fine musicians, Hendrix steals the show....
He’s so physically beautiful and such an accomplished musician/performer that it’s impossible to take your eyes off him. ‘Red House’ was excellent blues, much in the style of Albert King... In conclusion the show was great. We may never hear again, but right now, we could care less.”