Band of Gypsies

My last post was the 100th post on this blog! Yeah! Milestones.

Listening alot to the Band of Gypsies lately. This is EASILY Hendrix's best guitar work, and you can hear how much he enjoys this band. (Yes, you Hendrix buffs, Bold As Love is his best work as an artist/singer/songwriter, but BoG is a completely different band.) The story goes that Jimi was really struggling with his fanbase (mostly younger white college kids) and really wanted to form an all-black band. After the Experience broke up, he joined up with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles to form the Band of Gypsies. This set up was completely different than The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and was much more focused on freestyle jamming and instrumental work with fewer lyrics if any, while some just had 3-4 lines repeated and improv-ed upon. Buddy Miles helps Jimi with vocals on most of the songs. I dig on Hendrix, not just because he played blues-based rock, but because just like me, he could neither read or write music.

The Fillmore East show that was recorded on the Band of Gypsies album showcased one of the 4 shows played there that weekend. After the amazing show, fans went nuts and studio execs got worried. My favorite tracks are Who Knows, Machine Gun, and Power to Love.

The facts are this; the next set, Jimi couldn't play anything, the whole band struggled and couldn't pull anything together, Jimi apologized, weeping, and walked off stage. Friends and spectators all agree that Jimi was most definately on something, and the long standing rumor was that several people witnessed an exec (i forget his name) giving Jimi TWO tabs of acid just before the show, hoping to ruin the Band of Gypsies for the more lucrative Experience.

Either way, the Band of Gypsies disbanded, and the Experience was reformed. Not long after, Jimi was staying with his girlfriend and had a big show the next day so he took sleeping pills and went to sleep. In the night, he had thrown up and suffocated on his own vomit. A lot of people think that Hendrix overdosed on drugs due to his reputation, but that isn't the case. Jimi had written lyrics the night before he died and they were found on the table next to the bed.

"The story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye

The story of love is hello and goodbye

Until we meet again"