what’s your favorite live album? comment below!

"Jimi slashes at his strings like air chopped by helicopter blades" - gorgeous!

Your description of Machine Gun is the best I've ever heard!

This isn't just a live album its an listening experience that transports you to the time and place this was all recorded powerful, raw, and intimate and 54 years later you still feel like you're part of the audience in this powerful live statement

I just remembered to pop in and say best thumbnail title ever. Jimi isn't lost, death is an illusion and I will never lie to you, Abagail.

I would give everything to hear the proposed colaboration between Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney. Three geniuses at the top of their games. Jimi left us way too soon

Personal story: I have a special place in my heart for Band of Gypsys. I'm from Omaha, Nebraska and when I was first starting to go to shows in the 90s (around Abigal's age at the time), Buddy played around here a lot (his hometown). I got to see him a few times in local clubs. He was such a great talent. I saw him join Steve Vai on stage once (at The Ranch Bowl for any Nebraskans that may see this). I was always thought it was so amazing I was seeing a guy in a little club who played with Jimi. We didn't get experiences like that around here very often like one might in NYC or LA.

I've been buying records since I was 8 and it's honestly just nice to hear someone talking in detail about albums I love. Machine Gun is in my DNA.

Hello Abigail. I can’t remember where I heard this but in the track ‘Who Knows’ from the BOG New Years Day performances, the reason Buddy was scatting for so long (and did that wah-wah thing) was because Hendrix had broken a string and had to exit the stage to get it fixed. He nodded to Buddy to keep the vamp going, and then after the string was changed they finished the song with that awkward ending that you mentioned. Anyway, a great review of the BOGs. I was fortunate enough to have seen the experience once in Los Angeles and there was nobody like Jimi. I would have loved to have seen the BOGs, but alas we can’t have everything. Love your analysis. Keep up the great work. Cheers!!

Band Of Gypsies is my hands-down favorite Jimi Hendrix album. Machine Gun is pure emotion. I love it so much. Thanks for what you’re doing!

I’ve been listening to this album my whole life and you’ve taken me to places that never even occurred to me! How did you get so perceptive at such a young age?

Yes Abby, I miss Jimi too. (I was born in the 2000s)💀

i'm from the uk and simply wasn't aware of the significance of this month to millions of people in the us. the programming for this month is therefore commendable : I appreciate the great artists who are being featured and the cultural significance of their contribution.

Hello Abby, thank you for covering Jimmy Hendrix “Band of Gypsies”. You bring up a very interesting point at the beginning of the show when you talk about the album cover colors. I am the owner of the “Brotherhood Of Light liquid Lightshow”from Fillmore West. I also am friends with Joshua White from “Joshua, Lightshow”, and I know two spot operators that worked on “Band of Gypsies“show. So I’m am going break down the lighting rig for you. First of all the Fillmore East liquid light show multimedia show was rear projected, so that is not liquid lights, even though it looks like it on Jimi.The Fillmore East had a fairly elaborate lighting rig for the time there’s probably a major red wash on the stage. which makes up for the red on his guitar there’s also I believe Bob C was calling the spots. Sometimes sometimes you’ll have a colored spot on your artist and then you’ll have the other spot up narrow the iris beam of the spotlight down to maybe highlight the face or the hands or the guitar I think that’s what we’re seeing in this cover photo. I’ve been studying photos from the Fillmore East five Disc box set, and I do believe this cover photo was actually taken from the Fillmore East, and the green is unusual color that shows up on this particular photograph he’s wearing like a super bright multicolored shirt. The green could possibly be another set of wash lights. another curious aspect of the photo is why is the guitar so dark probably cause they’re pulling back the iris in the spotlights. hope you understand what I’m trying to say here. Thanks for the show.

Great video! Buddy losing the plot is hilarious😂, but apparently Jimi told him to take over because he was replacing a broken string!

Thank you for such an insightful analysis . In my estimation, this is one of the most significant recordings of all time - the fact that the edited performance originally released was initially viewed as merely filling some legal obligations makes it all the more remarkable. Please keep doing what you do Abby.

"With the power of soul, anything is possible!" Words to live by.

Your epilogue brought tears. You said so well what we all know.

Buddy Miles & Jim Morrison can be found on the unfortunately titled but essential " Woke Up This Morning & Found Myself Dead " ununofficial Hendrix album.

You can hear Jimi click the wah-wah on right before Buddy sings, "Wah-wah-wah..."

This one is like a glimpse into what might have been, aside from its standalone qualities. I once described it to a friend as being like "black funky metal"; I'm not sure if that's terribly accurate, but it's close, and one can't help but think about what Jimi would have been up to had he not died. And that spoken end to "Machine Gun" is absolutely amazing; "thats what what we don't wanna hear any more of, right?...no bullets, no guns, no bombs"

Two live performances are tied in my brain, for the one I’d most like to go back in time and witness, and that’s Janis at Monterey singing Ball and Chain, and Jimi playing Machine Gun on New Year’s Day 1970. Both are absolutely epic.

For such a self-proclaimed 'non musician' you've developed a beautifully poetic, precise way to describe how the music 'goes'. You have a really good ear for actually hearing how a song works or doesn't work and how musicians interact with each other. Maybe your art history studies in image analysis (fellow art history BA here :D ) honed your skill at discussing music? I'm just guessing. Your'e always a joy to listen to/watch on your reviews, and this is one of the things I enjoy most.

Wow... spectacular research, review, and analysis! I haven't listened to BoG in years, but I could hear almost every note of Machine Gun from your description! Thanks for the insight!

Congrats on hitting 30k subscribers Abby!!

This is a wonderful review of Band Of Gypsys. Really love the Black History Month theme on the classic albums so far. And congrats on hitting 30K beautiful rock and roll queen!!

The New Year's Day version of Machine Gun has to be considered one of the most impactful anti-war songs of the 20th Century. It is mesmerizing in its violence, mayhem and aural assaults that the band creates. Even the crowd at the end of that version on this recording seems to be numbed and stunned by the brutality of what they just heard. It's like they were too emotionally drained to give it a hearty cheer. BTW: There's some grainy and oddly spooky video of that Fillmore East performance floating around KZfaq along with some creative interpretations of that performance where the creators intersperse archival footage from the Vietnam War to chilling effect.

Brilliant, informative and fun…I love this album and this is a great video about it…well done

You can tell by this period that Jimi was fed up with everything at this point and didn’t care what everybody wanted him to do

Out of curiosity, because You Tube won't show us, how many downvotes did this get?

I love the Band of Gypsies album!!!!! Nice work Abby!!!!! My favorite live album is "Absolute Live" by the Doors, The Woodstock album of course & "The Last Waltz" by The Band....

Before Woodstock in Aug. of 69 ' 200,000 of us attended a 3 day festival that included Jimi and Buddy at Devonshire Downs in Northridge Calif. which in turn also turned into a riot caused by the LA Sheriff's dept. COPS,TEAR GAS and BLOOD....It was 1969 what else was new. Footage of Jimi is on YT under the header Jimi at Devonshire Downs 1969. Once again Abigail you gave us the mood of the era OUTSTANDING and Marvin Gaye to close it all up....Dig your style, aloha

The art 🖼️ was not Jimi’s idea, and the live album was a contractual agreement. I appreciate the upload, need any help I’m happy to share. ✌️

Wow! You're really choosing some of my favorites these past few weeks. I was lucky to hear this at a very young age and have loved it ever since. Looking forward to your review.

The "watery tone" on Machine Gun is a Univibe pedal that Jimi debuted at Woodstock. He's also using a Roger Mayer Octavia pedal that he rarely used live. Both pedals are all over BOG.

With the power, of you, anything that you wanna do.

We love your channel!! A vinyl Monday on The Byrds would be cool to do!

Gotta say that you and your channel are -- in the parlance of those times -- simply mind blowing! It's not just the depth of your research, which is incredible on its own; but also the WAY you communicate it all back to us on this side of the screen. But what's really a trip is that for someone so recent on the Planet as you are, you manage to reach back, channel, embrace, and then convey back to us the spirit and emotion of those times and its music. You got a time machine, or something? Thanks for what you do. Be well, keep on doing!! As Jimi would say -- peace...and happiness! Happiness!

Fantastic review of this seminal album.

It’s interesting that every single photo of Jimi is a masterpiece, the brother shone I like a search light . You are quite entertaining, I know Jimi trivia pretty thoroughly but you had a bunch of info that I hadn’t known about. I dig your style and the profanity. Collection looks solid. New to the channel, thanks for this

The Song Remains The Same. I have a Hendrix box set "Stages", a show each from 67,68,69,70. Hendrix family is good at putting out the live stuff.

Jimi played some incredible guitar with that “Cry of Love” band - the LA Forum show (I believe it was in May) is the equal of the Fillmore East shows, and the Berkeley nights are close behind. Ultimately, Mitch and Billy in my opinion were the perfect match for Jimi, and that lineup was clearly headed towards where Jimi wanted to go. I absolutely love the original BOG album, too.

Jimi growing exponentially in YT. Planet Earth, ladies and gentlemen. Good call, Abagail.

I always, always, always loved this album's Machine Gun.

This is so well written Abigail. I've enjoyed the entire half an hour. You get it, you get Jimi, and your description of this album is spot on and refreshing. Thanks for an emotional ride on an incredible album of music. And yeah, Machine Gun is a once in a generation type of performance, that still holds true today.

I literally JUST listened to this the first time today! This video couldn't have been timed better!

BTW, all four sets are available on Spotify.

This (along with "Live At The Fillmore East") is probably my favorite live album, but some honorable mentions: Genesis - Seconds Out Rush - Exit...Stage Left Beatles - Live At The BBC Grateful Dead - Europe 72 The Who - Live At Leeds The Who - Live At The Isle of Wight Led Zeppelin - How The West Was Won MC5 - Kick Out The Jams

What is so fun and rewarding for me about the fabulous Ms. Devoe is although I lived through a great deal of the music she covers ( I was very eager to lay down my hard earned grocery store stock boy earnings for "Get That Feeling-Jimi Hendrix plays-Curtis Knight sings" because Jimi's name was on it) I always learn from her, things I never knew. The girl is a fount of groovy knowledge.

Always loved “Dem Changes”

I learned alot from this video!

Great review Thanks! The reissue is the one I bought in the 90s and the new mixes really bring clarity to the original. Takes it out of the murk! Kinda like listening to "Raw Power" by the Stooges remixed. It's like an ohhhh light bulb moment! I agree BOG is something that will grow on you with each listen. And I really like Message of Love! And I am what I am...Thank God! Cheers!

Hi - enjoyed your analysis. I am a massive Hendrix fan, from that first mind blowing UK performance of Hey Joe on Top of the Pops in 1967, to Band Of Gypsys and on .... I just recently managed to pick up the 5CD set "Songs For Groovy Children" The four Fillmore East Concerts. Not sure if its available in vinyl, but if it is - just buy it!! Brilliant. Cya Doug (from Down Under)

Music and history? My two favorite subjects! With personality?! Even better. Keep up the good work!😁

This album captivated me as a seventh grader---Different groove with Buddy Mile's more" Rock style of drumming", and then not the hits, but OH SO Good and captivating. I loved it immediately (100% Straight and present at all times). Looking forward to your review! Great outfit BTW!

love your vibe ✨️ abbey

Thanks Abby for last week's Coltrane video. It started a deeeeeeep dive at my library that is sooooooo cool! Keep broadeningmy musical journey, I somehow missed 'trane back in the original days. LOL.

Sweet review as usual. Did you know when Jimi was in talks with Miles about the collab project Paul McCartney received a telegram from Jimi asking him to play bass with them?

Band of Gypsys was my intro to Hendrix. I was watching some 'history of rock and roll' TV documentary with my parents when I was a kid and they showed Jimi and I thusly requested an album of his for a birthday present. I got Band of Gypsys because that's all the record store my parents went to had. (ironically my birthday is Feb 18 and you posted this the day after). I was listening to some jazz as a kid so I understood the stretched out nature of the songs. I also understood that the record was a departure and not "Smash Hits' or 'Are You Experienced'. The first side with Who Knows and Machine Gun got (and still gets) the most spins. My favorite version of 'Power of Soul' is on the posthumous SOUTH SATURN DELTA record. Thanks for another great video

Welcome your thoughts on that Abbie. More importantly as I’ve done for 30 yrs I’ve just kept ‘em in the original sleeves.

Very enjoyable. Thanks for your review. Not many songs in the world are really terrifying. "Machine Gun" is a terrifying, sad, powerful song. There is always hope. I bought this record with my paper route money when it came out, and I learned a lot of stuff I did not know before. The gift that keeps giving, I guess, thanks! C

I come from this era and could never really get into this album at the time. Even years later, I hadn't paid much attention to it in relation to his other releases (Machine Gun, being the exception --Wow!). However, when streaming sites added the entire 2-night run on "Songs for Groovy Children", I sat down and absorbed it. That has since become my favorite Hendrix album for one reason only - THE GUITAR SOLOS. At this point, Jimi had gone past mastering the guitar, so that he could play whatever he heard in his head. I like to listen to Songs for Groovy Children on random - I don't know which version is playing - but I get lost in the guitar playing on every track. Fantastic.

I love Hendrix doing soul on this album and I love the wild directions it takes, which is maybe just as a musician myself I find it very enjoyable to just hear musicians having fun jamming out. I also really love Buddy Miles steady funky drumming style, which a large part of which is just down to the sound he gets out of that kit, like GOD DAMN the snare on this album Buddy is just beating it like it owes him money. This album really feels like a super foundational piece to early Eddie Hazel era Funkadelic in particular.

I have the complete Woodstock performance on DVD. On the extra b/w DVD, it shows a different angle where you can see Jimi trying to show Larry Lee how to play the songs while rolling his eyes and wincing during the performance. Jimi was not a happy camper on that stage. Quite illuminating, to say the least.

On 'Message to Love", Jimi proved he was also one of the best rythym guitarists to ever live. When the song goes into "...here comes a woman, wrapped up in chain...' Jimi is just killing it, comping like there's no tomorrow, Maybe a preminition?

You did great, loved your review!

The album makes you think what could have been? What musical direction would Hendrix go from here

OH YESSSSSSSS.

Regarding next week's album, I have always thought that if it was released today, it would be an enormous hit. It just doesn't age. Thanks for your review of Jimi. Very much appreciated.

Thanks for the video. One of the greatest live albums and one of my favorites. A great way to end the 60s and start the 70s. The guitar solo on Machine Gun was rated as the #1 of all time by Rolling Stone. I couldn’t agree more. I had a friend in school turn be on to the album by playing Changes. I was hooked on the album and forever on Hendrix. I read that Jimi and Eddie listened to the recording from New Year’s Eve the next day and Jimi wasn’t happy so he was determined to crush the 1st set on New Year’s Day and he totally crushes it. It’s amazing how much mind blowing music Jimi recorded in just a few years. RIP. Peace, love and music.

was lucky enough to have seen the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Santa Clara Pop festival in the Spring of ‘69. The year before Fat Mattress played the same festival. Honestly I don’t remember much about the latter. I was only 14 at the time. That same day in ‘’68 Buddy Miles appeared with Mike Bloomfield’s ill-fated and underrated Electric Flag, upstaging the Doors in my opinion. Several years later I caught the Buddy Miles Express paired with a short-lived Anglo-Nigerian fusion band , Salt, led by Ginger Baker. Those were the days my friend. We thought they’d never end.

Buddy is awesome 👌 on drums 🥁.

Superb analysis, Abby! You brought out details I've previously not conceptualized, on an album I've listened to many, many times. Great job going through the crazy history and hitting pretty much all the salient points. About the only thing I would have added is that the original cover for the American album did not have the text "Band of Gypsys" on the cover, just the word "Hendrix" in that font. I used to prefer the second set from New Year's Eve, largely because of the opening of "Who Knows" where Jimi sings, to the melody of the song, "Happy New Year... Goodbye '69!" But I've come to appreciate the slightly more subdued version from the original album. The covers of Experience songs done over the two nights suffer a bit because Buddy Miles is just NOT Mitch Mitchell, and his style doesn't always bring out the best in those songs. However, the harmony vocals from Buddy and Billy are usually pretty decent on those. While I agree with you that edits on a live album are frequently annoying (can't wait until you eventually cover The Who Live At Leeds, where some of the edits actually helped make the songs more coherent), these trims would have been fine if they'd been accomplished with a bit more finesse. Because you're right; a little Buddy goes a long way! I used to say that Band of Gypsys was a better band for Hendrix than the Experience, primarily because it was an all-Black band. However, over the last few years my allegiance has shifted back to the Experience. The good news is that we can listen to both. And perhaps someday you can review First Rays of the New Rising Sun, because that compilation of posthumous tracks does the best job (in my opinion) of summarizing where Jimi was going musically before he passed.

"Band of Gypsys" is a great album,Jimi Hendrix combine's R&B ;Soul ; Funk ; Blues and rock in a magistral way, not everybody can do this.

I wish Hendrix would have lived longer! Would have loved to see a whole acoustic album by him, see his political views over the years, to see him live and an album with him playing with Parliament (they would have been made for each other).

Buddy looks like an exceptionally good boy!!

Always loved this album - and this band. Enhanced greatly when the complete shows were released a few years ago. Usually my drummer of preference would be the showier guy (i.e. Mitch Mitchell), but I love Buddy Miles in this band. You're are right that Jimi's manager didn't want this band to continue. Not only for commercial reasons, but he didn't like Jimi sharing the spotlight with Buddy.

Great video title, Abigail! Cheers to your channel 🍻🍻

Here is the film that the album cover was borrowed from: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z5tnf6t_0LOuh6s.html - the only known footage was filmed from here. Pretty good intro by Bill Graham on Who Knows vid. Three minutes previous to Who Knows Bill had said to Jimi, literally, "Stop clowning around and just play" and Jimi did just that.

Favorite live album? It depends what I'm in the mood for. Genesis' Seconds Out remains a strong production and performances. As for BoG, this maybe the part of Hendrix's career that was never fully explored. He was jumping from project to project. At one point he was approached by Keith Emerson and Greg Lake to join their project. It didn't happen, but imagine the notion of EHLP.

Awesome album! Your in depth reporting is always spot on.

You’re wonderful sis. Thank you for the lesson Joni Mitchell had a cool exchange with Hendrix or rather he played her some of his new direction. Trying to remember where I saw that clip

I’m so excited to watch this. One of my absolute favorite albums of all time and Machine Gun is the most sublime, expressive, and just plain next level guitar playing I’ve ever heard.

Great job of analyzing.

Good show keep on delivering the goods.

Would've certainly been eerie if the UK cover had puppets of Jimi, Brian, Janis, and Jim.

Its worth feeding the Experience Hendrix LLC machine if just to get the full set of the BOG NYE/NYD performances: go buy Songs For Groovy Children and marvel at the sheer evolution and variety of takes on the same tracks over only 2 days. Plus, the louche, gangly novelty of their take on Auld Lang Syne. Aside from the intensity and genius of the originally-released version of Machine Gun, (which itself has to go down as one of the finest examples of when and how to improvise on a theme in a contemporary context and whack up the enotional dial to 11) one of my favourites, not on the original BOG but on BOG 2 and on this Songs For Groovy Children - is Stop. A cover version yes, but really gets at what the core of the Jimi/Billy/Buddy vibe was supposed to be all about - rocking heavy soul R&B that really worked for such a short time and has hardly been equalled since. And unbelievable this episode in Jimi's career was only 3 years since Hey Joe was covered... I know Abby, you said the same already!

Machine gun at the Fillmore new years eve show is the most relevant and the most haunting guitar solo ever recorded ! Eric, Beck and Pages jaws must of dropped when they heard this song and it's mind blowing solo. No one will ever be able to create the haunting mysterious spell that JIMI created. If JIMI wouldn't of left I'm sure he would of been playing with Stanley Clark and Billy Cobham- WHAT A LOSS !!!!!!!

Whenever I think of what Jimi could’ve done in the 70s I just listen to the artists who filled his space like funkadelic and electric miles

Buddy was also in the Electric Flag with guitar hero Mike Bloomfield.

Yay! The first note Jimi hits in the machine gun solo is the greatest note ever played on the guitar! Such a perfect album!

I got a sealed copy of the 8xLP Fillmore East shows last year. And I love it! It sounds spectacular. I'd had it in bootlegs through the years on CDs but getting the officially released box set with all four shows, two of them from 12/31/69 and then the two from 1/1/70, was definitely the way to go. I think Jimi Hendrix sounded better live in concert than he did on the studio releases. And the studio releases were fantastic. I really enjoy the BOG era as Jimi's life was sadly drawing to an end. I only wonder what else he might have done had he been able to continue on? Brian in Fort Worth 🎶

The jellyfish lyrics are very interpretable, but if you hear all the concerts with the Band of Gypsys, it's quite clear that he is refering to drugs. There is at least a song from the live in which he "sings/preaches" about how he is "smoking himself to death, if he keeps it up like this". Hendrix is infamous for drugs, but really at least many months before his death he was actively struggling to quit. The airplanes flying too low probably refer to "trips" or in general to people with too little imagination or hindsight, while the jellyfish represents he who goes where the wind is cufrently blowing without putting in the effort (like a jellyfish that can't swim but only goes where external factors push it, the current, the flow). As I'm writing I recall an interview in which he says that, with drugs, it is up to the individual person to not make it an escape. Considering all this, the (intended) sense of the lyrics becomes quite clear. As happens with many grea writers though, they are open at least to some interpretation! Hope I gave some useful or interesting extra information

My favourite live album from Hendrix and one of my top 5 live albums. I know there are others that have Hendrix at some of his best playing, but this record to me defines one of my most favourite jamming/improv solos by him and Machine Gun is my number one guitar solo. My biggest influence as a guitarist for myself. Awesome video on this classic record and this one is important for some growing sounds of funk/groove type music. The Who's Live at Leeds is my number one live album, btw. :)

I never cared for Band of Gypsys, of all Jimi's work. I have everything available, on vinyl, CD, tape, and video Jimi recorded, on bootlegs and legitimate releases, including the full performance at the Fillmore East that BoG was taken from. I saw him six times, 1967-1970, including the Newport '69 Friday evening and Sunday afternoon performances. The crowd booed him, because he wasn't "playing the hits" to suit them, and he made a remark about their rudeness. He apologized with the Sunday two-hour-plus jam, with Buddy Miles, Eric Burdon, Tracy Nelson (Mother Earth), and others, on Power of Love, Machine Gun, and We Gotta Live Together.

Jimi was being torn in different directions towards the end of his life , he's the consummate artist with no business sense, mick jagger is both, people forget jimi was an army vet , which was ordered by a judge when he got caught stealing a car , jail or the army , now did he get hurt on a parachute jump ,we'll stick with that legend, only recently I heard a late release dolly dagger, classic jimi , an older friend who recently passed traveled the states attending concerts crashed Woodstock, he funded his enterprise by selling, goods , he said he saw hendrix but his favorite was sha na na , I never got tired of his concert stories and now your reviews, new york

Remember reading various JH Bios and felt Very BAD for the way Jimi signed signed his rights away. He deserved better deals for sure. Great player and a nice guy who was gone way to early. I wondered if his death could have been prevented. If the young people would have known more about addiction things could be avoided. Stay groovy A. Devoe appreciate your fashion efforts and passion about music love of Vinyl!!!

Abigail, there are 2 particular reasons to have this album in your collection: 1) Machine Gun - this version is widely regarded as Jimi's best ever performance of this song, and it is jaw-dropping, and 2) Who Knows - this song never gets its due respect because Buddy's toot-tooting drives everyone mad, but the first 2 guitar breaks capture the essence of Hendrix magnificently while also serving as a fine catalogue of must-know electric blues-rock guitar techniques for every young player to learn. Who knew... right?!!

Me + Jimi - eternity.

Some consider Band of Gypsys the ugly Duckling of the Hendrix canon, but I like it. Love Buddy Miles, because or this album.