Live at Woodstock (Jimi Hendrix album)
Live at Woodstock is a posthumous live album by Jimi Hendrix released on July 6, 1999. It documents most of his performance at the Woodstock Festival on August 18, 1969, and contains Hendrix's iconic interpretation of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and other songs from the original festival film and soundtrack album.
| Live at Woodstock | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | July 6, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | August 18, 1969 | |||
| Venue | Woodstock Festival, Bethel, New York | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 96:38 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, John McDermott | |||
| Jimi Hendrix chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+[3] |
Background and recording
Woodstock was Hendrix's first public performance since the breakup of the Jimi Hendrix Experience on June 29, 1969. At Woodstock, he was accompanied by an expanded lineup of backing musicians.[4] The short-lived group has been informally referred to as "Gypsy Sun and Rainbows", after a comment Hendrix made during the performance:
Dig, we'd like to get something straight. We got tired of the Experience ... So we decided to change the whole thing around, and call it Gypsy Sun and Rainbows. Or short, it's nothin' but a Band of Gypsys.[5]
Hendrix's set began at 9 a.m. and lasted for about two hours; he played to a dwindling Monday morning audience.[5][6] The set closed the festival.[6]
Releases and omissions
The album, produced by the family-run Experience Hendrix, supersedes the 1994 Woodstock album produced by Alan Douglas, which contains fewer and more edited tracks.[7] As with the earlier release, the medley of "Gypsy Woman" with "Aware of Love" (both songs originally by the Impressions) and rhythm guitarist Larry Lee's composition "Mastermind" are not included.[5] Lee's solo on "Red House" and Mitch Mitchell's drum solo on "Jam Back at the House" have been edited. A two-disc DVD version of the performance was issued on September 13, 2005, and a single-disc Blu-ray version was issued on November 25, 2008.
Track listing
All songs were written by Jimi Hendrix, except where noted. Details are taken from the original Live at Woodstock MCA Records CD liner notes.[5] Other releases may show different information.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction" (spoken, no music) | 2:21 |
| 2. | "Message to Love" | 7:21 |
| 3. | "Hear My Train A Comin'" | 9:49 |
| 4. | "Spanish Castle Magic" | 7:05 |
| 5. | "Red House" | 5:24[8] |
| 6. | "Lover Man" | 5:11 |
| 7. | "Foxy Lady" | 5:06 |
| 8. | "Jam Back at the House" | 7:44[9] |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Izabella" | 6:42 |
| 2. | "Fire" | 3:42 |
| 3. | "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" | 13:40 |
| 4. | "Star Spangled Banner" (adapted by Hendrix) | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Purple Haze" | 4:23 |
| 6. | "Woodstock Improvisation" | 3:59 |
| 7. | "Villanova Junction" (Originally titled "Instrumental Solo" on Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More) | 4:28 |
| 8. | "Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) | 5:52 |
Personnel
- Jimi Hendrix – lead guitar, vocals
- Mitch Mitchell – drums
- Billy Cox – bass guitar
- Larry Lee – rhythm guitar
- Juma Sultan – percussion
- Jerry Velez – percussion
References
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock – Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- Moon, Tom. "Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock – Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 26, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Jimi Hendrix". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- Hendrix appeared on two American late-night television talk shows in July backed by studio musicians and Cox. McDermott, John; Kramer, Eddie; Cox, Billy (2009). Ultimate Hendrix. New York City: Backbeat Books. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-87930-938-1.
- Fricke, David (1999). Live at Woodstock (CD booklet). Jimi Hendrix. Universal City, California: MCA Records. p. 8. MCAD2-11987.
- Brattin, Joel (June 28, 2019). "Hendrix and Woodstock: 10 Little-Known Facts about the Performance That Defined the '60s". Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
- Anderson, Jason. "Jimi Hendrix: Woodstock – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
- Larry Lee's guitar solo was edited out (4:52) for this album
- Mitchell's drum solo was edited (from 2:12 to 0:47) for this album
