Midnight Lightning

Midnight Lightning
Studio album by Jimi Hendrix
Released	November 1975 (1975-11)
Recorded	1969–1975
Genre	Psychedelic rock, blues rock, hard rock, funk rock, acid rock
Length	35:58
Label	Reprise
Producer	Alan Douglas, Tony Bongiovi
Jimi Hendrix chronology
Crash Landing (1975) Midnight Lightning (1975) Nine to the Universe (1980)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	B+[2]

Midnight Lightning is a posthumous ninth studio album by American guitarist Jimi Hendrix, released in November 1975. It was the sixth Hendrix studio album released after his death and the second to be produced by Alan Douglas. The songs used on the album consisted of post-Jimi Hendrix Experience recordings that originally featured Billy Cox on bass and either Mitch Mitchell or Buddy Miles on drums.

Douglas continued his controversial methods he had adopted on Crash Landing and brought in many of the same session musicians to overdub parts of songs. The only original recording (apart from those by Hendrix) was Mitch Mitchell's drumming on "Hear My Train A Comin'". In response to the previous outcry from fans and critics, Douglas did not claim co-writer credit for any songs on Midnight Lightning. Despite the fact that the album included staples such as "Hear My Train A Comin'" and "Machine Gun", the album was not as well received as its predecessor, peaking at #43 in the U.S.^[3] and #46 in the UK.^[4]

Other appearances of songs

The track "Midnight Lightning" dates from 1970. A live version of the song was recorded at the Isle of Wight Festival in August of that year and is available on the Isle of Wight album. "Hear My Train A Comin'" is a blues song written by Hendrix that dates from 1967. An acoustic version of the song appeared on Sound Track Recordings from the Film Jimi Hendrix which was the companion album to a 1973 documentary film. Hendrix performed the song at Woodstock and at a series of concerts in 1969/70 at the Fillmore East with the Band of Gypsys. Another live version was recorded on May 30, 1970, at the Berkeley Community Theater, and was later released on the 1971 Rainbow Bridge LP. The 1967 acoustic version and live 1970 version from Berkeley also appear on the 1994 compilation Blues. A studio version from February 1969 was included on the The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set from 2000. "Gypsy Boy" dates from Early 1970 and is similar to the song "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" from Rainbow Bridge, although it is over two minutes shorter in length. "Blue Suede Shoes" uses the basic track from January 1970 that was used on the 1974 album Loose Ends. However, the version from Midnight Lightning is presented as a completed track, whereas on Loose Ends (the song is preceded by some studio chat from Hendrix, instructing drummer Buddy Miles how he wants the drums to be played!), fades out shortly after it begins. The heavily overdubbed and edited Midnight Lightning version of the song is over 11 minutes long, due to the artificial extension of the track with repeated vocals and an added finishing section played entirely by the new session musicians. "Machine Gun" was an anti-war song that Hendrix wrote in 1969. He recorded versions of the song that August and debuted a version in September on The Dick Cavett Show. The song was regularly performed by Hendrix in concerts for the next year up until his death. "Once I Had a Woman", was not one of the songs identified by Hendrix as a candidate for his intended next album First Ray of the New Rising Sun. A longer edit of this song, with the original musicians (and without the added 1975 backing singers and musicians) was included on Blues. "Beginnings" is an instrumental track composed by Mitch Mitchell. A later version of this with just Hendrix, Cox and Mitchell was included on the posthumous 1972 War Heroes album.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Jimi Hendrix, except where noted. 

Musicians

• Jimi Hendrix – guitars, vocals
• Mitch Mitchell – drums on track 3

Added in 1975:

• Jeff Mironov – guitar on tracks 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8
• Lance Quinn – guitar on tracks 2, 4, 6 and 7
• Allan Schwartzberg – drums on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, percussion on tracks 3 and 4
• Bob Babbitt – bass
• Jimmy Maelen – percussion on tracks 2 and 8
• Maeretha Stewart – backing vocals on tracks 2, 4 and 7
• Barbara Massey – backing vocals on tracks 2, 4 and 7
• Vivian Cherry – backing vocals on tracks 2, 4 and 7
• Buddy Lucas – harmonica on track 7

Original recording details and wiped backing musicians

• Track 1 recorded at Olmstead Studios in New York City, New York on April 3 , 1969. Noel Redding - bass, Mitch Mitchell - drums
• Track 2 recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, New York on Jul. 14 , 1970. Billy Cox - bass, Mitch Mitchell - drums, Juma Sultan - percusiion
• Track 3 recorded at Olmstead Studios in New York City, New York on April 7 , 1969. Noel Redding - bass. Mitch Mitchell's drums were kept
• Track 4 recorded at the Record Plant in New York City, New York on January 16 , 1970. Jimi Hendrix - bass, Buddy Miles - drums
• Track 5 recorded at the Record Plant in New York City, New York on January 23 , 1970. Billy Cox - bass, Buddy Miles - drums
• Track 6 is a combination of several takes of Machine Gun and of Izabella, recorded at the Hit Factory in New York City, New York on August 29 , 1969. Larry Lee guitar, Billy Cox - bass, Mitch Mitchell - drums, Juma Sultan - percussion, Gerrardo Velez - percussion
• Track 7 recorded at the Record Plant in New York City, New York on January 23 , 1970. Billy Cox - bass, Buddy Miles - drums, Don [surname unknown] - harmonica
• Track 8 recorded at the Hit Factory in New York City, New York on August 28 , 1969. Larry Lee guitar, Billy Cox - bass, Mitch Mitchell - drums, Juma Sultan - percussion, Gerrardo Velez - percussion

References

• Shapiro, Harry; Caesar Glebbeek (1995-08-15). "Appendix 1: Music, Sweet Music: The Discography". Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy (3rd Edition ed.). New York: St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 547–8. ISBN 978-0-312-13062-6.