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) Re-Experienced (1975)

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

Like Crash Landing, the origin of the songs used for Midnight Lightning is somewhat murky. The track "Midnight Lightning" appears to date 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 soundtrack 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. Specific information about the track that appears on Midnight Lightning is unclear, though a studio version from February 1969 was included on the The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set from 2000. "Gypsy Boy" likely dates from 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" appears to use 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 complete version of the song is over 11 minutes long, which included a harmonica player. "Machine Gun" was an anti-war song that Hendrix wrote in 1969. He played elements of the song at Woodstock that August and debuted a proper 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. It is not clear if this version of "Machine Gun" is based on a legitimate studio recording, a demo tape, or a live performance, since no other studio version of the song has ever been released. Little information also exists about "Once I Had a Woman", as it 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, slower version of this song was also included on Blues, though it is unclear if this is an extended version of the Midnight Lightning track (without backing vocals and some of the instruments added in 1975) or a completely separate take. "Beginnings" is an instrumental track composed by Mitch Mitchell which is similar to the track of the same name from the posthumous 1972 War Heroes album.

Track listing

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

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Trashman"	3:15
2.	"Midnight Lightning"	3:49
3.	"Hear My Train A Comin'"	5:43
4.	"Gypsy Boy"	3:45

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Blue Suede Shoes" (Carl Perkins)	3:29
2.	"Machine Gun"	7:36
3.	"Once I Had a Woman"	5:20
4.	"Beginnings" (Mitch Mitchell)	3:02

Personnel

• 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

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 9780312130626. 

1. ^ Viglione, Joe (2011 [last update]). "Midnight Lightning - Jimi Hendrix | AllMusic". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r9226. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
2. ^ Christgau, Robert (2011 [last update]). "Robert Christgau: Album: Jimi Hendrix: Midnight Lightning". robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=7002. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
3. ^ Billboard album charts info - Jimi Hendrix Midnight Lightning at Allmusic. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
4. ^ "UK chart history - Jimi Hendrix Midnight Lightning". www.chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=38022. Retrieved 5 September 2011.