Midnight Lightning
| Midnight Lightning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by Jimi Hendrix | ||||
| Released | November 1975 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 35:58 | |||
| Label | Polydor, Reprise | |||
| Producer | Alan Douglas, Tony Bongiovi | |||
| Jimi Hendrix chronology | ||||
| ||||
Midnight Lightning is a posthumous compilation album by American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.[1] It was released in November 1975 by Reprise Records in the United States and Polydor Records in the United Kingdom.[2] It was the sixth studio album released after his death and the second to be produced by Alan Douglas and Tony Bongiovi. The songs used on the album consist of post-Jimi Hendrix Experience recordings that originally featured Billy Cox on bass and either Mitch Mitchell or Buddy Miles on drums.
Background
Douglas continued the 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 Mitchell's drumming on "Hear My Train". 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 reworkings of the popular live songs "Hear My Train" and "Machine Gun", the album was not as well received as its predecessor, peaking at number 43 in the US.[3] and number 46 in the UK.[4]
Critical reception
In a 1981 review, music critic Robert Christgau gave Midnight Lightning a "B+" and said that it was an improvement by Douglas over Crash Landing because of highlight instrumentals such as "Trash Man", overdubbed guitar from Jeff Mironov and Lance Quinn, and "the blues playing — as opposed to singing or writing".[5] AllMusic's Joe Viglione gave it three out of five stars and felt that the enduring quality of Hendrix's music was retained in spite of Douglas's "doctoring and musicians jamming with his art after the fact."[6]
Track listing
All tracks written by Jimi Hendrix, except where noted.
| Side one | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Trash Man" | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Midnight Lightning" | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Hear My Train" | 5:43 |
| 4. | "Gypsy Boy (New Rising Sun)" | 3:45 |
| Side two | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 5. | "Blue Suede Shoes" (Carl Perkins) | 3:29 |
| 6. | "Machine Gun" | 7:36 |
| 7. | "Once I Had a Woman" | 5:20 |
| 8. | "Beginnings" (Mitch Mitchell) | 3:02 |
Other appearances of songs
Most of the songs on Midnight Lightning appear on more recent Hendrix compilations without the Douglas-era overdubbing.
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, 4-8, percussion on tracks 3 and 4
- Bob Babbitt – bass guitar
- 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 guitar, Mitch Mitchell - drums
- Track 2 recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, New York on July 14, 1970. Billy Cox - bass guitar, Mitch Mitchell - drums, Juma Sultan - percussion
- Track 3 recorded at Olmstead Studios in New York City, New York on April 7, 1969. Noel Redding - bass guitar, Mitch Mitchell's drums were kept
- Track 4 recorded at the Record Plant in New York City, New York on March 18, 1969. Jimi Hendrix - bass guitar, Mitch Mitchell - drums
- Track 5 recorded at the Record Plant in New York City, New York on January 23, 1970. Billy Cox - bass guitar, Buddy Miles - drums
- Track 6 is a combination of several takes of "Machine Gun" and "Izabella", recorded at the Hit Factory in New York City, New York on August 29, 1969. Larry Lee - guitar, Billy Cox - bass guitar, 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 guitar, 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 guitar, Mitch Mitchell - drums, Juma Sultan - percussion, Gerrardo Velez - percussion
References
Footnotes
- ↑ Moskowitz 2010, p. 102.
- ↑ Moskowitz 2010, p. 165.
- ↑ Billboard album charts info - Jimi Hendrix Midnight Lightning at AllMusic. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ↑ "UK chart history - Jimi Hendrix Midnight Lightning". www.chartstats.com. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ↑ Christgau 1981, p. 175.
- ↑ Viglione, Joe. "Midnight Lightning - Jimi Hendrix". AllMusic. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
Bibliography
- Christgau, Robert (1981). Rock Albums of the '70s: A Critical Guide. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306804093. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- Moskowitz, David (2010). The Words and Music of Jimi Hendrix. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 0313375925. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- Shapiro, Harry; Caesar Glebbeek (1995-08-15) [1990-09-17]. "Appendix 1: Music, Sweet Music: The Discography". Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy (3rd ed.). New York: St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 547–8. ISBN 978-0-312-13062-6.
External links
- Midnight Lightning at Discogs (list of releases)
