Disc of the day
Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
From Sheffield, synth pop and funk to stick it to Thatcher. Currently being played live!
Features Disc of the day
Buddy Miles
Them Changes
(Mercury, 1970)
Is this what Hendrix had in mind?
Having served his apprenticeship as a jobbing guitarist on the US chitlin circuit, honing soul, blues and R&B licks to perfection, Jimi Hendrix’s freak flag flew in the UK when he found drummer Mitch Mitchell, his perfect, expansive percussion partner. When their exceptional empathy and telepathy frayed, a consequence of an exhausting touring schedule, Hendrix lighted on Buddy Miles as the drummer to take his music to the next phase. A funkier, more solidly in-the-pocket drummer Hendrix had met during his Stateside apprenticeship, Miles was far less likely to spiral off into extensive extemporisations and offered a more grounded alternative direction, a return to those R&B/soul roots as exemplified on Miles’s funk standard Them Changes. Also, someone to help with the lead vocals and take on a greater burden of composition – Miles had been a singer/drummer/songwriter in Electric Flag, the multi-racial Chicago blues-rock band.
After Hendrix’s death dissolved Band Of Gypsys, Miles relaunched his solo career, and in 1970 used his best song to date as the title and lead track. It’s the best thing here – it would be the best thing on most records – although his version of Rufus Thomas’s Memphis Train is fun and the instrumental Paul B. Allen, Omaha, Nebraska, a feature for organist Andre Lewis and the guitarist Marlo Henderson (soon to join Stevie Wonder’s exceptional Wonderlove band) is pretty fine. Energetic, enthusiastic, Miles was the epitome of the drummer as reliable, rooted timekeeper. All he lacked was a Jimi Hendrix. But then, didn’t we all.
Geoff Brown
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 28/11/2008
Further Listening
Electric Flag – A Long Time Comin’ (CBS, 1968)
Jimi Hendrix/Band Of Gypsys – Band Of Gypsys (Capitol, 1970)
Santana – Freedom (CBS, 1978)
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i was there in his room after a session at record plant he brought paulette and myself ron blanco to hear them changes in his room at the sheraton hotel opposite madison square garden
pauttele my wife at the time was working the front desk. hendrix and buddy where playing together i said where is the bass player ? well hendrix was playing the bass lines and doing lead from a hamon organ speaker box it sounded unbelievable
well god bless buddy he was a nice man
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