Midnight Lightning
Midnight Lightning | ||||
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Compilation album by Jimi Hendrix | ||||
Released | November 1975 (1975-11) | |||
Recorded | 1968–1970; 1975 (overdubs) | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 35:58 | |||
Label | Polydor (UK) Reprise (US) | |||
Producer | Alan Douglas, Tony Bongiovi | |||
Jimi Hendrix chronology | ||||
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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 US and Polydor Records in the UK.[1] It was the second to be produced by Alan Douglas and Tony Bongiovi and contains demo-type recordings that were overdubbed with musicians who had never played with Hendrix. Despite including reworkings of the popular live songs "Hear My Train" and "Machine Gun", the album was not as well received as its predecessor, peaking at numbers 43 in the US[2] and 46 in the UK.[3]
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.[4] The only original recording (apart from those by Hendrix) was Mitchell's drumming on "Hear My Train".[4] In response to the previous outcry from fans and critics, Douglas did not claim co-writer credit for any songs on Midnight Lightning. After Experience Hendrix secured the rights to Hendrix's recordings in 1997, original versions of the tracks have been released on further albums and boxsets.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
Christgau's Record Guide | B+[5] |
In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau regarded Midnight Lightning as 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 later said the enduring quality of Hendrix's music was retained in spite of Douglas's "doctoring and musicians jamming with his art after the fact."[4]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jimi Hendrix, except where noted
No. | Title | Post-Douglas release(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Trash Man" | Hear My Music Valleys of Neptune (Target edition) | 3:15 |
2. | "Midnight Lightning" | 3:49 | |
3. | "Hear My Train" | Valleys of Neptune[6] | 5:43 |
4. | "Gypsy Boy (New Rising Sun)" | People, Hell and Angels[7] | 3:45 |
No. | Title | Post-Douglas release(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Blue Suede Shoes" (Carl Perkins) | 3:29 | |
2. | "Machine Gun" | 7:36 | |
3. | "Once I Had a Woman" | Blues | 5:20 |
4. | "Beginnings" (Mitch Mitchell) | First Rays of the New Rising Sun | 3:02 |
Personnel
- Jimi Hendrix – guitars, vocals
- Mitch Mitchell – drums on "Hear My Train"
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
References
- ^ a b Moskowitz, David (2010). The Words and Music of Jimi Hendrix. ABC-CLIO. pp. 102, 165. ISBN 978-0313375927. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ "Jimi Hendrix: Chart history". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "Jimi Hendrix". Official Charts. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Viglione, Joe. "Jimi Hendrix: Midnight Lightning - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: H". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 26, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Valleys of Neptune uses the title "Hear My Train A Comin'".
- ^ People Hell and Angels uses the title "Hey Gypsy Boy".
External links
- Midnight Lightning at Discogs (list of releases)
- v
- t
- e
- Are You Experienced
- Axis: Bold as Love
- Electric Ladyland
- The Cry of Love
- Rainbow Bridge
- War Heroes
- Loose Ends
- Crash Landing
- Midnight Lightning
- Nine to the Universe
- Voodoo Soup
- First Rays of the New Rising Sun
- South Saturn Delta
- Valleys of Neptune
- People, Hell and Angels
- Both Sides of the Sky
- Band of Gypsys
- Historic Performances Recorded at the Monterey International Pop Festival
- Experience
- Isle of Wight
- Hendrix in the West
- More Experience
- The Jimi Hendrix Concerts
- Jimi Plays Monterey
- Johnny B. Goode
- Band of Gypsys 2
- Live at Winterland
- Radio One
- Stages
- Live Isle of Wight '70
- Woodstock
- BBC Sessions
- Live at the Fillmore East
- Live at Woodstock
- Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight
- Live at Berkeley
- Live at Monterey
- Winterland
- Miami Pop Festival
- Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival
- Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show
- Songs for Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts
- Live in Maui
- Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969
retrospective
albums
- Smash Hits
- Soundtrack Recordings from the Film Jimi Hendrix
- The Essential Jimi Hendrix
- The Essential Jimi Hendrix Volume Two
- The Singles Album
- Kiss the Sky
- Live & Unreleased: The Radio Show
- Cornerstones: 1967–1970
- Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story
- The Ultimate Experience
- Blues
- South Saturn Delta
- Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
- The Singles Collection
- Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Jimi Hendrix
- West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology
- Fire: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
and tributes
- Rainbow Bridge
- Jimi Hendrix
- Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
- Hendrix
- Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix
- Room Full of Mirrors
- An Illustrated Experience
- Becoming Jimi Hendrix
- Jimi: All Is by My Side
and acts
- Curtis Knight
- Lonnie Youngblood
- Jimmy James and the Blue Flames
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Noel Redding
- Mitch Mitchell
- Chas Chandler
- Eddie Kramer
- Roger Mayer
- Michael Jeffery
- Billy Cox
- Buddy Miles
- Alan Douglas
- Leon Hendrix
- Kathy Etchingham
- Monika Dannemann
- Category