IFLTS: 'Machine Gun,' Band of Gypsys

Posted on Aug 6th 2008 2:00PM by Georgia Kral
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'Machine Gun,' Band of Gypsys
From 1969

Recorded live at the Fillmore East on New Years Eve, 1969, 'Machine Gun' is one of Jimi Hendrix's darker songs. One only need to note the graphic lyrics ("Evil man make me kill ya/Evil man make you kill me/Evil man make me kill you/Even though we're only families apart") and instrumental segments intended to sound similar to bombs, guns and explosions for proof. It's political at it's best.

But Hendrix didn' t do it alone. He had his band, Band of Gypsys --who formed after the dissolution of the Jimi Hendrix Experience -- along for the ride. With Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums, this fearsome threesome relied heavily on distortion, extended solos and harsh crooning vocals.

The song may be hard to listen in it's pure American chaos, but so help me if it isn't worth it.

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