The recordings are from Hendix’s post-Experience group Band of Gypsys, formed by Hendrix with drummer and singer Buddy Miles and bassist Billy Cox, who he knew from his days in the army.
The five-CD and eight-LP collection showcases the four concerts that served as the world’s introduction to the band. Presenting the shows in their entirety, the box set will also feature more than two dozen tracks that never appeared in full on their commercially available recordings.
The recordings featured on Songs for Groovy Children will be from concerts at the legendary New York Club, two sets each on New Year’s Eve 1969 and New Year’s Day 1970. Departing from the psychedelia of the Experience, the sound of Band of Gypsys leans toward heavy funk and jazz.
The first set consisted of mainly new material, but the man himself managed to sneak in some classics like “Hey Joe”, “Purple Haze” and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” into later sets.
Songs for Groovy Children will be released on November 22, bringing all four of the New York Club shows together. Unedited, Hendrix’s engineer Eddie Kramer will be giving the tracks a new mix to bring them to life.
The recordings will come packaged with a book that contains liner notes by Cox and author Nelson George, as well as photos by Fillmore East house photographer Amalie Rothschild, Jan Blom and Marc Franklin, a representative for Marshall Amplifiers who was hanging out in the dressing room.
If you’re itching to get your ears around this one, here’s some good news – all pre-orders will come with an immediate download of “Message to Love” from the second set on New Year’s Eve.
Check out the full track listing below:
Jimi Hendrix, ‘Songs for Groovy Children: The Fillmore East Concerts’
Disc One – December 31, 1969, First Set
1. “Power of Soul”
2. “Lover Man”
3. “Hear My Train A Comin’”
4. “Changes”
5. “Izabella”
6. “Machine Gun”
7. “Stop”
8. “Ezy Ryder”
9. “Bleeding Heart”
10. “Earth Blues”
11. “Burning Desire”
Disc Two – December 31, 1969, Second Set
1. “Auld Lang Syne”
2. “Who Knows”
3. “Fire”
4. “Ezy Ryder”
5. “Machine Gun”
6. “Stone Free”
7. “Changes”
8. “Message to Love”
9. “Stop”
10. “Foxey Lady”
Disc Three – Januanry 1, 1970, First Set
1. “Who Knows”
2. “Machine Gun”
3. “Changes”
4. “Power of Soul”
5. “Stepping Stone”
6. “Foxey Lady”
7. “Stop”
8. “Earth Blues”
9. “Burning Desire”
Disc Four – January 1, 1970, Second Set
1. “Stone Free”
2. “Power of Soul”
3. “Changes”
4. “Message to Love”
5. “Machine Gun”
6. “Lover Man”
7. “Steal Away”
8. “Earth Blues”
Disc Five – January 1, 1970, Second Set
1. “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”
2. “We Gotta Live Together”
3. “Wild Thing”
4. “Hey Joe”
5. “Purple Haze”
Pre-orders available via the Jimi Hendrix website.
