The debut concert of Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys will be officially released for the first time on September 30.
Titled Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69, the album presents the group’s New Year’s Eve show at New York City’s Fillmore East. The band played two sets that night, and two more the next. While the second night’s performances were culled for 1970's Band of Gypsys album, the first night’s concerts were never released. Those shows marked the first public performance of Hendrix, bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles.“We decided that we couldn’t do any songs that had already been released,” Cox said in a statement about the concert. “We wanted to give [fans] something different. So we went at the project in a joyous, creative posture and ultimately developed the repertoire of the Band of Gypsys.”
All of Machine Gun’s tracks were mixed by producer Eddie Kramer, who worked on all of Hendrix’s major releases during the guitarist’s lifetime. Kramer mixed the album from the original eight-track master tapes. Machine Gun will be available on CD, SACD and vinyl and as a digital download. The album is available for pre-order on CD and vinyl (opens in new tab).
Below, you can hear “Power of Soul,” the first song the trio performed at its debut show.
