"Bleeding Heart" | |
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Single by Elmore James | |
A-side |
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Released | April 1965 |
Recorded | late February –early March 1961 |
Studio | Beltone, New York City |
Genre | Blues |
Length | 2:37 |
Label | Enjoy |
Songwriter(s) | Elmore James |
Producer(s) | Bobby Robinson |
"Bleeding Heart" (sometimes listed as "(My) Bleeding Heart") is a song written and recorded by American blues musician Elmore James in 1961. Considered "among the greatest of James' songs", [1] "Bleeding Heart" was later popularized by Jimi Hendrix, who recorded several versions of the song.
"Bleeding Heart" is a slow-tempo twelve-bar blues that features Elmore James' vocal and slide guitar. It was recorded during one of his last recording sessions and has session musicians providing accompaniment, instead of James' regular band the "Broomdusters". According to producer Bobby Robinson, it was his idea to record James with a "big band sound" and to hire band leader Paul Williams to arrange the horn section. [2] The song contains some of James' more memorable verses: [3]
People, people, people, you know what it means to be left alone (2×)
No letter today, not even a call on my telephone ...
Misunderstanding and a no-good woman
They have both caused my heart to bleed
Although recorded in 1961, "Bleeding Heart" was not released until 1965, two years after James' death. It was first issued as the B-side to the first pressing of "It Hurts Me Too", [4] which became a Billboard R&B chart hit and made an appearance in the pop chart. "Bleeding Heart" was later released with "Mean Mistreatin' Mama". [5] These single versions were edited to 2:37; a 3:05 version later appeared on the Elmore James Memorial Album and various compilation albums, sometimes with the title "(My) Bleeding Heart".
Personnel
"Bleeding Heart" | ||||
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Single by Jimi Hendrix | ||||
from the album Valleys of Neptune | ||||
B-side |
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Released |
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Recorded | April 24, 1969 | |||
Studio | Record Plant, New York City | |||
Genre | Funk rock | |||
Length | 6:20 | |||
Label | Legacy | |||
Songwriter(s) | Elmore James | |||
Producer(s) | Jimi Hendrix | |||
Jimi Hendrix singles chronology | ||||
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Jimi Hendrix, who frequently cited Elmore James as an influence, recorded several different arrangements of "Bleeding Heart". An early performance with Hendrix on vocal and guitar, which follows James' version, was recorded with Curtis Knight and the Squires in 1965 or 1966. In 1968, a live version of the song was recorded at a jam session at the Scene Club in New York and later released on several bootleg and gray-market albums, including Bleeding Heart . Hendrix used some new lyrics, but the performance was marred by "a very drunken Jim Morrison ... burbling a combination of lyrics and obscenities over the jamming musicians" [6] for half of the song.
On February 24, 1969, a live version was performed by the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Royal Albert Hall for possible inclusion in a concert film. The film has not been released, although "Bleeding Heart" appeared on a purported soundtrack album Experience . Hendrix with the Band of Gypsys recorded a live version of "Bleeding Heart" on December 31, 1969 at the Fillmore East in New York. It appears on Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show (2016). [7]
In 1969, Hendrix recorded at least three different studio arrangements of "Bleeding Heart" at the Record Plant in New York that showed Hendrix moving away from an Elmore James-style blues arrangement and using different backing musicians [8] –a more modern blues recorded March 18 appeared on Blues ; an uptempo version recorded April 24 that is featured on his 2010 posthumous studio album Valleys of Neptune ; and a slower funk-influenced version recorded May 21 which is included on People, Hell and Angels .
With Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell, the basic track for a new studio version which moved even further away from the blues was completed March 24, 1970 at the Record Plant, with additional recording at the recently finished Electric Lady Studios in June 1970. Further developments to the song were made and a rough mix was prepared by Hendrix and engineer Eddie Kramer. This version was later remixed by Kramer and released on the 1972 album War Heroes and later on South Saturn Delta .
The Valleys of Neptune version was released as the second single from the album on March 1 (digital download) and March 8, 2010 (7-inch single) and is backed with a previously unreleased version of the song "Peace in Mississippi". [9] An alternative single was released that includes "Jam 292" from the Dagger Records album Hear My Music (2004). [10] The music video for "Bleeding Heart", directed by Julien Temple, debuted on Spotify on February 25, 2010. [11]
Personnel
Single version:
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music".
Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and bandleader. He was known as "King of the Slide Guitar" and was noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice. For his contributions to music, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
Edwin H. Kramer is a South African-English recording producer and engineer. He has collaborated with several artists now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including the Beatles, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, the Kinks, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp, and Carlos Santana.
"Little Wing" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967. It is a slower tempo, rhythm and blues-inspired ballad featuring Hendrix's vocal and guitar with recording studio effects accompanied by bass, drums, and glockenspiel. Lyrically, it is one of several of his songs that reference an idealized feminine or guardian angel-like figure. At about two and a half minutes in length, it is one of his most concise and melodically focused pieces.
Band of Gypsys is a live album by Jimi Hendrix and the first without his original group, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was recorded on January 1, 1970, at the Fillmore East in New York City with Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums, frequently referred to as the Band of Gypsys. The album mixes funk and rhythm and blues elements with hard rock and jamming, an approach which later became the basis of funk rock. It contains previously unreleased songs and was the last full-length Hendrix album released before his death.
George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr., was an American rock drummer, vocalist, composer, and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–1970), founder and leader of the Buddy Miles Express and later, the Buddy Miles Band. Miles also played and recorded with Carlos Santana and others. Additionally, he sang lead vocals on the critically and commercially acclaimed "California Raisins" claymation TV commercials and recorded two California Raisins R&B albums.
Blues is a compilation album of blues-style songs recorded by American musician Jimi Hendrix. Compiled by interim Hendrix producer Alan Douglas, it was released April 26, 1994, by MCA Records. The album contains eleven songs recorded by Hendrix between 1966 and 1970, six of which were previously unreleased. Hendrix wrote seven of the pieces; others include Muddy Waters, Booker T. Jones, and Elmore James. Most are demos, jams, and live recordings, which Hendrix may or may not have completed for release.
"Red House" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and one of the first songs recorded in 1966 by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It has the musical form of a conventional twelve-bar blues and features Hendrix's guitar playing. He developed the song prior to forming the Experience and was inspired by earlier blues songs.
"Voodoo Chile" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and recorded in 1968 for the third Jimi Hendrix Experience album Electric Ladyland. It is based on the Muddy Waters blues song "Rollin' Stone", but with original lyrics and music. At 15 minutes, it is Hendrix's longest studio recording and features additional musicians in what has been described as a studio jam.
South Saturn Delta is a posthumous compilation album by American rock musician Jimi Hendrix. Released in 1997 by Experience Hendrix, it consists of material such as demo tapes, unfinished takes and alternate mixes, and previously released material, most of which Hendrix had been working on prior to his death in 1970.
"Stone Free" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and the second song recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It has been described as a "counterculture anthem, with its lyrics praising the footloose and fancy-free life", which reflected Hendrix's restless lifestyle. Instrumentally, the song has a strong rhythmic drive provided by drummer Mitch Mitchell with harmonic support by bassist Noel Redding. "Stone Free" was issued on December 16, 1966, as the B-side of the Experience's first UK single "Hey Joe" and later included on the Smash Hits compilation album.
"Mercy, Mercy" is a soul song first recorded by American singer/songwriter Don Covay in 1964. It established Covay's recording career and influenced later vocal and guitar styles. The songwriting is usually credited to Covay and Ron Alonzo Miller, although other co-writers' names have also appeared on various releases.
"One Way Out" is a blues song first recorded and released in the early-mid-1960s by Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James, an R&B hit under a different name for G.L. Crockett in the mid-1960s, and then popularized to rock audiences in the early 1970s and onward by The Allman Brothers Band.
Bleeding Heart is one of several names given to albums of a 1968 jam session with Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and others. The albums were fashioned from an informal two-track tape recording made by Hendrix which was subsequently stolen from his apartment. The jam took place at the Scene, a nightclub club in New York City, and various dates and participants have been suggested. Although it presents a unique setting, critics and biographers have generally found fault with the sound quality and Morrison's performance.
"Stepping Stone" is a song by American musician Jimi Hendrix. Written and produced by Hendrix, he recorded it early in 1970 with the short-lived Band of Gypsys lineup of Hendrix, Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. The song, with "Izabella", was released as a single by Reprise Records on April 8, 1970. It was the last single released by Hendrix before his death. Other versions are included on posthumous albums.
"Ezy Ryder" is a funk rock-style song written and recorded by American musician Jimi Hendrix. It is one of the few studio recordings to include both Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox on bass, with whom Hendrix recorded the live Band of Gypsys album (1970).
"Hear My Train A Comin'" is a blues-based song written by Jimi Hendrix. Lyrically, it was inspired by earlier American spirituals and blues songs which use a train metaphor to represent salvation. Hendrix recorded the song in live, studio, and impromptu settings several times between 1967 and 1970, but never completed it to his satisfaction.
"Peace in Mississippi" is an instrumental by Jimi Hendrix. The version included on Voodoo Soup is the original version of the song, as recorded by Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding in 1968, and different from the version of "Peace in Mississippi" included on Crash Landing, in which Mitchell's and Redding's contributions were supplanted by overdubbed drum and bass parts performed by other musicians in 1975; the version on Crash Landing also includes overdubbed guitar and percussion parts performed in 1975. In addition, the version on Voodoo Soup is about a minute longer than the one on Crash Landing. The version of "Peace in Mississippi" included on the Valleys of Neptune CD single, that was sold exclusively at Walmart, has the unedited version of the song, and so does the B-side of the 2010 release of Hendrix's version of Elmore James's "Bleeding Heart".
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