Thursday, June 15, 2023

Jimi Hendrix - Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window (1977) Bootleg

 (U.S 1963 - 1970)

This French compilation Bootleg is housed in a white jacket with a Pink and Black cover sheet. Other releases have featured Tan and Pale Green covers, while others feature Lemon with Black writing.   

"While other Jimi Hendrix Bootlegs focus on a particular concert, rehearsal, or studio session, 'Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?' is a collection Of odds and ends that spans 1967-1970. The Bootleg ranges from BBC broadcasts of The Jimi Hendrix Experience ("Burning Of The Midnight Lamp," "Drivin' South," And The Title Song) to studio rarities with The Band Of Gypsys (Including "Auld Lang Syne," and "Little Drummer Boy")

Note that the listed track "Silent Night" is not actually on this bootleg and is in fact introductory dialogue to the Ronnie Scott tracks - "Mother Earth" and "Tobacco Road". On these two tracks, Hendrix And Eric Burdon share the stage at the Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London only days before Hendrix's death on September 18, 1970. This bootleg also contains an interview with Paul McCartney, who briefly discusses Hendrix's contributions to the music scene. The Sound Quality on this LP ranges from Excellent to Poor, which isn't really recommended for casual listeners but is a must if you're a serious Hendrix fanatic." Alex Henderson, (All Music Guide).

Jimi with Eric Burdon & War
Jimi's Last Stage Performance

Eric Burdon and War were continuing a week residency at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club on Wednesday, 16th September in 1970. Jimi and Monika Danneman watched as they played their recent hits of "Paint It Black", "Spill The Wine" and "Train". After the interval Jimi decided to sit in with the group on "Mother Earth" and "Tobacco Road". Jimi loved to jam like this, just playing quietly in the background, playing mostly Rhythm guitar. Eric Burdon later told Rolling Stone "He really got into Tobacco Road".

Sadly, this was to be the last time that Jimi Hendrix would ever play his guitar in public. [Extract from Jimi Hendrix: The Concert Files by Tony Brown, Omnibus Press, 1999. p175]

I remember purchasing this bootleg from a Trash & Treasure Market in Fawkner - Melbourne, back in the 80's for the pricey sum of $9. I originally thought it was a TMOQ release with its basic two tone cover, until I opened it up to find a Dragonfly labelled vinyl. I already had the BBC recordings multiple times on other bootlegs in my collection (see Never Fade, Guitar Hero) but was drawn to the live Ronnie Scott recordings and the three Band Of Gypsy's studio tracks. Although disappointed with the quality of the live recordings, I found them to be intriguing - if not just because they represented the last thing that Jimi recorded before his death. I was particularly intrigued to find the newspaper article (see below) titled 'Jimi's last gig - by Burdon' and found it to be fascinating reading. I have included a copy of this in my post.

I wasn't surprised either when I realised that there were only two Band Of Gypsy tracks (not three as stated), as I'd already come across other bootlegs with misinformation on their covers. The sound quality of these two track are good.

As an avid Hendrix collector, this bootleg still stands as an important component in my vinyl collection, even with its flaws. I hope you take the time to have a listen and accept it for what it is: a brief snippet of Jimi's genius.

This post contains FLACS ripped from my pristine vinyl and have removed the occasional crackle and pop that came with this bootleg quality vinyl.
 
Side One:
01 Auld Lang Syne (Band of Gypsies) - Studio
02 Interview With Alan Douglas
03 Little Drummer Boy (Band of Gypsies) - Studio
04 Silent Night (Band of Gypsies)
05 Mother Earth (Jimi Hendrix with Eric Burdon and War)
06 Interview with Paul McCartney
Side Two:
01 Burning The Midnight Lamp (Experience)- Live on BBC
02 Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? (Experience)- Live on BBC
03 Drivin' South (Experience)- Live on BBC
04 Tobacco Road (Jimi Hendrix with Eric Bourdon and War)


Eric Burdon and War:
Eric Burdon – vocals
Jimi Hendrix – guitar
Howard Scott – guitar
Dee Allen – percussion
Harold Brown – drums
B.B.Dickerson – bass
Lonnie Jordan – organ & piano
Charles Miller – sax & flute
Lee Oskar – harmonica


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