Jimi Hendrix - Johnny B. Goode [EP]: 8 (A-)

Weird little live hodgepodge release, which is actually the soundtrack to a 1986 video. It's an EP marketed, as is often the case, as a "mini-album" and contains music appearing on other releases: an edited version of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" later appearing in full on Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival, "All Along the Watchtower" and a short rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" from the same release/show, "Machine Gun" later appearing on Live at Berkeley, and the title track taken from the first show on the same date at Berkeley, which is not on the former release, but had already been released on Hendrix in the West.

Breaking this all down, who needs a short rendition of the national anthem, when the classic, longer version is on the Woodstock albums, and presumably one already had Hendrix in the West (as I do) at the time. The truncated "Voodoo Child" from Atlanta seems to be a kind of sacrilege, and so that leaves you with the 11-minute "Machine Gun" from Berkeley and the 4-minute "Watchtower" cover from Atlanta. Given that the latter is a cover that has been done to death (and in my view is not that good here), is this worth it for the "Machine Gun"? While that track is clearly the centerpiece of the EP, I don't think it justifies the purchase. I did listen to the whole thing three times, after stitching together a temporary Spotify playlist, to see how it flowed and to be able to grade it with integrity, although I had to use the full version of "Voodoo Child" (really not sure how they cut it down to 4:30, without taking out parts in the middle of the song). In my view, it does not flow stupendously, which it would have to in order to make this a compelling addition. Still, I do like the live EP concept for Hendrix. Live at Berkeley is on my listen list, and so I also might end up getting this version of "Machine Gun" as part of that release, especially if the rest of the show is near that level. I tend to like live Hendrix more when he stretches out and isn't trying so hard to be incendiary.