Sunday 27 August 1967
London, (Brian Epstein’s) Saville Theatre, Soho, England
First live recordings of ‘Red House’, ‘Fire’, ‘I Don’t Live Today’ & only live recording of ‘Summer Time Blues’

[Aud = Audience]

MC : [tape fades in] …now we’ve the star of tonight’s show, here he is Ladies and   
        Gentlemen ‘The Jimi Hendrix Experience’, oh, yeah, come on…

1. SUMMERTIME BLUES (Edward ‘Eddie’ Cochran)

Hey

Well, I’m gonna raise a fuss 
Oh, well I’m gonna raise a ho-oller…

[tape fade out]

…earn a do-ollar

Well, then I go to find my baby 
Try to get a date
The boss said “No dice son, you’ve gotta work late”
Sometimes I wonder what I’m a gonna do
But there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues

Well my Mom and Poppa told me “Son, you’ve gotta make some money,
If you wanna get the car to go a riding next Sunday”
Hey…

[Tape fade out]

 ...I was sick 
You didn’t get the car ‘cause you didn’t work a lick’
Sometimes I wonder what I’m a gonna do
There ain’t no cure for the summer time…

[tape fade out]

Jimi : …they’ve gone to The Colonies, as you call them. Is that right? The Colonies? Heh-heh, Yeah, okay then. 
Aud : [Laughter]
Noel: Ah! oh! ah! oh-ho-ho!
Jimi : ‘Flower Power’ with Noel heh-heh. Dig, man, this ‘Flower Power’ will not get you up a hill if you run out of gas, will it huh-huh. It’s out of sight though, I dig it, hmm, heh-heh, beautiful, like to do this song called ‘Let Me Stand Next To Your Old Lady’. I mean ‘Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire’, Amen. One, two…

2. FIRE  [Backing vocal - Noel]

Oh, all right, baby, dig this now

That’s me singin’

You don’t care for me, I don’t-uh care about that  
You’ve got a new fool, hah, I like to laugh at
I have only one-uh, burnin’ desire
Let me stand next to your fire

(Let me stand next to your fire) Hey, let me stand
(Let me stand next to your fire) Oh, let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire) I won’t do you no harm
(Let me stand next to your fire) Hey

Get over here and stop acting so crazy
You say your mom ain’t home, it ain’t my concern
Just don’t play with me and you won’t get burned
I have only one-uh, itchin’ desire
Let me stand next to your… [plays whammy bend] 
(Let me stand next to your fire) Hey, hey
(Let me stand next to your fire) Oh, let me stand, baby
(Let me stand next to your fire) Oh let me stand
(Let me stand next to your fire) Hey
….talkin’ to you 
You know what I’m talkin’ about 
Oh, yeah

[Solo]

[Tape fade out]

Jimi: Right now we’d like to-uh slow it down a little bit, and dedicate it to a girl’s name uh, 
we wrote a song ‘specially for a girl who’s named Gertrude and vow to get a [whispered] woman and-uh, what is it-uh, Miss Anne* and Lucy. Do a song called ‘The Wind Cries Mary’… 

*Also mentiond later by Mr. Wiggles in a drag queen style of voice during the Paul Caruso “Dirty Tape” rap, 
 in New York, March 1968

3. THE WIND CRIES MARY

After all the Jacks are in their boxes
And the clowns have a-all gone to bed
You can hear happiness 
Staggering on down the street
Footprints dressed in red
And the wi-ind it cries, “Mary”

A broom is drearily sweeping
Up the broken pieces of yesterdays life
Somewhere a Queen is weeping
Somewhe-ere a King has no wife
And the wind it cries, “Mary”

[Solo]

[Tape fade out]

Jimi: …she’s like “Can you comb my hair?” Nobody can comb my hair, I can’t even comb 
my hair, lady, dig, we got another song named ‘Foxy Lady’ [starts feedback intro]…No, I think I’ll try one more time again …
Aud : [Laughter]…

4. FOXY LADY  [Backing vocal - Noel]

Now, you know you’re a cute little heart breaker, Darlin’
(Foxy) 
And you know you’re a sweet little love maker 
(Foxy)
I wanna take you home, hey
I won’t do you no ha-arm
You’ve got to be all mine, all mine
Ooh! foxy lady

I see you, I’m down on the scene
(Foxy)
You make me, wanna get up and scream
(Oh, Foxy)
I’ve made up my mind
I’m tired of wastin’ all my, precious ti-ime
You’ve got to be all mine, all mine
Ooh! foxy lady 

[Tape fade out]

Jimi: Dig, we’d like to mo-move on, and do a little thing, slightly by Muddy Waters. Now 
don’t panic. We’d like to do this song of our own way, and-uh, ‘cause I can’t remember words huh, and-uh, [loud buzzing noise] it’s a little thing, on a very [buzzing stops] embarrassing situation 
Aud: [Laughter] 
Jimi: a very, very silly little blues, simple little blues, well silly ha-ha, like to do it for everybody here, dig it…[crunching & clicking electronic noise] Move up and hold on to it
Girl  : I am 
Aud : [Laughter, somebody whistling] 
Jimi: Singer songwriter, celebrating Winnie The Pooh’s birthday huh, it’s been around 
         from-since 1926, never forget Winnie The Pooh, he’s been with you…
Girl  : Oh Jimi! I’ll crown you
[?]   : Shut up [
Aud : [Laughter]

5. CATFISH BLUES *

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah
Well, I wish, I was a catfish
Swimmin’ i-in, Lo-ord, the deep blue sea
I’d have-uh all you pretty woman, yeah
Fishin’ after me, fishin’ after me, fishin’ after me
Woa yea-ah, woa yeah, woa yeah, sure ‘nough …

[Tape fade out]

Yeah
Well, there’s two, two trains runnin’-uh
But there’s now none, Lo-ord, is goin’ my way
You know there’s-uh one train runnin’ at midnight 
Other one leaves just ‘fore day, leaves just ‘fore day-ay
I said “Oh, yeah, sure ‘nough it does”
“Oh, yeah, yeah, sure ‘nough” 

Yeah 

[Drum solo (faded out)]

[Tape fade out]

*First verse from  Muddy Waters ‘Rollin’ Stone’ , last from his ‘Still A Fool’ both songs are themselves 
  variations of other blues songs 

Jimi: Right now we have-uh potential programme directors up the front, I’ll tell ‘em, right 
here. You don’t mind if I make a few projections that we’re not gonna play right now, ‘cause we-ha-ha had our program arranged already, okay, baby [strums guitar loudly] 
Aud : [Laughter] 
Jimi: Right now we’d like to go ahead an’ do-uh ‘I Don’t Live Today’ dedicated to the American Indian. If one, two. One, two, three, four…

6. I DON’T LIVE TODAY [Dedicated to the (Native) American “Indians”. Backing vocal - Noel]

Will I live tomorrow? well I just ca-an’t say
Will I live tomorrow-wo-ow? well I just ca-an’t say 
Well, I know for su-ure, I don’t live today

No sun comin’ through my window
Feel like I’m livin’ at the bottom of a grave 
No-o sun comin’ through my window
Feel like I’m livin’ at the bottom of a grave
I wish you’d hurry up and execute me
So I can be on my miserable way

I do-on’t, live today 
(I do-on’t, live today)
Maybe tomorrow, I just can’t tell you, baby
I do-on’t, live toda-ay
(I do-on’t, live today)
Such a waste of time

[Tape fade out]

Yeah, there ain’t no life nowhere in this world

[Tape fade out]

Noel: ? Thank you very much
Jimi : Thank you very much… Right now we’ve Noel Redding, better known as-uh… 
Noel: Ha-ha-ha
Jimi : …heh-ha-ha, Bob Dylan’s grandmother [tuning], we’d like to feature him on the 1836* type of electric guitar [tuning], made by Benjamin Franklin1 [tuning] and do a little song named ‘Red House’, you don’t mind. [tuning]. Oh yes, it’s a certain time right now, I’d like to say, it’s toon up time, so if you just hang on one second [tuning, sings], aah, aah [tuning] ‘A’ with [….?]  [tuning] aah, aah, aah if I could hit this note, man, I got me a toon you know. [tuning] Yeah, okay, remember that, [strum] little thing called ‘Red House’.
Noel: A ‘B’
Jimi : Fuck, yeah, I’m gonna sit down 
Aud : [Laughter]
Jimi : Sittin’ down on the floor is fun, you’re sittin’ down, ain’t you 
Aud : [Laughter]
Noel: Can’t afford a strap, pretty well 
Aud : [Laughter]
Jimi : Testing, one, two, three…I get none of it, let’s get into a little funky mood yeah, 
          [sings] mm-hmm-mm, we asked the man for blues. Everybody ready? One, two, 
          three… 

*First recorded mention of Jimi referring to some of his early singles and songs off his first LP (most 
 frequently either ‘Red House’ or ‘Hey Joe’) as being recorded a long time ago (usually over a hundred years 
 ago), or in this case Noel and his guitar. Possibly a reference to Elmore James’ strange 1954 song ‘1839 
 Blues’ which starts with him singing in a weird voice: 

 “Hey Joe… you know I’m a young man this time
 And you know I ain’t seen my baby since 1839
 I got to find her. What you say?”
….
1 First recorded mention of Jimi referring to Benjamin Franklin. ‘Benjamins’ is  slang for hundred dollar bills &     
  therefore making lot’s of money. This is the highest denomination dollar bill and is graced with Franklin’s 
  portrait. He experimented with electricity, played the guitar, invented an ethereal spooky sounding 
 instrument the ‘armonica’ - a revolutionary development of the ‘glass harmonica’, and was one of the leading 
 American revolutionists, second only to George Washington

7. RED HOUSE

Yeah

All right then, chile

Yeah

There’s a red house over yonder 
That’s where my baby stay, yeah
Lord, there’s a red house way over yonder 
That’s where my baby stay, yeah, talkin’ now
Well I ain’t been home to see my baby, yeah
‘Round about a-is the one you pick 
Ninety nine and one half days *

Now wait a minute, wait a minute somethin’s wrong
The key won’t unlock the door
Wait a minute somethin’s wrong, baby
Lord have mercy, the key won’t unlock the door
Yeah…

* Three month jail term

[Tape fade out]
Jimi: Thank you very much [loud buzzing]…Uh right now I’d like to say that-uh, gollee, if you can’t, if you just, mind, just one second. Please, just hold on about one minute, so we can toon up again, ‘cause we really care about your ears*, that’s why we play so low, we play very quiet and low because we really care about your ears [loud blast of feedback over Jimi saying: “and we play very loud too”]  Where’d that come from, man? Just wait one second, all right, so we can get tooned up. Gi’ me a ‘A’ [tuning] This can be fun, watching people toon up. ‘Cause we’re such a great band of us, man, look at us stand not doin’ anything, man, you know, like we’re having a crisis now, We can start now, so, oh well, further on [tuning]
?    : Meant to be, yeah
Jimi: [tuning] Right now we’d like keep this pace slow a little bit, and do a thing called ‘Hey Joe’ if you don’t mind…

*1st recorded mention of tuning up because “We care for your ears”.here he uses ‘about’ instead of ‘for’

8. HEY JOE (William ‘Billy’ Roberts)

Yeah

Hey-hey Joe, oh, where you goin’ with that gun in your hand?
Hey-hey Joe, I said, where you goin’ with that gun in your hand?
Yeah
I’m going down to shoot my ol’ lady
You know I caught her messin’ ‘round with another man
I’m going down to shoot my ol’ lady
You know I caught her messin’ ‘round with another man
And that ain’t too cool

Hey-ey Joe, I said, I heard you shot your woman down
You shot her down
Hey-ey Joe, I …

[Fade out]

Jimi: [guitar ‘says’ ‘Thank you’] Hey man, I went to ‘The Village’* man, I found out the streets weren’t paved with gold, they ain’t no golden streets there in New York. But there’s a whole lot o’ old banana peels layin’ around1, that’s all it is. Hey, man, I’d like to do one more song for you and dedicate it to everybody inside here, funk, gi’ me a ‘A’ [electronic noise] And-uh, you know, the same old story, it’s part of our act now, it seems like to me, when we’re havin’ amp trouble, but just don’t worry about it, everything’s gonna be all right. And, so we’d like to do this last song. It was really groovy timing-uh The States. We trekked along with both the ‘Mamas And Papas’ and-uh [tuning], we thought about you all the way, though. Right? [tuning] Really did think about you, honest. [tuning] And-uh so I’d like to do this last song for you [tuning], after we get tooned up. Dig, just think about everybody comin’ home from the war, comin’ home from everything disastrous. Right? And everybody’s really happy.
Noel: Carrying guns… 
Jimi : Just…
Noel: …are they?
Jimi : …yeah think about that. Look, instead of carryin’ M16 and M50 machine guns and tanks and everything like that. Think of them carryin’ drums, marchin’ down Piccadilly Circus with drums and feedback guitars2. Can you imagine that? That should be really out o’ sight. So I’d like to do this toon, and dedicate it to those people doin’ that, ‘cause we’re gonna do it, right here. I’m sure with my army we’d like a thing or two. Okay? Man, not out o’ toon though huh-huh [tuning]. Don’t worry, don’t worry about nothin’. Just keep holdin’ your little tickets in your sweaty little hands, once you get ready, we’ll get it together, don’t worry. [tuning] Here we go. Are you ready? I’m not [tuning]
Aud : [Laughter]
Jimi : I bet you won’t believe me, but I guess I told your neighbour the next song we’re gonna do [tuning]. I really had a funny time last night, I met this girl, she was really out o’ sight man. I said “Baby what you doin’?” She says “Well, you know, I’m all right, how about you?” I said “Well-uh you know everything’s the same old thing, it’s a big drag.” I said “Baby, what is that you’ve got in that little sack there?” She said “This?” Then she opened it up and when I did it, [feedback] I went, “Ooh! Close it, close it baby, look out here. I was wondering?. She says a little something, so I stuck my fingers in and poof! [feedback] A big purple haze [feedback] One, two, three, four…

* Greenwich Village (New York City’s Bohemian enclave – it’s Haight Ashbury)
1Jimi used this line about babana peel in his introduction at Monterey
2First time using the troops coming home from ‘the War’ (Vietnam) with guitars instead of “M16’s, M60’s” etc.   
 intro.

9. PURPLE HAZE

Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things, they don’t seem the same 
I’m actin’ funny, I don’t know why
‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy

Hey
Purple haze all around
Don’t know if I’m comin’ up or down
Am I happy or in misery?
Whatever it is that gi-irl put a spell on me

[Tape fade out]

Jimi: Thank you very much

MC1: Oh, listen to him, hear that amplifiert. Jimi Hendrix. Yeah, how about it? The Experience and Jimi Hendrix, come on, how’s about it? Put your hands together for one of the finest acts out of the West Coast of America. How about that?
MC2: Really? Really, you are talking shit. Nobody’s employed with Saville’s seen 
anything like this before. Jimi Hendrix and the Experience. How about that? Really knocked out, oh brilliant, oh…Hey Jimi…oh, shit… Ladies and Gentlemen, please… 
[Tape fade out]