It's Too Bad     8:52

Recorded: Record Plant, New York,
February 11, 1969
Producer: Jimi Hendrix
Engineer: Tony Bongiovi, Dave Ragno

Mixed By Eddie Kramer
Sear Sound, New York, September 29, 1999

Guitar, Vocals: Jimi Hendrix
Organ: Larry Young
Drums: Buddy Miles

Previously Unreleased Recording

Joined by Buddy Miles and respected jazz organist Larry Young, Jimi premiered this dark, deeply personal original blues composition. The lyrics were based largely upon his relationship with his troubled half-brother Leon. Later in the song, Jimi probed deeper within himself, acknowledging the rejection he felt from many in the black community at that time. "So I go way across the tracks, and man they treat me the same way as you do. They say, man until you come back completely black, go back from where you came from too."

Comfortable with Miles and Young, two emerging black artists who shared his unwillingness to limit their musical horizons based solely upon racial or cultural expectations, Jimi painted this frank, fascinating examination of his struggle to reach a wider black audience with his message and music. To express these feelings, Jimi sought solace within the blues. The blues formed the foundation of his inspiration and sound and, in this instance, provided a window to reveal the painful underside of his remarkable success.

{END}