Incredible version of this song...the intro gives me shivers. Song Analysis from justasktheaxis. com: Jimi asks crowd to "...forget about the hogwash and bullshit..." and dedicates 'Machine Gun' to "...the soldiers fighting in Chicago, Berkeley...Kent State (meaning the street 'soldiers' no doubt), Oklahoma (the last two amid cheers)...". Jimi then plays an off-the-cuff 1:30 intro that is one of the most haunting things I have ever heard! All of Jimi's music reflects his genius, but sometimes everything just falls into an even deeper place, and this is one of those times for me (every Jimi fan has their own, of course). Somewhat silly to try and pick apart such organic flows of imagination, but just to describe it in general, he starts with some lines from his 'Bolero' piece, moves to some sliding intervals ala 'Castles Made of Sand', segues to some flamenco style lines, then finishes with an absolutely brilliant chord progression that mixes some *very* high-on-the-neck notes with open strings, every note ringing out perfectly and the tension setting things up for the release of the familiar 'Machine Gun' opening. Again, we can never know what Jimi was thinking but I've always thought of this unique piece as a chilling eulogy for the Kent State victims, perfectly conjuring the mood of the moment. After this one-of-a-kind intro, Billy pushes the groove over Mitch's military rolls as Jimi gets into about a minute of soloing before the vocals enter, including a very Spanish <b>...</b>
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