Tribute To Jimi Hendrix: Return of the Gypsy (1995)

(No attribution, but is Vol.2 of the P-Funk Guitar Army tribute)

Go back up to the P-Funk Productions album list.


Track Listing:
 
Thanx Jimi  4:42
Return of the Gypsy  7:21
Oh Say Can You See, The Red, The White and the Blues  8:30
Father Forgive Um  4:44
Jimi Why D-U Hav Ta Go  4:39
Revolutions of Jimi   1:52
Jimi Why D-U Hav Ta Go [Dance Version]  5:02
Future Equations  2:55
What You Gonna Do?  3:24
Fishin' Da Sea  6:20
I Need A Man  3:48
Last Days  4:55
Crash & Burn  4:46  


Personnel:

 "Thanx Jimi"
 Artist: Andre Foxxe   
Producer: Andre Foxxe Williams
Lead and Rhythm Guitar: Andre Foxxe Williams 
Bass: Lonnie Motley 
Organ: Joseph "Amp" Fiddler 
Drums: Ron Wright 
Intro Vocal Tribute: Louie Kabbabbie  

 "Return of the Gypsy"
 Artist: Johnny Graham 
Producer: Johnny Graham
Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Drums and Percussion Programming: Johnny Graham 
Bass: Michael Be. Holden 

 "Oh Say Can You See, The Red, The White and the Blues"
 Artist: Johnny Graham  
Producer: Johnny Graham
Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Bass Synthesizer, Piano, Drum Programming,
 Synthesized Sound Effects and Strings: Johnny Graham

 "Father Forgive Um"
 Artist: Mud Bone Cooper with Michael Hampton  
Producers: Bootsy Collins and Mud Bone Cooper
Lead Guitar: Michael Hampton 
Rhythm Guitar: Chris Donnelly 
Drums: Mud Bone Cooper 
Bass: Chris Sherman 
 
 "Jimi Why D-U Hav Ta Go"
 Artist:  Dee Dee "Dirty Mugg" James with Bootsy's Rubber Band  
Producer: The Boot Legget One (Bootsy Collins)
Lead and Rhythm Guitar: Dirty Mugg 
Keyboards: Bernie Worrell 
Playing Samples, Bass, Weird Effects: Bootsy Collins
Drums: Frankie Kash 
Vocals: Bootsy Collins and Mud Bone Cooper 

 "Revolutions of Jimi"
Interview with  Bootsy Collins  
Recorded at WKCR FM (New York). Sept. 17 and Sept. 19 1990.

 "Jimi Why D-U Hav Ta Go" [Dance Version]"
 Artist: Dee Dee "Dirty Mugg" James with Bootsy's Rubber Band  
[musicians same as prior version]

 "Future Equations"
 Artist: The Darryl Plummer Band  
Producer: Greg Kutcher
Guitar: Darryl Plummer 
Bass: Randy Barnett 
Drums: Keith Root 

 "What You Gonna Do?"
 Artist: Ras Kente  
Guitars: Ras Kente, Blackbyrd McKnight 
Bass: Lonnie Motley 
Drums: Ron Wright 

 "Fishin' Da Sea"
 Artist: Menace  
Producer: Menace
Guitars, Keyboards, Bass, and Lead Vocals: Menace
Sax: Piere Andre 
Background Vocals: Elsa Cornish and Piere Andre 
Live Drum Playing and Loops: Mykel Love 

 "I Need A Man"
 Artist: Menace  
Producer: Menace
Guitars, Bass, Keyboards and Lead Vocals: Menace
Funky Synth Solo: Toby Kasavan 
Background Vocals and Talking: Elsa Cornish 
Live Drum Playing and Loops: Dizzy Black 

 "Last Days"
 Artist: Menace  
Producer: Menace
Guitars, Bass, Lead and Background Vocals: Menace
Live Drum Loops: Dizzy Black 

 "Crash & Burn"
 Artist: Andre Foxxe  
Producer: Andre Foxxe Williams
Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals: Andre Foxxe Williams 
Bass: Lonnie Motley 
Organ: Joseph "Amp" Fiddler 
Drums: Charlie Grovee 
Rhythm and Lead Guitar: Carl Robinson 

RC: Rating: **1/2

Comments:

RC: No writing credits were listed. This is a much less even tribute album, once again smacking suspiciously as a dumping-off ground for unreleased tracks from other albums. This seems particularly true of the Menace tracks, which sound like they came straight off of Doghouse. They have little to do with Hendrix, I'm afraid. On the other hand, there are two solid tracks from Andre 'Foxxe' Williams, who gets to show off his guitar chops like never before.

"Thanx Jimi" is mostly an instrumental, a solid, "Voodoo Chile" inspired funky guitar number. Kudos to Andre here. "Return Of The Gypsy" has some silly lyrics, but also has some hot guitar and bass playing from Johnny Graham. "Oh Say Can..." recycles some classic Hendrix songs like his cover of "The Star Spangled Banner" and "Red House"; it's competent but not anything new. "Father Forgive Um" is an excellent song featuring Michael & Mudbone (on drums!); Michael is hot here. "Jimi Why..." brings us a New Rubber Band interpretation of Hendrix, starring Dee Dee James. It's a funky number that shows us how hot a player James is, a fact only hinted at in Rubber Band shows. The Bootsy interview must be heard to be believed, as he gives us some wonderful wack on his Jimi Hendrix theories, involving outer space, football, orgasms, and sounds trying to break out of Jimi's head. The dance version of "Why Jimi...", while fairly entertaining, is rather unnecessary. The rest of the album is ranges from dull (Darryl Plummer) to awful (the Menace junk). The Ras Kente song, "What You Gonna Do?" is OK but not his best work. The closer is excellent, though, with Andre rocking hard once again. The album has good intentions, but there's just not enough solid material to sustain it all the way through, although there are some good tracks.

It's available as an import only, and it ain't cheap.