Buddy Miles: Them Changes (180g) [ELEMENTAL]

Why you'll love it

This Elemental reissue puts Them Changes on 180g vinyl in a gatefold jacket. The album reached No. 35 on the Billboard 200 and No. 8 on the jazz albums chart, and its title song also turned up on Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys.

This edition

• 180g vinyl
• Gatefold jacket

About the album

Buddy Miles spent the late 1960s keeping time for other people, first in the Electric Flag and then behind Jimi Hendrix in the Band of Gypsys. On his own record he steps out front, singing in that big, warm voice and drumming like a man with somewhere to be. Across the sessions he plays drums, bass, guitar and keyboards and sings lead on every track.

"Them Changes" is the anthem, a horn-punched groove that has kept DJs and samplers busy ever since. Around it Miles takes on Neil Young's "Down by the River" (a fine bit of Canadian content), Otis Redding's "Your Feeling Is Mine" and Rufus Thomas's "Memphis Train," with Hendrix bassist Billy Cox, guitarist Charlie Karp and a full horn section in tow. "Paul B. Allen, Omaha, Nebraska" stretches out into a long, smoky jam.

AllMusic's Steve Kurutz has called it one of the great treasures of soul-inspired rock. It also climbed to No. 14 on the R&B albums chart in 1971. Most treasure maps lead to a beach; this one leads to our soul section, second shelf down.

Also at Kops: more Buddy Miles on vinyl · browse 70s Soul On Up

Tracklist

Listen

On Elemental (cat# 700246), a reissue of the 1970 album.