Awesome, I Sampled That Pt.3
Once again, we get another part in the sampled by Beastie Boys series. There is a lot of Jimmy in this post. These two sources are smoking hot, and have long been favorites of mine, though I’ve been told by other music fanatics that I may have my information wrong on the first one.
“This next one… is the first song on our new album.”
The main sample in “Jimmy James” that starts the off the song is definitely a tune called “Happy Birthday”, and I’ve been under the impression that it’s Jimi Hendrix, because it came from a Hendrix compilation called The Psychedelic Voodoo Child, but I’ve showed this song to a handful of people that are much more knowledgeable than I, and they tell me it doesn’t sound like Hendrix. They tell me it doesn’t sound like him singing, and it’s quite possible he doesn’t even play on the song either. Sort of a bummer, not because I want it to be Hendrix, but that I want to know who the hell made this song. It’s fucking great, and I sing it every year on the day I was born.
Beastie Boys - Jimmy James
Jimi Hendrix - Happy Birthday
The drums that start off “Professor Booty” were lifted from a Jimmy Smith version of the Barry White song called “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More”. The original Barry White song is amazing on it’s own, and the Beasties also sampled that, but for a different song. Smith is one of the grooviest Jazz organist I’ve ever heard, and in his version of the song, he starts off with a dark-psychedelic funk, then eases into the groove. One of my all time favorites, even though I will always think of the line, “Professor, what’s another word for pirate treasure?”, whenever I hear this song.
Beastie Boys - Professor Booty
Jimmy Smith - I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little Bit More
Tuesday, August 7th 2007 at 10:17 am
That in fact is Jimi Hendrix playing guitar on Happy Birthday, but it’s not him singing. The album came out in 1965 or 1966, when Jimi played guitar in Curtis Knight’s band (before coming to England to form the Jimi Hendrix Experience). Unfortunately I sold the LP with the rest of my vinyl collection some years ago. Jimi mostly played rhythm guitar on the album (with a lot of wah from what I recall, just as in this cut).
Tuesday, August 7th 2007 at 10:33 am
After some Google research: the Curtis Knight/Jimi Hendrix album was called “Flashing” and actually released in 1968 (Capitol). It included the following tracks: Gloomy Monday, Hornet Nest (Hendrix/Simon), Fool For You Baby, Happy Birthday, Flashing, Day Tripper (Lennon/McCartney), Odd Ball, Love Love, Don’t Accuse Me
Wednesday, August 8th 2007 at 7:45 am
That sounds right. Awesome. Thanks for that info.