CHANGES (Buddy Miles) – Band of Gypsys | Studio Reimagining from the Original Stems

Changes, written and sung by Buddy Miles, is one of the most intense and psychologically charged pieces from the Band of Gypsys era.
Recorded live at the Fillmore East between December 31, 1969 and January 1, 1970, the Band of Gypsys project represents the rawest, most funk-driven and deeply Afro-American chapter of Jimi Hendrix’s music.

Unlike the psychedelic rock of his earlier work, Changes unfolds as a tense, obsessive confession. The song is built on the relentless groove of Billy Cox and the direct, gospel-inflected drumming of Buddy Miles, creating a claustrophobic emotional space marked by paranoia, guilt, and inner instability. There is no rhetoric here—only exposure.

STUDIO REIMAGINING – ARRANGEMENT NOTES

This version is a studio reimagining based on the original stems:

Buddy Miles – Drums & Lead Vocal

Billy Cox – Bass

Jimi Hendrix – Vocals (expressive presence only, no added lead guitar)

The goal is not modernization, correction, or stylistic reinterpretation, but sonic clarification:
greater separation, balance, and depth, while preserving the late-1969 / early-1970 analog character.
The result is a version that feels as if the performance had been captured in a controlled studio environment immediately after the live take.

No pop elements, no contemporary aesthetics—only groove, tension, and human truth.

DISCOGRAPHY CONTEXT

Originally released on Band of Gypsys (1970), Changes stands as one of the most uncompromising documents of electric Afro-American music at the turn of the decade, recorded during the historic Fillmore East concerts.

COPYRIGHT & CREDITS

Original composition © Buddy Miles
Studio reimagining, arrangement & production © Blue Wild Angel Records
All rights reserved

This recording is a studio reinterpretation based on original stems, not a remix of the original master.