Cover submission
The Midnight Special by Alvin Lee
Submitted by
On August 13, 2022
Performance
The Midnight Special
By Alvin Lee
Cover of
Written by [Traditional]
Completeness
- Language
- English
- Release
- Pump Iron!
Pump Iron!
- Release date
- 2002-01-23
- Label
- Rainman
- Catalog number
- TECI-24099
- EAN
- 4988004084751
- Format
- Album CD
Additional comments and sources
History
Apparently it wasn't recorded in 1975 (info on the YouTube link):
Alvin Lee- gtr, voc; Bryson Graham- drums; Boz Burrell- bass; Tim Hinkley- keys; Mick Ralphs- gtr
from the album 'Pump Iron' (bonus track) 1975
Alvin says… a great traditional song. This came from a big jam session at my Hook End studio in 1977. Bryson Graham was on drums with Boz Burrell and Tim Hinkley and Mick Ralphs was on second guitar. We just jammed the whole evening and it was later used as a bonus track on ‘Pump Iron’ album. I decided to put another vocal on the track seven years later. Then in 1998 I overdubbed a new guitar solo, so I can honestly say this song took 21 years to record but it still sounds natural. The title comes the 1930s when the train used to go past the prison camp and the loco’s light would shine on the prisoners. ‘Midnight Special, shine your ever lovin’ light on me…’ It was made famous by Lonnie Donegan but Leadbelly probably did it first.