The featured image is of Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Miles at the Monterey Pop Festival. The cigarettes and beer make it perfect for this feature. Everybody smoked back then including the guy who wrote this week’s song. Or did he? There’s an authorship dispute that I’m not delving into. Today, I just wanna rock.

Buddy Miles wrote Them Changes in 1970 when he was the drummer for Jimi Hendrix’s Band Of Gypsies. That’s where we begin with Buddy on lead vox. Let’s rock.

Buddy Miles went into the studio and recorded a hit song.

I had the Santana-Miles live album on cassette as I traveled in Greece as a tadpole. I lugged a small cassette recorder around with me and played this song over and over again. I’m still into musical repetition.

Here’s a goofy acapella version of this week’s tune:

Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood. Say no more.

A 21st Century interpretation from Broadway star Lindsay Mendez.

Finally, The Dukes Of September with Michael McDonald on lead vocals and Jon Herrington killing it on lead guitar:

What would the Friday Cocktail Hour be without instrumental versions of the week’s tune? This time, Ramsey Lewis followed by Bernard Purdie:

That’s all for this week. Let’s drink to the changes coming on election day. It’s what Harold Lloyd would want. Never argue with the countdown guy.