So the seminal core group formed by your humble servant, Bill Bernstein and Flood came together during the winter and spring quarters of our mutual freshman year (76-77) at UCSC when I was keen on being part of a loud sort of jazz/rock/soul fusion thing. We were variously known as "The Power Trio" or "Midknight" if memory serves, or if we were known at all, but there must have been an unspoken rule about no pictures because I don't seem to have many aside from the few you may find here. There may have been a flyer once announcing our appearance somehow, but if so, I don't recall it. We played for kicks at somebody's house or garage and a few parties here and there - outdoor venues, what not.
As "The Three Little Bears" we often included more. John Muth, for instance, plays guitar on this '77 version of Three Little Bears . It's from a 32 year-old "REALISTIC SUPERTAPE (r) CASSETTE C-90"
cassette tape that must have come with the portable recorder it was recorded on. It had an adjustable speed nob, and meters and it was my main recording tool for quite a while. With bass and guitars so loud that even Gary's drums come out as a kind of background clatter, you kinda get a feel for how shockingly loud we must really have been.
Still, this is a seminal piece for the power trio recorded at the Cayuga house in Santa Cruz where I lived with Bob ? and Trish Gallagher in the fall of 1977...I think. Later that year we moved a few blocks away to an apartment on East Cliff with a patio overlooking the Boardwalk from a cliff above the San Lorenzo River.
Here're a YouTube of Hendrix doing it. It has an extended loose jam at the end. It's dreamily spectabulous.
Three Little Bears guitar tab
THREE LITTLE BEARS, by Jimi Hendrix from the album WAR HEROES transcribed by MaxxDaddy
Intro: (I'm not going to bother transcribing the muted part. If you listen
to it you should be able to figure the rhythm out for yourself.)
-----------------------------------------------------------
-5--x-5-5-6-5-x-3~-x-3-3----x----x--5-5-6-5-x-3~-x-3-3----x-
-5--x---------x----x----5-4-x-5~-x----------x----x----5-4-x-
-5--x---------x----x--------x----x----------x----x--------x-
-3--x---------x----x--------x----x----------x----x--------x-
------------------------------------------------------------
------3-3-5-3---1~---1-1------------
-5-x--5-5-6-5-x-3~-x-3-3-5-4-x-5~-x-
-5-x----------x----x-----5-4-x-5~-x-
---x----------x----x---------x----x-
---x----------x----x---------x----x-
------------------------------------
intro lead:
-----------------------------------------------8-----------------------------
-10(12)~-10(12)10(12)(12)---------------------8-8----------------8-----------
--------------------------7(9)----7p5---10(12)----10(12)10-10(12)--8---------
-------------------------------9------7-----------------------------10-8-10~-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
over this progression which repeats throughout 1st verse:
C F Dm G
-----------x-1-1-x-1-----------x-3-3-x-3-
-x-5-5-x-5-x-1-1-x-1-x-6-6-x-6-x-3-3-x-3-
-x-5-5-x-5-x-2-2-x-2-x-7-7-x-7-x-4-4-x-4-
-x-5-5-x-5-x-3-3-x-3-x-7-7-x-7-x-5-5-x-5-
-x-3-3-x-3-x-3-3-x-3-x-5-5-x-5-x-5-5-x-5-
-----------x-1-1-x-1-----------x-3-3-x-3-
C Dm F G
-----------x-----x---x-1-1-x-1-x-3-3-x-3-
-x-5-5-x-5-x-6-6-x-6-x-1-1-x-1-x-3-3-x-3-
-x-5-5-x-5-x-7-7-x-7-x-2-2-x-2-x-4-4-x-4-
-x-5-5-x-5-x-7-7-x-7-x-3-3-x-3-x-5-5-x-5-
-x-3-3-x-3-x-5-5-x-5-x-3-3-x-3-x-5-5-x-5-
-----------x-----x---x-1-1-x-1-x-3-3-x-3-
"And you know they all lived..."
----------------------------
----10~------8~---7~---6~---
----------------------------
-/10----10-8---8-7--7-6---6-
----------------------------
----------------------------
1st verse only
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
----5-----------------------7------------------
----5--7p5-----3------------7-9p7------5-------
-/7--------7---3---5p3---/9-------9----5-7p5---
-------------/5--------5-------------/7------7-
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
----5------------7----10--------------12----------
----5--7p5-------7----10-12p10--------12-14p12----
-/7--------7--/9---/12---------12--/14---------14-
--------------------------------------------------
second verse
------------------------------------------------------------
-5--x-5-5-6-5-x-3~-x-3-3----x----x--5-5-6-5-x-3~-x-3-3----x-
-5--x---------x----x----5-4-x-5~-x----------x----x----5-4-x-
-5--x---------x----x--------x----x----------x----x--------x-
-3--x---------x----x--------x----x----------x----x--------x-
------------------------------------------------------------
(move up whole step)
------5-5-7-5---3~---3-3------------
-7-x--7-7-8-7-x-5~-x-5-5-7-6-x-7~-x-
-7-x----------x----x-----7-6-x-7~-x-
---x----------x----x---------x----x-
---x----------x----x---------x----x-
------------------------------------
Solo over D G A9 G:
----------13(15)----13(15)~-15(17)15(18)-(17)15--------
-------10-------10------------------------------15-----
-12(14)-----------12-------------------------------14~-
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
-(17)(17)15(17)15(17)-15-------15(17)-(17)-13p10----------10-------------
-------------------------15-15~-----------------13------10--13-----------
--------------------------------------------------12(14)---------10(11)~-
---------------------------------------------------------------12--------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
---10(12)10------------------------------------ | -12--------12---3(4)-3(4)-3(4)-3(4)------------ ---------------5--------------------5-3---3-5~-
----------------------------------------5------
Third verse
chords:D G Em A9, D Em G A9
"I sure don't wanna live without you.."
G F E Eb D
e-13(15)-13(15)~--13-13~--12-12~--11-11~--10-
------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
----7------------------9-------------
----7--9p7-----5-5-----9-11p9----7-7-
-/9--------9---5-5--/11----------7-7-
-------------/7-7--------------/9-9--
---------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
----7--7-----9--9-----12--12----14--14-
----7--7-----9--9-----12--12----14--14-
-/9--9----/11-11---/14--14----/16-16---
---------------------------------------
Fourth verse
G F E Eb
e-13(15)-13(15)~--13-13~--12-12~--11-11~-----
G F E Eb
e-13(15)-13(15)~--13-13~--12-12~--11-11~-10-------------
b-------------------------------------------13(15)13-10-
G F E Eb
e------------------------10-10~--13(15)13~-
b------------------------------------------
g-12(14)-12(14)~-12-12~--------------------
G F E Eb
e-10------10------------------------10-----15(17)---18(20)~-
b---13(15)---13p10----------------10--13p10-----------------
g-----------------12p10-----12(14)--------------------------
d-----------------------12----------------------------------
sing along with this part
------------------------------------------------------------
-7--x-7-7-8-7-x-5~-x-5-5----x----x--7-7-8-7-x-5~-x-5-5----x- | -7--x---------x----x----7-6-x-7~-x----------x----x----7-6-x-
-7--x---------x----x--------x----x----------x----x--------x-
-5--x---------x----x--------x----x----------x----x--------x-
------------------------------------------------------------
------5-5-7-5------------------------
-7-x--7-7-8-7-x-8~-x-8-8--7-6-x-7~-x-
-7-x----------x-9~-x-9-9--7-6-x-7~-x-
---x----------x----x----------x----x-
---x----------x----x----------x----x-
-------------------------------------
Outro:
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------10-13(15)~--
-12(14)-12-(14)-10~--12(14)-10---10(12)~---10-12------------
-------------------------------12--------12-----------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
----------------10-13(15)~-13-10-13-15(17)---------------------------------------
-13-10-------10---------------------------10h13p10------------------------
-------12(14)-------------------------------------12-12(14)---------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------13(15)13-10h13p10---
-------------10-13(15)-13(15)~-13---------------------------------13-
-10----10(12)------------------12(14)12-10-12-10---------------------
----12---------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------13-15(17)-15(17)~-
-(15)13-10-12---------------10-13-/15------------------
-----------12-10(11)~-12(14)---------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
repeat & fade
-15(17)15-13-15(17)(17)(17)-------------
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Lyrics:
"Ha Ha Ha", says Mama Bear as she irons Daddy's holey underwear
and "Hee Hee Hee", says Daddy bear as Junior pours honey all on sister hair
Anyway you know they live happily ever after
Well, "Ho ho ho" say the little fish
as the sad fisherman goes home without a hitch But "Hee hee hee" says the fisherman
with his lady burning french fries in the frying pan (This is so silly man)
"Hee hee hee" says you to me (Man I don't feel like going through with this, this is really silly)
Oh man, I wanna die
'cause walking around on the ground is really cramping my high
I sure don't wanna live without you forever after, no.
Now what does all this have to do with the three little bears?
Well, I was just feeling blue, 'cause I really care
That you're still gone from me and I'm as sad as I can be
So I'll sing and play this tune until you come back home to me