When James Marshall Hendrix died in September 1970 at the age of just 27, the world lost a great, talented musician who was a definite icon and innovator in music...and here comes a "definitive" greatest hits album of Hendrix's work - "Experience Hendrix".
Released in the UK in 1997, the two-disc edition includes one CD of twenty of Hendrix's releases from numerous years of work...
"Purple Haze" - 2:52 "Fire" - 2:43 "The Wind Cries Mary" - 3:20 "Hey Joe" - 3:30 "All Along the Watchtower" - 3:59 "Stone Free" - 3:36 "Crosstown Traffic" - 2:19 "Manic Depression" - 3:42 "Little Wing" - 2:25 "If 6 Was 9" - 5:34 "Foxy Lady" - 3:19 "Bold As Love" - 4:11 "Castles Made of Sand" - 2:47 "Red House" - 3:50 "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" - 5:12 "Freedom" - 3:25 "Night Bird Flying" - 3:50 "Angel" - 4:22 "Dolly Dagger" - 4:45 "The Star Spangled Banner" - 3:46
Even those of you out there who believe they know little or nothing about Hendrix, tracks like Purple Haze, Hey Joe, All Along The Watchtower, Crosstown Traffic, Foxy Lady and Voodoo Child (Slight Return) will have probably been
heard by you at some point along the road in your life - guutaring excellence you see!
Opening track "Purple Haze" is of course an all-time classic...with the infamous lyric "Excuse me while I kiss the sky". Intriguingly, according to the inlay booklet, the song was inspired by Hendrix's vivid interest in science fiction! And for those of us not too enthralled by it, we can still fully-appreciate the music, despite its somewhat odd subject matter!!
It then moves onto "Fire" - another upbeat, fast tempo track very is very reminiscent of Hendrix's style. Although not as universally known as some other tracks on the album arguably, it's still a cracking little number!
The same can be said of "The Wind Cries Mary" - a far more laid back offering this time around - lovely and melodic. Chilled out and almost hypnotic. It's seemingly effortless and an enjoyable bit of music.
The next two tracks; "Hey Joe" and "All Along The Watchtower" are another of his famous tracks. The former incorporates a bluesy guitar solo with some very straightforward rhythm work - often learnt very early on by people learning the guitar. The latter is a cover of a Bob Dylan track, but extremely different to it's original brother. Instead of Dylan's whining harmonica, this time lavish guitars expectedly are used. Hendrix was a well-documented fan of Dylan's, and had many covers of his under his belt, such as this one, as well as "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Drifter's Escape", but this one is easily most remembered by many, specifically due to it's commersial success.
After this, "Stone Free" follows - a very upbeat track with yet another solo - well, I think they go without saying now, so I'll try and limit the mentioning of them!! "Crosstown Traffic" follows this track and personally I feel it upstages the previous track. The first may have been upbeat, but the rythym and tempo of CT is one of Hendrix's best, simple as.
Other classics delivered on this disc include "If 6 was 9" - very much a jamming session kind of track - very little structure, sure pure adrenaline. "Foxy Lady" - This jazzy song is, according to the booklet, "About the only happy song I have written" - obviously not my words, Jimi's words to be precise! Listening to this, you'd have hoped he'd have done a few more, as this is a cracking little number.
"Castles Made Of Sand" is a great example, that I felt I should include, of Hendrix's softer, calmer side. It's a great song just to sit back and relax to, as it never gets carried away, as some people will describe Hendrix's solos in amongst his songs. The fools!!
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" - it's that song, with that intro. 'Nuff said really!! Another song that was born from a simple jam session with Hendrix and Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding - the drummer and bassist for his 'band' - The Experience. Off it goes for five minutes of pure musically imagination. Nice.
One song that's gotta be mentioned is the final track off the album; "Star-Spangled Banner". This is the infamous live performance of the American national anthem at Woodstock in 1969. It evolved after a breakdown of a jam from "Voodoo Child" - or so the booklet says! - this three minutes and fourty six seconds may seem raw and disjointed to many of us, but it symbolises the Hendrix legend - an incredible talent, with an eye and an ear for the alternative.
Don't worry, the few tracks I've not mentioned are good enough for me. But it's unnecessary to fill page after page of reviewing song-after-song. So I opted for my best of the best of.
A cracking line-up of songs there you must admit!! The second disc includes eight extra tracks such as b-sides and live material...
"Highway Chile" - 3:39 "Gloria" - 8.52 "It's Too Bad" - 8:52 "Spanish Castle Music" - 5:48 "Hear My Train A Comin' - 6:56 "Lover Man" - 2:56 "I Don't Live Today" Live - 6:32 "Purple Haze" Live - 4:03
The opening track "Highway Chile" is a fantastic song I personally think and would fit in nicely on the first disc. The following two songs, as you can work out from the song times, are slight jamming sessions, as well as songs within their own right. This additional CD, added to the best of album in 2000, concludes with performances of bluesy b-sides, especially "Here My Train A Comin'" and 2 live tracks, one not included on the first disc, that are infamous within Hendrix's resume.
It's available on Amazon for £9.97 - grab it while you can and enjoy some incredible music by an incredible musical talent who left us all too soon.
Jimi Hendrix....a musical great.
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Great review, my other half loves Jimi, and has got me into his music too. I'd say that I prefer the softer ones, such as Castles made of Sand, and Little Wing. I still can't get over what The Corrs did to Little Wing, they absolutely killed it. Gayna x
mongo_bongocat 27.07.2006 23:08
'Fire' is great. Especially the driving bass and drums.
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