Jimi Hendrix good recordings

(putting on my flame-retardant suit)...

You have his best album now (Axis); the other two good ones are Are You Experienced? and Electric Ladyland. Basically he was on-track, excellent and revolutionary for his first three studio albums. Drugs and problems with hangers-on compromised his later stuff, IMHO. Having said that, Band of Gypsies is worth hearing for the incendiary guitar solo in "Machine Gun". The Hendrix story is emblematic of the 60's generally: started out with great promise in '66-'67, went all pear-shaped after.

The Bhazen Ratings:

Are You Experienced? ****
Axis: Bold As Love *****
Electric Ladyland ***

Colin,

You may find this useful Click Here for a previous Hendrix thread.

I'm still after 'Hendrix In The West'. Any ideas where I can buy a new copy?

George.

quote:

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Originally posted by Colin Ackerman:
In the past I have owned some recordings which were poor untill I bought Axis:Bold as Love .
Would like to expand my Hendrix collection but want good recordings only.

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Colin, are you referring to recording quality or musical quality? Which albums did you previously own that you considered poor?

GML any help to you?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1573&item=4052045576&rd=1

There is a second one in the same search ie "Jimi Hendrix"

[This message was edited by BigH47 on Mon 15 November 2004 at 9:27.]

I don't think you'll find 'In the West' new except from dubious sources. It was a live compilation from the early 70s that used recording of 'Little Wing' from the Albert Hall without acknowledgement. Legal action followed. They're quite common on vinyl where, of course, they sound best.

You can now buy a recording of the Albert Hall concert, but for some reason they usually come from France.

Paul

BigH47,

Many thanks.

George.

I have Hendrix In The West on CD, bought it a few years ago but can't remember where. It's on Polydor, 831-312-2

It says it was made in "West Germany" and the copyright date is 1988, on the cusp of the collapse, I guess. But I didn't buy it in 1988, more like 1998 or so.

Also have it on vinyl, and on both that and the CD is says that Little Wing was recorded at the San Diego Sports Arena where much of the album was recorded, not Albert Hall. There's a couple of tracks from the Isle of Wight festival, but none from Albert Hall.

Yeah, Little Wing sounds great but the track that reigns supreme for me is Red House, worth the price of admission alone.

[This message was edited by fred simon on Mon 15 November 2004 at 21:54.]

bhazen. Thanks for the info looks like "Electric Ladyland" and "Are You Experiened" will make a good starting point.

fred. The recording quality.

I have heard a great recording of "Hey Joe" on vinyl which was fantastic but forgot to ask what recording it was .

Colin

quote:

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Originally posted by Colin Ackerman:
bhazen. Thanks for the info looks like "Electric Ladyland" and "Are You Experiened" will make a good starting point.

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Excellent choices.

I'd also include the sometimes overlooked The Cry of Love, the last album Jimi was working to complete before his death. Less psychedelic than soulful, it pointed to new directions for Hendrix ... more funky, even a bit of country ... that sadly we never got to witness in full bloom. Toward the end of his all too short life (27 years!) there were plans to record with Miles Davis ... can you imagine?! Wow.

Anyway, a great album and not to be missed, different than the others.

quote:

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Originally posted by Colin Ackerman:
fred. The recording quality.

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Which Hendrix albums do you own that you consider poor recordings?

HI fred

This is the problem I junked them years ago and cannot remember there names. Since buying Axis Bold as Love I have gained interest again.

Colin

It occurs to me that my ratings for the 3 albums reflect my feelings about the recording quality of each more than musical content (which is wonderful throughout); Ladyland's sound is a bit off, I attribute this to Jimi himself overseeing the production as opposed to Eddie Kramer or Chas, who had more experience in the studio. Caveat: my copy of that is the un-remastered original CD.

bhazen: I agree sometimes the quality of the music is so good recording quality makes little differance to the enjoyment. But when you have spent a lot of time and money on your system it makes sence to have the best recordings available.

Colin