| Are You Experienced? | review #2 | 1967 |
| Axis: Bold As Love | review #2 | 1968 |
| Electric Ladyland | review #2 | 1968 |
| Band Of Gypsys (live) | 1970 |
| The Cry Of Love | 1971 |
| Blues | 1994 |
| First Rays Of The New Rising Sun | 1997 |
| South Saturn Delta | 1997 |
| BBC Sessions (live) | 1998 |
| Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix (compilation) | 1998 |
| Live At The Fillmore East | 1999 |
| Live At Woodstock | 1999 |
Like virtually every critic alive, there's practically nothing innovative I can say about this guy. Without a doubt, Jimi Hendrix is the most influential (if not the greatest) guitarist who ever lived. Not that his technical ability is unapproachable or anything, but the way he was able to expand upon what could be done with the electric guitar as a vehicle for a spectacular sound is truly legendary, as is his startling ability to squeeze a ton of emotion out of his playing like the guitar was a part of him. He had one of the most distinct and timeless playing styles ever - a true master of feedback creation, conjuring rich sounds and tones out of his playing, and coming up with some really simple, but completely unique, guitar riffs. Even his voice, while maybe not technically great, was completely unique, and his often Dylan-esque lyrics paint interesting pictures as colorful as his music.
Unfortunately, as no band is perfect, no musical genius is, either. And Hendrix does have his flaws. Not really serious flaws to ever keep the studio albums he released during his lifetime out of the range of greatness, but his melodies, catchy and memorable as they may be, were a bit too far away from the likes of The Beatles and any other catchy 'pop' out there in overall quality and complexity (so his poppier numbers are usually among his weakest compositions). And he did have a tendency to go overboard with experimentation and guitar wanking a bit too much (witness much of Electric Ladyland). But still, the overall mood a Hendrix album gives off is truly something spectacular, and along with that legendary playing, elevates many otherwise okay songs to greatness.
Besides Hendrix, though, there are a couple other notable musicians that worked with him as a backing band on his three official studio albums, The Experience. Both bassist (and occasional vocalist and songwriter) Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell were both total professionals, and in fact, they do rank among many of the rock finest musicians of the late 60's, especially Mitchell, with his distinct style. Unfortunately (not that you don't know about this), Jimi became possibly the most notorious member of the '27 club' when he died of an apparent overdose in 1970, and predictably, since the amount of music he recorded during his lifetime was huge (especially in comparison to what was actually released in that period), this has resulted in a rather large back catalog of live archive releases, unreleased and unfinished songs, and constant hits packages. This site will probably cover these eventually, but for right now, it's on to the albums that his legacy rests on.
--Nick Karn
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: Purple Haze, Hey Joe, Manic Depression, Are You Experienced?, May This Be Love, Fire, I Don't Live Today. LOW POINTS: None.
With serious revolutions done by a particular band or artist, the first attempt at a groundbreaking style is the always the freshest, and more often than not, the best. Are You Experienced? is no exception to this rule to say the least, and Jimi's guitar tricks on display (with his riff writing, soloing and overall vibe) are already at a high point, as are the sheer amount of timeless classics here, including a huge bulk of the Experience's radio hits. Nowhere else in his catalog (or heck, anywhere) can you find such a perfect combination of all his talents together on one record - the raw atmosphere and playing are top-notch, and the quality of the material is about as even as could possibly be. No doubt, this was something even more exciting for the always interesting year of 1967, where it seemed like innovative albums were on every corner, and this one is not only critical to the development of the guitar, but also hard rock as a whole, with a healthy dose of psychedelia to boot.
The album opens up with the first of many absolute classics here in what may actually be Jimi's finest single song. "Purple Haze" is definitely an astounding drug-influenced anthem, with an unforgettable riff that virtually any band in existence would kill for to go with a hard-hitting rawness, and a great hazy, acid-influenced vibe to it all, including the lyrics. Extremely catchy chorus too. "Manic Depression" surely isn't any worse, as its' uncertain feel in the lyrics is perfectly complemented by the rolling, bluesy crunch and intense musical performance of both Jimi and his bandmates. And there's also "Love Or Confusion", which, despite being not as well known as the other tracks, is a fine underrated gem here. The haunting atmosphere it creates is the perfect vehicle for Jimi's guitar crazyness, and needless to say, when he's freaking out on that thing, it's always a highlight.
The blues reworking "Hey Joe", meanwhile, is a tune that's forever been associated with Jimi's catalog, and it's not hard to see why at all - the great raw intensity of the lyrics ('hey Joe... where you going with that gun in your hand?') filtered through the atmosphere of this album is definitely a shining moment throughout. Even the seemingly simplistic ballad "May This Be Love" can sound corny on the surface, but the dreamy nature (especially apparent in the lyrics) and textured colorings of his axe make it a magical, psychedelic experience that's one of the best early indicators of the guy's mellow side. And "I Don't Live Today" just grooves perfectly - while lacking a bit in production to give it the power it truly deserves, it's still a mighty direct tune, and the ending is so cool, with the fading in and fading out serving as a perfect closure to everything.
The second half of the album also has its' share of priceless gems. "The Wind Cries Mary", besides having the Dylan-influenced lyrics being most apparent, should definitely be considered the blueprint for the next album's sound in its' soft ballad mode - very soulful and beautiful, even if slightly simplistic. Not that 'simple' is a bad thing in this case, though, as is such in "Fire". It boasts one of those riffs that sounds so obvious, you'd think a million crappy bands would have come up with it before him, but that's not the case. It's forceful and convincing with its' fiery energy, and also suggestive in its' sexual matter, and Mitch Mitchell's drumming is at a highpoint. But we then go from riff-rocking to 'artsy' in "Third Stone From The Sun", a 6 minute jamming showcase laden with sound effects and poetry, and while it's a bit overlong for my liking (the weakest point on the album, in fact), it's atmosphere is still captivating the whole way through.
Finally, we come to the last two tracks in yet another radio standard in another brainless, but thoroughly entertaining sexually charged riff-rocker, "Foxey Lady". The lyrical matter and simplistic nature of the song can be a bit of a turnoff, but the drive of the song is just as incredible as the others, and that at least helps make it memorable. The 'summer of love' anthem, though, is a more than worthwhile conclusion to everything - the experimentation of the title track (backwards guitar solo and drums) is quite an intriguing and unsettling feel to the acid-inspired lyrics, and while the melody might not be great, that's not really the whole appeal of it. It's a solid ending to a truly revolutionary and powerful collection of songs, whose only real flaw is the very noticeable difference of sound quality between them. And if you're looking for great melody, this isn't really the place to go at all. But for a serious fan of the guitar, no album could possibly get more essential than this.
At the time this album was released, the world never heard the guitar being used in ways like this before. Jimi Hendrix was definitely on a planet of his own; not only was he amazing and innovative in the way he played guitar (behind his back, with his teeth) but also in the techniques he used. He simply influenced tons of future guitarists with his playing while making an impressive amount of memorable songs during his short life.
The leadoff tune "Purple Haze" is a well known classic that brings you into Hendrix's world with its great guitar licks and raw style. Speaking of the raw sound on this record, in contrast to The Beatles highly produced Sgt. Pepper released only a month later, gives this an album a clumsy and exciting feel, which proves to be a good thing. "Foxey Lady" (an incredible tune with another great riff), "Fire" (an energetic rocker with some impressive drumming by Mitch Mitchell), and "The Wind Cries Mary" (a tender melodic ballad that would be the blueprint for many of his other fine soft songs) are other well known songs on this classic debut.
Quite a few of the other tunes on here are just as worthy though. The rolling and tumbling "Manic Depression" and the raw psychedelic guitar heroics of "Love Or Confusion" and "I Don't Live Today", are impressive songs full of top-notch guitar work that gives you chills down your spine. Don't forget about "Third Stone From The Sun" which is a long jam that contains a few poetic lines and echoey sound effects (an incredible track from beginning to end because of its great guitar outburst in the middle and it's atmopshere). Also the lesser songs, the nice ballad "May This Be Love" and the closer "Are You Experienced?" with its backwards drums are worthwhile tunes too. Rock music never looked back, or was quite the same after this.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: Little Wing, Spanish Castle Magic, She's So Fine, If 6 Was 9, Castles Made Of Sand, Ain't No Telling. LOW POINTS: Little Miss Lover.
After creating a truly defining rock album on his debut with the Experience, it was only natural for Jimi to have the desire to go into a different direction on his next effort. Much of the hard rock elements of Are You Experienced? are toned down somewhat here in favor of mellow pop. Of course, this leads to the main complaint against the album - Jimi focusing on his melody writing and lyrics over his playing, which leads to the songs becoming insubstantial and unmemorable. While it's true the individual melodies on Axis are not the most accomplished in the world, to my ears, these hooks are all catchy, but more importantly, the general atmosphere of this album rules. The individual songs may not be as high quality as the debut (though there are several that are classics in their own right), but the way they flow together creates something otherworldly and special.
The album starts in a more far out mode than most of this material with the introductory track "EXP", an experimental piece that allows Jimi to create this awesome rush of guitar feedback flying from speaker to speaker right off of a fake radio interview about flying saucers. After that brief collage, the sound becomes more conventional, but not in a bad way, of course. "Up From The Skies" is a nice poppy, soulful showcase of Jimi's wah-wah guitar, with a fun little melody and catchy groove. Even more fun, though, is the rocking "Spanish Castle Magic", which rivals pretty much everything from Experienced in heavyness, with a powerful hard riff that gets even heavier during the memorable refrain, and "Wait Until Tomorrow" certainly isn't bad either - once again, the groove and upliftingly colorful guitar are in full force, and it marks the first appearance of the cool backing harmonies on the album.
It's towards the end of side one, though, when Axis starts really gaining steam. "Ain't No Telling", despite being a less than two minutes long fast rocker, is addictive as anything - how can you resist the repeated calls of 'ain't no.... AIN'T NO... ain't no telling...'? But of course, that song, great as it may be, is nothing compared to what's considered the top classic here, the bluesy ballad "Little Wing", which was covered by both Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan, proof positive that it's a masterful tour-de-force. Nothing else captures the vibe of the album better than this song, and it could possibly be the best example of the truly timeless dreamworld featured within the atmosphere of Jimi's softer numbers. The main melody and playing is gorgeous beyond imagination, and the opening guitar line is one of the most distinctive I've ever heard. My only gripe with it is that it's not long enough - less than 2-1/2 minutes!
Finally, to close the side is the heavy-hitting "If 6 Was 9", which is of course highlighted by the guitar soloing and mindblowing effects at the end, and it also has quite an interesting song structure too - an intriguing political anthem lyrically, if you ask me. Side two starts off with the cool uptempo tune "You Got Me Floatin'", which is admittedly a fairly by the numbers song, but helped by the vibe of the album (and those backing vocals), it becomes very good. Not as good as the following two numbers, though. "Castles Made Of Sand" is a more than worthy successor to "The Wind Cries Mary" in its' social commentary balladeering, with a beautiful, provocative feeling, and the guitar line at the end truly leaves a lasting impression. Then there's the Noel Redding number "She's So Fine", which is actually quite great - the vocal melody is by far the most memorable thing on the album, the harmonies are fantastic, and it's simply awesome pop.
However, the album falls off just a bit in the last three numbers, which aren't actually bad - it's just that they have less interesting features (and more unmemorable melodies) than the others. I can only really remember the fantastically beautiful ending to "One Rainy Wish", but that actually makes the song worth it - at least it's more memorable than "Little Miss Lover", the weakest cut on here, whose melody I can hardly distinguish in my mind at all. And to close it all off, "Bold As Love" has a great feedback-heavy ending and an engaging refrain, although it's not really that spectacular. So yeah, this album is a bit of a step down from AYE, but that just means it's less essential overall - there are still quite a few vintage, often beautiful, Jimi performances and taken as a whole, it's a simply wonderful, 'greater than the sum of its' parts' type of listen. Buy it today.
Although there aren't any well known songs like on Are You Experienced?, this set of tunes is just as amazing, and probably even better than his first. The production is more focused and clearer while still retaining its raw edge, and some of the best singing in Jimi's career is on this album, which makes Axis the pinnacle of his career. This is because the songs are tight and compact; out of the thirteen songs, most of them don't exceed past four minutes long. The album starts off with the weird "EXP" which contains an interview between an Announcer and Mr. Crusoe before going into some neat guitar feedback that goes from speaker to speaker. From their on it's one well-crafted gem after another. "Up From The Skies" has a great wah-wah guitar sound and jazzy drumming that makes it the first highlight of the set, next is "Spanish Castle Magic" which opens with a big bang and is full of colorful lyrics topped by an exciting and raw guitar solo.
On the more poppy side we have "Wait Until Tomorrow" complete with a funky guitar lick and nice background vocals, and then comes the headrushing energetic blues "Ain't No Telling" (amazing guitar fills and playing on here), with the melodic ballad "Little Wing" following it (arguably the best ballad of his career). The songs are generally loud and full of psychdelic guitar solos and sounds, such as the powerful and raw statement "If 6 Was 9", which is the lengthiest song on here and is the side closer. Opening the second half is the straightforward psychedlic rock n' roll of "You Got Me Floatin'", a pretty ordinary song that becomes a classic in Jimi's hands. Rounding out the rest of the album are the ballads "Castles Made Of Sand" (similar to 'The Wind Cries Mary) and "One Rainy Wish" (some beautiful arpeggios on here), bassist Redding's first song "She's So Fine", the heavy and funky "Little Miss Lover", and the whacked-out closer "Bold As Love". This is the Experience at their most catchy and powerful, probably one of the finest albums of 1967.
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(Nick Karn's review)
HIGH POINTS: 1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be), Voodoo Child (Slight Return), All Along The Watchtower, Crosstown Traffic, Come On (Part 1). LOW POINTS: Voodoo Chile, Long Hot Summer Night.
As if the first two Hendrix albums weren't a great enough definition of the man's talents, his third studio album (and sadly, final one released before his death) Electric Ladyland showcases that not only was the guy an out of this world guitarist, he was also quite an ambitious musician in songwriting and arranging. Throughout its' double album length that spans over 75 minutes, this opus virtually all his trademarks over the course of four sides, from his guitar experimentation and production values, mellow pop tendencies, his skills at interpreting the material of other songwriters through his sound, and something that fortunately hadn't really been showcased before on the last two efforts, his tendency for really long jams. Like Axis, Electric Ladyland is a really captivating effort where the album as a whole works better than individual songs, but alas, there's far more iffy material here than there had been previously.
The album starts off rather good, though. "And The Gods Made Love", though paling somewhat in comparison to "EXP", is another interesting guitar oriented sound collage that flows quite smoothly into the fine soulful ballad "Have You Ever Been To (Electric Ladyland)", a psychedelic-tinged minor gem. Then it's followed by the best excursion into the 'poppier' side of the album in "Crosstown Traffic", which is definitely one of the most infectious tunes Jimi's ever done. Great simple, but effective riffage, and irresistible chorus - it's just so snappy. Too bad getting caught in traffic can't be as fun as that song.
Unfortunately, though, the next number sure feels like getting caught in 'traffic', even partly in the literal sense, since the next number, "Voodoo Chile" features Traffic member Steve Winwood on organ. Anyway, I said earlier that it was a good thing Jimi never really engaged in extended jamming on studio material before (mostly on live stuff) and this song is a good example of why. From a technical standpoint, the playing is excellent, but it just rambles on and on and on. It's structured like a rudimentary blues jam, and it sounds like one. Sorry, but I'm just not a fan of wankfests, and even though it could be a worse one, I expect better things from Jimi than that.
Side two of the album isn't really any better. It does feature the cover "Come On (Part 1)", which is actually one of the finest performances here - anything that allows Jimi to showcase what is among the most stunning examples soloing abilities can't be bad, as long as it's not overdone, which is the case here. There's also another Noel Redding contribution in "Little Miss Strange", which is certainly decent, even if it doesn't hold a candle to "She's So Fine". The other three poppier numbers on the side, though, are not so successful - "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" doesn't really hold that much interest outside of its' cool harpsichord intro and break, "Gypsy Eyes" is irritatingly bouncy, and the refrain of "Long Hot Summer Night" (one of the lowest points here) is just so clumsy and stupid.
Luckily, though, the third side begins the most classic stretch of the album, entirely taken up by "Rainy Day, Dream Away", an extended song suite. The jazzy title song features dreamy, Axis-like lyrics perfectly complementing the guitar work, and it certainly gets things off to a great start. The real mindblower of the suite, though is the really extended "1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)", which may run a little long in its' sometimes boring extended sound collage at the end, but the atmosphere on this song is just about the most special thing in the entire Hendrix catalog. It's really like an otherworldly dream, with that gorgeous, actually first-rate vocal melody (a rarity for him) and unexplainable surreality. It turns into a mix of great atmospheric riffs (one of which was borrowed by Lenny Kravitz in 1993 for "Are You Gonna Go My Way?") and solos before it finally returns to its' final, beautiful verse.
The last part of the suite, "Still Raining, Still Dreaming", starts off side four, and it's basically a reprise of its' beginning. Not only does it have awesome guitar and organ interplay and of course excellent soloing at the end, but it also has one of the most clever ideas Jimi ever came up with - he actually simulates two people talking to each other with those wah-wah effects. It's definitely a great prelude to the final three tracks here. "House Burning Down" is a decent combination of both his heavier and poppier side, and it's quite catchy to boot, but of course, it has nothing on the last two, somewhat more famous tracks. The notorious Dylan cover "All Along The Watchtower", filtered through the epic vibe of this album, is spectacular, with a great solo coming after each of the song's four verses.
Finally, to close the album on a high note is the monumental guitar standard "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", which actually has very little to do with the monotonous jam "Voodoo Chile" of earlier. It's an intense heavy blues where it sounds like Jimi is actually playing that amazing riff with four guitars at once(!), and as for the solo - well, all I've got to say about it is that it's consistently been ranked among the finest of all time, and there's nothing more to add there. And that's about it. Electric Ladyland in all tends to get understandably overrated by critics and fans, simply because it offers an amazing view of the guy's career in four sides, though among all of the great material there's just too much lame, boring filler throughout. Maybe not enough to say I could definitely condense this into a single album, no problem (an editing job that would most likely take away from the overall effect of this listen), but there's enough that I just can't seem to place this on the level of Experienced and Axis.
This is Jimi's third and last album, a true psychedelic album full of long jamming songs, shorter 'poppy' songs, along with a few classic cuts. This was a time when Jimi ruled the world, so he puts all his power into these cuts. The actual quality of the songs on here themselves aren't as great as the tunes on Are You Experienced? or Axis: Bold As Love, but the experimentation and production values are clearer, which sometimes makes up for a song just being so-so.
"..And The Gods Made Love" starts off the album with some aspiring futuristic sound affects before propelling into the disjointed and lazy psychedelia of "Have You Ever Been To (Electric Ladyland)" (one of Jimi's more odd tunes). Next is the short and catchy hit "Crosstown Traffic", a hard-rocking poppy tune with lots of fire; a definite highlight on this diverse set. Electric Ladyland almost falls flat on it's face when "Voodoo Chile" goes on way too long. Jimi usually knows how to save a song with his quickfire and raw guitar jamming, but on this torturous 15 minute jam, there is none of that. Steve Winwood may have contributed some organ playing on here, but it doesn't matter, since there are various times when the jamming is either slow or almost nonexistent (almost dead space in some parts).
Luckily side two looks better, when Noel Redding gets his second song with the Experience on "Little Miss Strange" (a catchy song with interesting guitar soloing). The cover tune "Come On" contains some of the most breathtaking and fastest guitarwork of his career, and the other tunes "Long Hot Summer Night", "Gypsy Eyes", and the melodic harpsichord opening of "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" are no slouches either.
Side three starts off with the amazing blues of "Rainy Day, Dream Away", before going into the overextended jam "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn)" which actually is 5 times better than "Voodoo Chile" will ever be. By this time the album flows very well, with "Moon, Turn The Tides.." bringing in some more effects before going into the reprise "Still Raining, Still Dreaming" which starts off the fourth side. Three powerful cuts close the album; "House Burning Down" (a chaotic tune with powerful guitarwork), "All Along The Watchtower" (one of his best songs!), and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" which could be considered the perfect closer on this interesting but somewhat flawed album. The two long jams really keep this album from attaining classic status, but some of his best songs are on this release.
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COMMENTS
[email protected] (Michael Willis)
This is it - Jimi Hendrix's crowning achievement. On this monstrous double album, Hendrix pulls out all the stops and records whatever HE wants. The result is an incredibly varied album with some of the most stunning studio guitar work ever recorded.
Somehow, a lot of reviewers on the web tend to let this one down a bit, usually giving it a lower rating than the others. This is certainly understandable - this album is somewhat harder to get into, what with the length, sound collages, and studio jams. But I've definitely gotten into it, and I love it to death, even if some of the songs may seem a little less well written. Essentially, to me this album is like Sergeant Pepper's, in that if the song quality may be a slight bit less high than some of the others, it is more than made up for by the overall feel and atmosphere of the album as a whole.
"...And the Gods Made Love" immediately sets a mood of bizarre experimentation, and I love it. As the songs segue into each other, you're taken along a mystical electric guitar journey. And I love "Voodoo Child". Most people seem to put it down as too long and boring. Not me. I love the loose feel of the blues jam, and the dead space and talking makes me really feel as if I'm just sitting around in the studio, while Jimi and company decide to just have some fun and jam out. Maybe being a musician helps, but I really like these loose, fun jams, and the guitar work is amazing, its just that you have to really listen for it. That goes doubly for the album as a whole - many of the songs feature breathtaking multiple guitar work interwoven into the very fabric of the album, and that is what really flips me out about the album. It's like every time you listen, you discover another quick, weird, incredible guitar fill fading in and out of your headphones (this is definitely a headphones-needed kind of album).
Last of all, I just want to mention my absolute adoration for the "Rainy Day, Dream Away" suite. The "1983" melody is fantastic, and the sound collage really, honestly makes me feel as if I'm in an underwater dream. There's just so much cool sounds, plus an ultra-cool sounding bass solo, and more fantastic guitar work, especially at the end of "1983" and the beginning 'talking guitar solo' of "Still Raining, Still Dreaming". Oh well, I don't want to make this too long. In closing, I'd like to advise listeners to try and let yourself be taken away by this album, and be sure to listen all over for Jimi's amazing guitar.
*OVERALL RATING: 10*
(reviewed by Nick Karn)
HIGH POINTS: Here He Comes (Lover Man), The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice, South Saturn Delta. LOW POINTS: None.
This is probably one of the most recommendable posthumous Hendrix releases out there (by the accounts I've read, anyway - I'm no expert on them by any means), consisting of previously unreleased songs, alternate versions of more famous tracks, and selections from other such releases like Rainbow Bridge and War Heroes. Throughout South Saturn Delta's hour long plus running time, it gives a fine overview of what Hendrix music is all about - the totally unique and breathtaking guitar work and the overall vibe of the music - almost as well as any of his studio album releases. Sure, there may not be a huge amount of songs that could rank as all-time classics on this thing, but there's very little unenjoyable here. Some nice pop songs, blues and funk jams, Dylan covers, and slightly experimental attempts to go along with the usual atmosphere, almost all of it quite good enough to recommend even to casual listeners.
The first half of the album in particular I enjoy listening to a lot, starting with the energetic guitar pop of "Look Over Yonder", which I could easily see fitting onto Axis rather nicely, even though it was recorded months after Electric Ladyland's release. Speaking of Axis, there's also an unreleased take of "Little Wing" that sounds quite a bit more bluesy and almost far removed from the original - without knowing the title of the song, I'd never be able to tell you it was actually that immortal classic. Still nice, though. But not as nice as the title track, which has Jimi's guitar merging wonderfully with a horn section as he pulls out some incredibly soulful licks and solos out of what seems like nowhere, or "Tax Free", another instrumental which has a fabulous riff slightly reminiscent of "Purple Haze" accented by organ that goes through effective tempo changes. There's also the wonderfully engaging funkish riff/bassline of "Message To The Universe (Message To Love)" that totally makes the song.
Elsewhere, "Power Of Soul" is highlighted by a lengthy and fantastically dreamy wah wah introduction (which recalls his nicer psychedelic-tinged moments), and one of the more uncommon occurences of an infectious chorus melody in the Hendrix catalog. Good stuff. But the real gem of the album, however, is the phenomenal blues jam "Here He Comes (Lover Man)", an utterly stunning showcase of free-flowing soloing and riffing that easily stands up to anything he ever did, and that's saying a lot. But of course, that's not all! The second half has another exceptional gem in the just plain trippy "The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice" - besides having possibly the coolest song title in Hendrix history, has an amazingly cool vibe that only he could possibly create, with mystical lyrics, really neat studio effects, and of course, phenomenal playing that makes it all add up to a classic.
The remainder of the side is a bit weaker, particularly as it drifts of at the end with the not particularly outstanding Dylan cover "Drifter's Escape" (good playing, but misses Bob's typical vibe) and "Midnight Lightning" is a somewhat standard and unmemorable bluesy piece that doesn't accomplish much, but most of this stuff is still nice to listen to anyway. There's more good soloing showcases ("Midnight"), more nice pop-influenced pieces and/or ballads ("Bleeding Heart", "Sweet Angel [Angel]"), another neat funk groove ("Pali Gap" - cool bassline on this one) and an alternate mix of "All Along The Watchtower" that's more or less the same as before, but it's cool to have it here. So in all, an essential for the Hendrix fan (of course), and also a great buy for the casual listener to be introduced into the amazingly overproductive world of 'beyond the grave' releases from the guy.
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