Record Reviews
📝 2096 reviews| Artist | Title | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Jimi Hendrix | The Ultimate Experience | <p>This compilation just misses being the perfect single-CD Jimi Hendrix anthology, and it's a crying shame because it comes so close. Its main virtue is that, in contrast to Smash Hits -- the only compilation of Hendrix's work approved by the artist -- it extends its reach past 1968. The last of the tracks come from the abortive First Rays of the New Rising Sun album, left unfinished at the time of his death, and show off a more R&B and soul-oriented sound than Hendrix was generally known for -- and are worth the price of the disc by themselves. In fact, some of these cuts recall Hendrix's history with the Isley Brothers, but done his way, with the range of sounds that he was generating in 1970. The disc concludes with the obligatory live version of "The Star Spangled Banner" from Woodstock, which is of massive historical and cultural importance. Where it falls short is by leaving out "Can You See Me" and "Remember," which are on Smash Hits -- it's a pity because the presence of two of those cuts (which, in fairness, can be found on Are You Experienced?) would make this compilation perfect in most respects.</p><p>—<strong>Sean Westergaard</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | War Heroes | <p>Jimi Hendrix left behind more unreleased material than just about any other rock artist. Some tracks have rated as all-time classics ("Angel," "Izabella," "Drifting," etc.), while others should have remained in the vaults (such as the full-length albums Crash Landing and Voodoo Soup, two collections that were near-criminally touched up by then-Hendrix keeper Alan Douglas). The out of print War Heroes is one of the few consistent compilations of unreleased Hendrix, and has since been replaced by First Rays of the New Rising Sun and South Saturn Delta. Highlights include "Beginning" (which contains a riff almost identical to the Stones' "Bitch"), "Highway Chile," and "Izabella," a track premiered on a Dick Cavett TV show a year before Hendrix's death. However, not all of the material is up to snuff, such as the nonsensical "Three Little Bears" and "Midnight," an overty indulgent instrumental. If you're a newcomer to Hendrix, don't start here, but if you're a serious fan searching for some interesting obscurities, War Heroes is definitely worth the price.</p><p>—<strong>Greg Prato</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky | |
| Jimi Hendrix | First Rays Of The New Rising Sun | <p>Posthumous reconstructions of unfinished works are inherently dangerous, principally because even the most capable scholar or producer can only make, at best, an educated guess as to how the work in question would have been completed. Indeed, in dealing with some such pieces, you're sometimes lucky to get the work of the artist claimed (the Mozart Symphony No. 37 is a case in point -- it doesn't exist; the piece once labeled Symphony No. 37 and attributed to Mozart is now known to have been authored by Michael Haydn); and while there's no question that the songs on this CD were recorded by Jimi Hendrix, even the people who worked on the sides with him can't say which songs would have ended up on the finished version of First Rays of the New Rising Sun (assuming that he even ended up using that title for the album), or what embellishments he would have added to any of them in the course of completing them, or even if he might not have totally reconsidered such matters as tempo and approach to any of them. In the end, First Rays of the New Rising Sun is a little like any of the various "performing editions" of Gustav Mahler's never-completed Symphony No. 10, in that what's here is impressive, but may have little to do with what would finally have been heard by the public, had the artist lived to finish it -- we don't know if Mahler would have scored a particular passage for horns or strings, or Hendrix would have put another, different lead guitar part, or a second (or third) guitar part on to any of these songs, or added choruses, or re-thought his vocal performance? Hendrix had gone so long between albums, seemingly adrift stylistically at various times, that there's no telling exactly what direction he was finally going to end up working toward. All of that said, this is a superb album, and a worthy if very different, earthier successor to Electric Ladyland's psychedelic excursions -- the later tracks, ironically enough, cut at that album's long promised and long-delayed studio namesake -- and also show him working in some genuinely new directions. For starters, Hendrix's voice emerges here as a genuinely powerful instrument in its own right -- his voice was never as exposed in the mix of his songs as it is here; partly this is because Hendrix and engineer Eddie Kramer never finished embellishing the songs, or completed the final mixes. But whatever the reasons, the change is refreshing -- Hendrix's voice is not only powerful and expressive throughout, but a more melodic instrument than it seemed on his earlier releases; indeed, hearing these sides is a bit like listening to those middle-years Muddy Waters recordings when Chess Records had the Chicago blues legend abandon his guitar playing in favor of concentrating on his singing; the results might not be what all fans expected, but it sure sounds good, because it turns out that Hendrix had an expressive voice and was also moving his music into new areas that were stimulating him. A lot of the material here shows Hendrix, for the first time, moving his songs specifically into a black music idiom, embracing R&B and funk elements in his singing, playing, and overall sound; some of it could qualify as Hendrix's extension of his years playing with the Isley Brothers. Songs here such as "Freedom," "Izabella," "Angel," and "Dolly Dagger" show him finally acknowledging that musical world that he had largely by-passed, and the closer, "Belly Button Window," is one of his most successful traditional bluesy outings. The psychedelic workouts are more jam-like and experimental, and the ballads are prettier and even more dreamlike in their background soundscapes. "Astro Man" also captures a light moment for the artist, as he opens the guitar workout with a quote from the Mighty Mouse theme song, sotto voce beneath the guitar. And speaking of the guitar, despite the prominence of Hendrix's vocals on a lot of this album, the guitar playing is pretty much up to the standard that one would expect, if not necessarily the final versions of some of the songs. Most of the material on First Rays of the New Rising Sun surfaced among the various posthumous Hendrix LPs issued from the 1970s through the early 1990s, but a lot of it was tampered with, mostly in the form of posthumous overdubbed embellishments supervised by producer Alan Douglas -- all of that has been stripped off and the multi-track masters retrieved and restored. What he would have eventually come up with and released as his next musical statement is anyone's guess, but this gets you as close to that answer -- and that vision -- as you're ever likely to get. It is the best representation of where the songs were at the point that he died, and it's fully competitive, in terms of merits and surprises, with his trio of completed studio albums.</p><p>—<strong>Bruce Eder</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | South Saturn Delta | <p>Shortly after the Hendrix family reacquired the rights to Jimi's catalog, they signed a long-term deal with MCA Records and pulled many of the compilations of unreleased material and rarities off the shelves, with the intent of re-releasing the material in better collections. First Rays of the New Rising Sun, an attempt at assembling Hendrix's uncompleted last album, was the first release from Experience Hendrix LLC, and it was followed months later by South Saturn Delta, a collection of rarities -- all but one of the 15 tracks were never officially released in the U.S. -- that spans his entire career. Its intent is to capture the full range of Hendrix's music through an alternate history, and it works pretty well. Among the highlights are tracks from the War Heroes and Rainbow Bridge Concert albums ("Look Over Yonder," "Tax Free," "Midnight," "Pali Gap," "Bleeding Heart"), "Sweet Angel" (an early version of "Angel"), an instrumental "Little Wing," a solo take on "Midnight Lightning," and a studio version of "Message to the Universe (Message to Love)." There are also alternate mixes of "All Along the Watchtower," "Power of Soul," "Drifter's Escape," "South Saturn Delta," and "The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice." It's an intelligently sequenced, listenable collection of some of the very best outtakes and rarities from Hendrix, and is another sign that Experience Hendrix LLC's restoration of Jimi's catalog will be smart, stylish, and logical.</p><p>—<strong>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | Live At The LA Forum | <p>Back when LP's were still the music industry's dominant format, one quick way to grab a collector's attention was with colored vinyl. This Jimi Hendrix bootleg was considered special because one of its two LPs was pressed on red vinyl, while the other was pressed on blue vinyl. Perhaps the bootlegger, which called itself Collector's Edition, thought that colored vinyl would make up for inferior sound quality - and make no mistake, this double LP won't exactly win over any audiophiles. Obviously, the person who taped 'Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky at the L.A. Forum on April 5, 1970, used a mono home recorder, making this a bootleg that only a die-hard collector would be interested in. But despite the poor sound quality, many collectors won't want to pass up Hendrix's inspired performances of such favorites as "Foxy Lady," "Purple Haze," "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)," and "Spanish Castle Magic." An extended performance of "Room Full of Mirrors" is excessively long-winded, but because Hendrix was such a phenomenal musician and hired such impressive sidemen, one can easily forgive his occasional excesses. It's regrettable that this bootleg has lousy sound quality, for Hendrix's set - excesses and all - is a prime example of musical genius at work.</p><p>—<strong>Alex Henderson</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Box Set) | <p>The Jimi Hendrix Experience Box Set is a definitive collection of alternate outtakes and vintage live recordings. Spanning a career that exploded in 1966 and never let up for four years, this four-CD, 56-track compilation may not be the last of the literally dozens of posthumous Hendrix releases, but it certainly is the most comprehensive.</p><p>There is no doubt that the Hendrix vault has been exploited and revamped many times over since the guitarist's untimely demise 30 years ago. In the last few years, the Experience Hendrix organization – which is overseen by Jimi's father Al and half-sister Janie – with the likes of Eddie Kramer, Hendrix' longtime engineer, have released some high quality collections that unequivocally capture the legendary axe slinger in all his splendor and glory. First Rays Of The New Rising Sun was supposedly the album that Hendrix was in the midst of completing when he passed away. South Saturn Delta includes historic alternates and remastered tracks previously only available on sub-standard releases of the mid 1970s. Live At The Fillmore East and Live At Woodstock exhibit the post-Experience Hendrix at the height of his powers as a live performer. But it's as if these releases were merely laying the foundations for what was to come. With the box set, Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer and co-producer John McDermott have unearthed the mother lode.</p><p>Disc one opens with an alternate version of probably Hendrix' most well known song, "Purple Haze." From there we are taken to the fourth live performance by the newly christened Experience where Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding unleash killer performances of "Killing Floor" and "Hey Joe." The disc goes on to document Hendrix' songwriting and studio prowess with stunning, somewhat raw versions of "Foxey Lady," "Third Stone From The Sun," "If 6 Was 9" and a Dylan cover that even Dylan admired, "Like A Rolling Stone."</p><p>Disc two sustains the momentum with sizzling renditions of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" – at this point only three months old – and "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp." On to more studio outtakes, we glimpse the Experience/Chas Chandler combination in full bloom. It's arguable that when Chandler – the former Animal who had more or less "discovered" Hendrix – took the producer helm, Hendrix was at his most creative. Certainly there was a free amount of experimentation taking place as verified by the alternate takes of "Little Wing" and "Bold As Love." The disc shuffles back and forth from studio and live tracks, much of it without Mitchell, Redding or Chandler. It is conceivable to understand that once everyone went home, Hendrix would continue to record with who ever was around. The final track captures a solitary Hendrix plucking out an elaborate production of "Star Spangled Banner," months before his most celebrated translation at Woodstock.</p><p>While a revolving door of personnel continue to make appearances, the essence of Hendrix, Mitchell and Redding persists throughout disc three. Even in their final days, the band gave their all, as exhibited by smoking "live" versions of "I Don't Live Today," "Little Wing," "Red House," "Purple Haze" and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" – all intended for release during Hendrix' lifetime. The disc closes with an unreleased take of "Izabella," one of the first post-Experience recordings made with Billy Cox on bass.</p><p>As things wind down with disc four, Hendrix continues to excel as a guitarist, songwriter, singer and studio junkie. Hendrix floats back and fourth from basic blues to more cerebral, less frantic material. The rare Band of Gypsys studio sessions here signal a more stripped down direction. Much of the subsequent "live" material – with Mitchell returning to the fold – is of then-unreleased studio experimentations. By the reaction from the few hundred in Hawaii to "Hey Baby/In From The Storm" to over half-million at the Isle of Wight – Hendrix' biggest audience – to a more seasoned version of "In From The Storm," you'd have thought these were staples in his catalog. While the finishing touches of the studio version of "In From The Storm" were still being added, Hendrix strummed "Slow Blues," the last session he ever recorded, and appropriately the last track on the set.</p><p>Even as the Hendrix family continues to release live concerts and odd compilations from a seemingly endless number of tapes, The Jimi Hendrix Experience Box Set, complete with an 80-page, full-color booklet, should placate even the most casual of fans. Inferior product is bound to follow while the catalog is salvaged for every last note. I could expand on the plunder of millionaire family members, but at least they're doing the material justice. What a shame that Jimi Hendrix himself isn't around to enjoy the fruits of his labor.</p><p>—<strong>Shawn Perry</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | Live At The Fillmore East | <p>A series of Jimi Hendrix performances from the Band of Gypsys concerts finally gets the deluxe treatment from MCA and Experience Hendrix, as tapes from both first and second shows are brought together, correctly identified (1986's Band of Gypsys 2 actually featured three tracks that weren't by the band at all) in one deluxe two-disc set. This newly expanded edition contains the only live versions of "Earth Blues," "Auld Lang Syne," "Stepping Stone," and "Burning Desire"; Hendrix tunes specifically worked up for the performance that rarely surfaced again like "Izabella," "Power of Soul," and "Who Knows"; newly remastered versions of "Stop" and "Hear My Train a-Comin'" (both originally presented on Band of Gypsys 2 in horrendous sound) and classic performances of "Stone Free," "Changes," "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," and "Wild Thing." Equally as revelatory is one of the two alternate versions included of "Machine Gun," every bit as stunning as the better-known version. Though this new edition hardly makes all previous incarnations obsolete, it presents the man at his most challenged and brilliant.</p><p>—<strong>Cub Koda</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix | <p>This compilation just misses being the perfect single-CD Jimi Hendrix anthology, and it's a crying shame because it comes so close. Its main virtue is that, in contrast to Smash Hits -- the only compilation of Hendrix's work approved by the artist -- it extends its reach past 1968. The last of the tracks come from the abortive First Rays of the New Rising Sun album, left unfinished at the time of his death, and show off a more R&B and soul-oriented sound than Hendrix was generally known for -- and are worth the price of the disc by themselves. In fact, some of these cuts recall Hendrix's history with the Isley Brothers, but done his way, with the range of sounds that he was generating in 1970. The disc concludes with the obligatory live version of "The Star Spangled Banner" from Woodstock, which is of massive historical and cultural importance. Where it falls short is by leaving out "Can You See Me" and "Remember," which are on Smash Hits -- it's a pity because the presence of two of those cuts (which, in fairness, can be found on Are You Experienced?) would make this compilation perfect in most respects.</p><p><strong>—Bruce Eder</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | Both Sides Of The Sky | <p>Jimi Hendrix remains arguably one of the greatest electric guitarists that ever lived, who, upon his untimely passing in 1970, left behind an enormous wealth of previously unheard studio recordings which, according to those in the know, had the potential to offer new and compelling insights into one of the 20th Century's ultimate rock instrumentalists, someone whose genius has often been likened to that of Robert Johnson and Miles Davis.</p><p>Both Sides of the Sky is the third and purportedly final instalment in a trilogy of albums (starting with 2010's Valleys of Neptune and 2013's People, Hell & Angels) dedicated to highlighting Jimi's creative development throughout the last two years of what was an incredibly short albeit spectacular career.</p><p>As Hendrix scholar and archivist John McDermott stated in relation to the project: "I have had the good fortune of being able to listen to everything in the vault and I got a sense that some of these songs trace back to '67 and he was still working on them. Jimi really tried to be whittling down songs, working hard to refine things. There was a constant evolution of the content."</p><p>Starting with "Mannish Boy," a bluesy funky rocker that finds Hendrix exploring his inner Muddy Waters, the cut is also the first known recording he made with Buddy Miles (drums) and Billy Cox (Bass) in April 1969, several months before the trio officially named themselves the Band of Gypsys. "Lover Man," also recorded with Cox and Miles in December 1969, is another up-tempo tune Jimi had been tinkering with since 1967's Are You Experienced but never quite managed to perfect to his satisfaction.</p><p>He lets rip on a scorching "Hear My Train A Comin'," backed by Mitch Mitchell (drums) and Noel Redding (bass), followed by a country-tinged rendition of "Stepping Stone," the last single released during his lifetime. On Stephen Stills' "$20 Fine" Hendrix proves that he could easily have been a fifth member of CSNY, thanks to some very tasty guitar licks, while on "Power of Soul" he out-funks Funkadelic by at least a few thousand light years.</p><p>On other tracks Jimi burns the midnight amp via "Jungle," a previously unreleased instrumental, along with an embryonic take of "Sweet Angel" (recorded in January 1968), a song inspired by a dream Jimi had of his late mother, and continued to work on until his death.</p><p>There are also recordings with Johnny Winter and previous band-mate Lonnie Youngblood, each of which places a historic spotlight on Hendrix's blues credentials.</p><p>Fans of Crosby, Stills & Nash may be fascinated to hear a nascent reading of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," with Stephen Stills singing and Hendrix filling in the role on bass. On other tracks Jimi branches out, exploring new musical territory on the medium-tempo ballad "Send My Love To Linda," and closing cut, the oft-bootlegged "Cherokee Mist," a moody instrumental which sees Hendrix playing electric sitar to Mitch Mitchell's tribal beat.</p><p>Both Sides of the Sky is in no way a perfect record, nor does it definitively illustrate Hendrix's undisputed genius. But what it does offer is further insight into Jimi's seemingly unlimited potential and talent as an artist. That his music continues to inspire people to this day is a testament to his enduring brilliance.</p><p>—<strong>Sacha O'Grady</strong></p><hr/></p>Both Sides Of The Sky presents 13 studio recordings including 10 which have never before been released. All but two of these studio recordings were made during a fertile period between January 1968 and 1970. Jimi's mastery and use of the studio as a proving ground for new songs resulted in a growing collection of extraordinary material. This album completes a trilogy of albums [with Valleys Of Neptune and People, Hell & Angels] presenting the best and most significant unissued studio recordings remaining in the Hendrix archive. The songs include fascinating alternate versions of "Stepping Stone," "Lover Man" and "Hear My Train A Comin'" as well as recordings where Jimi is joined by special guests Johnny Winter and Stephen Stills. Both Sides Of The Sky was mixed by Eddie Kramer, the engineer for all of Hendrix's albums throughout the guitarist's lifetime, and produced by Janie Hendrix, Kramer and John McDermott.</p></p><strong>Mannish Boy</strong> - The first ever studio session by the group Hendrix would christen as his Band Of Gypsys. Hendrix, Cox & Miles shared a love for the blues as this driving, uptempo reworking of "Mannish Boy" by Muddy Waters makes clear.</p></p><strong>Lover Man</strong> - Just two weeks before their triumphant New Year's concerts at the Fillmore East in NYC [yielding both 1970's Band Of Gypsys and 2016's sequel Machine Gun], Hendrix gathered with Cox and Miles to cut this dynamic rendition of what had become a favorite concert staple.</p></p><strong>Stepping Stone</strong> - A totally unique take on this Hendrix favorite, with Jimi showcasing both blues and country styled licks atop a relentless, galloping beat.</p></p><strong>$20 Fine</strong> -Stephen Stills joined Jimi, Mitch Mitchell and Buddy Miles Express keyboardist Duane Hitchings at this September 1969 session. With Stephen handling lead vocals and organ, Jimi added multiple guitar parts to this rollicking Stills original.</p></p><strong>Power Of Soul</strong> - This 1970 studio session came three weeks after the Band Of Gypsys concerts at the Fillmore East. While a live version remains one of the highpoints of Band Of Gypsys, Jimi never released a studio version during his lifetime. For this album, we present the mix that Hendrix and Kramer prepared of the complete song at Electric Lady on August 22, 1970.</p></p><strong>Jungle</strong> - The influence of Curtis Mayfield can be heard here as Jimi expands on the "Villanova Junction Blues" theme he made famous by its inclusion in the 1970 Woodstock documentary.</p></p><strong>Things I Used To Do</strong> - Jimi is joined for this rendition of Guitar Slim's blues classic by Johnny Winter. Jimi's trademark guitar work and Winter's deft slide playing weaves in and around the foundation set by bassist Billy Cox and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young drummer Dallas Taylor.</p></p><strong>Georgia Blues</strong> - Jimi reunited with some old friends from his pre-Experience days. Lonnie Youngblood, with whom Hendrix played in R&B groups like Curtis Knight & The Squires, voiced this superb twelve bar blues neatly underpinned by Hendrix's sublime rhythm and lead guitar work.</p></p><strong>Sweet Angel</strong> - With Axis: Bold As Love only just released, Jimi immediately turned his focus to recording what would become Electric Ladyland. This gorgeous, instrumental reading of "Angel,", features Jimi on guitar, bass and vibraphone joined by Mitch Mitchell.</p></p><strong>Woodstock</strong> - Stephen Stills came to this session fresh from having visited Joni Mitchell, who had a new song that Stills was excited to try and record. Long before CSNY's version, Stephen, Jimi and Buddy Miles recorded this amazing rendition.</p></p><strong>Send My Love To Linda</strong> - A superb new Hendrix original composition recorded with Cox and Miles in the aftermath of their successful Band Of Gypsys performances at the Fillmore East.</p></p><strong>Cherokee Mist</strong> - Together with drummer Mitch Mitchell, Jimi created this moody, evocative original complete with his playing of a sitar to complement his traditional electric guitar.</p><p>—<strong>Amazon.com</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | Last American Concert Vol.1 | |
| Jimi Hendrix | Last American Concert Vol.2 | |
| Jimi Hendrix | Live, Maui Hawaii | |
| Jimi Hendrix | Live In Atlanta - 1970 | <p>Jimi Hendrix's headlining appearance at the Atlanta Pop Festival would be the largest U.S. audience he would ever play to. Most people assume it was Woodstock, which was a larger festival, but by the time Jimi took the stage at around 9 a.m. on Monday morning, the Woodstock crowd was down to about 25,000 stragglers. Estimated between 300,000 and 400,000, the actual crowd at Hendrix's Atlanta Pop performance was hard to pin down due to the fact that many of the festivalgoers turned up after dark, in an effort to stay out of the stifling heat of Atlanta in the summertime. The trio of Jimi, Mitch, and Billy Cox had been touring for about two and a half months solid when July 4 rolled around, and they sound really tight kicking off the show. "Fire" starts the set, and one immediately notices how differently Billy Cox plays it versus Noel Redding. "Spanish Castle Magic" has Jimi trying out some new solo ideas and he really starts feeling it on a very improvisational, extended "Red House." A rare live performance of "Room Full of Mirrors" is followed by an absolutely incredible version of "Hear My Train A Comin'." Jimi is just in amazing form as the ideas just keep coming: the entire solo is so well constructed it could almost be composed. This is a guitar performance nearly equal to "Machine Gun" on Band of Gypsys, and worth the price of admission by itself. After a nice version of "Message to Love," things falter just a bit with Jimi blowing his vocal entrance and muffing some lyrics on "All Along the Watchtower" followed by a good, not great, version of "Freedom." He starts finding his guitar groove again though, and by "Hey Joe" he's once again in excellent form. A solid version of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" leads into a really nice extended version of "Stone Free" with some cool new solo ideas. "Star Spangled Banner" is actually punctuated with real fireworks and the set closes with another new song, "Straight Ahead." The music on Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival has been available in collector's circles for some time, but it has never sounded better than it does here. Despite a brief lull mid-set, the revamped Experience turned in an exciting show on July 4, 1970, and with "Hear My Train A Comin'," Jimi turned in one of the greatest solos of his career.</p><p>—<strong>Sean Westergaard</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | Jimi Plays Berkeley | <p>The Berkeley shows by Jimi Hendrix are fairly well known because not only were the shows filmed, but they have been bootlegged pretty extensively over the years, as well. <I>Live at Berkeley: 2nd Show</I> marks the first official release of this material, and, like its predecessor, <I>Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight</I>, the show has its strengths and weaknesses. Things start loose, <I>very loose</I>, on "Pass It On," which is actually the music from "Straight Ahead" with some off the cuff lyrics, then into "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)." Hendrix's guitar tone is fantastic, and there are some fine moments of soloing, but as far as the songs go, he seems distracted.</p><p> Things start to pick up with "Lover Man" (check Billy Cox's bass playing here), and Hendrix really seems to findhimself while romping through some older material like "Stone Free"and "Hey Joe." In fact, the solo on "Stone Free" is amazing, andquite unlike other live versions. It's clear that all the guitarelectronics were working together (despite the brief securityinterruption on "Hey Joe;" again, shades of <I>Isle of Wight</I>), and by the time he gets into "I Don't Live Today" and "Machine Gun,"Hendrix is in the stratosphere. The intensity drops just a bit as hefinishes up the set, drifting into "Keep on Groovin'" while in themiddle of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," but "Purple Haze" and"Foxey Lady" are still strong showings. The official release of moreHendrix archival material is not likely to ease his reputation as aninconsistent performer, but those who rightfully regard him as oneof the finest electric guitarists ever will always be clamoring forgood sounding live shows, and <I>Live at Berkeley: 2nd Show</I> willnot disappoint at that level.</p> — <B>Sean Westergaard</B> |
| Jimi Hendrix | Jimi Plays Berkeley | <p>The Jimi Plays Berkeley film, documenting his performances at the Berkeley Community Theatre on May 30, 1970, was about as haphazardly organized as most of the projects from the final year or two of his life were. It endured a post-directorial cut from Hendrix manager Mike Jeffery and, even with the insertion of some footage of period Berkeley rioting and protest, still clocked in at less than an hour. Perhaps it could have been better if more footage was prepared -- and, unfortunately, a few of the songs weren't filmed in complete versions -- but what remains is actually a pretty enjoyable and valuable document of Hendrix in concert. Just a few months prior to his death, he's backed by the reliable Mitch Mitchell on drums and newer trio mainstay Billy Cox on bass, mixing some old classics ("Purple Haze," "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," "I Don't Live Today") with quite a few selections he wouldn't release on record during his lifetime ("Johnny B. Goode," "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)," "Lover Man," "Hear My Train a Comin'"). Hendrix seems to be a little tired and fed-up on some of the footage that survives of his concerts from his final months, but that's not the case here. He seems relaxed and in a pretty good mood, even on the obligatory "Purple Haze," the one song on which he really pulls out his most famed bag of tricks, like playing the guitar with his teeth. There's also "The Star Spangled Banner," not destined to make the lasting impact as the version filmed for Woodstock, of course, but impressively executed here. Most video releases have an audio-only section of concert recordings from the second set of the night's performances (also available separately in standard audio as Live at Berkeley). It's unclear, though, why neither the audio nor video included any material from the first show; as a consequence, some songs in the film, like "Hear My Train a Comin'" and "Johnny B. Goode," aren't heard on the audio-only portion.</p><p>—<strong>Richie Unterberger</strong></p> |
| Jimi Hendrix | Jimi Hendrix (DVD) | <p>If any artist deserved a hagiography it was Jimi Hendrix, and Joe Boyd's 1973 "authorized" tribute adequately sanctifies the legend. Perversely for a documentary, it achieves this simply through well-chosen concert footage rather than through the insights of the various talking heads. Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, and Germaine Greer are all wheeled out to wax lyrical about their days with Jimi, but nothing is more eloquent than watching and listening to him play. From "Hey Joe" in grainy black and white on the Ready Steady Go TV show, classic footage of Monterey, Woodstock (yes, "The Star-Spangled Banner"), and the Isle of Wight festivals to an acoustic 12- string rendition of "Hear My Train a' Comin'," Hendrix the musician speaks for himself.</p><p>But if Hendrix the musician shines through, this is not the most insightful profile of Hendrix the man. The circumstances surrounding his death, for example, are hardly touched upon (girlfriend at the time Monika Dannemann gets only a few seconds of screen time). Interview footage with Hendrix himself plus some occasionally rambling and incoherent comments from such intimates as his father, army buddies, ex-girlfriends (including Linda Keith, who "discovered" him in New York and brought him to England), and fellow musicians all take second place to the music itself. The most sensible quote comes from Little Richard, who proves once and for all that he's utterly bonkers when he says of Jimi's music: "At times he made my big toes shoot up into my boot." </p>— <b>Mark Walker</b> |
| Don Henley | Actual Miles - Don Henley's Greatest Hits | |
| John Hiatt | Two Bit Monsters | <p>At the time of its release, Two Bit Monsters was perceived by critics who had caught up with John Hiatt on Slug Line as a less impressive follow-up to that record. In retrospect, it may be the better of the two albums, boasting an even more simplified musical approach and such notable songs (and future Rosanne Cash covers) as "Pink Bedroom" and "It Hasn't Happened Yet." Hiatt here was starting to emerge from the "new Elvis Costello" tag that had been affixed to him with Slug Line, but his reviewers, however well-meaning, seemed determined to keep him in that category. (In any case, record buyers were paying little attention -- Slug Line was Hiatt's fourth straight album to miss the charts, and MCA dropped him as Epic had before.)</p><p>— <strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p> |
| John Hiatt | All Of A Sudden | <p>Hiatt's fifth album and his first for Geffen, his third record label, was given a somewhat inappropriate big-gloss production (all shimmering keyboards and filtered vocals) by Tony Visconti, known for his work with David Bowie. What counts with Hiatt, though, is the songs, and this album contains "I Look for Love," as knowing a dissection of the dating scene as anyone has yet attempted.</p><p>— <strong>William Ruhlmann</strong></p> |
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