Jimi Hendrix LIVE ♥♥♥♥
Released 1982 (Polydor Netherlands)
All Along The Watchtower (Isle Of Wight), Gloria, Wild Thing (Monterey), Little Wing (Albert Hall), Machine Gun (Fillmore), Star Spangled Banner (Woodstock), Dolly Dagger (Isle Of Wight 70), Johnny B Goode (Berkeley), The Queen (Isle Of Wight).
A superb sleeve for this now rare Dutch live compilation released in 1982. Again, this is almost a “Best of” live but it’s let down by the Isle of Wight tracks “Dolly Dagger” and “The Queen”.
The live in studio version of Van Morrison’s Them classic “Gloria” had only been previously released as a free single with the compilation “The Essential Jimi Hendrix” in 1978 and as an Australien 12″ single the following year, making this its first appearence on an album.
Deleted
Tracks available today on: many releases
THE COVER
A very slick retouched photo of The Seattle Flash (I just made that name up !) – 10/10
Never released CD
THE JIMI HENDRIX CONCERTS ♥♥♥♥
Released 1982 (CBS)
SIDE 1: Fire (Winterland Oct .12.68-1st show), I Don’t Live Today (San Diego May 24.69), Red House (Randall Island,New York July 17.70)
SIDE 2: Stone Free (Albert Hall London February 24.69), Are You Experienced (Winterland Oct .10.68-1st show),
SIDE 3: Little Wing (Winterland Oct .12.68-2nd show), Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (Winterland Oct . 10.68-1st show), Bleeding Heart (Albert Hall London February.24.69)
SIDE 4: Hey Joe (Berkeley May 30.70), Wild Thing (Winterland Oct. 12.68-1st show), Hear My Train A Comin’ (Winterland Oct.10.68-2nd show)
After years of scant live releases, this album of superb performances was a welcome relief in 1982. An excellent double vinyl album of mainly Experience live appearances (six tracks from the October 68 Winterland gigs for example). Only “Bleeding Heart” had been previously released (on Ember’s “Experience”) and another excellent track from that Albert Hall gig (24/12/69) was included: “Stone Free” which features a great central guitar improvisation. A special mention for the intense Randall Island version of “Red House” and this was the first time we had live renditions of“Are You Experienced” and “I Don’t Live Today”.
On the Winterland tracks, we really get the chance to hear how The Experience sounded playing stadiums. They sounded huge. This is thanks to Alan Douglas’ enhancing production with added reverb. He has received some criticism for this but I think it works very well. After all, a producer’s role is to present an artist in the best possible way. How did The Experience sound in a big hall? Certainly not like a dry soundboard or multi-track recording.
A cover sticker and photo on the back showed Jimi at Monterey although recordings of that gig are not on the album. I remember that the film “Monterey Pop” was shown in cinemas at the time of release, with this album given to winners of a ticket draw. All of this left us hoping for a complete Monterey album (which soon followed – see below).
“Fire” and “Are You Experienced” were put out as a single at the same time.
The Reprise 2 CD version of “The Jimi Hendrix Concerts” added “Foxy Lady” from the L.A. 69 show as the last song. The rest of that LA Forum show appeared in 1990 as” Lifelines Volume IV”
On a Castle Communications re-release (with Jimi’s spoken introductions were chopped out). – Thanks to Andrew of Glasgow for those details !
November 2022: a new official release of the full L.A. Forum 1969 show.
Deleted
Tracks reissued:
All the Winterland tracks re-appeared on the 2011 “Winterland” box set and all except “Wild Thing” also appeared on the “Winterland” one CD version.
“Red House” , “Fire” – also on “Voodoo Child” ( 2 CD compilation”)
“Wild Thing” – also on “Live At Winterland”
“Stone Free”, “Bleeding Heart” – On the Charly Albert Hall releases
THE COVER
A 1971 painting of Jimi titled “Hommage à Jimi Hendrix” (the title is scratched into the canvas) by the famous artist Jean Messagier. Du “Grand Art”, alors: – 10/10
No longer available on CD
JIMI PLAYS MONTEREY ♥♥♥♥
Released 1986 (Reprise/Polydor)
SIDE 1: Killing Floor (Burnett), Foxy Lady, Like A Rolling Stone (Dylan), Rock Me Baby (King/arr. Hendrix), Hey Joe (Roberts)
SIDE 2: Can You See Me, The Wind Cries Mary, Purple Haze, Wild Thing (Chip Taylor)
At last came the complete recording of Jimi’s triumph at The Monterey Pop Festival 18/06/67. Most tracks had been available before split up across “Historic Performances Recorded At The Monterey International Pop Festival”, “Jimi Hendrix” film soundtrack and the “Kiss The Sky” compilation. I recently went back to my vinyl records to compare the sound and on this release Mitch’s drums are not as present but Jimi’s vocals are stronger.
Unlike the vinyl release, the CD begins with about two and a half minutes of tuning up before Brian Jones makes his off-mike stage announcement (a good friend of Jimi’s, he had flown over especially with The Experience to introduce them to America). The organiser John Phillips (of the Mamas And The Papas) had booked the band on the personal recommendation of Paul McCartney.
The band hit the stage like a tornado and like in the aftermath of the first visits by The Beatles and The Stones, America was never the same again. As I said earlier, this was Jimi’s big chance to “blow away” America and he certainly achieved it with this literally explosive show. One can imagine what this must have meant to him. After the years of hard work as an unknown backing musician, in an American record industry incapable of recognising his talents*, he came right back in their face, and triumphed.
A video of footage by D.A. Pennebeker (who made the famous film “Monterey Pop”) was released at the same time as this album and is also recommended. See DVD
* A few small New York companies had in fact signed the young Jimmy up in 1965/66 but as a session guitarist, rather than a potential star. The legendary guitarist Les Paul once saw the unknown Jimmy in a club somewhere, was knocked out by his playing and later tried to track him down. He failed to find him, only to discover later that he had found fame in England as Jimi Hendrix. Let’s be fair to John Hammond Jnr. also, who helped draw attention to Jimi in New York (1966), enabling him to be noticed by visiting British musicians, Chas Chandler being one of them (well, Chas saw Jimi without Hammond the first time in fact).
Deleted
Available today on: “Live At Monterey” and on the 90s release “Monterey International Pop Festival” 4-CD set (Rhino) and the corresponding DVD. A couple of tracks (“Like A Rolling Stone” and “Rock Me Baby”) appeared alternately mixed on “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” purple box set.
The set was also available in jumbled form in the 90s as “Live At Monterey Pop Festival (ITM-Media) and more recently on the unofficial and now deleted “No More A Rolling Stone” (Purple Haze Records).
THE COVER
Jimi’s Monterey performance is forever associated with the guitar sacrifice, so that act takes pole position here in a symbolic photo. A red Strat was used here and Jimi did in fact destroy a red one, the front of which he had sprayed white and hand-painted with psychedilc swirls and hearts. Nice typography – 6/10
JOHNNY B. GOODE – Original Video Soundtrack ♥♥½
Released 1986 (Capitol)
SIDE 1: Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Atlanta 70 Edited Version), Johnny B. Goode (Berkeley 70), All Along The Watchtower (Atlanta 70)
SIDE 2: The Star Spangled Banner (Atlanta 70), Machine Gun (Berkeley 70 – 2nd show)
Performances at Berkeley 30/05/70 and Atlanta Pop Festival 04/07/70, and apart from the already released title track (“In The West”, “Jimi Hendrix – Film Soundtrack”, “The Singles Album”) this was another collection of unissued tracks, put out at the same time on video. That is great marketing and this album is interesting, but not top quality. Why edit down “Voodoo Child” ? Why this weak version of “Watchtower” where Jimi fluffs the opening lines ? Because it exists on film? The sleeve notes pointed out that this was the new Jimi with his Band Of Gypsys (sic) and nothing to do with the “Wild Man” of the early days, yet the sleeve is covered with Monterey photos! Hopeless coordination. The video was perhaps a good idea but this album is rather shoddy.
The only CD release of this album was on EMI in Australia as part of their “Legendary Masters” series.
Deleted
Available today:
Johnny B. Goode – “In The West”
Machine Gun – “Live At Berkeley”
Atlanta tracks on “Freedom – Atlanta Pop Festival”
See also DVD
THE COVER
That cover image is not taken from the video. I presume it was inspired by Jimi’s lyrics to “1983, A Merman I Should Turn To Be”. The, er, mermaid is watching Jimi performing at Monterey, on TV. Far out. – 1/10
BAND OF GYPSYS 2 ♥♥½
Released 1986 (Capitol)
Hear My Train A Comin’, Foxy Lady, Stop (Ragovoy/Shuman), Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Complete – Atlanta 70), Stone Free (Berkeley 70 2nd show), Ezy Ryder (Berkeley 70 1st show)
Again a slapdash album, with in fact only those first three tracks featuring the veritable Band Of Gypsys at The Fillmore East. Alan Douglas was working on the theory that everything that Jimi worked on after The Experience came under the banner of the “Gypsys”, which Jimi had sort of suggested at the beginning.
Interesting to hear how the familiar songs “Hear My Train” and “Foxy Lady” sound with a different rhythm section than the Experience. The real novelty here was the song “Stop” which was originally a 1969 hit for the great Howard Tate. It is again a vehicle for Miles and an ambitious arrangement which they pull off quite well. As with a number of songs in the Gypsy’s repertoire, Jimi and Buddy intertwine their vocals with dramatic effect. I think Billy Cox also comes in for occasional backing vocals. “Voodoo Child” is the same Atlanta version that appeared on the above “Johnny B. Goode” video soundtrack album, but is unedited here. The last two tracks are from Berkeley 1970. More recently, the CD release “Live At The Filmore East” (which includes two of the Fillmore tracks presented here) was in fact the true pretender to the title of Band Of Gypsys “2”.
The Fillmore tracks here were later put out as a bonus on a “Band Of Gypsys” album re-release (see Live section – 90s) then ultimately withdrawn for the later editions. However they reappeared on the album “Live At The Fillmore East in 1999” (see Live section – 90s) .
Note also that the entire first set by the Band Of Gypsys was released in 2016 under the title of “Machine Gun: Live At The Fillmore East 31/12/1969” (see Live section – 2010s) and it included the version of “Hear My Train A Comin” from this “Band Of Gypsys 2” album. Phew!
Deleted
Tracks available today:
“Hear My Train A Comin” – Live At The Fillmore East, Machine Gun/Songs For Groovy Children (from master tape)
“Foxy Lady” – Track 2 of the “Somewhere” CD single, Songs For Groovy Children (from master tape)
“Stop” – Live At The Fillmore East, Songs For Groovy Children (from master tape)
“Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” – Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival
“Stone Free” – Live At Berkeley
> “Ezy Ryder” appeared later on a free 3 track CD with the Berkeley video cassette and later on the unnoficial and now deleted “Live At Berkeley – 1st show” (Radioactive Records).
THE COVER
A fuzzy zoom of Jimi at The Fillmore East … and a big “2” – 3/10
LIVE AT WINTERLAND ♥♥♥♥
Released 1987 (Rykodisc/Polydor)
SIDE 1: Fire(Oct 11-2nd show), Manic Depression (Oct .12-2nd show), Sunshine Of Your Love (Oct .12-2nd show), Spanish Castle Magic (Oct .12-2nd show)
SIDE 2: Red House (Oct .11-1st show), Killing Floor (Oct .10-2nd show)
SIDE 3: Tax Free (Oct .11-2nd show), Foxy Lady (Oct .11-2nd show)
SIDE 4: Hey Joe (Oct .12-1st show), Purple Haze (Oct .12, 1st show),Wild Thing (Oct .12-1st show)
It was certainly raining Hendrix albums in the eighties! Alan Douglas had by now made up for some of his past errors. Another double vinyl here, and a great selection of tracks capturing some of the excitement of the six shows that the Experience played over three evenings at The Winterland San Francisco in October 1968 (it was a residency celebrating the second anniversary of the band). The sound here is incredible and like with “The Jimi Hendrix Concerts”, this album puts over the magnitude of The Experience at this stage of their career.
Notable for the rare and magnificent live version of “Tax Free” , the even rarer “Manic Depression” and a fantastic “Sunshine Of Your Love“. On “Killing Floor” the band are joined on-stage by their friend Jack Casady of The Jefferson Airplane (and later Hot Tuna) which is a waste of time really, his bass just buzzes away in the background. On “Fire” and “Foxy Lady” Herbie Rich (of Buddy Miles Express who were support band) guested on organ but is not audible here.
Note that five other tracks from this series of gigs had appeared on “The Jimi Hendrix Concerts” (unfortunately “Wild Thing” on that release is identical to the one here, surely a compilors error). Another version of “Red House” (October10) had appeared on the “Variations” release (see below), another “Spanish Castle Magic” (October 11) on the officially approved Univibes CD “Calling Long Distance” (see end of “Live – 90s”).
Deleted
Tracks reissued:
All tracks re-appeared on the 2011 “Winterland” box set.
“Sunshine Of Your Love”, “Manic Depression” – appeared on “Winterland” (the 2011 one CD version).
“Hey Joe” – “Voodoo Child” (2 CD compilation”)
THE COVER
A rather awkward layout with a starburst backdrop, inspired by the original poster which was free inside the vinyl edition (pictured above). It looks more like an amateur bootleg job. Nice photo of Jimi though and this was the first ever live album attributed to “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” ! There was a white and a blue version for some reason. – 5/10
These Winterland recordings were available in 2005 as “Winterland Night” on the unofficial Purple Haze records (including the three tracks below) and then all the Winterland shows came out on Reclamation Records (the same source as the bootleg set in circulation among collectors, i.e. a few tracks are audience quality). These bootlegs remain interesting as they give us the complete shows in the correct order (the official box set mixed things up in a bizarre way). See Unofficial Releases pages for details of those bootleg albums.
WINTERLAND + 3 – 2 CD + T-shirt package ♥♥♥♥
Released 1987 (Rykodisc)
Are You Experienced (Oct. 11 1st show), Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Oct. 11 1st show), Like A Rolling Stone (Oct. 11 2nd show)
This rare CD released as a bonus in a special “Live At Winterland” pack with a free T-shirt, features three extra tracks from the concerts.
The version of “Are You Experienced” was edited down, omitting Virgil Gonzales who had jammed with the band on flute. This was something that The Experience would repeat four months later at The Royal Albert Hall when Chris Wood played that instrument with them for the “Room Full Of Mirrors” jam.
On the great version of “Like A Rolling Stone” Herbie Rich’s off-key organ is thankfully edited out. “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” is not one of the best live versions.
Deleted
Tracks reissued:
“Are You Experienced”, “Like A Rolling Stone” – “Winterland” 2011 box set
> These 3 tracks cropped up on the unofficiel “Winterland Night” de Purple Haze Records in 2005.
THE WINTERLAND SET LISTS & SOURCES:
Oct 10 68
1st SHOW: Are You Experienced*, Voodoo Child (Slight Return)*, Red House*, Foxy Lady*, Like A Rolling Stone, This is America* ,Purple Haze**
2nd SHOW: Tax Free*, Lover Man*, Sunshine Of your Love*, Hear my Train A Comin*, Killing Floor*, Hey Joe*, This is America*, Purple Haze*
Oct 11 68
1st SHOW: Are You Experienced*, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), Red House*, Foxy Lady, Star Spangled Banner*, Purple Haze*
2nd SHOW:Tax Free*, Spanish Castle Magic, Like A Rolling Stone*, Lover Man*, Hey Joe*, Fire*, Foxy Lady*, Purple Haze*
Oct 12 68
1st SHOW: Fire*, Lover Man*, Like A Rolling Stone*, Foxy Lady, Tax Free, Hey Joe*, Purple Haze*, Wild Thing*
2nd SHOW: Foxy Lady*, Manic Depression*, Sunshine of your Love*, Little Wing*, Spanish Castle Magic*, Red House*, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), This is America, Purple Haze
Jimi Hendrix Concerts (“Fire” also on Voodoo Chile compilation and “Little Wing” also on the new In The West)
Live At Winterland (“Hey Joe” also on Voodoo Chile compilation)
Winterland +3
Calling Long Distance + 2011 CD single
Red House: Variations On A Theme
“The Jimi Hendrix Experience” purple box set re-release on Sony
Winterland (2011 one CD version) – all the underlined tracks
* Winterland box set
** Flip-side of “Johnny B. Goode” vinyl single
VARIATIONS ON A THEME – “RED HOUSE” ♥♥♥♥
Released 1989 (Hal Leonard)
Berkeley 30/05/70
Randal Island 17/07/70
TTG Studios NY 29/10/68
LA Forum 26/04/69
Royal Albert Hall London 24/02/69
Winterland SF 10/10/68 (1st show)
John Lee Hooker
An interesting album presenting 6 complete live recordings of “Red House” (practically all previously unreleased), to demonstrate the improvisational genius of Jimi. It’s not as if one can sit through all the tracks at once, but it is interesting to come back to them from time to time.
The seventh track is a studio rendition by John Lee Hooker with Booker T. Jones on keyboards and Randy California on lead guitar*. Randy had in fact played with Jimi in New York in 1966 as a member of Hendrix’s first band Jimmy James and The Blue Flames. It was Jimi, or rather Jimmy, who gave Randy Wolfe his nickname “California” to avoid confusion with another Randy in the band, who he christened Randy Texas ! Our man from California of course later formed the superb group Spirit (who really merit a listen).
*Another version of “Red House” by John Lee Hooker appeared more recently on Experience Hendrix’s “Power Of Soul” compilation (see Tribute Albums pages).
THE COVER
An appropriately low key cover with a simple silhouette of Jimi in action. However, the guitar smasher was not the right choice to illustrate “Red House” (God I’m exigent) – 3/10
Deleted
Tracks available later:
– Randal Island version on the “Voodoo Child” compilation
– TTG Studios version on “:Blues”
– LA Forum version on “Lifelines IV” and the unofficial “The LA Forum Concert” (Radioactive) and “LA Forum – 26th April1969” (Burning Arlines).
– Winterland 10/10/68 version on CD1 of the 2011 “Winterland” box set
– Albert Hall version on the unnoficial “Albert Hall Experience” and “The Last Experience” (on Charly Records)
– Berkeley version on the unofficial “Live At Berkeley – 1st Show” (Radioactive),
“The Jimi Hendrix Reference Library” was a series of guitar tuition CDs. The others, which featured only incomplete Hendrix tracks, are pictured below.
The tabulation book “Variations On A Theme: Red House”
is still available on some sites.