Studio – 2020s releases

Electric Lady Studios – A Jimi Hendrix Vision ♥♥♥

Released October 4, 2024 (Sony Legacy/Experience Hendrix)

CD1 – Ezy Ryder (Alt. mix), Valleys of Neptune, Straight Ahead (Takes 1 & 2), Drifter’s Escape (Takes 1 & 2), Astro Man (Take 14), Astro Man (Takes 9&10) , Drifting (Takes 1 &2), Night Bird Flying (Take 25), Farther Up the Road, The Long Medley
CD2 – Earth Blues (Alt. mix), Dolly Dagger (Takes 17 & 18), Angel (Take 7), Beginnings (Take 5), Lover Man, Tune X/Just Came In (Take 6), Heaven Has No Sorrow, Freedom (Take 4), Valleys of Neptune (solo demo), Come Down Hard On Me (Take 15), Dolly Dagger(Alt. version), Messing Around, Tune X/Just Came In (Take 8), Drifting (Alt. version), Freedom (Alt. version), Belly Button Window (Take 1)
CD3 – Dolly Dagger (Mix 2), Night Bird Flying (Alt. version), Freedom (Alt. version), Midnight Lightning/Beginnings, Straight Ahead(Alt. mix), In From the Storm (Alt. mix), Bolero/Hey Baby (New Rising Sun), Drifter’s Escape (Alt. mix), Astro Man (Alt. version), Bleeding Heart (Alt. mix), Drifting (Alt. version), Room Full of Mirrors (Alt. version), Angel (Alt. version)
BLU-RAY – Documentary, 5.1 surround sound mix of First Rays Of The New Rising Sun plus the songs “Valleys Of Neptune”, “Lover Man” and “Pali Gap”.

> Note that the running order of the vinyl version is completely different.

After being stalled for whatever reason, comes this deep dive into the vault, to explore the makings of what alimented the posthumous albums of the 1970s (and eventually First Rays Of The New Rising Sun). A few tracks are very rudimentary demos and others are basic rhythmic run-throughs with Mitch and Billy. Then there are many alternate mixes, with only slight differences in relation to the previously released masters. These alternate mixes are either posthumous or, more interestingly, how Jimi had left them before flying off for his last European tour, never to return. 

The most rewarding studio archive recordings are where Jimi and the band settle down and let loose with improvisation and there are thankfully a couple of tracks here that fit that description: “Midnight Lightning/Beginning” (which Alan Douglas had sourced for his fake Hendrix Midnight Lightning album in the 70s) and “Astro Man (Take 14)” (which is missing its conclusion, dammit!). “The Long Jam” has a superb sequence with “Beginning” going into improvisation before Jimi leads the band into a lovely raw take of “Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)”, then into further explorations  (rather like “Bolero” and the Woodstock improvisation) before heading into a chugging “Keep On Groovin”/”Race With The Devil”. The versions of “Dolly Dagger (Take 18)” and “Freedom” (July 19th) are nice stripped-down alternatives to the familiar master recordings. “Night Bird Flying (Take 25)” has no vocal track but Jimi’s soloing around the basic song is interesting.

Other points of interest are the spontaneous “Further On Up The Road” (Jimi winds it up after a couple of minutes unfortunately) and the solo ballad “Heaven Has No Sorrow” (both tracks have circulated for decades in pretty good quality). “Tune X…” is simply the early title for what became “In From The Storm” and the very raw “Take 8” has an interesting wild and passionate vocal from Jimi: “I got a cute little girl…she eats chitlins on the side”. The song then drifts into the lyrics of “Keep On Groovin’/Midnight Lightning'”. I do like the sparser takes of “Drifting” and “Angel – Take 7”, the latter resembling the version that was on Voodoo Soup. “Valleys Of Neptune (demo)” is Jimi solo and the “Alternate” version is a basically rhythmic improvisation with Stevie Winwood on tasteful organ accompaniment. “Beginning (Take 5)” is the same version that was on War Heroes and First Rays but about a minute longer (a slight meandering towards the end).

So all in all, this is an interesting behind-the-scenes look into the making of what would become great music (and the studio chit-chat is fun too). The First Rays Of The New Rising Sun compilation is on the Blu-ray as a 5.1 surround sound mix. A pity that the Bernie Grundman remaster of that album wasn’t included as a regular CD here (it was released on vinyl earlier in the year). Of course, Grundman’s remasters of Cry Of Love and Rainbow Bridge already appeared in 2014, so can’t complain.

The documentary about the construction of the studio is very interesting but not something that one would come back to very often.

Previously released tracks:
– “Lover Man” on The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set
– “Bolero”/”Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)” – posthumous mix on the West Coast Seattle Boy box set (Jimi’s mix here)

> Here’s a new website dedicated to the film that is included as a Blu-ray disc in the box set

You can find more outtakes and alternates from the sessions at Electric Lady Studios on the following albums:

The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set;
– Earth Blues (Hendrix/Kramer mixes 22/08/1970)
– Come Down Hard On Me (Hendrix/Kramer mixes 22/08/1970)
– Night Bird Flying (Hendrix/Kramer mixes 22/08/1970)
– Cherokee Mist (recorded 24/06/1970)
– Ezy Ryder (Hendrix/Kramer mix 15/06/1970)
– Slow Blues (recorded 20/08/1970)

West Coast Seattle Boy box set;
– In From The Storm (Hendrix/Kramer mix 20/08/1970)
– All God’s Children (recorded 15/06/1970)
– Play That Riff (recorded 19/06/1970)

Loose Ends; 
– Come Down Hard On Me Baby (alternate mix)
– The Drifter’s Escape (alternate mix)

Voodoo Soup:
– Angel (1990s Alan Douglas mix)