As much as the world was in turmoil while Electric Ladyland was being made, so, undoubtedly, was The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Made by an over-worked, over-managed group led by a guitarist keeping demandingly odd hours, forty years on the album displays an unquestionable power and beauty, but also records a huge tension. Split between brain-frying psychedelic epics ("1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)") and off the floor live jams like "Voodoo Child", the album is the bridging point between the flowery-shirted psychedelic pop records of Hendrix's London days, and the self-determining war funk of Band Of Gypsies, combining the best of both. This supplants the 2002 reissue only in bundling it with the Classic Albums doc, while sleeve-wise, this continues to use neither the original (that Jimi loathed), nor the Linda Eastman shots he wanted. JOHN ROBINSON For more album reviews, click here for the UNCUT music archive
As much as the world was in turmoil while Electric Ladyland was being made, so, undoubtedly, was The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Made by an over-worked, over-managed group led by a guitarist keeping demandingly odd hours, forty years on the album displays an unquestionable power and beauty, but also records a huge tension.
Split between brain-frying psychedelic epics (“1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)”) and off the floor live jams like “Voodoo Child”, the album is the bridging point between the flowery-shirted psychedelic pop records of Hendrix’s London days, and the self-determining war funk of Band Of Gypsies, combining the best of both. This supplants the 2002 reissue only in bundling it with the Classic Albums doc, while sleeve-wise, this continues to use neither the original (that Jimi loathed), nor the Linda Eastman shots he wanted.
JOHN ROBINSON
For more album reviews, click here for the UNCUT music archive
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