Jimi Hendrix ‎– Hendrix In The West

As shown on the photographs, this version has the A1 and A2 tracks transposed in position as printed on the interior gatefold. Does a version exist with the correct sequence as on the label?

A great record to proove what a great guitar player Jimi Hendrix was. From cool licks within the singing to flowing clean fast melodies to distorted orgies. Wow!!

To speak to the music directly, this album contains a mixed bag of cuts ranging from the somewhat overindulgent and forgettable to the mind-blowing and life-changing. Opening with "Johnny B. Goode" and "Lover Man" we hear the type of performances that surely enthralled the masses: a fantastic mix up good rock and roll songs with Hendrix' virtuosity. They are accessible, easy to listen to, and, well...fun. They are easy to listen to and image Jimi’s stage antics embellishing the music.

The cover of Carl Perkins’ "Blue Suede Shoes" is interesting for its tempo but would easily be seen left off a “Hendrix Mix” playlist.

...and then there is "Voodoo Chile (A Slight Return). This February 24, 1969 Royal Albert Hall performance is not only an excellent example of how psychedelic hard rock could occasionally constitute "art" but for guitar players it is one of those tracks that cause you shake your head in disbelief, wonder how so much talent could be contained within a single person, make you want to smash your instrument with the realization you are but a hack, and may even cause you to weep openly over the death of such gifted musician. After the initial verse the singer steps away from the microphone, the effects pedal foot switch is stomped on, and Hendrix instantly becomes possessed. The solo transcend mere notes and phrases, it is a cacophony of blinding speed, motion, color. What you hear is the exact element that made Hendrix so unique, great sweeping expanses of SOUND: sound as imagery, sound as pure emotion.

Hyperbolic? Perhaps, but there are moments here that have put a shiver down my spine, every single time I’ve ever listened to it. This is one of the definitive Hendrix performances and it is only the edits and mastering of the original vinyl where you can hear all this. (I’ve heard several different releases of that used either different performances or edits and they don’t even come close to the magnificence of the original Reprise (MS2049) vinyl.)

In contrast to what precedes and follows “The Queen” and “Sergeant Pepper’s” are truly only necessary to fill blank space on the record. They are Hendrix goofing around and showing off. The psychedelic love song “Little Wing” is next and a Hendrix favorite. This excellent performance, also from the same concert as “Voodoo Chile”, is paradoxical in both beauty and its hardness. Pretty lyrics and rhythm coupled with screaming guitar.

“Red House” concludes the album and it’s also a fan-favorite version. If one were to make a comprehensive playlist of 12-bar blues songs showing the range of the form, it is this version that should be the one pulled from the Hendrix canon. Here Hendrix seems to focus and stays (mostly) within bounds of the format. What it demonstrates is that when Hendrix wasn’t being “Hendrix” he was still better than everyone else. His phrasing, pure tone, use of dynamics and vibrato are not only flawless but seem to flow effortlessly from within.

everything is correct and the same on my release but : Matrix / Runout (Side A): 2302018 A//1 ▽420 1-4 28 On my copy its: Matrix / Runout (Side A): 2302018 A//1 ▽420 1-4 21 (and there is also a: 04 further on? somebody reckognise this on their copy??

The album is composed by live performances from 1969 and 1970. There is nothing here from 1968...not on the original release that is. The performaces are taken from Royal Albert Hall, UK February 24th. 1969, San Diego 1969, Berkeley 1970 and Isle Of Weight 1970.