Welcome to the pond

I hinted in yesterday's post that I was going somewhere and doing something today. So, where did I go and what did I do?

I went to CD World and finally bought Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix! This is it, the album that many people say is Jimi's very best. I waited until now to buy it, and it was worth the wait. After listening to it just once, I think I'm going to agree that it's Jimi's best. Almost every song on here is excellent. This album combines all of Jimi's influences and best ideas, and adds new ideas to the pot. It shows off all of his skills - singing (yes, he was a good singer even if he didn't agree), songwriting, blistering guitar playing, and experimentation.

What I'm not happy with are the liner notes. I bought the official Experience Hendrix version of the album, and expected something better as far as the artwork and liners. All the other releases are beautifully designed and include insightful essays that discuss the merits and history of the album. Electric Ladyland's liners include a generic essay about Hendrix's career by Derek Taylor, with black and white photos on a white background. The other half of the liners include Jimi's handwritten notes and instructions about the album. That's cool, but where's the cool artwork and design? Where's the discussion about what is probably Hendrix's most important and critically acclaimed album? Where are the lyrics? Perhaps someday there will be a better version released.

Liner notes ultimately don't matter. Music does, and the music here is amazing. I actually went to the trouble of reviewing each song as I listened to it. These are my thoughts about the songs as they happen (except for the first few songs). They're rambling and incomplete, but this is what I thought of the album on the first listen:


. . . And The Gods Made Love: Better than "EXP." Really trippy and out there.

Have You Ever Been To (Electric Ladyland): Really different from previous songs. Very soulful while still retaining the awesome guitar playing Jimi was known for.

Crosstown Traffic: Kazoo is a unique touch, almost sounds like guitar but it's not. Very catchy and funky song, but all too short.

Voodoo Chile: Almost as good as the version on the Blues album. The guitar is quieter and not as intense, but Steve Winwood's organ and Mitch Mitchell's amazing drumming redeem that minor flaw. The clapping is a nice touch, and the lyrics are much improved from the alternatve version. Great track, but could be better if Jimi stepped up the intensity of his playing. Mitch Mitchell's drumming on here is possibly the best of his recorded career.

Little Miss Strange: The drumming is good, the guitar is excellent as always and has a bit of a different sound, but Noel's vocals are weak as usual. On any other album, this would be a filler track, but at least it has Hendrix and Mitchell's playing to keep things interesting.

Long Hot Summer Night: This is a very funky track, classic Hendrix. On the surface it seems like just another Hendrix track, but unique touches like vocal effects and piano shake things up. The guitar playing isn't anything I haven't heard before, but Jimi's ear for pretty melodies is very apparent. Also, the background vocals are a huge improvement over what was heard in the previous albums. Jimi's experimentations with pre-funk sounds were growing larger by this point.

Come On (Let The Good Times Roll): Musically, this cover song isn't all that different from the original - until we get to that solo! Jimi makes this song his own with said solo, in addition to his distorted guitar sound and stop-and-start arrangement. This is a very fun song, and you can tell Jimi put a lot of effort into it. Wow, this solo just keeps going and going! What a refreshing change from the restraint of Axis. After another verse, we get a second solo to finish out the song. This is definitely one of the highlights of the album so far!

Gypsy Eyes: I love the shuffling drum beat that starts this off. Wow, it's really funky! There are lots of layered guitars, that's great. I can really tell that this album is where Jimi truly started to make his music "blacker." This song almost sounds like it could fit on First Rays Of The New Rising Sun. Oh, cool, now there are two guitars playing at the same time! I'm really loving the layers and layers of sound.

Burning Of The Midnight Lamp: Sounds like we're in for a ballad. Well, ok, it's almost a ballad. The Harpischord is a nice touch; I think that's what it is if I've read correctly. This is quite different from anything on the previous two albums. I'm starting to understand the greatness of this album. The background vocals are cool. This song almost reminds me of "Bold As Love." The solo is very interesting! Great use of the pedal, whichever one it is. Leave it to Jimi to make a ballad sound intense.

Rainy Day, Dream Away: Haha, he coughed at the beginning! Ok, this is gonna be good. I'm hearing a jazz influence with the horn, and a blues influence in the guitar. There's talking instead of singing, that's different. Ok, now we have a THIRD influence with the organ bringing some gospel flavor! This might have been when Jimi started listening to Miles Davis, maybe even meeting him. This is jazzier than even "Up From The Skies." I'm really glad that Jimi got to show off his playing skills on this one, unlike most of Axis. This album so far is a perfect mix of the interesting ideas, good lyrics and melodies, and the crazy guitar playing. Everything in Jimi's career led to this.

1983 . . . (A Merman I Should Turn To Be): This is a long song, I think, and I've heard it's really crazy and epic. Ok, once again we get some amazing guitar playing. I'm loving Mitch's drumming, even if it's not his usual style. Jimi's singing is awesome. He really put a lot of emotion into this song. There are a lot of crazy guitar effects going on here. This song sounds like a predecessor to "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)". Ok, four and a half minutes into it, and now we're really getting weird. I'm hearing feedback and some weird percussion sounds, maybe even chimes. Now we've got a very long guitar solo, and some cool bass that Jimi actually played himself. This is a very atmospheric song for sure. Ok, now we've got distorted guitar and a Mitch Mitchell drum freakout. And after that, a funky bass and guitar shuffle. This song is just all over the place! I think I'm going to stop trying to describe what's going on and simply say that I'm really enjoying this! I think this may be one of the craziest tracks Jimi ever made.

Moon, Turn The Tides . . . gently, gently away: This reminds me a lot of "EXP" because it's a wave of feedback and weird guitar sounds. Actually, I'm not entirely sure this is all on guitar! It's just a minute long, and not really a song.

Still Raining, Still Dreaming: We start out with some funky wah-wah work. Funky is exactly how I'd describe the song so far. It has a wicked bottom end with the bass playing. The solo is cool so far, especially with the organ. This album has a lot of organ! Oh, cool, now there are two guitars soloing. This is a very laid back, bluesy song! This is definitely the best wah-wah so far, at least until we get to the final track. There is a huge blues influence on this album and I love that. I don't think Jimi soloed this long even on Are You Experienced?! He just keeps playing and playing, and that's what I like to hear. I think it's clear that Chas Chandler wasn't running things anymore. This song is basically a big jam session. Very cool stuff!

House Burning Down: We start with some great guitar, both rhythm and lead, by Jimi. This song sounds like pure rock to me. This reminds me of "Little Miss Lover" quite a bit. Mitch's drum rhythms are interesting. Oh, cool, Jimi's playing during the first verse is almost flamenco-like! Then things change back to rock for the chorus. Ok, here's the solo. Very cool guitar as usual. Two guitars again! Jimi just loved to overdub things. Jimi had a lot of great new ideas for this album and it shows big time. Now we come to the last solo, and it really sounds like his solos on First Rays. The track ends with some cool guitar panning across the channels.

All Along The Watchtower: What can I say about this song that hasn't already been said? Jimi saved the best two songs on this album for last. He finally managed to include a Dylan song on an LP, and he picked a great one. The opening riffs to both this and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" are some of the most recognizable in Jimi's catalog. Jimi played bass on this song, and it's pretty good if a bit muddy. It's certainly funkier than anything Noel Redding could do. Anyway, this song is simply a classic and it forever changed the way other played played it when they covered it. Even Dylan himself plays the song Jimi's way. There's no better compliment than that.

Voodoo Child (Slight Return): One of Jimi's most popular songs, and one of his most powerful. I'm very familiar with this song already, so I won't say too much about it. I will, however, say that I prefer the live versions where Jimi extends the solo a great deal. As good as this version is, it's restrained compared to the live versions. That's just quibbling, though. This is Jimi's great anthem, and it deserves to be played loud and often. What a wonderful way to end a wonderful album.