THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE: ELECTRIC LADYLAND

The third and final studio album by The Experience, the album is notable for being perhaps the most fully-realized representation of Jimi's ever-evolving sound--a fact corroborated by Jimi's legendary and almost-obsessive perfectionism in each song's production. (Jimi is listed as the album's sole producer despite Chaz Chandler's presence and role in its making.) The album's revolving door of guests is also indicative of Jimi's growing wanderlust: looking outside himself and his trio for ideas and inspiration. As I prepare for this review I am listening to the album for the very first time in my life.

A1. "...And The Gods Made Love" (1:21) a couple bass drum kicks and a whole lotta psychedelic sound effects signal Jimi's intention with this album: push all boundaries! (4.5/5)

A2. "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)" (2:11) Wow! Having never heard this album or this song before, I a totally surprised at the PRINCE-like classic Soul sound and aim of this. This must be where THE ISLEYS BROTHERS, and especially guitarist Ernie, got their impetus for a renaissance. (8.875/10)

A3. "Crosstown Traffic" (2:13) a song familiar to me for Living Colour's rendition in the 1993 Hendrix tribute album, this one is awesome. I can sense the attention to detail and "over-production" of Jimi's perfectionism--especially in the treatment of his own vocal, but also the perfectly-timed pans of the b vox. (9/10)

A4. "Voodoo Chile" (15:01) welcome Stevie Winwood (on organ) and bass player Jack Casady (JEFFERSON AIRPLANE). This blues song is so iconic that I'm feeling rather speechless. Jimi's sound engineering creates a lot of space between the instruments, too much compression of the high ends, and not enough volume to any one but especially his voice. I love a song that lets a virtuoso go free as Steve Winwood has a lot of room for expression here--which Jimi seems to feed off of. Again, I find myself wishing Jimi's guitar were up front and center--and louder! or, at least, not having so much of its high end cut off. (I love feed back and hate muting and dampening.) A son of this length, of course, must have extended solos from everyone in the band, and this is no exception, with drummer Mitch Mitchell getting plenty of spotlight in the tenth and eleventh minutes (and lots of cheers, whistles and clapping from the numerous hangers- on present in the studio). (27.5/30)

B1. "Little Miss Strange" (2:52) an odd tune with Noel and Mitch being given the co-lead vocal duties. (Was Jimi this embarrassed/under-confident in his own voice?) Odd sound engineering palette with each instrument being so separate and compartmentalized while at the same time being treated so very differently: it's as if they were each in totally different universes. (8.75/10)

B2. "Long Hot Summer Night "(3:27) a bluesified pop song with multiple guitar tracks, heavily-flanged b vox, and Jimi's lead vocal poorly captured and rendered almost in the background. (8.75/10)

B3. "Come On (Part 1)" (4:09) pretty standard blues given Jimi's rock treatment, but the drummer and guitarist are quite out of synch with each other! (8.25/10)

B4. "Gypsy Eyes" (3:43) Jimi singing with his guitar: now here's a duet worth hearing! Another weird engineering treatment of Jimi's voice and Mitch's rather dull shuffle almost hamper one of Noel Redding's finest bass performances. Great guitar riffs from Jimi around the two-minute mark, but the instances of dual singing with guitar leads are the true highpoints. (9/10)

B5. "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" (3:39) here we enter a world of Baroque psychedelia with Jimi's electric harpsichord. The muted bass, drums, and lead vocal are a little disappointing. The wordless female choir background vocals are awesome and Jimi's lead guitar work is phenomenal if sadly distorted. Despite so much potential, it just doesn't work very well: too much dampening of the main instrumentation. (8.75/10)

C1. "Rainy Day, Dream Away" (3:42) Jimi sitting in with a true jazz combo that includes Mike Finnigan, Buddy Miles, Freddie Smith and Larry Faucette. Noel does a fine job of fitting in while Mitch seems to struggle quite a bit, but then, the way Jimi and Mike feed off each other seems to compensate. The relatively-untreated, and unfiltered vocal performance of Mr. Hendrix is probably the best on the album--the one that is most true to Jimi's authentic self (and sound). Too bad it's cut short. (9.125/10)

C2. "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)" (13:39) I like very much the experimental soundscapes Jimi created here. I also like the easy-going, laid-back feel of the song as a whole: the way the spaciousness allows the nuances of the instruments to be heard so clearly. I'm sure this song was quite influential to many, many artists over the past 55 years. This is definitely my favorite song on this album and one of my favorite songs from 1968. (29/30)

C3. "Moon, Turn The Tides... Gently Gently Away" (1:01) heavily-treated/-engineered cymbals, percussion, and other stuff. A nice space-psychedelic finish to Side Three. (4.5/5)

D1. "Still Raining, Still Dreaming" (4:25) back to the blues--and here one of those (now) rare songs on which Jimi lets his vocal run free (and in the foreground). It's hard to believe that the collaborating musicians are the same from the previous "Rainy Day, Dream Away" cuz they sound so much less jazz-oriented and much more standard blues. And yet, it's obvious that this is an edited cut from the same jam as the previous track. I wish the multiple tracks of lead guitar were coming from multiple guitarists but, no, they're all from Jimi. I also wish the guitar tracks weren't drowning out the saxophone. (9/10)

D2. "House Burning Down" (4:33) One of the more powerful and well-blended songs on the album. Lyrically, it's kind of a variation on the "Hey Joe" theme. The two guitar tracks playing off one another is cool, and Jimi's vocal is thankfully up front and center. This is definitely more like what I was expecting to hear when I took up this album. (9.25/10)

D3. "All Along The Watchtower" (4:00) my Jimi Hendrix song of all-time, this is the song that finally got me to try to listen to more than Jimi's radio-friendly "hits." One of the greatest rock intros of all-time. This version is a little different from The Cure's rendition for the 1993 Hendrix tribute. 😁 (9.75/10)

D4. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" (5:13) Southern railroad blues rock at its absolute finest. So many artists and bands must have received a kick in the butt from this one! (Especially, obviously, Stevie Ray Vaughn.) Amazing even if you've never heard this before. (9.5/10)

Total time 75:09

I can truthfully say that the only songs from this album that I'd ever heard (in the form released on this album) were the hits, "All Along the Watchtower" and "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)"--which feels weird to me since I've known and respected Jimi and his work my entire life--distinctly remembering hearing "Foxy Lady" and "Purple Haze" in elementary school and "Watchtower" and "Hey Joe" in my early teens. I'm also glad for the second disc and its much less-experimental engineering, more standard "Jimi" song renderings.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of next-generation blues rock that sends some very influential waves into the primordial soup of proto-prog. Disc Two alone is a true masterpiece of musical achievement, while Disc One tends to be a little too scattered with Jimi trying to venture outside of his wheelhouse (and, apparently, comfort zone).