See ya in 2015...

Recorded during rehearsals for the famous Fillmore East Band Of Gypsys concert 45 years (!) ago, Hendrix, Cox and Miles put down their beers for a few minutes and jammed out one of the cooler holiday medleys from the era. "Little Drummer Boy", "Silent Night" and "Auld Lang Syne" all recieve their acid rock due and Hendrix (as usual) turns what was probably an impromptu jam into a single for the ages. The 7-minute "extended mix" made available just a few years ago is the definitive version so it's the one I included. Enjoy.

MMXV

Footprints In The Snow

Ahh... another snow day to start the week off and just fuck everything up. Actually, it's more like a rain day since that's all it's doing outside (the gun-shy schools around here like to call it a "proactive" snow day) and they'll be cancelled again tomorrow due to the 10° temperatures forecast tonight. It's just cold people - put on a fucking sweater. Kids can deal with chilly hands for ten minutes at the bus stop, it's not like they're holding school in a fucking lean-to. But I digress. Up for your approval today is a remastered "lost" Hendrix album recorded during the mid 60's. I use the term loosely since it is primarily an Isley Brother's album and Jimi's participation has been part of his folklore since the tracks were originally released in the 70's. It is common knowledge that Hendrix played with the group but as to how many sessions he actually sat in on the 50-year old details have become somewhat hazy. A breakdown of the album is as follows. Tracks 1-8 are from the original Isley Brother's album In The Beginning (1970) (of which Hendrix plays on most, if not all of the songs). Tracks 9-13 are the single versions of those songs ripped from vinyl 45s; and tracks 14-21 hail from an obscure January '64 recording session. Debate ensues as to whether Hendrix actually participated in this session, he joined the band in 1963 so timelines potentially match. Take a listen and decide for yourself. Enjoy.

Twist & Shout

Black Gold

Oh man, is this the fucking most awesome thing ever? Possibly the greatest juxtapositional mixtape in musical history, the combination of Jimi Hendrix and the Wu-Tang Clan is, quite simply, amazing. Named after the mysterious "final" album demo recorded by Hendrix (which only he and Mitch Mitchell ever heard), Black Gold is a mashup in the same vein as Danger Mouse's Grey Album but significantly more epic. The Hendrix samples span all his official albums as well as interviews, radio spots, studio and live stuff - afficionados will be happy to hear really obscure bootleg clips here and there. The Wu were completely behind the project and actually recorded new vocals as well as contributing their extensive catalog. An insanely extensive song-by-song sample breakdown appears here - well worth a read for the serious listener. All in all, this is an amazing album for fans of either artist and a fucking goldmine for fans of both. A labor of love by producer Tom Caruana. Thanks man.

The Wind Cries Method Man

Jam Sessions...

Alan Douglas gets a lot of flak for his handling of the Jimi Hendrix archives. Oft-criticized for going overdub-happy on posthumous releases Crash Landing (1975) and Midnight Lightning (1975), the recent "official" re-releases by the Experience Hendrix crew show how ahead of his time Douglas really was. One thing casual Hendrix fans don't understand is that a lot of Jimi's recorded material were simple down-and-dirty jams - full of mistakes, wandering solos, missed cues and unexpected nadir mixed in between all the genius. I can't imagine being presented with reels of this material (a la Douglas) and being expected to splice the stuff together into something coherent enough to stand up to Hendrix's legendary "true" studio LPs. I personally think the recently released Hendrix compilations, all claiming to be "original" and "digitally remastered" (ugh!) sound vastly inferior to the 70's records - really amateur in a lot of ways (of course purists will claim these are the way "Jimi would have wanted it", blah blah - in reality these were at best demos to Jimi and would probably have never seen the light of vinyl). Douglas wasn't interested in simply releasing raw rehearsals, sessions outtakes or jams as is - he was trying to piece together "real" songs and understandbly needed session musicians to glue those loose ends together. With all that being said, 1980 saw the release of Nine To The Universe. Culled from jam sessions at NYC studios the Record Plant and Hit Factory throughout 1969; musicians ranged from Mitch Mitchell to Band Of Gypsys' Buddy Miles and Billy Cox to organist Larry Young and guitarist Jim McCarty. Douglas pulled hours of material and edited them down to a cohesive 40-minute album showcasing some of Hendrix's jazziest jams - wonderful stuff. There are bootlegs floating around out there which contain the full uncut recordings but in my opinion these are bogged down by technical glitches (drop-outs, pops, mic switches, etc) as well as simply running on for too long - the jams tend to get a little boring. Douglas really did this material a favor and should be commended for it (compare "Easy Blues" on this release to the version on the recent People, Hell & Angels and you'll see what I mean). Ripped from original vinyl - enjoy.

8/2/14 update: I just ripped my personal copy of this unheralded masterpiece and it sounds a fuck of a lot better than the previous LP rip I scammed from some FLAC website. A lot warmer and heavier - the usually shittier cassette medium actually contributes to the sound on this one. Enjoy.

Remember

Currently watching: Classic Albums: Who's Next

Currently listening to: Coffins Sewage Sludgecore Treatment

Some cuts from the Master...

I'm not sure where I picked up this compilation - it's the umpteenth one I have, yet surprisingly has a few interesting tracks mixed in with the same 'ol recycled stuff. One the highlight is an older (mono?) mixed version of "Freedom" that appeared on his posthumously hurried Cry Of Love album - since that's been replaced on the record shelves with the remixed/mastered/edited First Rays Of The New Rising Sun it's nice to hear the old-school version. The epic, 15-minute recording of "Red House" is without a doubt one of the finest live versions I've heard of his blues masterpiece - it slows down and builds up over and over again with the force of a tractor beam - you're left reeling when it's over. Other tracks were culled mostly from his Blues album but they are all tight and listenable - the last real treat is a live version of Them's "Gloria" where Hendrix starts rambling about Noel's girl who's "breath smelled like wet pussy... Yeah!"

Jimmy James

 
Currently watching: Rock & Rule

Currently listening to: KoЯn KoЯn III: Remember Who You Are

No show

Sorry guys, no time for posts this weekend - I'm stuck painting the house for market... See you on Monday! Check out some of the other great blogs down below for your music fix!!!! Cheers!

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In case you've been living in a cave since 1967, guitar god Jimi Hendrix was a prolific artist who loved to jam, often appearing unannounced at impromptu shows with any number of musicians. For better or for worse there was usually someone recording these shows, some sounding better than others, and most found their way into the $1-cassette bootleg market bins at your local Exxon with such garish titles as The Ultimate Live Collection, Historic Performances and this... The Best Of & The Rest Of Jimi Hendrix. Really? How come I've never heard of "Uranus Rock" if it's one of his best? In reality, this recording spawns from NYC's Scene Club and was recorded March 18, 1968. Players are believed to be Jimi Hendrix (guitar/vocals), Lester Chambers (harp), two unknown guitarists, unknown bass and unknown drums (some of these may or may not have been members of The McCoys or The Young Rascals, but neither Johnny Winter nor Rick Derringer were among them). The notoriety of the jam session (and why it's probably persisted for so long given its poor quality) is the joining of Hendrix on stage by Jim Morrison for backup vocals. Grabbing an open mike and contributing a growling, drunken, obscenity-laden performance, Morrison proceeds to piss off most of the audience (and supposedly Hendrix himself); especially with the classic "Morrison's Lament" (a.k.a. the "Fuck Her In The Ass" song). Well worth a listen just for that, one of the more bizarre musical pairings in rock 'n' roll legend history. There are rumors that Janis Joplin was also there trying to make an open-mouthed dive for Jimi's member but you can track down that speculation yourself...

F.H.I.T.A.