Jimi Hendrix Experience - Classic Albums: Electric Ladyland

Electric Ladyland was a true landmark album deserving of such a treatment. Noel Redding's diary is a source for most of the setting and narration of the time and draconian conditions under which this very personal Hendrix album was produced. It can be said, fairly accurately, I think, that the Jimi Hendrix Experience began to unravel during the recording of this album. By then, Noel and Jimi had several physical and philosophical confrontations both in the studio and on the road during an oppressive touring schedule throughout 1967 and 1968. One such confrontation landed Jimi in a Scandinavian jail. Additionally, Hendrix rebelled against the keep-the-song-under-3-minutes directive of producer Chas Chandler. Chandler left the group in mid-production, and Redding, frustrated with Jimi's task-master and perfectionist tendencies in the studio, checked himself out of numerous sessions.

Fortunately for Jimi, Jack Cassidy subbed for Noel on bass guitar for the recording of "Voodoo Chile". Unfortunately for Noel, Jimi dubbed his own bass lines for "All Along The Watchtower" and "1983...(a merman I should turn to be)". As it turned out, Jimi was a formidable bass-slinger in his own right. What puzzles me most about Noel is that I can't understand why he didn't just go along for the ride. I've heard his solo work both with and without the Experience, and it seems to me that some of Hendrix' finest guitar work was on "She's So Fine" and "Little Miss Strange", both of which were penned by Redding. They weren't great songs, but Jimi's guitar was banging. That Jimi could do anything with lyrics like "She walks with a bell clock 'round her neck so the hippies think she's in with time" or "Little Miss Strange came into my parlor" is a minor miracle in itself.

As for Chas, while the album cover proudly proclaims that Electric Ladyland was "Produced and Directed by Jimi Hendrix", a few of the tracks were in fact produced by Chandler. While Redding still eats sour grapes about the sessions ....

The highlights for me were the archival footage of the Experience in London circa 1968, the promotional film of "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" (okay, it's not that good, but it's interesting). The interview with Mike Finnigan, who played organ on "Rainy Day, Dream Away/Still Raining, Still Dreaming" is priceless, as was his session with Hendrix, since he was never paid for his recorded contributions. I didn't know that Jimi used a crude kazoo made with a comb and waxed paper to do the intro to "Crosstown Traffic". I always thought it was a guitar filtered through a new Roger Mayer pedal. Jimi's guitar easily evoked human tones at times. As an example, check out the East Indian-flavored underwater sequence in "1983".

I was somewhat disappointed that Steve Winwood was unavailable for this project. He was the organist on "Voodoo Chile" ("Go 'head on, little Stevie"). Yes, Mr. "Bring Me A Higher Love", Mr. "Gimme Some Lovin'" and former member of Traffic and the Spencer Davis Group was actively sought out to be recruited into the Experience, much to Noel's chagrin.

The finish of this DVD is absolutely killer. It's stock footage of Jimi with a soundtrack of a heretofore unreleased backwards solo of "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)". It's short, but if you liked the solo from "Castles Made Of Sand", you'll like this.

The footage of engineer Eddie Kramer's okay, but he seems more self-promoting, or at least more of a shill for Experience Hendrix, than I thought he should be. But it was interesting to hear how tracks were constructed. Which leads me to his claim that Cissy Houston and The Sweet Inspirations were background singers for "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp". Most published contemporaneous accounts, and one recent authoritative account of those sessions state that Jimi used a mellotron for the vocal effect. It should also be noted that Kramer wasn't the engineer, it was Gary Kellgren.

I like my documentaries to be entertaining, informative and factual. Casual fans will find it entertaining and informative. Long-time fans will find it factually deficient.

I had much more fun watching the Jimi Hendrix Story DVD...BR>Even though it is presented in Mono.