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Jimi Hendrix's third and final album with the original Experience found him taking his funk and psychedelic sounds to the absolute limit. The result was not only one of the best rock albums of the era, but also Hendrix's original musical vision at its absolute apex. When revisionist rock critics refer to him as the maker of a generation's mightiest dope music, this is the album they're referring to. But Electric Ladyland is so much more than just background music for chemical intake. Kudos to engineer Eddie Kramer (who supervised the remastering of the original two-track stereo masters for this reissue) for taking Hendrix's visions of a soundscape behind his music and giving it all context, experimenting with odd mic techniques, echo, backward tape, flanging, and chorusing, all new techniques at the time, at least the way they're used here. What Hendrix sonically achieved on this record expanded the concept of what could be gotten out of a modern recording studio in much the same manner as Phil Spector had done a decade before with his Wall of Sound. As an album this influential (and as far as influencing a generation of players and beyond, this was his ultimate statement for many), the highlights speak for themselves: "Crosstown Traffic," his reinterpretation of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," "Burning of the Midnight Lamp," the spacy "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)," and "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)," a landmark in Hendrix's playing. With this double set (now on one compact disc), Hendrix once again pushed the concept album to new horizons.
The 2008 Legacy edition adds a short documentary DVD featuring interviews with Chas Chandler, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding as well as Eddie Kramer in the studio with the multi-track masters. Kramer does some interesting track isolating on Crosstown Traffic, Voodoo Chile, 1983 and Gypsy Eyes (where he shares some alternate intros). There are also some cool images and film footage of Jimi shown while the music takes center stage. But this mini documentary focuses more about chronicling the growing rift and ultimate split between Jimi on one side and Chas & Noel on the other than celebrating and dissecting the music itself. As such, it's the least engaging of these new mini-documentaries although still worthwhile.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
TRACK LISTINGS
Disc 1
1 And the Gods Made Love / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1:22
2 Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland) / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 2:10
3 Crosstown Traffic / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 2:26
4 Voodoo Chile / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 14:59
5 Little Miss Strange / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 2:52
6 Long Hot Summer Night / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 3:27
7 Come On (Let the Good Times Roll) / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 4:09
8 Gypsy Eyes / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 3:43
9 Burning of the Midnight Lamp / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 3:39
10 Rainy Day, Dream Away / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 3:42
11 1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be) / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 13:39
12 Moon, Turn the Tides...Gently Gently Away / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1:01
13 Still Raining, Still Dreaming / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 4:25
14 House Burning Down / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 4:32
15 All Along the Watchtower / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 4:00
16 Voodoo Child (Slight Return) / The Jimi Hendrix Experience 5:13
Disc 2
1 "Making Of" Mini-Documentary / The Jimi Hendrix Experience Bonus Track
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