The Essential Jimi Hendrix

I wouldn't usually write about a record I'd only listened to once, but in this case I'm at least slightly acquainted with most of the music on it; and unavoidably know some of it very well. In Chepstow a couple of weeks ago I picked several records out of a crate on the floor of a charity shop of which this was one: a 1978 double-LP Hendrix compilation. It cost me rather less than the £6.30 price sticker on the cover from a prior sale.

As with any compilation I'm more in agreement with some of the editorial choices than others: we have 'Purple Haze' here but not 'Foxy Lady'; 'Little Wing' but not 'Spanish Castle Magic'; 'Burning of the Midnight Lamp' but, sadly, not 'Crosstown Traffic'. It also ventures beyond the three Experience records, with the last couple of tracks on Side C and all of Side D taken from some of the many of his posthumously-issued albums like The Cry of Love, Rainbow Bridge, and so forth. These, by and large, are songs I heard back in my student days, courtesy of a friend's cassette recordings of them, but hadn't since encountered until the Saturday before last.

The copy I found also came with a bonus 7", with the fake catalogue number "JIMI 1", including a ropey live version of Van Morrison's 'Gloria'. Alas, this doesn't show the great man in anything like his best light, and it's not hard to see why it hadn't been released before '78, for all the flood of prior records cashing in on his name. In the gatefold there's a biographical outline by Don Menn, and a piece about Hendrix's "Guitars, Amps and Devices" reprinted from an issue of Guitar Player Magazine. I think Hendrix looks a little sad & tired in the cover picture.

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All Wrapped Up

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Bananas Are Not Created Equal

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