Wednesday, June 13, 2007

A-Z CDs - Day 26

Another slow day. Damn you, court hearings and meetings.
216. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (last listen: 1-2 years) - Personally, I've never been. This is Jimi's third and final studio album, producing his only top 40 hit in the US ("All Along the Watchtower," peaking at #20).
217. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - The Ultimate Experience (last listen: 5+ years) - This greatest hits CD is a good first CD for the Hendrix novice.
218. Jimi Hendrix - Blues (last listen: 1-2 years) - A great album compiling some of Jimi's original blues songs and a few covers ("Born Under a Bad Sign," "Catfish Blues," "Mannish Boy," "Bleeding Heart"), proving that Jimi was as much of a blues guitarist as anything else. I would call him the greatest blues guitarist of all-time, but that's really not fair, since he is simply the greatest overall guitarist of all-time. If you're a blues fan or a Hendrix fan or both, I would definitely recommend this CD.
219. Jimi Hendrix - First Rays of the New Rising Sun (last listen: 1-2 years) - One of several posthumous releases, this 1997 album features songs that were allegedly going to be on his next album after Electric Ladyland. This is more for the devoted Hendrix fan than anyone else (since none of the songs are "famous" Hendrix songs), although the album is very good. "Room Full of Mirrors," "Dolly Dagger," and "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" are my favorites off the album.
220. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Radio One (last listen: 3 months to 1 year) - This was the first Hendrix album I ever got (on tape). It's a "live at the BBC" album (I think these songs were all included on the much longer BBC Sessions album). My favorite track is "Driving South," an instrumental and (as the title implies) a great driving song. Their cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" is spectacularly frantic, and it sounds like Jimi is playing two guitars at once. Other highlights include covers of "Day Tripper," "Hound Dog," "Hoochie Coochie Man," and "Catfish Blues."

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