Album Review: Jimi Hendrix - People, Hell And Angels
- Written by Rob Crozier
With three studio albums under his belt and the swinging sixties counter-culture watching on in awe, Jimi Hendrix was at a crossroads. There was major pressure from his record label to deliver another successful album, but rather than stick to the rigid structure of previous tracks, Jimi had the confidence to move away from the constructed white British backing band, and attempted to seek out new sounds.
This search brought him to a collection of musicians who would reunite him with old friends Buddy Miles and Billy Cox. Jimi felt that he could construct a more soulful, bluesy sound with this incarnation. In search of different avenues after the success of Electric Ladyland, this was a line-up that would go on to stun a live audience in the recorded New Year’s Eve concert that became Band of Gypsies.
To any Hendrix fan out there the hard sell of ‘Experience Hendrix’ by Janine Hendrix (Jimi’s half-sister) would have us believe that this album is a collection of Must-Haves. However as with most of Jimi’s back catalogue, we are left feeling disappointed. This is not a new studio album, but a collection of mainly alternative and frankly inferior versions of songs that have already been released, plus a number of demos, jam sessions and rehearsals. It’s important to note that there is still some good music contained on this album, but it’s not a studio album as advertised, not even close. On the plus side, most of the tracks on the album are remastered from the original tapes and do go some way to restoring them back to how they would have sounded before the poor treatment they were given in the mid 1970s. Hendrix fans will recognise that many of the lyrics ended up on future tracks, as they are obviously still at a demo stage.
However the fact remains that this is being marketed as a new album release. The current ‘new’ single ‘Somewhere’ is currently at number one in the US billboard chart, knocking Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ off the top spot. ‘Somewhere’ features Stephen Stills on bass, with Jimi displaying some fine wah-wah fuzz blues, though his lyrics seem to be too long and clumsy. This illustrates the pros and cons of these posthumous releases; In one sense it’s good to hear "new" versions and make these available to a newer audience, yet for many Hendrix fans, these are just reworkings of the post 1970s albums aimed at cashing in on his stardom.
One of the album’s finer moments comes via track three. ‘Hear My Train A Coming’, which sees Jimi at his best with the backing of the Band of Gypsies. Jimi’s gut-wrenching blues fuzzes across you as the song builds to a crescendo of powerful electric blues. Buddy Miles’ drumming gives Jimi a funkier, more soulful sound than the jazz-inspired drumming Mitch Mitchell provided on the first three studio albums.
The tracks 'Izabella' and 'Easy Blues' see Mitch Mitchell back on drums. 'Izabella' offers nothing new in terms of lost recordings as it can be found on those infamous mid '70s recordings on War Heroes, but 'Easy Blues' provides a relaxed instrumental jam feel, with Jimi's playing in crisp and fine form; there's some amazingly intricate guitar work here. He is joined on this track by Juma on Congos, fresh from his appearance at Woodstock. ‘Crash Landing’ best illustrates the controversy surrounding this collection of songs and the insistence of calling them new unreleased tracks.
‘Crash Landing’ is a reissue - it was originally seen on 1975's Crash Landing album - and has for this record been restored to its original form. The 1975 version had overdubs, extra guitar sections and believe it or not female vocals all added after Jimi’s death. This restored track again sees excellent playing from Jimi, although his vocals are clearly still in the infancy of development. The time and effort that Eddie Kramer (Jimi’s studio producer and friend) has spent restoring these tracks, demonstrates a true love, and a wish to see these titles enter the public domain. Whilst Kramer has escaped much criticism, over the Hendrix recent releases, half-sister Janine has been accused of selling Hendrix treasures off cheaply.
However to new or younger fans - which this release could be aimed at - we would advise checking out the major releases of Jimi Hendrix, such as Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland or Band of Gypsies. In light of the recent resurgence of psychedelic guitar bands such as Django Django, Tame Impala and Moon Duo, it is fitting that the true master of the art should see a welcome return, with a collection of songs that illustrate the true power of his sound.
People, Hell and Angels is out now and is available from amazon