October 16, 1968 - Electric Ladyland

It's been "4 long months" since my last release, but on October 16, 1968 the Jimi Hendrix Experience released their third album, "Electric Ladyland". It is a double album, including 16 songs (2 of which are over 13 minutes long!) Bassist Noel Redding had started his own band earlier in 1968 and was unable to make a large portion of the studio sessions for "Electric Ladyland". Because of this, Hendrix played bass on 6 of the album's songs and he also brought in other artists to help out. 

Side 1 starts with the intro track "...And The Gods Made Love". It has some distorted vocals and is a trippy opening track. It moves right into "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)", another short song about introducing someone to something new. It's a slow rock song with some cool guitar and Hendrix plays some great bass as well. Track 3 is "Crosstown Traffic", which is carried by an awesome guitar riff. It's about a girl who won't leave a guy alone, and he has "better things on the other side of town". This would become a huge tadio hit for the Experience, and it's no surprise with it's short run time of 2 and a half minutes. The side 1 closer would not be heard on any radio stations, the 15-minute "Voodoo Chile". It features Jack Casady (from Jefferson Airplane) on bass and Steve Winwood (from Traffic) on organ. It's a blues song with great bass from Casady carrying the song while the guitar and organ go off on various flourishes. The lyrics are about a bunch of strange events centered around a child who was born during a red moon. I really like Hendrix's blues-style singing, and Winwood's organ adds a nice touch for sure. After the 2nd chorus we get our first guitar solo, which is promptly followed by an organ solo. Really great stuff. When the solos end at about the 7 minute mark, there is some applause from the crowds that would usually form during the Experience's studio sessions. They return to the opening blues riff, but at the 9 minute mark Mitch Mitchell starts some awesome drumming. This segues into another Hendrix guitar solo, and this song is having a very progressive feel with it's different "movements". They return to the starting blues riff once again before Jimi goes off for his third solo of the song. It has a classic rock and roll flourish at the end, before we get to hear about a minute of people talking after the song finished. This includes Hendrix saying "that was outta sight man" (I think that's an understatement) as well as "there's no more beer?" What a fantastic song. Jimi's guitar is phenomenal throughout this epic song and I think this is definitely one of my favourite Experience songs. 

Side 2 begins with the Redding-written and sung "Little Miss Strange". It's a rock song about a girl he can't stop thinking about and it has some solid bass and cool guitar. It also has 3 guitar solos, lots of chances for Hendrix to shine. Hendrix is back on lead vocals with "Long Hot Summer Night", where even though it's hot, the man feels cold inside without his woman. It's a solid song with great guitar throughout. Track 7 is an Earl King cover, "Come On" an R&B tune where I Jimi's voice sounds great. It's a catchy song and has a phenomenal guitar solo in it. Up next is "Gypsy Eyes", a song with a stomping beat and some great bass played by Hendrix. It's about a sexy gypsy woman who has hypnotized him with her eyes. It's got a nice guitar part at the end during the fadeout. Side 2 ends with "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp", a song about staying up all night alone. It has a very cool, slow trippy riff and features background vocals from The Sweet Inspirations, an R&B group including Whitney Houston's mother. Not surprisingly, it also has a great solo from Hendrix.

That concludes disc 1. The beginning of disc 2, or side 3, is "Rainy Day, Dream Away", a song with organ and saxophone from some session musicians. It's a song about lounging and relaxing on a rainy day, not letting it get you down. It has cool wah-wah guitar from Hendrix and is a fun jam. Track 11 is called "1983....(A Merman I Should Turn To Be), which is also over 13 minutes long! Unlike Voodoo Chile earlier though, this song is much slower and I'd about a man and a woman who are sick of the awful things humanity has done and decide to become merman and mermaid. Around the 4:30 mark it gets really quiet with some cool cymbal flourishes from Mitchell. At the 6 minute mark the guitar slowly starts to take over and Hendrix lets loose a little bit. Around the 8:30 mark there's some quick drumming and some guest flute from Chris Wood (also from Traffic). At the 10 minute mark Hendrix plays a cool bass part, before going off for the only guitar solo of the song. It then returns back to the opening riff and closes out from there. While I think Voodoo Chile had a lot more substance for such a lengthy song, this is still a slow psychedelic song that I'm happy to listen to. Side 3 ends with a short instrumental song only a minute long called "Moon, Turn The Tides....Gently Gently Away". It has a trippy in and out effect and then it's over. On to the final side!

Side 4 kicks off with "Still Raining, Still Dreaming" featuring the same line-up as on "Rainy Day, Dream Away". It has similar lyrics and style, but the guitar is a little crazier on this one. Up next is "House Burning Down", a song in which Hendrix describes the sky that has turned red and is full of smoke due to a house burning. A spaceship makes an appearance at the end, continuing Hendrix's interest into U.F.O.'s. This song begins with a guitar solo and has some great guitar and bass from Jimi throughout. Track 15 is a cover of a Bob Dylan song that was written just 6 months earlier, titled "All Along The Watchtower". I really like Hendrix's vocal delivery on this song and his guitar is excellent as always. It has a wicked guitar solo (which is a harmonica solo in the Dylan version) and is justly regarded as one of the best covers ever done. We end this epic double album with an epic finale, "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)". It starts with an amazing riff that carries the song, and Hendrix goes absolutely insane on this song. I really can't describe it with words that will do it justice. It is incredibly awesome and features some of Jimi's best work. What a way to end what has been a truly excellent album.

"Electric Ladyland" was something else, but sadly it would be the last album The Jimi Hendrix Experience would make before disbanding. So the question becomes: what is their best album? I think it is this one, with several tracks that really stand out and awe you such as both Voodoo Chile songs. "Are You Experienced" is a close second, and the fact that it is not their best work just shows how amazing these 3 guys were. "Axis: Bold As Love" is third, but by no means is it a bad album, it just didn't have the firepower that their other two records have. So that is it for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, but where bands break up, other bands begin as another new artist joins the library later "this month". Stay tuned!