Jimi Hendrix is one of the
best guitarists ever. Sure, when a musician reaches a certain
they reach a status of great and then it is a matter of personal
taste who is better, rather than a fact. What sets Hendrix in the upper
echelon is his ability to just flat out play guitar. While he
is thought of as a lead guitarist, his rhythm playing is just as
incredible. Also impressive is his ability to perform across any
style of music, whether rock, blues, jazz, gospel, psychedelic,
etc. Many great guitarist perfect what they do best, such as
Jimmy Page's knack for the blues and hard rock, but it is rare to be
outstanding within so many different styles. And let's not forget
his ability to compose songs.
Jimi Hendrix recorded an
extraordinary amount material in his short career. There are many
different releases of of his studio and live releases over the years. The
Hendrix family was given control of his vault and have done a good job of
consolidating scattered studio sessions. They have also released
several live recordings and even set up a label Dagger Records to issue
concerts that are only available through mail order.
An outline of some of the better
Hendrix records is:
The Jimi Hendrix Experience:
Are You Experienced?
Axis Bold as Love
Electric Ladyland
Studio reissues - The two albums below have some real gems.
(These basically replace the previous albums Cry
Of Love, Rainbow Bridge, War Heroes, Crash Landing Landing, Loose Ends,
Voodoo Slop, Midnight Lightning, and others.
First Rays Of The New Rising Sun
South Saturn Delta
Jimi Hendrix Live (there
are plenty more live releases)
Live at Woodstock
Band of Gypsys
Live at the Fillmore East (with the Band of Gypsys)
Blue
Angel - Isle of Wright
Jimi
Hendrix: Live At Berkeley
Compilations
Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix
A good compilation of his studio tracks; primarily with The
Experience and a couple latter tracks)
Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix
Collection
A two disc collection; one live and one studio
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
A four disc collection of studio outtakes and live recordings. This
is not a greatest hits collection.