Albums by this artist

Live At The Fillmore East (1999)

Live At Woodstock (1999)

South Saturn Delta (1997)

First Rays Of The New Rising Sun (1997)

Jimi Hendrix

Live At The Fillmore East

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» BEN FRENCH | CO-DIRECTOR

Jimi Hendrix Live At The Fillmore East MCA, 1999 RiYL: Led Zeppelin, The Who, Santana

Here's an interesting fact: In just three years in the late 90s, the folks at Experience Hendrix records label released all three of Jimi Hendrix' original studio albums (remastered), two 70-minute collections of outtakes and rarities, a double-disc of BBC performances and a restored version of his live masterpiece Band of Gypsys. After all that, one must wonder: Can you ever have too much Hendrix?

Never.

As proof, this double-disc set starts out with a ten-minute version of "Stone Free" that could leave aging Hendrix junkies in a teary-eyed state of bliss. Jimi whips through the song's simple verse-chorus-verse portion to reach the solo, where he drives on relentlessly for the better part of 8 minutes. It's the man at his finest: hungry, combative and just plain bad.

Tell you what: Things only get better from there.

The collection features 16 solid tracks from four live concerts recorded on New Year's Eve 1969 and New Year's Day 1970 -- the same shows which provided the songs for Band of Gypsys. Needless to say, the performances remain unparalleled, continuing the magnificent legacy of rock's most meteoric innovator.

Like Bob Dylan's Live at Royal Albert Hall, the album preserves a moment in a master's transition period. But like like Nirvana's Unplugged In New York, it also (rather sadly) provides a glimpse of a never-to-be realized spectrum of possibilities.

Live ranges from a revamped, uptempo version of the Experience classic "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" to lesser known treasures such as "Changes," "Earth Blues" and "Burning Desire." The second disc is less stunning than the first, with a slightly inferior working of "Who Knows" and a throw-away take of "Auld Lang Syne" included for obvious reasons.

Listening to these tunes forces you to realize (again) this perfomer was experimenting right up to his tragic end. Take the aforementioned bitch-slapping version of "Stone Free" as an example. Here Hendrix takes one of his more straightforward Experience-era tunes and draws out each moment, not slowing the tempo, but tirelessly wrestling with his guitar to shake out its every blue note and toying with jazz improv sensibilities. Behind him, drummer Buddy thumps steadily, as bassist Billy Cox proves himself a perfect melodic counterpart to Hendrix' soulful side. Together, the band produces a solid journey along hard rock's experimental edge.

Jimi's guitar work on the either of the set's two runs through "Machine Gun" renders every other '60s legend a complete waste of space. I mean, if Pete Townshend and The Who were Maximum R&B, what the hell do you call Hendrix' distortion-drenched Blitzkrieg on guitar conventions? And if Eric Clapton is God, then Jimi stands like Nietzsche over his grave waving his backwards Fender like a bloody sword.

It would be easy to neglect the importance of this album, considering the overabundance of Hendrix material in the market. But it is impossible to ignore the talent that lies within -- the music is a startling reminder of a heavily lauded, yet still underappreciated, genius.

BEN FRENCH | Ben founded NATN in the winter of 1998-1999 with fellow IU alums Troy Carpenter and Jonathan Cohen. During the day time, he's working for Nielsen Business Media, publisher of Billboard. Ben's favorite acts include Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys.