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First Listen: Jimi Hendrix, 'People, Hell And Angels'
npr.org ^ | February 27, 201310:30 PM | by Stephen Thompson

Posted on 03/03/2013 6:30:42 PM PST by BenLurkin

Given that Jimi Hendrix has been dead for more than four decades, the visionary guitarist has remained awfully prolific: He left behind a formidable tape library, full of alternate takes, discarded ideas and collaborations of varying quality, and those materials have been mined in the making of far more albums and compilations than he churned out during his 27 years. That one such collection would produce a chart-topping single in 2013 is a testament to Hendrix's enduring appeal, not to mention technological advancements and the eternal struggle to maximize the commercial clout of a lucrative catalog.

Thankfully, the newest collection of Hendrixiana (titled People, Hell and Angels, out March 5) is a suitable addition to the guitar giant's large posthumous output, drawn from recordings he'd made between 1968 and 1970 with a variety of co-conspirators. (Stephen Stills even turns up to play bass in "Somewhere.") With producers and preservationists taking great pain to ensure that listeners never notice their work, these polished-up and previously unreleased recordings all shine a spotlight on Hendrix's considerable charisma; it's no fluke that "Somewhere" has already reached an audience well beyond diehards.

(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: hendrix; jimihendrix
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To: WonkyTonky
There still isn’t another guitarist that can touch him though Stevie Ray Vaughan came really close.

Eric Johnson comes pretty close, as well.

21 posted on 03/03/2013 7:36:55 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: Windflier

I was very disappointed...but I’ve hung on to it.


22 posted on 03/03/2013 7:38:21 PM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: BenLurkin

It will be interesting to hear this music. After hearing the song “Earth Blues” it’s easy to understand why it was a throw away. Interested in hearing it, but I wouldn’t buy it


23 posted on 03/03/2013 7:38:34 PM PST by Figment
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To: Lancey Howard
Hey Lancey, here's a version of Villanova Junction from the new album:

Villanova Junction Blues

I have a feeling that this song would have found its way onto an album, had Jimi lived. He obviously loved it.

24 posted on 03/03/2013 7:42:35 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: BenLurkin

25 posted on 03/03/2013 7:45:27 PM PST by Jane Long
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To: Windflier
"... Much of Hendrix’ posthumous collections are things he would never have allowed to be released."

If we're really going to be honest, pretty much everything after his first album was garbage that he seemed okay with releasing.

With a few exceptions, most of that stuff is just unlistenable.

26 posted on 03/03/2013 7:47:50 PM PST by The KG9 Kid (Demand Common Sense Nut Control.)
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To: BenLurkin
I was very disappointed...but I’ve hung on to it.

I only wish I'd been able to hang onto all of my old Hendrix LPs. I lost them to some thieves I lived with once.

I now own just about every Hendrix title on CD, so I'll be sure to pick this one up too. Once a fan, always a fan :-)

Give Hear My Train A'Comin' off the new album. Jimi tears it up on the solo. I can't believe this gem has never been released before now.

27 posted on 03/03/2013 7:54:31 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: The KG9 Kid
If we're really going to be honest, pretty much everything after his first album was garbage that he seemed okay with releasing.

Oh, come now. You can't possibly think Little Wing is garbage. That's one of his most beautiful songs, and has withstood the test of time.

Some of Hendrix' best work came after the release of his first album. The collected songs on Axis Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland, and Cry of Love (not to mention Band of Gypsies) are a treasure trove of masterpieces.

The posthumous albums, Rainbow Bridge and War Heroes didn't have the spit and polish of the others because Jimi was only partially finished with those tracks at his death. Still, those albums contain tracks that have become favorites among Hendrix fans.

28 posted on 03/03/2013 8:04:57 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Windflier

Huh... The link took me to a song called ‘Inside Out’.


29 posted on 03/03/2013 8:06:24 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: Lancey Howard
That's weird. I'm usually pretty good about getting links right. Here it is:

Villanova Junction Blues

30 posted on 03/03/2013 8:13:46 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: BenLurkin; a fool in paradise; Slings and Arrows

31 posted on 03/03/2013 8:14:02 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: BenLurkin; a fool in paradise; Slings and Arrows

32 posted on 03/03/2013 8:15:29 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: BenLurkin

Hendrix was the hippies’ idea of Affirmative Action!


33 posted on 03/03/2013 8:17:37 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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To: Windflier

Following Woodstock, Jimi himself proclaimed that it was the best he ever played.

The day before Woodstock, a friend from the neighborhood (Philly suburb) stopped by my house and asked if I wanted to go with him and this other acquaintance (who had a car!) up to New York for a big music festival. He said it would be an overnight thing. I was 15 and my mom wouldn’t let me go. A few days later I was not a happy camper that I didn’t press the issue harder.

Anyway, I bought the album and listened to it a hundred times. That Jimi solo at the end always puts me in another place. It was like the end of the ‘60s, the end of an era, the closing song of my true childhood. That was quite a summer. Vietnam was returning hundreds of body bags every week, the Beatles were peaking, and only a month before Woodstock, men had walked on the moon.


34 posted on 03/03/2013 8:21:03 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: Windflier

Yep, got it that time. Thanks!
I noticed there was a play list on the right, and it listed ‘Inside Out’ first and then ‘Villanova Junction Blues’ second.


35 posted on 03/03/2013 8:27:31 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: Lancey Howard
Following Woodstock, Jimi himself proclaimed that it was the best he ever played.

I'm not surprised. There's something very magical about that piece, and Jimi's solo expressions there. I remember hearing it for the first time when I finally got to listen to the Woodstock LP at a friend's house. I was completely captivated by that song. It was sooooo out of the ordinary for Hendrix, and communicated something deep, and even spiritual. As an artistic communication, it was nearly unparalleled for the time.

Like you, I was 15 when Woodstock happened. I wanted to go with every bone in my body, but I lived in California, and didn't know a soul who was making the trip. Even if I had, I knew that it would be out of the question with my mom, so I resigned myself to following media reports about the concert.

36 posted on 03/03/2013 8:30:18 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Windflier
The posthumous albums, Rainbow Bridge and War Heroes didn't have the spit and polish of the others because Jimi was only partially finished with those tracks at his death. Still, those albums contain tracks that have become favorites among Hendrix fans.

Which brings me to my second favorite Hendrix song, 'Pali Gap'. I actually went and saw the movie 'Rainbow Bridge' in the theater when it was released.

37 posted on 03/03/2013 8:30:57 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: Windflier
The posthumous albums, Rainbow Bridge and War Heroes didn't have the spit and polish of the others because Jimi was only partially finished with those tracks at his death. Still, those albums contain tracks that have become favorites among Hendrix fans.

Which brings me to my second favorite Hendrix song, 'Pali Gap'. I actually went and saw the movie 'Rainbow Bridge' in the theater when it was released.

38 posted on 03/03/2013 8:31:04 PM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: Revolting cat!

“Rock on!” is so seventies. We would have said, “far out!” in those days.


39 posted on 03/03/2013 8:32:10 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Revolting cat!
Hendrix was the hippies’ idea of Affirmative Action!

I know you're just making a funny, but Jimi is one black man that really earned his place at the top. After the Monterey Pop Festival in '66, he was recognized by everyone in Rock n' Roll royalty as the undisputed king.

He was forced to close every show he played after that (including Woodstock), because no one on earth would follow him. He was that far above the rest.

40 posted on 03/03/2013 8:37:15 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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