1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #113. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (1968)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (1968)

Label – Reprise
Producer – Jimi Hendrix
Art Direction – Ed Thrasher
Nationality – Uk / USA
Running Time – 75:47

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)
1. ...And The Gods Made Love
2. Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)
3. Crosstown traffic
4. Voodoo Chile
5. Little miss strange
6. Long hot summer night
7. Come on (let the good times roll)
8. Gypsy eyes
9. Burning of the midnight lamp
10. Rainy day dream away
11. 1983 (a merman I should turn to be)
12. Moon turn the tides...gently gently away
13. Still raining, still dreaming
14. House burning down
15. All along the watchtower
16. Voodoo Child (slight return)

This was Jimi Hendrix's third and unfortunately final album with the original Experience and it found him taking his funk and psychedelic sounds to the absolute limit. Released in September of 1968 the finished product is not only one of the best rock albums of the era, but is perhaps Hendrix's only true representation of how he heard the music in his head. Special mention should also go out to engineer Eddie Kramer for transferring Jimi’s ideas onto to tape for all of us to enjoy. It is also the last of Hendrix's studio albums to be professionally produced under his own supervision. After Electric Ladyland, Hendrix spent the remaining two years of his life attempting to organize a new band and recording a breadth of new songs.
The highlights definitely speak for themselves: "Crosstown Traffic," his interpretation of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," (which Dylan himself has called THE definitive version) "Burning of the Midnight Lamp," the spacy "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)," and "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)," – all simply fantastic.
Electric Ladyland was first released in the U.S. in September 1968 and became a massive hit; it was Hendrix's only #1 album. The UK edition reached #6 upon its release amid considerable controversy. The original UK album cover was controversial because it had nude women on the front face. It was later replaced by a front cover made with Jimi Hendrix's face on it. A letter Hendrix wrote to Reprise described exactly what he wanted for the cover, but it was ignored. The company Experience Hendrix, which owns the rights to the album and most of Hendrix's catalogue, has stated that the original UK nudes cover will not be used any longer, since Hendrix himself did not like it; nonetheless Hendrix's own choice, a Linda Eastman photo, is still ignored!!
In 2003, the album was ranked number 54 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2005 Q magazine readers voted Electric Ladyland the 38th greatest album of all time; in 2003 the TV network VH1 placed it at number 72. Also, The Source magazine ranked it #40 on their Critics Top 100 Black Music Albums of All Time list in 2006. It is HIGHLY recommended.


You can purchase the CD here
ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR NOVEMBER 10
Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake And Palmer is 62; Mario Cipollina formerly with Huey Lewis And The News is 55; Chris Jannou of Silverchair is 30;

ON THIS DATE
1986 Bruce Springsteen Live 1975-1985 released
1992 Axl Rose of Guns 'N' Roses is found guilty by a St. Louis judge for assault and property damage in connection with a 1991 concert-riot. Rose gets probation but has to donate several thousand dollars to charity
2009 Bon Jovi The Circle released

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