“Blues” by Jimi Hendrix
Hendrix is remembered for his guitar innovations, however a key element of his live concerts was the blues; he always played Red House or a slower song called Hear My Train A Comin. Over a third of his recordings are blues-oriented.
This opening acoustic version of Hear My Train A Comin played on a twelve string guitar is exquisite and the live electric version that closes the CD is sizzling hot.
There’s a lot of great blues playing here, with his acoustic version of Gettin’ My Heart Back Together, a great cover of Catfish Blues, a cover of Muddy Waters’ classic Mannish Boy and an instrumental version of Albert King’s Born Under A Bad Sign.
A previously unreleased version of Red House included here is arguably the best recorded; history suggests that this take was not released on the Are You Experienced album because his record company thought it was too bluesy. It is my favorite Hendrix track!
Recorded between 1966 and 1970, this collection shows both his adroitness at acoustic guitar and his pushing the boundaries of electric blues in both live and studio settings.
Recommendation: serious collectors only.
Audio CD (April 26, 1994)
