Hendrix In The West -

2,779

5 Stars

Audio CD (paid link)

Released just over two years after Jimi Hendrix’s tragic death, in my opinion, there has never been a finer collection of his live work.

Quite why it is called Hendrix in the West has always been a bit of a mystery as it is a collection of live recordings from various locations, including The Royal Albert Hall, London, San Diego Sports Arena, Berkley Community Theatre, and the Isle of Wight.

But the album just gleams with quality. Not only is the music out of this world, but the atmosphere given off by Jimi Hendrix’s chat to the audience is also spellbinding.

For the opening song, the band comes on stage still tuning up, with the man himself claiming to have been asleep two minutes before hitting the stage. They then open up with a jammed version of the British National Anthem with Jimi Hendrix demanding everybody get to their feet. This is followed by The Beatles ‘Sergeant Peppers Lonely Heart Clubs Band,’ first played by Jimi Hendrix in front of Paul McCartney and George Harrison three days after the album was released. Much to their mutual satisfaction.

Warmed up, Jimi Hendrix then gets down to business with a beautiful version of ‘Little Wing,’ played with great love and tenderness. Then the rule book is thrown out the window with a storm through Hendrix’s ‘Blues Classic Red House’ coming in at over thirteen minutes. In those days, people did not know a guitar could be made to make such erotic noises. This version of ‘Red House’ is simply jaw-dropping in its power.

Next we have Jimi Hendrix take the Chuck Berry classic ‘Johnny B. Goode’ and play it at the speed of sound. The band has terrible difficulty keeping up with their leader. If you consider the musical ability of those backing the guitarist, that in itself is no mean feat. During the guitar breaks, the strings literally take off.

Bringing things back to earth, we get a very accomplished run through ‘Lover Man’ followed by a completely unrehearsed, but never the less brilliant version of Carl Perkins ‘Blue Suede Shoes;’ Hendrixified. There is no other way of finishing this album than with a version of the Hendrix self-penned classic ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return).’ Many people have had a stab at playing this song, but none really come close to the master and this is the best version ever recorded. It literally chops down mountains—worth the price of the album on its own.

The album was remastered in 2011 and some of the tracks were switched around, and tragically the version of ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’ was swapped with another longer version from a sound check. Longer yes. But not better. If you can get your hands on an original copy, I think you are getting the better of the deal.

I am not a great lover of posthumous releases, but in the case of Hendrix In The West, I will willingly make an exception.