LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

The sessions featured on this volume of the Jimi Hendrix In The Studio series are Drawn from recordings made at The record Plant in New York. It was here that Jimi would spend not merely hours but sometimes days just playing and finding out just what the recording studio offered and it could be said that Jimi regarded the studio as somewhat of a sound laboratory. It was here that a great many people would drop by to jam or maybe just hang out. The recordings contained on this disc cover the period between April 1968 when Jimi was recording material that would eventually be heard on the double album Electric Ladyland and May 1969 which was around the time of the break up of the original Experience and prior to Jimis landmark appearance at the legendary Woodstock Festival in August 1969 Throughout the performances here you can hear a musician who is relaxed and enjoying the creation of music for the sake of it although the cost of studio time was certainly one of the considerations for Jimi when he decided he wanted a studio of his own. It would have been Mike Jeffrey who pointed out the fiscal need for his own studio and also a place where he could record and play 24-7 if necessary

The opening track on this album comes from the sessions that spawned the Electric Ladyland album although Cherokee Mist had first surfaced during sessions for the previous album Axis Bold As Love. It subsequently received an official release on the Jimi Hendrix Experience boxed set of 2000
Recorded on 2nd May 1968 with Jimi playing the Sitar as well as guitar and featuring Mitch Mitchell on drums. This version is a different take and almost a minute longer than the version contained on the box set
The next track entitled Jam H290 comes from the same session that produced Send My Love to Linda/Live and Let Live. That features on Volume V of the In The Studio Series. This rare jam was recorded in mid May 1969 with Stephen Stills on bass and Dallas Taylor on Drums.

Another song from the Electric Ladyland sessions was Voodoo Chile. The official version released on Electric Ladyland in 1968 ran to just over fifteen minutes. Here is a version which more than doubles that in length although at no point do the musicians become complacent or the energy dips The session started in the evening of 2nd May 1968 and features Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady on bass Mitch Mitchell on drums and Traffics Steve Winwood on keyboards

The following two tracks have been drawn from sessions that have received scant appreciation from musicologists and Hendrix experts alike which is surprising when you consider the amount of recordings Jimi Hendrix made and how well these sessions were usually documented.

The first of these is Ships Passing In The Night. This was recorded on the 14th April 1969 Jimi with unknown musicians although the track is often accredited to the Band of Gypsys and also includes a trumpet player and pianist. The version featured here is an alternate mix. Whilst many believe this to be a Band of Gypsys number by this time the band had split following a disastrous performance at Madison Square Garden and the drummer is possibly Mitch Mitchell rather than Buddy Miles although this cannot be confirmed.

The final track featured on this volume of the In The Studio Series is Calling all Devils Children Jam Almost no information concerning this track exists save for the brief that Jimi Hendrix plays bass on this track and that it was more than probably recorded at The Record Plant at some point in 1968 at possibly the same time as Look Over Yonder. As Noel Redding receives a co credit it would seem natural to assume that he also took part in the recording although this cannot be confirmed
This latest volume of the In The Studio Series finds Jimi relaxed and in good form. Surprisingly as during this period he was in high demand and the pressure on him both in terms of what the public wanted and also his own personal creative aspirations must have been a difficult road to walk

Track Listing:
Cherokee Mist (7:08)
Jam H290 (1:31)
Voodoo Chile (36:44)
Ships passing in the night (2:54)
Calling all Devils Children Jam (14:05)