Jimi Hendrix - Electric Lady Studios, A Jimi Hendrix Vision (2024)

[Classic Rock]

The chance of getting a new Jimi Hendrix album and having it full of anything actually magical is very unlikely these days, as the vaults have been raided for so many years that very little of substance is left to listen to. The last three 'studio' albums have been a poor attempt to package alternate (inferior) takes and lefts over from the sessions of other artists into 'lost' studio albums, and although they sometimes have a moment or two of magnificence - they feel like they are the sort of cash grab albums the family took over Hendrix's legacy back in 1996 to stop. Even the recent live releases leave a lot to be desired. This collection, which is finally being marketed for what it is - a collection of work-in-progress outtakes and mixes from the months leading up to Hendrix's death - is actually a welcome surprise. The box set is focused as much on the actual studio as the songs being worked on, celebrating more than just Hendrix's music vison. An alternate mix of 'Ezy Ryder' launches the album, but there is little here that makes the listener jump to attention, as this track has been heard so many times before. From there though a mellow version of 'Valleys Of Neptune' makes it clear that just when you think you have heard it all, there is still more to hear. Would vocals have worked on such a mellow rendition? No one will ever know. One take of 'Astro Man' has a big fat bass sound, the raw sound of 'Beginnings' is great to listen to - every note played live in the studio without overdub. An early slow take of 'Tune X' (later to become 'In From The Storm') is a great look behind the curtain, and the guitar-only demo 'Heaven Has No Sorrow' reveals a song that was potentially another masterpiece waiting to be discovered. There are off-the-cuff moments like the spirited stab at 'Further On Up The Road' (which falls in a heap after only a minute and a half), and the run through of a number of songs in rehearsal (labelled here as 'The Long Medley') is great to listen to, as everyone is loose and sound like they are enjoying the songs. Many of the mixes here are 'work in progress' mixes made by Hendrix himself (with Eddie Kramer by his side), which although revealing, also show where a lot of work was still to be done to complete the album. The great thing about hearing tracks like 'Freedom' presented here is that you get to hear the inner workings of the songs that were later covered in a blanket of overdubs and production when released officially. Surprisingly, some songs are a necessary addition to the Hendrix library, while others feel like they have not much new to offer. If the market hadn't been flooded with 50+ years of these sort of outtakes, this feels like a collection that may have made a bigger impact - but for all but the diehard fan, so much of what is presented here can be heard elsewhere else with only the slightest differences. Putting that aside though, and just looking at this in terms of what it is and the music on offer on it, it is an amazing journey through the 'never to be album' Hendrix was building in his final days.

Regurgitator - Unit (1997)

[Alternative Rock]

Another Regurgitator album, and again, only another year later than the last - so you could argue they are making hay while. (you know the rest). I have to say I got sucked in, and almost as a premonition, track 1 is titled 'I like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff'. The lads decided to put their instruments to the side on some songs, and while catchy, as I started to hint to - they have almost done a full 180 and brought the disco lights and sampling tables together for this effort. I will admit its catchy, but just not what I wanted to hear from them as a sophomore album. If I put my preferences to the side, this is a great, ballsy release that in some-way entices more fans to their music. For me, perhaps showing my age, the smut is just over the top to be honest. My highlight is the two that come one after another 'Modern Life' and 'Polyester Girl', but I have to listen to a bunch of rubbish before I get to these, including the rubbish before 'Modern Life'. Oh and hey if you want to piss fans off who actually enjoyed this release, which not re-release shortly after with different coloured album art!