The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland

If this is a desert island album for you then do yourself a favor and get the 1968 OG German or 1970 German repress. The sound quality and clarity blows away the US. The pricing on the UK is prohibitive so I don’t own one and cannot comment on that. The OG German is one of the best pressings of any album I have. That good.

Jimi Hendrix is far from one of the greatest guitarists to walk this planet. Technically, there were many in the rock, jazz and classical fields who could play circles around him any night of the week. What Jimi did have was a vision for the music that he was hearing in his head, and the ability to draw from those influences that existed all round him ... and to that end, he did not copy, but rather built on the nuances of great and popular artists, like Dick Dale, The Ventures, Curtis Mayfield, Albert King, Steve Cropper, Buddy Miles and Cornell Dupree. And like Stevie Ray Vaughan, once in his groove, he became the ever present beam of light, a showmen for all time, featuring and wrapping his music in pure splendor, something we might today consider as a performance piece.

Jimi was a perfectionist, an aspect of his personality that quickly wore thin on those who orbited him, and is one of the reasons he never seemed to be able to stay in any band too long ... he was madly driven, and like a candle that burns so brightly, he burned out musically and then burned out his life. Jimi was a product of his time ... the 60’s music scene was as much about the visual as it was the music, both walked hand in hand ... and Jimi embraced both like no one has done since.

Jimi had but four albums under his belt before his untimely death, Axis Bold As Love was an extension of “Are You Experienced?,” and both of these were lead-ins to Electric Ladyland, which may just be one of the finest albums ever made ... while “Band Of Gypsys” seemed lost and disted, as Jimi was moving to expand his sound and style. But I believe that he had only arrived at the genesis of this sound, and had not perfected it ... which must have been a source of frustration for him, trying to move forward, yet trapped, as he watched the psychedelic world, which he had almost built single handedly, wash away in an acid haze, and then too, his life was gone.

People love to speculate what great music Jimi Hendrix would be making today, if only he had lived, where truth be told, and you may not like it ... he’d probably be a rehab junkie, forever lost in the wasteland like Sly Stone, or worse, walking though his music like Eric Clapton, surrounded by younger, brighter eyed musicians, for whom the music is all that is important, looking to this legend for some indication of the fire, and never seeing it.

This is one of the finest recordings in my collection, Electric Ladyland encomes everything that brought Jimi Hendrix to this point in time, rock, soul, R&B, jazz, classical and his beloved psychedelic music, and all of that, could not compensate for the greater pleasure he found within himself.

Review by Jenell Kesler

Noticed when I got home today that my copy I bought had sides A/D together and B/C. But they’re properly labeled so I guess that was just a quirk of this release?

Mine is not auto-coupled. Anyone else have this? Everything else matches this release. Maybe I overlooked something in the dead wax, gotta double-check. Two-tone label though.

Mine is identical to this in every way except the labels are not two-tone. Hmm.

On mine it's etched:
T 30799 2RS 6307 A -1A
it's on side A.Orange/Yellow label
is that 1st press?

my Electric Ladyland record 2 has two 'side C' labels.
One side of record 2 in the runoff is enscribed with ... 2RS - 3 - 6307 LW2 [with a lightly engraved '(C)'under the number 3] also [a scratched out scribble rectangle shape follows the LW2]
Anyone else have this double 'C' labeled disc ?

I'm wondering if I can get some help. I THINK I have a first-pressing Reprise version of this record. The labels on the record are orange and yellow, it is made in the USA, the catalog # is 2 RS 6307, and immediately below that number it has (30, 802) in parenthesis. It is a gatefold, with photos surrounding a long horizontal rectangle that has the title and artist of the record as well as "letter to the room full of mirrors," "help from our friends and engers includes:", anda few other things.

My father insists that is a first-pressing W7 Reprise, but I'm not sure.

By 1968 I'd seen Hendrix perform. An act that sured Arthur Brown for vaudeville and virtuosity. I dashed out and bought 'Electric Ladyland' on day one. But, I still wasn't prepared. I had the other two albums, but this was music from the other side of the cosmos, played inside-out by all my blues guitar heros rolled into one. Inspired, astounding, awesome and other adjectives too numerous to mention. 'All Along The Watchtower' is the diamond among the gems, an 'arrangement' stamped with Hendrix style and heaped with praise by its author Dylan. Progressively comparable only, in my book, to Frank Zappa- a methodic yang to Hendrix's untamed yin. On first hearing him Zappa thought he was good, but too loud. Later, Hendrix gave FZ his burned-out strat. A surprising move for a guy who even took his guitar to the toilet to keep practicing. There was respect, although FZ showed no sentimentality and had the defunct axe rebuilt.

When Hendrix & Kramer released the Record Plant master tapes of 'Electric Ladyland' to Reprise, a first-generation copy was also despatched to Track/Polydor in the UK. Aware that the 'swirling & phasing' present on the recording would give concern to the metal mastering engineers, a warning was attached that the engineers should not attempt to reduce the effects and that they were intentional. Bearing in mind this was 1968 and the 'cosmic' & 'spatial' effects on the recording were likely in advance of anything the engineers were used to hearing. The request was duly followed by Polydor's engineers, who were perhaps more in tune with this 'new wave' of music, but ignored by those at Reprise who were probably more at home with Sinatra. First UK pressings (613008/9 and beyond) are bright and fresh, the US pressings (2RS 6307) are flat by comparison. Early UK issues, with auto-coupled discs and the variants of the blue text or rotated inner spread, are rarities. Those in possession of the album with the Karl Ferris 'red and yellow head' image of Hendrix might be interested to know it was taken during the first show at the Saville Theatre in London on 27 August 1967. The 2nd show was cancelled on news of Brian Epstein's death. He was the proprietor of the theater.

Over the years remastered versions of 'Electric Ladyland' have appeared, created from US 2nd generation or transfer tapes (the original tapes being the subject of legal wrangles & finally coming to rest with Experience Hendrix LLC). There's been remastering and quasi-mono issues by Lee Herschberg and a remaster by Joe Glaswirt, with Dave Mitson assisting, using the Sonic Solutions 'NoNoise' system. However, it's not until Experience Hendrix made their releases on both CD and limited edition vinyl that a significant competition to the original UK pressing arrived.

Using the original studio master tapes the album's original engineer, Eddie Kramer, set about digitally remastering the album with George Marino at Sterling Sound. Kramer chose digital rather than analog to achieve greater control throughout the process. Unlike many digital transfers from analog this process lends itself well to the nature of Hendrix's tracks, with the knobs twiddled by a man who was there at the birth. The LP (MCA2-11600) could be a bit hard to come by. The CD (MCAD-11600) is an excellent buy for newcomers to Hendrix & a great addition to the collection of those who managed to still be around to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original release. It certainly saves easing the vinyl out of the dust-cover, ing how the phonograph works and risking a scratch or two... Rainy day?... Dream away...