Jimi Hendrix – Both Sides Of The Sky LP

Announced for March 2018 is this new collection of studio leftovers, following in the same vein as the Valleys Of Neptune and People Hell & Angels albums. After the latter, Eddie Kramer had said publicly that it was the last collection of studio material but they managed to cobble together yet another and declared it a trilogy.
Again, these are recordings from Jimi with various line-ups and this time nearly all tracks are from his numerous visites to the Record Plant recording studio in New York (dates and recording order below). Before I begin, I must stress again that one needs Jimi's own three studio albums, plus Cry Of Love, Rainbow Bridge, War Heroes (or First Rays/South Saturn Delta), the purple box, Hear My Music and Burning Desire, before you get to this decade's trilogy of outtakes, alternates and jams.

First of all, this album sounds superb on vinyl (I haven't heard the CD). So again, bravo to Eddie Kramer and his team and good old Bernie Grundman for the mastering.
It's just a pity that the contents aren't up to scratch.
So hear we go, track by track:

Mannish Boy - From the first ever Band Of Gypsys studio session (while The Experience were still active). Jimi and the band worked for hours on this song, with a multitude of takes. Alan Dougles included a composite on the 1994 "Blues" complilation (it was the worst track on that album) but here we have a better vocal track and the whole thing has a bit more bounce and bite. There's only a brief solo from Jimi towards the end. It's a punchy opener but it does drag on a little too long and it's just a loose studio jam really and not worthy of such lavish packaging (which is the problem of all this decade's new releases).

Lover Man - Talk about overkill, we have so many studio versions of this song already. This one is a pretty rudimentary rehearsal take from the Band Of Gypsys just a couple of weeks before the famous Fillmore East concerts. It has quite a closeted, compact sound but with some lovely rhythm playing from Jimi and a relaxed (guide) vocal but Buddy's snappy drumming is not to my taste. There isn't really a guitar solo in there and I think this would have been better placed on a more low-key rehearsal/jam album.
> The press release, interviews and promo videos with Kramer mention that Jimi goes into the Batman theme in the middle of the song but he doesn't really. He plays a rhythmic passage that is like an inversion of it. This passage is present on other versions that we have had (without all the hullabaloo about it being anything to do with Batman).

Hear My Train A-Comin - Yet again! This song was also on the two other albums in this decade's trilogy of studio collections! Well, let's face it, if they had three excellent studio versions of the song, the only way to go was to put one on each successive album. They merit this because each one is different due to Jimi's improvisational genius. This is another Jimi Hendrix Experience studio take and it's from Noel's last session with the band (April 9th, 1969) and... it's terrific. Some fabulous playing from Jimi and the boys. This is the album highlight for me.
> In the mid 70s, Alan Douglas had worked on this version of "Hear My Train A Comin" while preparing the "Jimi Hendrix: Blues" album of 1994. He had rather clumsily fused together the END of this jam with a later Band Of Gypsys take (which was released on People Hell & Angels). It didn't really work, so he shelved the project (but it later leaked out and appeared on various bootlegs "Raw Blues", The Capricorn Tape, Villanova Junction, 5000 Halos,...).

Stepping Stone - This is a weird Band Of Gypsys version. It's a raggedy jam on the song but it features some cool guitar overdubs! Very strange - just Jimi taking his time, trying things out for his own ears, as he gradually crafted the song. One overdub gives quite a different slant on the song, compared to the more finished version that we know from War Heroes/First Rays (and the Band Of Gypsys 1970 single version). SImply horrible drumming from Buddy Miles. This shouldn't be on a high profile release like this.

$20 Fine - Jimi in session with Stephen Stills (organ, vocals), Mitch and Duane Hitchings (keyboards) in September 1969. It's always interesting to hear Jimi in a purely supportive role and especially when it's for a musician of the calibre of Stills. Unfortunately, it's a pretty dreary, throwaway song (which is why it was thrown away until now). No stand-out soloing from Jimi but some nice phrasing. This and the later track "Woodstock" will mystify the Hendrix neophyte. The two tracks are very out of place here.
> This is in fact a variant on "$30 Fine", a Crosby Stills & Nash outtake that can be heard on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGeauX5NiFY.

Power Of Soul - The South Saturn Delta album version of this song was a 1997 mix by Eddie Kramer. The one that was on the "Somewhere" vinyl 7" B-side (2013) was by Hendrix and Bob Hughes but this previously unreleased one is the original August 1970 Hendrix/Kramer mix! Guess what, it's the best yet. The opening guitar delay that ruined the previous versions is less confused here (one guitar is more subdued, like an echo) and it makes all the difference. Unfortunately the first "Yeeaah yeeaah" vocal is again absent (why the hell didn't Eddie fix that? That would be Pro-Tooling that I would approve of). I love this song but it is a little all over the place as a composition (the Band Of Gypsys album version is the definitive one) and it's a shame that Chas wasn't there to help Jimi beat it into shape. With the right editing and construction, it could have been a monster hit in for JImi in 1970. This version is a little longer than those previously released.

Jungle - Good news, this isn't the same version as the one on Morning Symphony Ideas (which also appeared on 10" single only last year!). Some gorgeous guitar tones from Jimi as he gently improvises but Miles' dumb, ham-fisted drumming spoils the mood. Halfway through it comes to a halt and Jimi launches straight into "Villanova Junction Blues" with a pretty basic rhythmic run-through. A waste of album space. FIller.

Things I Used To Do - A glimpse of this jam has already been released (see below) and it features Jimi loosly jamming with Johnny Winter, Billy Cox and Dallas Taylor at the Record Plant. The track has been edited down for this release. The two guitarists leave space for each other when necessary and Jimi puts in a rather drab guide vocal. It's a pity a more spirited take didn't happen that day. Again, not the right sort of track for a high-profile release like this.

Georgia Blues - Previously seen on the compilation "Martin Scorcese Presents The Blues: Jimi Hendrix", this is an absolutely fabulous performance by Jimi with Lonnie Youngblood and his band. Superb vocals and sax from Youngblood and Jimi is on fire throughout. Even though it isn't new to long-term Hendrix fans, it's the other album highlight with "Hear My Train A Comin". Used here to simply fill out the album (shame on them).
> Like on the old Scorcese blues compilation, the writing credit goes to Jimi. Surely Lonnie Youngblood wrote this?
The booklet of that release had the time of the track at 7:09 but it was 7:55 like the version here.

Sweet Angel - Jimi uses rather twee vibraphone to punctuate and underline the melody of this embyonic song which eventually became "Angel" (on "Cry Of Love"). Apart from that curious novelty, it's a pretty rudimentary, rhythmic run-through of the song without a vocal and for that it's quite close to the "Little Wing" (in fact another early "Angel") that was included on the South Saturn Delta album back in the 90s. It does have quite a rousing climax before it quickly fades out.

Woodstock - This is not the tatty vocal-less jam that has circulated on bootlegs for years. Here we have Stephen Stills on lead vocals and organ, Jimi only on bass unfortunately and Buddy Miles on drums, playing Joni Mitchell's famous song. It's a strong vocal from Stills so it resembles the equally famous CSN&Y version. Jimi is discreet through most of the track but he gives it more drive with Buddy towards the end. Buddy is pretty good on this one!
However, the inclusion of this track, with Jimi on discreet bass guitar, is pure filler and a waste of space here. In fact the two Stills tracks on this set are interesting but they would have been far better placed on a Stills album (like for example a re-release of his first album, on which Jimi guested on "Old Times, Good Times").

Send My Love To Linda - An extract of the first part of this was released back in 1989 (see below). That rugged solo part with Jimi on guitar and vocal cuts into the Gypsys at full throttle which is great (though it is heavily edited). The solo part on this version is in fact a composite constructed from three sections, which is something I don't approve of. Kramer hasn't the right to make creative decisions with Jimi's music. The band part I am familiar with from bootlegs with its terrific soloing from Jimi and the version I have is three times longer with great soloing all the way. Why edit it down and waste album space with that out of place "Woodstock" jam?

Cherokee Mist - At long last, the much bootlegged instrumental featuring just Jimi and Mitch freely exploring an instrumental sketch of a song (an extract appeared in 1989 - see below). It begins with Mitch's brooding Cherokee beat before Jimi comes in with wah-wah growls and a piercing electric sitar melody. So it's East meets West and a platform for Jimi to then let loose with wild feedback and gradually get it rocking. Just when you think it's over, there comes an extended, lilting coda which sounds a little like parts of "1983" (which was recorded around the same time). A wonderful piece of free-form Hendrix experimentation and a beautiful way to close this very uneven collection.

Previously released tracks:
"Mannish Boy"- Alternate composite on "Blues"
"Power Of Soul" - Alternate mixes on South Saturn Delta and the "Somewhere" 7" vinyl B-side
"Georgia Blues" - Alternate mix on Martin Scorcese Presents The Blues
"The Things I Used To Do" - Alternate edit on "Live & Unreleased- The Radio Show" /"Lifelines" box sets
"Sending My Love To Linda" - An excerpt of this composite appeared unedited on "Live & Unreleased- The Radio Show" /"Lifelines" box sets
"Cherokee Mist" - Incomplete on "Live & Unreleased- The Radio Show" /"Lifelines" box sets

Recording order and timings:
Sweet Angel (3:55) - Olympic Studios, London - January 28, 1968
Cherokee Mist (7:01) - Record Plant, NY - May 2, 1968
Georgia Blues (7:55) - Record Plant, NY - March 19,1969
Hear My Train A Comin' (7:26) - Record Plant, NY - April 9, 1969
Mannish boy (5:02) - Record Plant, NY - April 22, 1969
Things I Used To Do (3:41) - Record Plant, NY - May 7, 1969
$20 Fine (5:13) & Woodstock (5:19) - Record Plant, NY - September 30, 1969
Jungle (3:28) - Record Plant, NY - November 14, 1969
Stepping Stone (3:13) - Record Plant, NY - November 14 & 18,1969
Lover Man (3:03) - Record Plant, NY - December 15,1969
Send My Love To Linda (4:37) - Record Plant, NY - January 16, 1970
Power Of Soul (5:55) - Record Plant, NY - January 21 & February 3, 1970

> The title of the album comes from a line in the song Midnight Lightning - "Gotta keep movin', to understand both sides of the sky". The original studio jam version of that song remains unreleased (officially).

Label: Experience Hendrix – 19075814201, Legacy – 19075814201
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, 180 Gram
Country: US
Released: Mar 9, 2018
Genre: Rock, Blues, Pop
Style: Blues Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Hard Rock

Tracklist

A1 Mannish Boy 5:02
A2 Lover Man 3:03
A3 Hear My Train A Comin' 7:26
B1 Stepping Stone 3:13
B2 $20 Fine 5:13
B3 Power Of Soul 5:55
B4 Jungle 3:28
C1 Things I Used To Do 3:41
C2 Georgia Blues 7:55
C3 Sweet Angel 3:55
D1 Woodstock 5:19
D2 Send My Love To Linda 4:37
D3 Cherokee Mist 7:01