October 1968, 15 months after Hendrix had been introduced to the U.S. at the Monterey Pop festival June 1967. Jimi had all ready realeased an album in 1968 but already had enough material to go ahead and release another album, a double album. It's was Henrdix's third and final album with the band known as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and arguably his finest. The album features many other musicians such as Jack Casady from the Jefferson Airplane and Steve Winwood from Traffic. Electric Ladyland also features drummer Buddy Miles who would later go on to be in the Band of Gypsies with Hendrix. To top it all of legendary engineer Eddie Kramer would help produce the album adding in effects and multple guitar tracks to make Electric Ladyland just that more mind blowing.
...And the Gods Made Love The opening track starts off with two giant bangs. Jimi's and Eddie Kramer's mixboard masterpiece opens the album and makes the listener aware that they are not listening to an ordinary album. Psyschedelic sounds and deep noises that remotley sound like the voices of gods. Many back tracks and delays are put into the the sounds to make them feel like a swirling sound coming out of your speakers. Definetly the perfect opener. 5/5
Have You Ever Been (to Electric Ladyland) The first track that features Jimi singing starts off with a sound like a clock ticking and with no notice Jimi's voice comes out asking the listener if they have ever been to electric ladyland, no intro nessacary. Jimi's voice is perfect and the backing singing is equally great. No flashy guitar work is needed just a nice light rythym and a few psyschedelic fills and a nice solo. Mitch and Noel keep it the rythym section flowing throughoutn the song.4.5/5
Crosstown Traffic A change of pace to a more of a rock song. With a fade in guitar and then Jimi wails a riff on the kazoo. The song isn't long but is easily one of the catchiest songs on the album. The lyrics are fun, and the backing voacls are amazing again. This song proves Mitch Mitchell a tank on the drums as he pretty much pulls the song through the verse. Again no real flashy guitar but the creativity of the tone and the part on the guitar are amazing.5/5
Voodoo Chile As we make the transmission from the short pop/rock song to this 14 min all-star blues jam, the listener now doesnt not know what to expect for the rest of the album. The song is made of Jimi, Mitch from the Experience and Jack Casady on bass and Steve Winwood on the organ. As Jimi sings the lyrics with a very nice blues voice, he is accompanied with a heavy blues rythym with guitar and organ fills being thrown around every where. After he sings for a bit they go for the jam. The bass stays pounding and Mitch changes up the beat making many fills, the guitar and organ both get solo breaks including a call and response sort of thing where they try to copy the other mans fills. As this wraps up we go back into the original rythym and Jimi goes back to singing. The rest of the song is more jamming and at the end you can here claping and cheering from the people who where at the session.5/5
Little Miss Strange The song starts off with Jimi playing a fast acoustic riff then the drums come in and a double tracked electric guitar comes in and does a nice little solo before Noel Redding starts singing. Noel has a pretty decent voice and it fits the song well. This track incorperates many layers of guitars with fuzz and wah wah and other effects. It also has some of the most creative guitar fills and solos on the album, backed by a very nice bass groove and Mitch's jazz induced drumming.4.5/5
Long Hot Summer Night The intro is a nifty guitar riff with Jimi humming softly. Again this song incorperates background singing, random guitar fills and a solid rythym. Even when Jimi's singing there is a constant guitar soloing. The outro has a cooling singing part, but the guitar is clearly the high part of this song. Al kooper plays piano on the track. 4.5/5
Come On (Let the Good Times Roll) This is a cover by Earl King but Jimi makes this song his own by showing amazing blues guitar playing. When Jimi get's to the guitar solo he kinda ditches the blues playing for a wah wah drench guitar but comes back to the blues theme in the solo on numerous occasions. Noel Redding plays a very nice blues groove and Mitch does a great job like he does on every song. This showcases Jimi's masterful talent at the guitar as well as his singing. 5/5
Gypsy Eyes A drum intro featuring a powerful bass drum is quickly followed up by a very cool and quick riff on the guitar. Jimi starts sing and does a solo at the same time that matches the same melody as his voice. Then it goes back into the quick riff and then the bass comes in and the band goes into a nice groove. The songs tempo changes many times but it always remains great as there are guitar parts thrown in all over. Another great song with creative guitar. 4.5/5
Burning of the Midnight Lamp The intro is a mysteryious guitar riff that has lots of wah and either a guitar that sounds like a harpsichord or a keyboard that sounds like that. Jimi's sings well and adds an amazing guitar solo again with wah. After the solo Jimi says "Loneliness is such a drag" which makes me wonder becasue they say Jimi was never the same after this album. The end of the song feels really up lifting and Jimi's voice has lots of reverb on it as the song fades out. 5/5
Rainy Day, Dream Away This is of of the more jazz influenced song on the album. The intro has a saxophone soling with drums and some conga drums in the background. The sax soloes around and Jimi adds in some licks on the axe. Soon a dialouge starts between Jimi and another guy. The dialouge hints at drug use indoors on a rainy day but I dont know for sure. There is also some organ being played in this song. Jimi sings in a happy voice and near the end of the song uses some fuzz wah guitar and starts singing a new song but it fades out before we here much. 4.5/5
1983...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be) One of Jimi's most experimental songs of all time. It starts of with a beautiful guitar riff followed by Jimi singing in such a depressing yet amazing voice. The riff is repeated after every verse. Jimi's voice perks up as he hits the chorus, the production is amazing as you heard little effects they put in here and there. In the middle of the song there is a giant pyschedelic space jam that has various guitar parts and effects. Mitch Mitchell fools around with his hiigh hat and there is bass solo that has one of the greatest bass tones I've every heard. The tone reminds me of a marimba(Big wooden xylophone thing), and the playing is technically awesome too. The song also has various flute parts scattered around the interlude too which just adds to teh atomsphere. Nearing the end of the song the guitar playing has a pretty long and nice solo and ends the song with some random noises. 5/5
Moon, Turns the Tides...Gently, Gently The random noises turns into this song that is resembles "...And the Gods Made Love" because it is just an interlude that is only a minute long with strange pyschedelic sounds thrown in. It fits the album though. 4/5
Still Raing, Still Dreaming This is the song that got faded out on "Rain Day, Dream Away". It's features some of Jimi's most proficient use of his wah wah pedal. Another song that features organ and on the drums its Buddy Miles. This song is one that you could used to show that Jimi completely revoulutionized the guitar. 5/5
House Burning Down The start is just a bunch of guitars layered doing random soloes. Then Jimi starts of iwht a fill and the rythym section goes into there groove. Like the other songs this one has many tempos and various grooves with many layered guitars playing different parts. The solo is again great and there is a catchy chorus. 4.5/5
All Along the Watchtower The opening chords may be one of the most know riffs of all time and it is followed by that amazing opening solo. Jimi's cover of the original Bob Dylan tune is usually the only one people know. The guitar playing is completely revoulutionary and some of the finest ever put to record. The singing is strong and clean and the lyrics are obviously great considering Dylan wrote them. The bass is amazing but this is not Noel Redding, it's Jimi Hendrix. Jimi kept on getting Noel to do it over and over until he just walked out. The end result is one of the greatest songs of all time. 5/5
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) The muted stings of Jimi's guitar followed by the slick wah riff might is another one of those riffs that are intstanly recognizable. The guitar, bass and drums all come toghether to jam as Jimi's haunting voice sings the some of his most famous lyrics. The last 2 minutes is Jimi soloing with heavy fuzz wah that is nearly too distorted but still great. 5/5
"If I dont meet you no more in this world, then I'll meet you in the next one, don't be late, don't be late."
-Vodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix
5/5
