Jimi Hendrix - "West Coast Seattle Boy – The Jimi Hendrix Anthology"

In ‘Hear My Train A Comin’’, Jimi Hendrix sang he was going out into the world to become a magic boy.

Well, he must’ve succeeded because there’s a lot of magic to be found on West Coast Seattle Boy, the latest release issued by Experience Hendrix LLC, the estate so ably managed by Hendrix’s half-sister Janie Hendrix. As has been the case for over a decade, she is assisted by recording engineer Eddie Kramer and author John McDermott. This means Kramer – who has been mixing Hendrix’s sessions since February 1967 – has ensured that the sound is pristine and the mixes in line with what Hendrix would’ve wanted, and McDermott – who has written four books on Hendrix – has provided informative and reliable liner notes. (For example, I never knew that ‘Love Or Confusion’ was seriously considered as the follow-up single to ‘Hey Joe’.) The photographs will be new to many fans. West Coast Seattle Boy is a true treasure trove and welcome addition to the Hendrix canon.

Disc One (45:01)

Much has been written about Hendrix’s years on the chitlin’ circuit after being discharged by the U.S. Army in 1962, but Disc One is the first time his session work for artists such as The Isley Brothers, Little Richard and King Curtis has been gathered. As much as I’ve often wished for such a gathering, I was initially disappointed to learn West Coast Seattle Boy’s first disc would feature R&B songs about dancing and testifying. I was hoping for more of Hendrix’s own recordings. But this disappointment quickly dissipated when I played this disc’s first two tracks: ‘Testify’ by The Isley Brothers and ‘Mercy. Mercy’ by Don Covay. I felt like I was listening to an alternate soundtrack to a Quentin Tarrentino’s Jackie Brown and greatly enjoying it.

I had read in John Perry’s 33 1/3 book Electric Ladyland how impressed Booker T’s guitarist Steve Cropper had been by the “funky little intro lick” on ‘Mercy, Mercy’ by the then unknown guitarist. It was wonderful getting to hear this hit single myself. (It was the first time Hendrix is heard on a Top Five song. And later, when the The Experience was short of material for their first gigs, they would sometimes include a version of ‘Mercy, Mercy’ in their short sets.) The fan will quickly hear how Hendrix’s session work informed his own recordings just a few years later. Ray Sharpe’s ‘Help Me’ has a rhythm similar to The Experience’s version of ‘Gloria’; Jimmy Norman’s ‘That Little Old Groove Maker’ looks towards ‘Come On (Part 1); and in Hendrix’s playing on The Isley Brothers’ ‘Have You Ever Been Disappointed’, you can clearly hear ‘Drifting’. This influence also extends to the lyrics. For example, The Iceman’s ‘(My Girl) She’s A Fox’. Need I say more?

Disc Two (71:37)

There are many reasons to recommend Disc Two. The early take of ‘Fire’ makes the case for Noel Redding’s worthiness as a bassist: his playing is so full that when Hendrix shifts to play lead guitar, you don’t notice the rhythm guitar dropping out. ‘Little One’ is Hendrix’s first step behind the controls and into the producer’s chair. (It was later reproduced in 1988 by Hendrix’s original producer Chas Chandler with new backing tracks from The Experience and as a vehicle for Redding and renamed ‘There Ain’t Nothing Wrong’.) ‘New Rising Sun’ is one of Hendrix’s five best instrumentals ever.

Disc Three (71:34)

This is the most consistently satisfying of the four CDs (except for Larry Lee’s awful ‘Mastermind’: there are other Hendrix tracks that are bad, but something like ‘Three Little Bears’ is bad because the humorous lyrics are not funny; ‘Mastermind’ is just boring). It covers Hendrix’s greatest period of transition: the 15 months Hendrix would burn through three backing bands. It is bookended with the “Electric Church” jam sessions at TTG Studios in Hollywood, California in late October 1968 and two live performances of the Band of Gypsys in December, 1969. And I really don’t know which one to write about seeing as both warrants an essay and I’m trying to keep this under a thousand words.

Just let me say then that I’m somewhat baffled a CD of TTG Sessions-only recordings hasn’t been previously been released. Maybe there isn’t 40 minutes worth of new material, maybe it’s the fact that some tracks have ad-libbed or no vocals at all, but the five TTG recordings on West Coast Seattle Boy should’ve been available years ago: they’re that good.

And the versions of the Band of Gypsys playing the Experience-era hits ‘Fire’ and ‘Foxey Lady’ at the Fillmore East on December 31, 1969 (second show) makes a persuasive argument that this trio should’ve been given more than the five months they had as a unit. At those four shows over two nights, the Band of Gypsys focused on new material. Only 11 of the 44 numbers performed are associated with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, but Billy Cox and especially Buddy Miles bring verve to Hendrix’s hits that are astonishing. Yes, I miss Noel Redding’s rude “Let me stand next to your fire!” background vocals, but Miles’ drumming is so rock steady and swinging that it gives the song a whole new aggressiveness.

(Shoot. I’m over a thousand words already and I still have another disc to do, not to mention the DVD!)

Disc Four (73:27)

This disc continues with Band of Gypsys-era recordings and chronicles Hendrix’s last year before his death in London on September 18, 1970. The Band of Gypsys version of ‘Stone Free’ gets off to a good start but it’s hampered by a Buddy Miles solo and degeneration into a ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ jam that never jams. (There’s a better version on Live At The Fillmore East.) The rest of the disc is hit or miss with vocal-less recordings, a late example of Hendrix as a session man on Love’s ‘Everlasting First’, and a smattering of songs that prove Hendrix was still creating music of high quality those last months. The alternate recording of ‘In From The Storm’ included here is worth hearing for Emmeretta Marks’ backing vocals alone.

Another important recording is ‘Suddenly November Morning, the first release of a track from Hendrix’s holy grail: Black Gold, a cassette of recordings that has been rumored to be the blueprint for Hendrix’s next album: the one after the First Rays of the New Rising Sun tracks he was finalizing for release. Considered lost for years, it turned out that Hendrix’s drummer Mitch Mitchell had the cassette and turned it over to Experience Hendrix LLC before his death in 2008. ‘Suddenly November Morning’ is apparently the first track from the autobiographical 16-song cycle and a worthy ending to this collection, especially since Janie Hendrix is on record as saying Black Gold will be released in the coming decade.

DVD – Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child

Director Bob Smeaton - who has won a Grammy Award for The Beatles’ Anthology series - has produced the sort of documentary that will be used on PBS in five years as part of one of their pledge drives. Written by McDermott, “Bootsy” Collins speaks Hendrix’s words and it’s an informative, graphically rich documentary that covers all the phases of Hendrix career, except the posthumous. Many of the film clips were new to me and so the documentary held my interest throughout. I would’ve preferred access on the DVD menu to whole performances of songs that appear as only a snippet in the documentary, but that’s a common gripe of mine with rock documentaries. Sometimes it feels as if they’re not really made for fans.

All in all, this 4 CD/1 DVD collection has many commendable aspects, but will be best appreciated if you are experienced and familiar with Jimi Hendrix’s oceanic body of work. With previously unreleased and alternate recordings, examples of session work, mono mixes, early takes, live performances, even hotel demos it’s a great gift for the fan. Newbies, however, will be better served by beginning with the five albums issued in Hendrix’s lifetime or with The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set released back in 2000.

A prime example of this is ‘Are You Experienced?’ on Disc Two. This signature song is one of Hendrix’s most enduring recordings for its innovative usage of backwards recordings as well as aura building. The closing, title track of Hendrix’s debut album, it leaves all who hear it the first time wondering if they are experienced because Hendrix’s arrangement and the tone of his voice convince you that he is in a way that you are not.

And yet the fascinating “forwards” version included on West Coast Seattle Boy will probably not be fascinating to the newbie. There are no vocals on this take. You won’t hear Hendrix ask you if you are experienced or hear him say “I am.” It’s just a well-played rhythm track – although I should point out that a rhythm track for The Jimi Hendrix Experience included Hendrix’s lead guitar – that was recorded with the express purpose of creating a tape that could be played backwards and re-recorded in order to achieve the unique sound Hendrix was striving for. For the experienced this is a legendary take. For the newbie this is something to skip, unless he does notice the similarity in the chika-chika rhythm guitar to what was recorded the following year as part of the infamous intro to ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’ and has probably heard before. That might hold his/her interest.