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Revision as of 10:24, 19 June 2010
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Electric Ladyland is the third and final album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in 1968 on Reprise Records (see 1968 in music). Produced and mainly written by Jimi Hendrix, the album is seen as the peak of Hendrix's mastery of the electric guitar. It is not only the last of his albums released as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but also the last of Hendrix's studio albums to be professionally produced under his own supervision. After Electric Ladyland, Hendrix spent the remaining two years of his life attempting to organize a new band and recording a breadth of new songs. The original UK album cover photo of a group of nude women proved controversial enough to be subsequently replaced by an illustration of the guitarist's face.
Released as a double album, Electric Ladyland is a cross-section of Hendrix's wide range of musical talent. It includes examples of several genres and styles of music, including the psychedelia of "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" (previously a UK single in the summer of 1967), the extended blues jam "Voodoo Chile", the New Orleans-style rock and roll of "Come On", the epic studio production of "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)", and the social commentary of "House Burning Down". The album also features a cover version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" that has been widely praised by many, including Dylan himself,[1] as well as "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", a staple of both radio and guitar repertoire.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 54 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Recording and production
After a troubled tour of Scandinavia, a brief period of recordings for Electric Ladyland at Olympic studios in London, England and a prestigious concert at the Paris Olympia, Hendrix moved back to the USA for the start of his first proper tour there. Three months later he began work on the LP at engineer Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone's newly opened Record Plant Studios which was situated close to his favorite clubs. It was recorded by Jimi's favorite engineers Eddie Kramer and Gary Kellgren. Despite a claim by Chris Stone that Kellgren engineered "90%" of it, the studio records show that most of the work was done by Kramer, only two tracks by Hendrix and Redding's one having Kellgren as engineer (although he was engineer on some of the later mixing sessions and worked together with Eddie on the final mix of the album).[2]. During the recording of the album Hendrix fell out with producer Chas Chandler and bassist Noel Redding.
With a hectic tour schedule and also trying to record a masterpiece, Hendrix still wanted to have a life, so he combined work with pleasure by inviting his friends and acquaintances to the studio. Chas Chandler hated spending so much time in the studio and partly blamed it on these guests[3], but Jimi was determined to have his way. So, his regular producer, manager and mentor Chas Chandler eventually quit in May 1968. Chandler later complained that Hendrix's insistence on doing multiple takes of every song, combined with what he saw as Hendrix's drugged incoherence, led him to sell his share of the management company to his partner Michael Jeffery. Hendrix went on to produce his most successful LP himself[4] and several very successful tours, mostly sold out.
Hendrix's studio perfectionism was legendary – he and Mitchell recorded well over 50 takes of "Gypsy Eyes" over three sessions[5] – and he was always insecure about his voice often recording his vocals hidden behind studio screens. Hendrix sings all the backing vocals himself on the title track and on "Long Hot Summer Night". He was said to be very happy with the vocal results on "Have You Ever Been".[6]
Despite having to go back on tour before the album was finished, many of the album tracks show Hendrix's vision expanding far beyond the scope of the original trio and saw him collaborating with a range of outside musicians including Dave Mason, Chris Wood and Steve Winwood from Traffic; future Band of Gypsys drummer Buddy Miles; Jefferson Airplane bassist Jack Casady; and former Dylan organist Al Kooper.
Co-operation between Hendrix and bassist Noel Redding (who was of the same opinion about time spent in the studio as Chandler)[7]was strained during the production of the album. Hendrix plays bass tracks (on a right-handed bass guitar) on many tracks including the bass solo parts on "1983".[8] Sometimes Hendrix recorded bass tracks just in order to make things go on faster. Redding plays acoustic guitar and sings lead vocals with Mitchell on his own track, "Little Miss Strange."
Release and reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Uncut |  [9] |
| Allmusic | [10] |
| Blender | [11] |
| Robert Christgau | [12] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable) [13] |
| BBC | (favourable) [14] |
Electric Ladyland was first released in the U.S. in September 1968 and became a massive hit; it was Hendrix's only #1 album. The UK edition reached #6 upon its release amid considerable controversy. A letter Hendrix wrote to Reprise described exactly what he wanted for the cover, but it was mostly ignored. He expressly asked for a color photo by Linda Eastman of the group sitting with children on a sculpture from Alice in Wonderland in Central Park, NY,[15] even drawing a picture of it for reference. The company instead used a blurred red & yellow photo of his head, taken by Karl Ferris. Track Records had its own art department, which produced a cover depicting 19 nude women lounging in front of a black background.[16] The original UK & German CD release from the 1980s features the UK artwork cover, while the Allan Douglas' re-master CD issue features the U.S. version by Ferris, which has since become the official worldwide cover of Electric Ladyland. The company Experience Hendrix, which owns the rights to the album and most of Hendrix's catalog, has stated that the original UK nudes cover will not be used any longer, since Hendrix himself did not like it; nonetheless Hendrix's own choice, the Eastman photo, is still ignored. A dispute nearly occurred over the album's title. In the final stages of production, a studio technician renamed the album "Electric Landlady."[17] The album was almost released under this official title until Hendrix noticed the error, which upset him considerably. Kirsty MacColl later used this alternate title for an album of her own.
In 2005 Q magazine readers voted Electric Ladyland the 38th greatest album of all time; in 2003 the TV network VH1 placed it at number 72. In 2003, Rolling Stone declared it the 54th greatest album of all time. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Also, The Source magazine ranked it #40 on their Critics Top 100 Black Music Albums of All Time list in 2006. [18]
Track listing
US Release (LP)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "...And the Gods Made Love" | Jimi Hendrix | 1:21 |
| 2. | "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)" | Hendrix | 2:11 |
| 3. | "Crosstown Traffic" | Hendrix | 2:13 |
| 4. | "Voodoo Chile" | Hendrix | 15:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Little Miss Strange" | Noel Redding | 2:52 |
| 6. | "Long Hot Summer Night" | Hendrix | 3:27 |
| 7. | "Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)" | Earl King | 4:09 |
| 8. | "Gypsy Eyes" | Hendrix | 3:43 |
| 9. | "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" | Hendrix | 3:39 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Rainy Day, Dream Away" | Hendrix | 3:42 |
| 11. | "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" | Hendrix | 13:39 |
| 12. | "Moon, Turn the Tides...Gently Gently Away" (instrumental) | Hendrix | 1:02 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Still Raining, Still Dreaming" | Hendrix | 4:25 |
| 14. | "House Burning Down" | Hendrix | 4:33 |
| 15. | "All Along the Watchtower" | Bob Dylan | 4:01 |
| 16. | "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" | Hendrix | 5:12 |
Nudes Cover Track Listing (UK) (CD)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "...And the Gods Made Love" | Jimi Hendrix | 1:22 |
| 2. | "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)" | Hendrix | 2:11 |
| 3. | "Crosstown Traffic" | Hendrix | 2:25 |
| 4. | "Voodoo Chile" | Hendrix | 15:02 |
| 5. | "Still Raining, Still Dreaming" | Hendrix | 4:25 |
| 6. | "House Burning Down" | Hendrix | 4:33 |
| 7. | "All Along the Watchtower" | Bob Dylan | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" | Hendrix | 5:13 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Little Miss Strange" | Noel Redding | 2:51 |
| 10. | "Long Hot Summer Night" | Hendrix | 3:27 |
| 11. | "Come On (Part 1)" | Earl King | 4:10 |
| 12. | "Gypsy Eyes" | Hendrix | 3:43 |
| 13. | "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" | Hendrix | 3:40 |
| 14. | "Rainy Day, Dream Away" | Hendrix | 3:42 |
| 15. | "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)" | Hendrix | 4:49 |
| 16. | "Moon, Turn the Tides....Gently Gently Away" | Hendrix | 9:54 |
Notes
As was common with some multi-LP albums, sides one and four were pressed back to back on the same platter, likewise sides two and three. This was called "auto-coupling" or "automatic sequence" and was intended to make it easier to play through the entire album in sequence on automatic record-changers. In this case it has led to some CD releases of Electric Ladyland that have the sides in the incorrect one-four-two-three order. (e.g. "Voodoo Chile" followed by "Still Raining, Still Dreaming")
Despite the different track lengths and listings, both album releases are exactly the same in total length.
The U.S. cassette version also has an alternate track listing, with Side One and Three on Side One with a running time of 39:29, and Side Two and Four on Side Two with a running time of 38:16, this was done to keep both tape sides as equal in length as possible with as little blank space at the end.
On the original LP version, "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)" is 13:39 and "Moon, Turn the Tides... Gently, Gently Away" is 1:01, the total being 14:40. On the Nudes version, "1983" is 4:49 while "Moon, Turn the Tides" is 9:54, the total being 14:43, just three seconds longer than the original. Both song structures stay virtually the same but the break in tracks is different.
Personnel
The following credits are from the CD booklet[19] (CD with the track listing as the US LP release).
- Jimi Hendrix – electric guitar, bass (on tracks 2, 6, 8, 11, 14 and 15), electric harpsichord (on track 9), percussion, lead vocals (on all non-instrumental tracks except 5 in which Mitch and Noel sing), background vocals, kazoo made of comb and paper (track 3), a slide used in "All Along the Watchtower" is actually a cigarette lighter
- Mitch Mitchell – drums (on all tracks except 10 and 13), percussion, background vocals, lead vocals (with Redding on track 5)
- Noel Redding – bass (on tracks 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 16), background vocals, acoustic guitar (on track 5), lead vocals (with Mitchell on track 5)
- Jack Casady – bass (on track 4)
- Steve Winwood – organ (on track 4)
- Al Kooper – piano (on track 6)
- The Sweet Inspirations – background vocals (on track 9)
- Larry Faucette – congas (on tracks 10 and 13)
- Mike Finnigan – organ (on tracks 10 and 13)
- Freddie Smith – tenor saxophone (on tracks 10 and 13)
- Buddy Miles – drums (on tracks 10 and 13)
- Brian Jones- percussion [on track 15]
- Dave Mason – Acoustic 12-String guitar (on track 15), backing vocals (on track 3)
- Chris Wood – flute (on track 11)
Production
- Producers - Jimi Hendrix & Chas Chandler
- Engineers - Eddie Kramer & Gary Kellgren
- Mixed by - Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Kramer & Gary Kellgren
- Arranged by Jimi Hendrix
- US cover liner note by Jimi Hendrix
- US cover design - Karl Ferris
- US cover inside photos - Linda Eastman (McCartney) & David Sygall
- US art direction - Ed Thrasher
- UK cover design - David King, Rob O'Connor
- UK cover inside photos - David Montgomery
First CD remaster by Lee Herschberg (Reprise 6307-2)
Second CD remaster by Allan Douglas
- Remastering - Joe Gastwirt
- Liner notes - Michael Fairchild
Third CD remaster by Experience Hendrix
- Remastering - Eddie Kramer & George Marino
- Art direction - Vartan
- Liner notes - Jeff Leve
- Essay - Derek Taylor
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Billboard Top 200 Albums | 1 |
| 1968 | UK Albums Chart | 6 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" | UK Singles Chart | 18 |
| 1968 | "All Along the Watchtower" | Billboard Hot 100 | 20 |
| 1968 | "All Along the Watchtower" | UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| 1969 | "Crosstown Traffic" | UK Singles Chart | 37 |
| 1970 | "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" | UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| 1971 | "Gypsy Eyes/Remember" | UK Singles Chart | 35 |
| 1990 | "All Along the Watchtower EP (with "Hey Joe" & "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)") | UK Singles Chart | 52 |
| 1990 | "Crosstown Traffic" | UK Singles Chart | 61 |
References
- ^ Dimery, Robert "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die", p.136
- ^ Ultimate Hendrix– by McDermot, Kramer & Cox– 2009
- ^ Setting the Record Straight – by McDermot, with Kramer – 1992
- ^ Classic albums Electric Ladyland DVD
- ^ Ultimate Hendrix– by McDermot, with Kramer & Cox– 2009, pages 98-100
- ^ Alan Douglas CD edition liner notes
- ^ Are You Experienced? - Redding & Appleby
- ^ Liner notes of Alan Douglas-supervised CD edition of the album, that was published in the early 1990s
- ^ Uncut Review
- ^ Allmusic Review
- ^ Blender Review
- ^ Robert Christgau Review
- ^ Rolling Stone Review
- ^ BBC Review
- ^ sleeve notes to Experience Hendrix/MCA re-release of Electric Ladyland
- ^ Classic Albums Electric Ladyland DVD
- ^ Electric Ladyland - television document about the making of the album
- ^ http://www.trevornelson.com/nonflash/top100.asp
- ^ Some detailed information, including bass playing credits, is based on liner notes of Alan Douglas supervised CD edition of the album, that was published in the early 1990s
- UK Chart positions
- Rice, Tim; Gambaccini, Paul; Rice, Jonathan (1995), Guinness British Hit Singles (10th ed.), London: GRR Publishing Ltd, ISBN 0-85112-633-2
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