JIMI HENDRIX – WEST COAST SEATTLE BOY

For a man who only recorded three studio albums in his stellar career, the number of compilations and anthologies under the Hendrix name is astounding. This latest release is not an introduction to Jimi Hendrix, it is for those steeped in the Hendrix tradition already. Opening with re-mixes and alternative takes of well-know tracks Fire, Love or Confusion and Room Full of Mirrors, these tracks really just serve as a way in for the uninitiated, because it is the home demos and outtakes that are the most interesting part of West Coast Seattle Boy. These are essentially jams and ideas sessions, and like flicking through Picasso’s sketch book, we see the germs of ideas that became hits like Purple Haze or the wonderful Hendrix and guitar home recording of Tears of Rage. In a fascinating aside, you can hear the galloping guitar form Iron Maiden’s Run for the Hills in the instrumental Bolero. The extended instrumental jams like Burning Desire provide an insight into a musician at play, ideas bouncing, grooves explored; and for any fan, these are the real gems here, as one Picasso half-baked sketch is worth a thousand Damien Hirst instalations.

***1/2