The Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland Song by Song Thread

Have you ever been to Electric Ladyland? Well, we'll be taking a trip in this thread, covering the third and final Jimi Hendrix Experience album, released in 1968. Before we start, I want to lay some Ground Rules:
Ground Rules

1. Please stick to the song at hand or songs already discussed so as to not disrupt the flow of the thread.
2. Please elaborate beyond "This rocks" or "This sucks" as this leads to more fruitful discussions.

I'd also like to hear how you discovered this album and Hendrix in general. So now to kick off....

Electric Ladyland is the third and final studio album by English-American rock band the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released by Reprise Records in North America and Track Records in the UK in October 1968, the double album was the only record from the band produced by Jimi Hendrix. By mid-November, it had charted at number one in the United States, where it spent two weeks at the top spot. Electric Ladyland was the Experience's most commercially successful release and their only number one album. It peaked at number six in the UK, where it spent 12 weeks on the chart.

Electric Ladyland included a cover of the Bob Dylan song, "All Along the Watchtower", which became the Experience's highest-selling single and their only top 40 hit in the US, peaking at number 20; the single reached number five in the UK. Although the album confounded critics in 1968, it has since been viewed as
Hendrix's best work and one of the greatest rock records of all time. Electric Ladyland has been featured on many greatest-album lists, including Q magazine's 2003 list of the 100 greatest albums and Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, on which it was ranked 55th.

Recording and production[edit]
The Experience began recording the songs that later appear on Electric Ladyland at several studios in the US and UK in between July 1967 and January 1968.[1]Recording resumed April 18, 1968, at the newly opened Record Plant Studios in New York City, with Chas Chandler as producer and engineers Eddie Kramer and Gary Kellgren.[2] As recording progressed, Chandler became increasingly frustrated with Hendrix's perfectionism and his demands for repeated takes.[3] Hendrix allowed friends and guests to join them in the studio, which contributed to a chaotic and crowded environment in the control room and led Chandler to sever his professional relationship with Hendrix.[3] Redding recalled: "There were tons of people in the studio; you couldn't move. It was a party, not a session."[4]

Redding, who had formed his own band in mid-1968, Fat Mattress, found it increasingly difficult to fulfill his commitments with the Experience, so Hendrix played many of the bass parts on Electric Ladyland.[3] The album's cover states that it was "produced and directed by Jimi Hendrix".[3] The double LP was the only Experience album mixed entirely in stereo.[5]

Hendrix experimented with other combinations of musicians, including Jefferson Airplane's Jack Casady and Traffic's Steve Winwood, who played bass and organ on the fifteen-minute slow-blues jam "Voodoo Chile".[3] Hendrix appeared at an impromptu jam with B.B. King, Al Kooper, and Elvin Bishop.[6][nb 4]

Hendrix was famous for his studio perfectionism; he and drummer Mitch Mitchell recorded over 50 takes of "Gypsy Eyes" over three sessions.[8] Hendrix was insecure about his voice and often recorded his vocals hidden behind studio screens. He sang backing vocals himself on the title track and on "Long Hot Summer Night".[9]

Cover[edit]
Hendrix had written to Reprise describing what he wanted for the cover art, but 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, and drew a picture of it for reference.[17] The company instead used a blurred red and yellow photo of his head while performing at Saville Theatre, taken by Karl Ferris.[18] Track Records used its art department, which produced a cover image by photographer David Montgomery, who also shot the inside cover portrait of Hendrix, depicting nineteen nude women lounging in front of a black background.[19] Hendrix expressed displeasure and embarrassment with this "naked lady" cover, much as he was displeased with the Axis: Bold as Love cover which he found disrespectful.[20] The cover was banned by several record dealers as "pornographic", while others sold it with the gatefold cover turned inside out.[21]

Release and reception[edit]
Professional ratings
Retrospective reviews
Electric Ladyland was released in the US on October 16, 1968.[29] It was a "hit psychedelic album", Richie Unterberger later wrote,[30] and by mid-November, it had reached number one in the US, spending two weeks atop the pop charts.[31] The double LP was the Experience's most commercially successful release and Hendrix's only number one album.[32] In the UK, it peaked at number six and charted for 12 weeks.[33]

Electric Ladyland confounded contemporary critics; reviewers praised some of its songs but felt the album lacked structure and sounded too dense.[34] Melody Maker called it "mixed-up and muddled", with the exception of "All Along the Watchtower", which the magazine called a masterpiece.[34] In a negative review for Rolling Stone, Tony Glover preferred the less difficult "Little Miss Strange" to songs such as "Voodoo Chile" and "1983", which he said were marred by reactively harsh playing.[34] Robert Christgau was more enthusiastic, naming it the fifth best album of 1968 in his ballot for Jazz & Pop magazine's critics poll.[35]

Over time, Electric Ladyland's critical standing improved significantly, with author and musicologist John Perry describing it as "one of the greatest double-albums in Rock."[36] According to author Michael Heatley, "most critics agree" that the album was "the fullest realization of Jimi's far-reaching ambitions"; Guitar Worldeditor Noe Goldwasser called it his greatest work.[37] The record was also deemed an essential hard rock album in Tom Larson's 2004 book History of Rock and Roll,[38] and Clash reviewer Robin Murray viewed it as a "true classic of the psychedelic rock era".[39] In a retrospective review for Blender, Christgau wrote that it was the definitive work of psychedelic music,[22] describing the record as "an aural utopia that accommodates both ingrained conflict and sweet, vague spiritual yearnings, held together by a master musician".[40] In Charlotte Greig's opinion, much like Are You Experienced, Electric Ladyland was "groundbreaking, introducing audiences to a style of psychedelic rock rooted in the blues".[41]

Electric Ladyland has been featured on many greatest album lists, including a number 10 ranking on Classic Rock magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Rock Albums Ever,[42] and number 37 on The Times' 100 Best Albums of All Time.[43] Music journalist and author Peter Doggett argued that it is very likely the greatest rock album of all time because of its exceptional concept, artful melodies, experimentation, and skilled musicianship, which he felt remains unparalleled by any other rock artist.[44] In 2003, Q magazine included it on its list of the 100 greatest albums ever,[45] while Rolling Stone ranked it 54th on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[46]

Track listing[edit]
All tracks written by Jimi Hendrix, except where noted.

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "And the Gods Made Love" 1:21
2. "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)" 2:11
3. "Crosstown Traffic" 2:25
4. "Voodoo Chile" 15:00
Side two
No. Title Length
5. "Little Miss Strange" (Noel Redding) 2:52
6. "Long Hot Summer Night" 3:27
7. "Come On (Part I)" (Earl King; originally titled "Come On" on UK Track release[nb 5]) 4:09
8. "Gypsy Eyes" (Originally titled "Gipsy Eyes" on UK Track release) 3:43
9. "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" 3:39
Side three
No. Title Length
10. "Rainy Day, Dream Away" 3:42
11. "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)[nb 6]" 13:39
12. "Moon, Turn the Tides...Gently Gently Away" 1:02
Side four
No. Title Length
13. "Still Raining, Still Dreaming" 4:25
14. "House Burning Down" 4:33
15. "All Along the Watchtower" (Bob Dylan) 4:01
16. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" (Originally titled "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" on UK Track release) 5:12
As was common with 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. The cassette tape version altered the running order to keep both sides of the tape as equal as possible, a standard practice.[citation needed]

Personnel[edit]
Credits taken from the 1993 MCA compact disc booklet.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience[edit]

• Jimi Hendrix – lead vocals, guitar, piano, percussion, comb and tissue paper kazoo, electric harpsichord, bass on "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)", "Long Hot Summer Night", "Gypsy Eyes", "1983", "House Burning Down", and "All Along the Watchtower"
• Noel Redding – backing vocals, bass on "Crosstown Traffic", "Little Miss Strange", "Come On (Let the Good Times Roll)", "Burning of the Midnight Lamp", and "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", acoustic guitarand lead vocals on "Little Miss Strange"
• Mitch Mitchell – backing vocals, drums (except on "Rainy Day Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming"), percussion, lead vocals on "Little Miss Strange"

Additional personnel[edit]

• Jack Casady – bass on "Voodoo Chile"
• Brian Jones – percussion on "All Along the Watchtower"
• Al Kooper – piano on "Long Hot Summer Night"
• Dave Mason – twelve-string guitar on "All Along the Watchtower", backing vocals on "Crosstown Traffic"
• The Sweet Inspirations – backing vocals on "Burning of the Midnight Lamp"
• Steve Winwood – Hammond organ on "Voodoo Chile"
• Chris Wood – flute on "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)"

on "Rainy Day, Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming":

• Larry Faucette – congas
• Mike Finnigan – organ
• Buddy Miles – drums
• Freddie Smith – tenor saxophone

Production[edit]

• Producer – Jimi Hendrix
• Engineers – Eddie Kramer and Gary Kellgren
• Mixed by Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, and Gary Kellgren
• Arranged by Jimi Hendrix
• US cover liner note by Jimi Hendrix
• US cover design – Karl Ferris
• US cover inside photos – Linda Eastman and 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 Alan Douglas – Remastering by Joe Gastwirt, Liner notes by Michael Fairchild
• Third CD remaster by Experience Hendrix – Remastering by Eddie Kramer and George Marino, Art direction by Vartan, Liner notes by Jeff Leve, Essay by Derek Taylor

...And The Gods Made Love:
First off, I cannot post any videos from YouTube since none are available.
And now, the opening track, And The Gods Made Love, which is basically more of an intro than a song proper.
It starts with some pounding drums before we get some crazy backmasking and spaciness. The track is a total headtrip that perfectly leads into the next track.

 

My first introduction to Jimi Hendrix was "Purple Haze" (naturally), and I remember being immediately hooked by the crazy and cool guitar riff. I thought it was so cool that the song actually sounded like the purple haze mentioned in the lyrics. The first song I heard from Electric Ladyland was "Voodoo Child," which I liked from the start, but not as much as some of his earlier songs. "All Along the Watchtower" was the next song from the album I heard, and it absolutely floored me. I loved the combination of cleaner production and still dazzling guitar work. I eventually listened to the full Electric Ladyland album, and liked it, though I don't remember how I would have ranked it compared to the other two Experience albums. Now I would probably rank it as my second favorite Hendrix album, after Axis: Bold as Love.

...And the Gods Made Love
I don't mind this as an intro to the album, but I wouldn't say I enjoy it, and certainly wouldn't consider it a song.

 

...And the Gods Made Love

Would like to skip it when playing this album, but because I listen to in on vinyl, skipping is tricky (the individual tracks are not delineated on the LP).

 

The first time I heard this "album" was on cassette in 1993.
I was just out of college and staying with my friends family whilst my buddy and I were working for a small building contractor in Massachusetts.
Very early one morning our boss told us we would be working on a job in Rhode Island. He gave us an address, but this was before GPS or cell phones. We were concerned about getting lost. The boss gave us an Electric Ladyland casstte and said "If you ever get lost, Jimi will lead you to where you need to be." Needless to say, we got to the job site ahead of everyone else and I still recall how strange the music and vibes felt. It was a fun time in my life!

BTW: I recall the music of Yes, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Kurt Kobain's suicide playing a part in this brief era of my life.

 

That boss sounds pretty..... boss.

 

"The God's Made Love" was cool the first few times but, yeah, after that I really just want to get to the marvelous "Have You Ever Been (to Electric Ladyland)". Not hard to do with a vinyl copy but I always let the first number play through anyway and just think of it as a preface to this great album.

 

That’s how I think of it; as an intro.

 

I first had the naked lady version stationed in Germany in 1981.Don't know what became of it but it started a lifelong love of the music of Jimi Hendrix.And the Gods Made Love is a perfect intro.Maybe not as much now as I have matured a bit from that type of sound.If that makes sense.Haven't spun this in its entirety in a few years but it is still held in very high regard to me.

 

"And The Gods Made Love" - What a terrific way to kick off the greatest album of all time! The dawn of creation. Straight in, Jimi shows that he is not only ahead of the pack but he's on a differnet planet.
The perfect primer for what is to follow.

 

I've read that some people- including Jimi, iirc- registered disapproval over the fact that the EL photo of the naked women wasn't properly printed, so it distorted their proportions in the gatefold. Which does seem to be the case, to me- probably related to the state of panoramic photography and film development in the era. Not drastically wrong, but not quite as it should be, either.

With all of the advances in digital photo tech since then, I'd venture that there's probably a way to do a scan and reconfigure the photo to its originally intended accurate perspective and proportions.

 

off-topic, but I just punched "Up From The Skies" from Axis into rotation on the jukebox in my head, and alla sudden I realized- Mose Allison!

"Skies" is a cop of Mose Allison, just as surely as "Have You Even Been to Electric Ladyland" owes its existence to Curtis Mayfield.

 

Has anybody figured out what is said at the beginning of And The Gods Made Love?

 

there's another situation that digital technology might be able to clarify.

 

I read this off the internet. I know they say Test, test, test, test, test, test, test Wheeewwhweeewwhwheeeeehewww

Spoken backwards and slowed down:
Just hear that for a second
Yes, yes, yes I get it
Okay, one, okay one more time

 

...And the Gods Made Love - awesome intro, Jimi blows your mind, and just when you think you can't take it anymore, he brings you back to earth and let's you know everything is alright with the relaxing Electric Ladyland song.

 

I first bought this album on vinyl in the 80s. Peculiarly it had the sides in the wrong order. I don’t know if that was common for 80s editions of the albums, no doubt someone here will know. The first LP contained sides 1 and 4 and the other 2 and 3. For years I thought that was the correct running order. It was almost like an epiphany when I finally heard it in the right order.

 

That was the way it was originally released and it was for folks who had old style record players who would stack their LPs to play them. You would put the LP on the taller central spindle with Side 1 facing upwards and then, on top of that, the next LP with Side Two facing upwards. After Side 1 was finished, the record player would automatically lift the tone arm and retract it drop the next LP down and play that. Then, you simply flipped the stack over and got Sides 3 and 4 in order.

First Hendrix experience for me was when a friend bought Are You Experienced over to listen to on another friend's stereo (as not all of us had good stereos in those days). The only problem was, one side of his amp wasn't working and so I only heard one half of the sound. Wasn't impressed. Later, I got copy for myself and listened on my parents' console and loved it. Oddly, a similar thing happened with Axis, which I bought right away on the day it came out. I played that on my sister's small stereo, as my record player was mono. Her's was broken and again I only heard music form one speaker. The drummer for the band I was in was the first person I knew who had headphones, and I was blown away when he played Axis for me on them. My first experience in altered states was to listen to 1983, a Merman I should Turn To Be.

I still can't decide between Axis and Electric Ladyland which I like more. It all depends on the day. I love the beginning of EL, as The Gods Made Love announces you're going on a trip unlike any other LP you've listened to. It rearranges your mind and sets the scene for the other worldly Have You Ever Been to Electric Ladyland, the psychedelicized Curtis Mayfield styled ballad.

 

I anxiously awaited the release of this album. I called Rhodes department store on a regular basis during the summer of 1968, asking them if they had received "Electric Circus Lady" by Jimi Hendrix. The answer was always, "no."

Then, one day, in late September or early October, my mom had taken me to the B&I store in Tacoma and...there it was in the rack! My reaction was one of great excitement, of course, but also great disappointment because I knew I couldn't get it. My family wasn't the wealthiest. I had to wait until Christmas. But in the meantime, my rich buddy got it and he lent it to me several times.

Can't criticize the opening track. It's what Jimi wanted, gave to us and hoped we'd like.

 

Wow, you actually got it on release (or close to it at least). Can’t wait to read your thoughts tomorrow

 

I prefer to think of it these days by its other name: At Last...The Beginning. Gods Made Love is spacier, but ALTB just fits Jimi better.

 

Love "...And the Gods...". Perfect opening track.

 

I love Jimi. seemed like a straight up dude, Normally smiling, just loving what he was doing. The guy is a pleasure to listen to, because he was enjoying himself, from what I can tell...

Anyhow, this is a great album and "and the gods made love" is a great way to start it off.... Now i'd just like someone who understands sound to remix this piece of wonder into 5.1

 

I discovered Jimi Hendrix in a TV documentary when I was about 11 years old. There I saw part of the perfomance at Woodstock (which is one of my favorites from Hendrix, or my favorite)
My first Hendrix album was a compilation titled "Voodoo Chile" that I bought with my own money and there I listened for the first time "Voodoo Child" (My favorite Hendrix song) and then looking at what album was that song was that I came to Electric Layland . I had never heard anything like that (...and of course I was just a boy). This was my second Hendrix album.
It has always seemed to me that it has its own vibes, it is to listen to it completely in a single pass. I have never been able to hear it in any other way.
The opemimg track "And The Gods Made Love" is fantastic

Ah! Electric Layland was my first The Jimi Hendrix Experience CD

 

...And the Gods Made Love

Interesting way to start the album but its good if minimal. First experience with Hendrix was discovering my dads copy of "Smash Hits" one summer day. I liked it right away but didn't get any of the albums till years later. I think Electric Ladyland is my least favorite of the three but it still has some phenomenal songs.

 

And The Gods Made Love:
"It starts with some pounding drums before we get some crazy backmasking and spaciness."

Way back when, perhaps a few years after its release, when I was in grade school, I bought a tablature with lyrics of this album as it was one of my favorite albums. If my memory serves me I recall the books discription of the opening sound wasn't drums but gun fire, slowed waaay down. Then the tape speed was sped way up, but I don't recall what the other sounds were. It might have been described in that book, but it was stolen from me, along with the EL album, Jethro Tull's Aqualung, and Neil Young's Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere LP's. I'm still salty about this today.