I have the MCA 1997 release of "South Saturn Delta". I was pretty impressed by the music, sound stage and quality. What Hendrix lp would you recommend with great music, power and overall sound quality?
The first three. The only "official" albums he ever released in his lifetime. I think you'll like them!
If you like South Saturn Delta (Hendrix's Anthology, sort of) that much, then I would steer in all directions. That is, check out the Fillmore East material too. See if you like the music, it's live versions of several SSD studio cuts. If the "power" element appeals to you, well.....
Count, Make sure you try the new Hendrix family authorized first three. They're better to my ears than the previous releases on cd.
I think thee old pressings were replaced everywhere... my favorite is Electric Ladyland, but Are You Experienced is also a classic record.
I agree that all of The Jimi Hendrix Experience LPs are great, but I am still partial, after all these years, to the 2nd LP, "Axis, Bold As Love". HeavyDistortion
Just looking at the first 3 albums on vinyl. The 1997 reissues MCA, some are ltd edition numbered, some are not. Do the ltd edition ones sound better? "Are you experienced" has 2 different covers. One is the UK and one is the US version. Does one sound better than the other, on the 1997 reissue MCA?
The ones with the numbers were for the US market, the others were for Europe. My understanding is that they sound the same! I like mine.
Cry of Love, which in the official Hendrix family release on CD is called First Rays of the New Rising Sun. Yeah, the first three albums are classics and the only approved studio releases of his life, but Cry of Love is a step beyond musically, and shows where Jimi was headed with his concept of an orchestra of guitars. First Rays includes a lot of material from Rainbow Bridge. I guess we'll never see War Heroes except in bits and pieces, or Hendrix in the West, but the purple box has Voodo Child Slight Return from the latter (my personal favorite recording of that song).
I've always been very fond of Band of Gypsys. Not necessarily for the album itself, but for the songs. "Who Knows" "Message to Love" and "Power of Soul" mine a funky groove that isn't represented much, if at all, on the first 3 albums. Plus there's "Machine Gun", which some (not me) claim is Hendrix' finest moment as a guitarist. The Fillmore Concerts has the same songs as Band of Gypsys, but they are different takes - there is no overlap between the two. And Band of Gypsys has the far better version of "Who Knows" Get 'em both.
It's all good. At times, Electric Ladyland was my desert island disk, but a good case could be made for Axis, Bold as Love or the seminal Are You Experienced. As others recommended, the Band of Gypsys is great, too. These are all amongst the most classic rock albums of all time, simply mandatory to own. Glad you discovered one of the most important and original acts in rock history! Happy listening, and uh, You'll never hear surf music again...
I have written a comparison of the sound of some of the versions of Band of Gypsys. Do a search in this forum for Band of Gypsys and you'll see it under my name. I love Machine Gun and Who Knows. The Live at the Fillmore East version of We Gotta Live Together is an extended version of the one on Band of Gypsys. Otherwise, they are complementary.
Originally posted by jligon When did these come out? Are these the ones that have been out a few years? Yeah I think these are the same ones that have been out for 2 or 3 years now. The complete "Woodstock Hendrix" concert is a good one but my favourite is Are You Experienced.
The first 4 were released in 1997. Axis Bold as Love came originally with an incomplete booklet, which was corrected in subsequent pressings. These versions appear to be the definitive versions (at least so far)
