Blues (Jimi Hendrix album)

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Blues
Polydor
CompilerAlan Douglas, Bruce Gary
Jimi Hendrix chronology
The Ultimate Experience
(1992) 		Blues
(1994) 		Woodstock
(1994)

Blues is a compilation album of blues songs recorded by American singer/songwriter/musician Jimi Hendrix. Compiled by interim Hendrix producer Alan Douglas, it was released April 26, 1994, by MCA Records. The album contains eleven songs recorded by Hendrix between 1966 and 1970, six of which were previously unreleased. Hendrix wrote seven of the pieces; other writers include Muddy Waters, Booker T. Jones, and Elmore James. Most are demos, jams, and live recordings, which Hendrix may or may not have completed for release.

Upon its release, Blues was met with favorable reviews and chart successes, selling over 500,000 copies in its first two years of release. On February 6, 2001, Blues was certified platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America.[1] The album was re-released by Experience Hendrix Records in 1998, following the Hendrix family's acquisition of the musician's recordings, and again in October 2010, as part of the project to remaster Hendrix's discography.

Music

The opening song "

Berkeley Community Theatre, that had previously been released on the posthumous Rainbow Bridge
album in 1971.

"

Roll and Tumble Blues" by Hambone Willie Newbern
.

"Catfish Blues"
28 seconds of live performance (1967)
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Voodoo Chile Blues" is another creation of Alan Douglas, recorded during the sessions that produced the finished track, "

I'm a Man". It is also an edited studio creation that combines several takes. "Once I Had a Woman" is a slightly longer edited version of a song recorded at the Record Plant in New York City on January 23, 1970, with Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox on bass guitar. The band starts to jam during the second half of the long song and then a fade out follows. "Bleeding Heart" is a cover of the Elmore James number, performed here by Band of Gypsys. "Jelly 292" is actually take 2 of the song "Jam 292" (the name on the tape box) which appeared on the 1974 European-only LP Loose Ends. It is an uptempo jam based on Duke Ellington's "Dooji Wooji".[4] "Electric Church Red House" is a jam from TTG Studios in Los Angeles featuring a group introduction by Hendrix (lifted from another, different jam at TTG) and Lee Michaels on organ.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Tom Hull – on the Web
A−[10]
The Village VoiceA−[11]

In a 1994 review, Rolling Stone magazine was impressed by how Blues showcased Hendrix's ability to pay homage to his influences but also transcend them,[12] while NME said the compilation of lengthy blues jams was distinguished by his "definitive" style of electric blues and the digital remastering quality.[8]

Writing for

Village Voice critic Robert Christgau believed the ordinary blues concept and track selection were conducive to Hendrix's unique and eclectic style.[11] He later wrote of Hendrix's blues legacy in Blender
:

Though it's reductionist to define Hendrix as a bluesman just because he was black, he melded Chicago blues and country blues and interplanetary blues and bent blues like a supernatural. His sound was even thicker than mentor Albert King's, yet it could get as fanciful as prime Skip James.[6]

Track listing

Details taken from the original MCA CD notes;[2] other sources may show different information.

All tracks are written by Jimi Hendrix, except where noted

Blues
No.TitleRecordedLength
1."
Berkeley Community Theatre
, California		12:08

Chart history

Personnel

Musicians

  • Jimi Hendrix – guitars, vocals
  • Billy Cox – bass guitar on "Born Under a Bad Sign", "Mannish Boy", "Once I Had a Woman", "Bleeding Heart", "Jelly 292" and "Hear My Train a Comin'" (Berkeley)
  • Noel Redding – bass on "Red House", "Catfish Blues" and "Electric Church Red House"
  • Mitch Mitchell – drums on "Red House", "Catfish Blues", "Voodoo Chile Blues", "Jelly 292", "Electric Church Red House" and "Hear My Train a Comin'" (Berkeley)
  • Buddy Miles – drums on "Born Under a Bad Sign", "Mannish Boy", "Once I Had a Woman", "Bleeding Heart"
  • Jack Casady – bass on "Voodoo Chile Blues"
  • Steve Winwood – organ on "Voodoo Chile Blues"
  • Sharon Layne – piano on "Jelly 292"
  • Lee Michaels – organ on "Electric Church Red House"

Additional personnel

References

  1. ^ "Gold & Platinum Search – Jimi Hendrix". RIAA. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Fairchild, Michael J. (1994). Blues (CD booklet). Jimi Hendrix. Universal City, California: MCA Records. pp. 21–25. MCAD-11060.
  3. ISBN 978-0879309381
    .
  4. ^ a b Geldeart, Gary; Rodham, Steve (2007). Jimi Hendrix: The Studio Log. Cheshire, England: Jimpress.
    ISBN 978-0952768647
    .
  5. ^ a b Unterberger, Richie. "Jimi Hendrix: Blues – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (December 2005). "Back Catalogue: Jimi Hendrix". Blender. New York City. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  7. ^ Bernard, James (June 10, 1994). "Blues Review". Entertainment Weekly. No. 226. New York City. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  8. ^ a b "Blues". NME. London. July 1, 1999.
  9. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8
    .
  10. ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Jimi Hendrix". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (May 31, 1994). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  12. ^ "none". Rolling Stone. New York City. May 19, 1994. p. 100. ...what sets this album apart is the way it illuminates the guitarist's debt to other bluesmen as well as his genius for pushing beyond those influences...
  13. Billboard.com. Archived from the original
    on March 6, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  14. ^ "Jimi Hendrix". Official Charts. Retrieved July 23, 2018.

External links

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