Blues (album)

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Blues
Compilation album by Jimi Hendrix
Released	1994
Recorded	1966 / 1970
Genre	Blues
Length	72:17
Label	MCA Records
Producer(s)	???
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Jimi Hendrix chronology
First Rays of the New Rising Sun (rec. 1968-1970, pub. 1997)	Blues (1994)	South Saturn Delta (1997)

Blues is a compilation album by guitarist Jimi Hendrix, released on MCA Records in 1994.

The album contains 11 blues songs recorded by Hendrix between 1966 and 1970. From this 11, six were previously unreleased. The tracks include seven of Hendrix's compositions along with covers of famous blues songs such as "Born Under a Bad Sign" and "Mannish Boy".

Most of material are leftover studio tapes that Hendrix might have never intended to release. Also, many of the songs are actually instrumental jams rather than true efforts to make a cover version (this is not told for a record buyer in the back cover though). The album has got mixed reaction. On the other hand many Hendrix fans are glad that some of previously unreleased material was included on the album but many have complained that the resulting disc is highly inconsistent and that many tracks are unfinished takes or hastily made studio jams. Also post-editing (tracks 5 & 11) has received criticism. However, despite album being Alan Douglas's creation, it was rereleased under a new label after Hendrix's family got control over Hendrix recordings in mid-1990s.

The first track is an acoustic version of "Hear My Train a Comin'" that is Hendrix's own song that he often played live without ever recording a serious studio version. The song features Hendrix alone playing acoustic right hand guitar and singing in delta blues manner. "Born Under a Bad Sign" is an instrumental jam based on the riff from the famous blues standard (performed by Band of Gypsys). Red House, track #3, is an alternative version of the song from Hendrix's debut album that also appears on Smash Hits compilation. On this version Redding plays acoustic guitar recorded through amp in manner as it was a bass guitar. "Catfish Blues" was planned to be included on the debut album but Hendrix later gave up the idea. With Redding and Mitchell the track sounds a bit like psychedelic jam, but the band manages to carry the song to its end anyway. "Voodoo Chile Blues" is the creation of Alan Douglas and is based on recordings made when long version of Voodoo Chile song was recorded for Electric Ladyland album. The track is made of two takes of the song that were edited and mixed in order to come up with one consistent track. "Mannish Boy" is a hastily made studio creation that combines Muddy Waters's "Mannish Boy" and Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man". "Once I Had a Woman" is Hendrix's slow blues song. The band starts to jamming during the second half of the long song and then fade out follows. "Bleeding Heart" is cover of an Elmore James number performed here by Band of Gypsys. "Jelly 292" is an uptempo blues jam based on some Hendrix's own riffs. "Electric Church Red House" is the unfinished take of "Red House" featuring the opening speech by Hendrix and Steve Winwood on organ. The last track is the live version of "Hear My Train a Comin'" recorded in 1970. This track is quite heavily edited afterwards.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Hear My Train a Comin' (Acoustic)" (Hendrix) – 3:05
2. "Born Under a Bad Sign" (Bell, Jones) – 7:37
3. "Red House" (Hendrix) – 3:41
4. "Catfish Blues" (Petway) – 7:46
5. "Voodoo Chile Blues" (Hendrix) – 8:47
6. "Mannish Boy" (McDaniel, London, Morganfield) – 5:21
7. "Once I Had a Woman" (Hendrix) – 7:49
8. "Bleeding Heart" (Traditional) – 3:26
9. "Jelly 292" (Hendrix) – 6:25
10. "Electric Church Red House" (Hendrix) – 6:12
11. "Hear My Train a Comin' (Electric)" (Hendrix) – 12:08