MAKING OF THE ALBUM: The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland

Formed in London in late 1966, The Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut single, a cover the track Hey Joe, just two months later. Fronted by Seattle-born guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix, the band would release a string of hits over the next three and a half years, including the classics Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary and Foxy Lady. Following both commercial and critical success with their first two albums – Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love – the group returned to the studio in the summer of 1967 to commence work on a new batch of songs. Electric Ladyland, as it would be known upon its release, would be recorded over a period of thirteen months, eventually coming to an end in August 1968. Unknown to the band, this would be their final album together, as Hendrix would pass away on September 18, 1970 at the age of just twenty-seven.

The earlier sessions would produce songs like Burning of the Midnight Lamp, which was recorded on July 7th and 20th at Mayfair Studios in New York with producer Chas Chandler, who was perhaps best known for performing a bass lead on The Animals classic We Gotta Get out of This Place in 1965. The song would be released as a single on August 19, 1967, less than a month after it was recorded, and over a year before the album surfaced (the band’s second album, Axis: Bold as Love, was released during this time). Hendrix returned with his group to the studio in December to record several more tracks. During this session the group recorded the song Crosstown Traffic, which was cut on five days before Christmas. Backing vocals on the song would be provided by Dave Mason who, ironically, performed in a band called Traffic, as well as Hendrix’s bassist Noel Redding.

On January 21st, the group recorded a cover of the Bob Dylan classic All Along the Watchtower. Hendrix had long been an admirer of Dylan’s and had performed his songs Like a Rolling Stone, Drifter’s Escape and Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window in concert. Having fallen out with Hendrix, Redding chose not to participate in the recording of the song. Instead, both Mason and Brian Jones from The Rolling Stones joined in the session, with Jones initially playing the piano, but after several disappointing attempts decided to revert to the guitar. Hendrix decided to perform the bass himself, whilst Mason played a twelve-string guitar. With the exception of Burning of the Midnight Lamp, which was released prior to their second album, All Along the Watchtower would become the first single to be released from Electric Ladyland.

A four-month run at the Record Plant Studios, also located in New York, began in April 1968, with Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland) being one of the first tracks from this session to be recorded. One May 2nd, the Hendrix cut the epic blues jam Voodoo Chile with his drummer Mitch Mitchell and guest musicians Steve Winwood and Jack Casady which, at approximately fifteen minutes, was by far the longest track on the album. The following day, he returned to the studio with his band and, whilst being filmed by ABC-TV, launched into an edited version of the song entitled Voodoo Child (Slight Return). Electric Ladyland was eventually released on October 25th 1968, just ten months after the debut of Axis: Bold as Love (and six months after the release of the compilation Smash Hits), and became another phenomenal success for the band, although it would prove to be their final official studio recording together.