Amazon.co.uk Review
If it's true that songwriters have a vision in their head of what their dream album would be,
Electric Ladyland was the project
Jimi Hendrix hoped would be as close to perfection as possible. No longer content with the rush-recorded psychedelic pop-rock of
Experienced and
Axis,
Ladyland was an exploration of what could be achieved with time, money and experience. Jimi's soul roots from his session days shine through for the first time with the laid-back groove of the title track and the doo-woppy "Long Hot Summer Night" showing a vocal style reminiscent of
Curtis Mayfield. It's hard to pick a standout piece as the quality of the album is so high, but the four-part dream segue of "Rainy Day", "1983", "Moon Turn the Tides" and "Still Raining" is a monumental piece of early prog rock continuing the acid-soaked ideal of extraterrestrials, love, peace and war that he started earlier on with "Third Stone from the Sun". However, it's not all spectacular drawn-out blues jams and sublime soundscapes,
Electric Ladyland managed to produce Jimi's only UK No. 1 single, "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" plus the timeless classics "Crosstown Traffic" and "All Along the Watchtower" making it arguably the best studio album the Experience produced in their brief career together.--
David Trueman
CD Description
On ELECTRIC LADYLAND Jimi Hendrix stretched and experimented in the studio, going beyond the power-trio format on what would be his last studio album with the Experience. ELECTRICLADYLAND was revolutionary in its scope and execution. Using New York City's Record Plant as a gateway to free expression, Hendrix traversed an abstract landscape containing compositions as weird and wonderful as "...And The Gods Made Love" and "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn To Be)".
Simultaneously looking forwards and backwards, Hendrix mixed in a song reminiscent of his time on the chitlin' circuit (Earl King's "Come On [Part 1]"), a Bob Dylan favourite ("All Along The Watchtower"), and one of his snappiest singles ("CrosstownTraffic"). Although Hendrix produced and wrote most of thismasterpiece, others weighed in with their own contributions. Noel Redding penned "Little Miss Strange", and other guests such as Al Kooper and Buddy Miles showed up to play. Traffic's Steve Winwood and Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane also made cameos, appearing on this classic album's spiritual centre, "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)".