Live at Woodstock

Performer: Jimi Hendrix
Artist: Billy Cox; Mitch Mitchell
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Jimi Hendrix (vocals, guitar); Larry Lee (guitar); Billy Cox (bass, background vocals); Mitch Mitchell (drums); Juma Sultan, Jerry Velez (percussion). Compilation producers: Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, John McDermott. Recorded live at the Woodstock Festival, Bethel, New York on August 18, 1969. Includes liner notes by David Fricke. Jimi Hendrix was the headliner at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. Ironically, he got to go on around dawn on Monday morning, by which time there were only (...only) 60,000 remaining parishoners--the last act. Hendrix's Gypsy Sun & Rainbows emerged from a communal summer of jamming in the upstate arts community, but these other musicians are largely inauidble. So what we have in WOODSTOCK is a high energy test flight of Hendrix's last two touring trios, featuring Experience-drummer Mitch Mitchell and Jimi's old Army buddy, the groove oriented Fender bassist, Billy Cox. Following hot on the heels of the acclaimed BLUES, this second gem from the Hendrix archives finds Hendrix in transition: from a rock and pop approach, to Sky Church music--Jimi's free form synthesis of blues, modal jazz, funk and ethnic sources. An early arrangement of "Hear My Train A-Comin'," and such old warhorses as "Red House" and "Voodoo Child" are given spirited blues treatments. Following the national anthem, Jimi builds to another emotional catharsis with his breathtaking "Woodstock Improvisation"--which showcases his taste for modern jazz and flamenco--while his poignant instrumental reverie "Villanova Junction" reflects the influence of Wes Montgomery. This one is an essential for fans--WOODSTOCK showcases Jimi Hendrix as a guitarist's guitarist.

Rolling Stone (1/25/95, p.51) - Voted Best Reissue Album in the 1995 Reader's Poll. Rolling Stone (8/19/99, p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...LIVE AT WOODSTOCK somehow humanizes this deity....a glimpse of an artist consumed by the pursuit...and underscores the supreme difficulty of his nightly quest." Q (9/99, p.132) - 3 stars (out of 5) - "...[a] loud and enthusiastic set, where a new band add a smidgeon of funkiness to the Experience sound...which on the plus side features the superb 'Star Spangled Banner', a zippy 'Lover Man' and some hilarious introductions..."

Of all the artists to emerge in the late 1960s, none inspired greater awe than Jimi Hendrix. After touring with numerous R&B bands, the guitarist moved to London in 1966 and assembled the Jimi Hendrix Experience. His U.S. return at the Monterey Pop Festival, an intense star-making performance, began a rollercoaster of fame, drugs, and musical triumph that ended with his death at 27. In his short lifetime, Hendrix completed three remarkable studio albums and brought a fire and emotion to rock music that no one had heard before, leaving the world to wonder what he might have done had he had a little more time.

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