Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection
Unlike so many of his 1960s guitar-god peers, Jimi Hendrix actually paid his road dues playing in the bands of some of the myriad artists who influenced him (Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, Ike and Tina). Remarkably, those experiences--and a willful absorption of the gamut of American blues masters and jazzmen--led not to slavish roots-consciousness, but to some of the freest, most indefinable rock music ever created. By the time of his untimely death in 1970, Hendrix had moved far beyond the psychedelic clichés embodied by "Purple Haze" and had begun to embrace propulsive funk and jazz influences. And like many deceased stars, his posthumous record releases have focused more on the bottom line than his true artistic vision. But the Hendrix family now controls that legacy, and this double-disc set is another gratifying result and a great introduction to one of rock's most legendary, if oft-misunderstood, figures. Disc one compiles the guitarist's best-known tracks, often substituting revealing alternate versions or outtakes ("Highway Chile," "All Along the Watchtower," "Spanish Castle Magic," "Stone Free," "Izabella," "Stepping Stone") to give listeners fresh insight into his restless creativity. The second CD offers up a rich slate of live Hendrix, the context where he truly made his legend, with recordings that stretch from his legendary performance at Monterey in '67 to an Isle of Wight show recorded shortly before his death. Typically, the performances range from concisely manic ("Fire," "Freedom") through bluesy workouts that ranged from improbably greasy ("Red House," "Hey Joe") to languorous and boldly improvisational ("I Don't Live Today," "Hear My Train a Comin'," "Machine Gun"), all of them infused with unfettered fretwork and amplified sonic voodoo that continues to influence new generations of musicians and fans alike.--Jerry McCulley