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Rating: Those who truly love Hendrix and understand his music cannot ignore the established fact that among the most genuine testimonies of his genius are his live performances. In the rather complicated Hendrix discography, I assume that (I haven’t done an exact count...) a large part of it is composed of official compilations and concert bootlegs for over 70%.
Pure madness would be not to draw from this invaluable treasure, given also the decent recording quality of most of them.
Taking the aforementioned information as coordinates for listening orientation, one of the most valid and beautiful examples is a milestone of the Hendrix genesis: the farewell concert of the historic Experience on February 24, 1969, at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
The performance was decided to celebrate the definitive dissolution of the original three-piece formation of the Experience Hendrix, which was formed in 1967 by the then discoverer and manager of the Seattle guitarist, the bassist of the Animals, Chas Chandler. Accompanying Hendrix were Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums.
The set arranged for the occasion could not fail to include all the band's classics and the “usual” (so to speak, eh...) covers of classic blues dear to Hendrix.
Upon first listening, not necessarily attentive, one immediately perceives that the entire trio is in brilliant form, highly inspired, and furious. Probably the now-digested idea of being able to free themselves from a situation that for many reasons had become unsustainable within the band had benefited all three of them, allowing them to express themselves at their best, with a clear mind and without stress.
Considering the entire concert setlist, not present on this album and contained in other compilations, Hendrix now appears as a super-blues guitarist, the absolute and inimitable master of the electric guitar, and everything that makes it work.
He masterfully handles the feedback from his legendary Marshalls with shocking ease, using it irresistibly and magnificently as an ornament and variation to his style, skillfully combining it with the new octavia pedal he has recently had built, achieving goosebump-inducing tones and bursts. The way he torments the strings with the tremolo, continuously elongating and shortening them, the frenzy of continuously moving the distortion lever up and down on the Strat, and the way he plucks or strikes the strings, essentially his entire technique is at its peak.
If that weren’t enough, Jimi on this precise occasion is incredibly inspired: in no track, without exception, does he fail to improvise in an unbelievable manner, creating magnificent and incredible developments and reprises in the tracks. Those of you who know how difficult it is to improvise on any musical instrument can easily understand the value of the Hendrixian art.
Among the must-hear tracks are a spine-tingling version of “Fire,” with a swirling Redding on bass, a “Red House” varied into “Born Under A Bad Sign” by mentor Albert King, and a “Stone Free” with an improvised Spanish-style arpeggio break.
One of the most beautiful concerts by Hendrix and his English companions.
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