Jimi Hendrix
Truth and Emotion

The posthumous discography of Jimi Hendrix is truly impressive when considering that during his lifetime, he released only three studio albums, one live album, and a compilation. It should also be noted that the legal situation regarding the official rights over both the material already published and the tapes still in the archive has been through several disputes over time. Today, the discography of the mixed-race musician is officially managed by "Experience Hendrix MCA Records," authorized by the "Hendrix Family," headed by the great guitarist’s sister. In contrast, there are several other smaller record labels that compete for the so-called "crumbs," with which they sometimes manage to produce intriguing products.

This is the case with "Purple Haze Records," which has already released many interesting titles, including, in 2005, this two-CD collection, "Truth and Emotion," which I purchased at Feltrinelli last week for the price of only seven euros and ninety cents. It is truly an intriguing product. The first CD contains a series of out-takes recorded in the studio between '69 and '70, many of which have already found space in various posthumous albums such as "The Cry of Love," "First Rays of New Rising Sun," "Live at Fillmore East," and "Live at Berkeley." It includes some of Hendrix's last recordings before fate took him away at just twenty-eight years old.

We are presented with a funkier Jimi, as many know that in his final period, it was his desire to reconnect with this genre, much appreciated by the African American community, and to distance himself somewhat from rock and psychedelia. In the tracklist, the splendid Izabella, Message to Love, Night Bird Flying, Freedom, Earth Blues, Stepping Stone, along with Dylan's cover, Drifting Escape and an extraordinary jam based on the theme of Blue Suede Shoes. Then the instrumentals Pali Gap and Hey Baby (New Rising Sun). Truly excellent music, folks! But if the first CD is remarkable, the real surprise (and the reason that pushed me to buy the product) is the second CD, the recording, I think complete although I can't be sure, of Jimi's last concert with the Experience, Mitch Mitchell on drums, and Noel Redding on bass, on May 24, 1969, at the San Diego Sports Arena (California). An excellent concert with many of the immortal classics, Fire, Hey Joe, Foxy Lady, Purple Haze, Voodoo Chile, a transformed reinterpretation of Red House, and an excellent medley based on Spanish Castle Magic, which includes an unmissable drum solo by Mitchell and a reinterpretation of Cream’s Sunshine of Your Love. The tracklist on the back of the case does not list I Don't Live Today, a piece that is present in the recording and performed masterfully before Foxy Lady, a small inaccuracy typical of unofficial products, but nothing serious (it would have been much worse the other way around). The Experience is in great shape, despite being in its final throes. The concert is of great energy and with a very raw sound, typical of the trio that live, performed their pieces in a more primitive and spontaneous manner, with ample space for improvisations. In Voodoo Chile, there seems to be some technical problem, but nothing too significant. It is an almost unheard live, I say almost because a version of this show was released as the fourth CD of a box set titled "Stages," a box set that is almost untraceable and anyhow much more expensive. I imagine you would like to know how the CDs sound, considering it's an unofficial product; well, I must say the audio is good, perhaps the output volume is a little low, but overall, there is no reason to complain at all.

Inside, there's a little booklet with some notes in English, some graphic reinterpretations of some of Hendrix’s photos, and the indication of other products published by Purple Haze. In short, a very well-made collection, with an extremely competitive price. Perhaps not recommended for those few who do not know Hendrix, to whom it is, of course, recommended to start with his historic albums, but definitely appealing to more discerning fans in search of gems and rarities.