The Jimi Hendrix Experience Album: “BBC Sessions”

'BBC Sessions' is an expanded 2-disc version of an out-of-print Rykodisc CD called 'Radio One.' If you've already got 'Radio One,' you've already got most of the good stuff here and will probably want to pass on this. If you haven't, you're in for a treat, although you might end up wishing for a slightly shorter-running time if you aren't an absolute Hendrix fanatic.

In virtually every way, this is an improvement over the Rykodisc version. There's a better cover photo, for starters (the Ryko featured a hideous hand-tinted Jimi photo). There are better liner notes - Ryko should be downright ashamed of themselves for implying that John Lennon sang backup on Jimi's version of 'Day Tripper.' (The rumor, as anyone with ears will tell you, simply isn't true). There's also a more careful sequencing of songs, and some of the patter between the Jimi Hendrix Experience and the program hosts have been restored.

As I have several other live Hendrix CDs, my favorite parts of the BBC Sessions are the songs that Jimi simply didn't perform elsewhere. "Killing Floor," "Driving South," "Catfish Blues," and "Hoochie Koochie Man" all give Jimi lots of space to play around with the blues, which was something his first two studio LPs didn't allow him to do. We also get two off-the-cuff rock covers, one of "Day Tripper" and one of "Hound Dog." Yes, Hendrix' solo in "Day Tripper" isn't one of his best, but at least it shows that he wasn't going to copy George Harrison note-for-note either. There's also the fun "Radio One" jingle goof, and I'll note that other rock bands such as the Beatles and the Who also did their own jingle spoofs when they appeared on the Beeb. There's also the only known live version of "Burning the Midnight Lamp" and an early version of "Hear My Train A'Comin" which would eventually evolve into a real showstopping blues tune during the Woodstock era. For what it's worth, I always thought that "Hear My Train A'Comin"'s evolution was far more interesting than "Voodoo Child"'s, even though the latter is one of Hendrix' best loved songs.

The sound quality of these discs, as with almost all BBC recordings, is almost unnaturally crisp and clean. Most likely this is due to the BBC engineers insisting that the volume levels in the studio be kept to a certain level. (It seems of all the classic rockers, only Jimmy Page was able to break these rules with Led Zeppelin). While this isn't typical of Jimi Hendrix' signature sound, the crisp clear and relatively undistorted Strat playing proves that Hendrix never used distortion effects like a crutch. Hendrix could really play, and I enjoyed being able to hear his songs in non-distorted versions.

Despite my generally positive review, I would also suggest that you start your Hendrix collection with his three studio albums (Are You Experienced, Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland) and then start exploring his live output. "BBC Sessions" is a fine place to begin your journey into the world of live Hendrix.

This is an interesting view into the archives of Experience Hendrix and/or the BBC. I doubt that when the BBC instigated "needle time" that they would end up with a plethora of live recordings by some of the greatest musicians to adjust the volume on an amp. The set goes through small sets on different shows. My personal favorite being the Christmas Eve broadcast of "Hear My Train A Comin'","Raidio One","Wait Until Tomorrow","Day Tripper"

and"Spanish Castle Magic". This set has so many high points that the whole set is good, the most amusing being Jimi's crazed preformance on the show "A Happening For Lulu"(tracks 15-19 on

disc one). Some highlights of this set are: "Can You Pleas Come Crawl Out Your Window?" a Dylan tune, Lennon/McCartney's "Day Tripper" a version of "Wait Until Tommorrow" that I prefer to the

original. Jimi's blues jam "Driving South", powerful electrical renditions of "Hey Joe", and a quick and very powerful tour de force in Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love". Also interesting are the short interviews and comments by hosts between songs.

An overall score by Experience Hendrix.

Jimi Hendrix was, in 1967, a very talented musician and composer. He came to England a few months earlier and had been given the chance by Chas Chandler, who was very important for him in the beginning. Jimi was very hungry and very creative in 1967 and that sure shows on this CD. You can hear that Jimi feels good and like to deliver the goods. Many tracks here is true classics. I enjoy the inclusion of alternate versions, the odd jam and the somewhat twisted interviews. The booklet is wrong by saying that several tracks seldom were performed live. Tracks like Love Or Confusion, Wait Until Tomorrow, Hound Dog and Hoochie Coochie Man has never been performed live but they are cooking ! The sound quality is great, if you think about the primitive equipment they used. If you're into Jimi Hendrix and has the five albums (Are You Experienced ?, Axis:Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland, Smash Hits and Band Of Gypsys) that was released during his lifetime, you sure needs this one.

This CD catalogs Jimi Hendrix' complete BBC sessions material. Sometimes slick, sometimes sloppy, sometimes playful, this CD contains all of Jimi's BBC sessions, including the audio of a TV Appearance on the Lulu Show.

And it is amazing.

Due to arcane performance and programming laws, the BBC was mandated to have a certain portion of live artist performance during its air-time, and subsequently a number of now classic bands, such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, Cream, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix (to name but a few) made pre-recorded live performance tapes for the BBC at the first crest of their incipient careers, capturing these artists youthful energy and spontenaity for all time. For many years, this material was the substance of dozens of bootleg LPs and CDs, it wasn't until the late 1980's that some this material began to see legitimate release. In Jimi Hendrix' case, it was on the Ryko release "Radio One" a single-CD that cherry-picked many of the best cuts found on this 2 CD set. These tapes, like all BBC tapes of this era are monophonic, i.e. NOT in stereo, and subsequently not exactly up to the sound standards of the 21st Century. However, they still sound fine, and capture Jimi at a period in his career when his ideas were still fresh, and his creative performing on the ascendant. This is one of the better, if not the best, compilations of live Jimi Hendrix around. HIGHLY reccommended.

This record is NOT a concert and is not really live. There are no new songs written by jimi inside this record. The songs were quickly produced and aired, though they are semi live. I forget the exact reason why it was done-- i think it had to with English law stating the limit of the amount of times a certain song could be aired by a single channel (they made cheap different recordings to air); im not totally sure. There are a couple exceptions i think, such as Hey Joe and Sunshine of your love, which were live broadcasts on the Lulu show, a complete (humorous) disaster as you will see by buying the record. A must for any hendrix lover, like myself. I recommend first getting all his "regular" records, that is, INCLUDING First Rays of the New Rising Sun. The record provides insight into Hendrix and what made him so great. It's cool hearing different versions of the same song you have heard before, especially when hendrix's the one doing it. Oviously, being a guitar player will increase your satisfaction with these BBC cessions.