Search - :: Early Years

Chaotic jam session

Pierre Toureille | Washington DC | 12/22/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This material has appeared in several forms since it first surfaced years ago. It is drawn from an early March 1968 jam session that Hendrix recorded at a club in New York City as he was taking a break from recording Electric Ladyland. The rest of the band has never been authoritatively identified, although Johnny Winter's name gets tossed about quite a lot. The one other person who is clearly present, aside from Hendrix, is Jim Morrison of the Doors. Alas, Morrison is the main problem on this disc and the reason that this session gets so little respect.The disc starts out with an unusual arrangement of Hendrix's Red House (set to a Crossroads riff) and proceeds through solid, if somewhat clunky, versions of Woke Up This Morning and Bleeding Heart. Hendrix is playing very well, although he seems to be a bit cautious--as if he is trying to feel out what this band is capable of. Unfortunately, Morrison's presence becomes known about this point and his lyrics quickly shift from typical blues cliches to obscene spewings (let's just say that whoever dubbed one of these tracks as Uranus Rock had listened very carefully to Morrison's improvised vocals). Morrison seems to amuse Hendrix but the Lizard King also appears to destabilize the rest of the jam and prevent it from consolidating and then soaring as one would expect. After a great start on the Beatles's Tomorrow Never Knows the band settles into a less than great groove based on Cream's Outside Woman Blues and eventually comes to a close with a bit of Sunshine of Your Love. The sound quality is decent, given that Hendrix recorded the jam with a 1968 portable reel to reel machine. Bottom line: I'd say "get it" if you have any interest in Jimi Hendrix other than in his greatest hits. Regardless of the many flaws, it is still a fascinating and honest glimpse of Hendrix jamming after hours in a small club in a situation not fully under his control--and he has some great guitar moments amidst the chaos. Just don't expect anything polished."

Warning!!

01/10/1999

(2 out of 5 stars)

"1968 is early Hendrix?? This cd duplicates what's found in "Live at the Scene Club" which duplicates what's found in "Live in New York, 1968" which duplicates what's found in "Woke up this Morning and Found Myself Dead". Worth maybe three bucks for a drunk Jim Morrison's "F**k her in the A*s!" and another dollar for a unique version of 'Red House' Look in the used record bin for these instead."

Lighten up peoples.

gabe | Vermont | 05/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got "Woke Up This Mornig and Found Myself Dead" (same material as The Early Years) on disc for 6 bucks and it was worthy every penny and then some. The version of Red House is great. The second guitarist, be he Johnny Winter or who-ever, not only keeps up with Hendrix, but compliments him in a most rocking manner. The recording quality ain't all that good, you really have to listen carefully to hear everything. As far Morrison is concerned, when was he not drunk? He does not scream for long, and I find I find him quite amusing. He tries to break into a Doors tune, but Hendrix will have none of it. This was probably not a recording that Hendrix ever wanted to have released; I think he siezed any chance he could to put himself on tape, no matter who he was with. If you are not a really big fan of his, you should not buy this album. If you are a big fan, then you already have one of it's many incarnations. He was really jamming that night, and having a lot of fun."