Jimi Hendrix's unfinished fourth studio album

Jimi Hendrix intended to release his fourth studio album as a double or triple LP before Christmas 1970. From June to August 1970, he made good progress on the realization of the planned album in his new Electric Lady Studios. Many songs were mixed on 20, 22 and 24 August. Four of these mixes were regarded as definitive versions and were presented at the opening party of Electric Lady on 26 August. Hendrix died on 18 September, leaving behind an enormous amount of unreleased recordings in various stages of completion. It is impossible to know what Hendrix would have changed and what he actually would have released, but there is some documentation of the album configurations he had in mind. While a good part of the designated tracks only needed some finishing touches, others only existed as rough recordings and for some songs no recordings are known at all. The Cry of Love (1971), Voodoo Soup (1995) and First Rays of the New Rising Sun (1997) are officially released attempts to reconstruct the planned album. First Rays of the New Rising Sun is usually regarded as closest to Hendrix's vision, but also features a track that was probably never part of Hendrix's plans and the album left out some tracks that were definitely considered. All but one of the tracks that are known to have been recorded for the album have eventually been released in some shape or other on official albums.

Background

Hendrix loved nothing more than writing and recording music. After finishing the double album Electric Ladyland in 1968, Hendrix recorded quite obsessively in several studios. The extensive sessions for Electric Ladyland had been a reason for Chas Chandler to quit his role of producer, and also soured Hendrix's relation with bass player Noel Redding.^[1] Redding eventually quit the band at the end of June 1969. Hendrix had already started recording with old-time friend and bass player Billy Cox. For much of 1969 and 1970 Hendrix was troubled by the constant touring, disappointment in the new band line-ups (first the Gypsy Sun and Rainbows - despite the successful Woodstock performance - and then the Band of Gypsys), demands of manager Michael Jeffrey, girlfriend troubles, the pressure of fame, heavy drug use and personal as well as professional insecurities. Hendrix's extensive use of hired studio time became very expensive and was not always fruitful. In 1969 plans for Hendrix's own nightclub in New York City were converted into a plan for his own recording studio. Electric Lady's Studio A was designed to serve as Hendrix's personal creative space; an inspiring environment where he could develop his music from demos to final mixes, with a supportive team and the best equipment available. After being under construction for 13 months, the first session at Electric Lady's Studio A took place on 15 June 1970 - while Studio B was still unfinished. The studio finally provided creative continuity in a safe haven, but also a place where he could find some rest. There was 24-hour security and Kramer set strict rules to stop having hordes of guests in the studio. Despite the lack of pay for the sessions, Hendrix was mostly joined by the current Experience band members Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell. Mitchell even had to battle Jeffrey for back royalties and tour receipts and it may initially have been unpleasant for him that many tracks that were worked on had Buddy Miles's drum parts, but eventually Mitchell got into the creative spirit of working on the album as much as the ever loyal Cox. Hendrix and his team soon showed much progress in the creation of a new album, so the studio time of August 1970 was almost exclusively used for mixing and overdubbing sessions to finish the recorded songs. On 26 August 1970 four complete songs with final mixes were presented at the Electric Lady opening party. The next morning, Hendrix left for Europe to perform at a couple of festivals and would never see his studio again: he died in London on 18 September 1970.^[2][3][4]

Composing and recording methods

Hendrix was not able to read or write music, so he preserved his ideas on magnetic tape recordings.^[5] He often developed patterns together with bass player Billy Cox, mostly in hotel rooms while on the road or in his apartment. Hendrix also loved jamming in night clubs or studios and recorded much of it. Sometimes he overdubbed extra parts and guitar solos on parts of jams to create instrumental pieces (for instance Pali Gap).

Hendrix wrote his lyrics on whatever paper was around and recorded solo demos of resulting songs with an acoustic guitar in hotel rooms or apartments. In early 1970 in his Greenwich Village apartment, he recorded a complete cycle of 16 songs entitled Black Gold, including an embryonic version of Astro Man. At Electric Lady he had a 4-track recorder for the purpose of recording demos for new song ideas.

Hendrix could take a very long time to refine a song; a demo for Angel was recorded on 13 November 1967, but when he died the song only had a rough mix and Mitch Mitchell and Eddie Kramer later made the desired changes that they had discussed with Hendrix. For many songs Hendrix would record many takes before choosing a master backing track. For instance, on 16 June 1970 the 32nd take of Night Bird Flying finally provided the desired master. After listening to this take, three attempts for an edit section were recorded before the second one was inserted into the master.^[3]

After achieving a master, it would then usually be further enhanced with many overdubs.

Hendrix often sang vocals during takes, but these were usually intended as guide vocals. Eddie Kramer would later differentiate between Hendrix performing vocals during takes and that Hendrix's real singing for vocal overdubs. To add his singing to completed backing tracks, Hendrix required a certain concentration and wished to be screened off from all studio personnel.^[6]

Hendrix and Kramer experimented a lot with all kinds of effects to achieve certain sounds. While mixing tracks they both were all over the mixing board and occasionally even had more hands assisting, for instance when Billy Cox handled some faders.

Before they started recording in Electric Lady in June 1970, Hendrix and Kramer had evaluated the studio recordings that had been made since Electric Ladyland was finished and they decided what songs had to be recut, needed overdubs or would simply be discarded. Hendrix now had a framework in mind and had clear ideas about where he wanted to go with the tracks, so there was a lot less jamming and more concentration on getting the tracks in the desired condition.^[3]

Tracks considered for inclusion

A 24 June 1970 memo by Hendrix listed 11 songs "having backing tracks completed", with the last entries Drifter's Escape and Burning Desire receiving question marks. This memo also noted to get the tape of Highway Chile.^[3]

An expanded list of 25 titles was handwritten by Hendrix (reportedly on 14 August 1970)^[2] under the heading "Songs for L.P. Strate Ahead".^[3] The running order is the same for the eleven tracks of the previous list, but many tracks are added in between. The songs with complete backing tracks were marked with crosses. The list also had songs marked with ticks and dashes, but the meaning of those marks is unknown.

Work in August 1970 was reserved for finalizing tracks for the album with overdubs and mixes. Apart from many songs from Hendrix's lists, there are some other tracks that received attention during these mixing sessions: Beginnings, In From The Storm, Message to Love, Power of Soul, and Belly Button Window.

Message to Love, Power of Soul and Machine Gun had been recorded in the studio before live versions were released on the Band of Gypsys album. Hendrix seemed to think that releasing studio versions of these songs would be regressive and not in tune with his ideas for the new album.^[7] Nonetheless, a mix of Power of Soul with a new delay effect in the intro^[8] and a mix of Message to Love were created on 22 August 1970.^[9]

Another list in someone else's handwriting on a tape box detailed the configuration for three sides of a double album with the title First Rays Of The New Rising Sun. Side D was left blank and two tracks appeared twice, on different lp sides.^[10][11]

Album titles

Hendrix preferred the title First Rays Of The New Rising Sun since January 1969.^[3] Eddie Kramer believed this would have been the definitive title and it was used for the official reconstructed album release in 1997.

Hendrix christened his 1970 tour The Cry of Love Tour in an interview. During the tour Lover Man, Hear My Train A Comin', Freedom, Ezy Ryder, Machine Gun, The Star-Spangled Banner, Straight Ahead, Midnight Lightning, Dolly Dagger and In from the Storm were performed along with tracks known from his previous albums and singles. The first posthumous studio album, released in 1971, was named after the tour.

When work in his Electric Lady Studios advanced, Hendrix imagined it could become a triple album with the title People, Hell and Angels.^[3] In 2013 this title was used for a compilation of unreleased material.

A memo from August 1970 in his handwriting had 25 titles under the heading Songs for L.P. Strate Ahead.^[3]

Singles

On 13 April 1970 Reprise Records released Stepping Stone and Izabella as a 7" single credited to "Hendrix Band of Gypsys".^[17] It was reportedly recalled because it could interfere with the sales of the Band of Gypsys live album that was delivered to Capitol Records to fulfill a contractual obligation.

A single with Dolly Dagger b/w Night Bird Flying was mastered on 26 August 1970 and test pressings were cut and taken by Kramer and Hendrix for review .^[18] The planned release by Reprise Records was cancelled after Hendrix's death.

Posthumous releases

Of the ten tracks on The Cry of Love (1971) nine songs were on Hendrix's lists and/or were being prepared for the album by Hendrix during the mixing sessions in August 1970. The other track, My Friend, was recorded in 1968 and was added to the album (together with Straight Ahead) after manager Michael Jeffrey had decided to save Dolly Dagger and Room Full of Mirrors to be released on Rainbow Bridge.^[3] Eddie Kramer and Mitch Mitchell produced some finishing touches to Drifting, Angel and In from the storm. A rough mix of a demo for Belly Button Window was left untouched.

Voodoo Soup (1995) was producer Alan Douglas' attempt to compile the unfinished album.

First Rays of the New Rising Sun (1997) is the officially released attempt by Experience Hendrix (his family estate's company) in collaboration with Eddie Kramer to reconstruct the planned double album. It is a compilation of 17 songs that previously appeared on The Cry of Love, Rainbow Bridge and War Heroes. Like The Cry of Love it includes the 1968 recording of My Friend, while the other 16 tracks were more clearly intended for the album.

Many of the tracks have been released over the years in several different versions, including mixes that Hendrix made during the sessions of 20, 22 and 24 August 1970.

References