Travis Dickerson Recording Studios Forum

I pulled out my hendrix collection justnow and stuck on"first rays of the new rising sun" and on the track#8 drifting, is a blank canvas being painted with guitar absolutly beautiful, these are my favourite hendrix "moods" sutch as 1984 ((moon turns the tides)).

This made me think, Electric ladyland + was some what light years ahead of it\'s time. being 1968 and the production is flawless. compared to the 2 previous hendrix albums, and much of the late 60\'s records. i might be wrong.

what do you guys think about the production of this album, or any album reocrded in the same period of time?

Oh YEAH man! Brother I am with you on this one. Electric Ladyland is in a class, and a whole world, by itself. It is true brilliance. It exists on a different level from anything preceeding it or following it. It was on this album that Jimi really found his voice in the studio. He broke with Chas Chandler who always tried to reign him in (sometimes for the best) and keep each song within 3 minutes. With EL Jimi freed himself to push the boundaries of recording and composition. I feel it\'s extremely important to bring engineer Eddie Kramer into the conversation here, as he was truly Jimi\'s right-hand-man in the studio. In Kramer, Jimi had a counterpart and they both encouraged and learned from each other. Kramer\'s role in Hendrix\'s productions cannot be overstated. Especially with regards to Electric Ladyland. Kramer was Jimi\'s translator and would funnel Jimi\'s grand designs down to tape.
Alot of people think that Jimi was always wild and too stoned to know what was going on -- but in fact he was meticulous in the studio and worked like hell to get things right. He did 40 takes of "Gypsy Eyes" before it was done to his satisfaction. Nothing mattered more to him than his music, and he would go to any length to get the right sound and the best recording quality. He always wanted to learn... wanted to know how to get the sounds he heard in his head, and with EL he was really finding those sounds, and remarkably, getting them on tape and out on an album.
About "Drifting" -- this is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed by anybody. Folks who have the image of Jimi as the "wild man" who just burned his guitar need to hear this song, as well as "Angel" and various others. "Drifting" gives me goosebumps every time I hear it -- absolutely gorgeous. The words, his singing, the music, his guitar... absolutely transcendent.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set has some great alternate takes and unreleased stuff for the hardcore Jimi enthusiast (as I would describe myself.)
Also, I would highly recommend the VH1-produced "Making of Electric Ladyland." Has Kramer in the studio with the master tapes talking about how tracks were recorded and bringing up individual tracks to hear how they all interacted. Brilliant stuff.
Thanks for this thread. Jimi Hendrix is my favorite musician of all time.

hands down he was one of the most brilliant.

sadly, jimi was a victim of the start of the sound-bite world.  most people saw only snippets, heard only the gossip, listened to only the "hot tune" - you know, the minimal to be part of the coool crowd.  those who truly listened opened themselves to some really broad changes in mind and music.

you\'re right on, BSB - the right engineer is like the right instrument, you really gotta have that relationship in sync to get the inner sound to the tape.  someone intuitive, generous and graceful at the boards.  kramer was just the right conduit for hendrix.  it had to be someone with no interest in showing off - just working to aid the birth of beauty.  the great engineers are just that.

bsb right on. you said everything that needed to be said. so to this i put an end and  you\'ll never hear surf music again.

i might add also one of my favourite hendrix songs is axis: bold as love.  . and whiel im at it. Villanova junction and woodstock jam is possiblly the greatest 11 minutes of impro i have ever seen/heard!!

Chris,
There is a BURNING alternate version (instrumental) of Bold as Love on the box set I mentioned. Jimi just shreds. Also there\'s a classic, funny alternate mix of "Third Stone from the Sun" (since you referenced it) where you hear Jimi & Chas just cutting up and losing it while recording the voices.

And yeah, the Villanova Junction/Woodstock Jam is jaw-droppingly awesome. I feel transported to another dimension watching/listening to that one. That is some of the most truly inspired improv ever. He composes brilliantly right there on the spot... so great to watch him do those moving bass lines with his thumb while playing the chords with the rest of his hand. (!) This spot showcases how brilliantly creative he was, and how much more he could\'ve accomplished if he\'d had the time...

i seen the box set around, but never had the money to buy it.  south satern delta has some pretty awesome, jazz tracks, like the title song. pali gap is beautiful, and a nice alt version of all along the watchtower,. lauging sams dice is the first time i heard hendrix shred.  . i take it you probally have it.  as for woodstock i have the 2 disc set of all songs played exexpt for larrys songs, they get cut out. and it has the forgotten? hey joe at the end, also i presume you have this. it\'d be a criume if you havnt got it.

*also*
also i forgot the alt little wing song on SSD, pure hendrix, i get the taste in my mouth and the smell of when i first he\\rd hendrix everytime i hear that.

I was too young to see Jimi play live around San Francisco :\'( but when I was a teenager Foxy Lady made me feel really good.  It would play in my head all the time.  I liked moving like a fox to it.  It gave me such confidence.  Thank you for that Jimi.

axis: bold as love- now that is one of my favorites too!

Great discussion about how he and his producers worked in the studio together-

megan, we have battled hard, with are posts, and oh looks like im now ahead! with 95.  

[cue machainical laugh]

 

and what\'s this? am I getting a picture of us like two intertwined chinese acrobats doing forward rolls together?
why yes I am  

did you see that - you\'re still at 95 Megan -what\'s up with that?  

Chris getting tricksy?

Megan, you\'re gonna start a thread soon, right?  i mean - you two need to keep the flow goin\'!

Quoteand what\'s this? am I getting a picture of us like two intertwined chinese acrobats doing forward rolls together?

  for real?


im watching When pets go bad 3[/i]. attack of the stary kangeroo! funny stuff. lab monkeys up telephoen poles..

ah no, now i brought it up the\'ll be rivalry. i dotn want that. i want to be relaxed when i post here, not in compitition :\'(

your dilemna makes me hear:

manic depression
captures my soul
I know what I want
but I just don\'t know

p.s. yes for real I did teammate

cool lets see it!  

you mean show the sommersault inside my mind?  hmmm is there software for that now?  but still I wouldn\'t know which port to use

I bet Jimi would