THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision includes some of the visionary guitarist’s final sessions, with 38 previously unreleased tracks overseen by legendary producer Eddie Kramer. Also included in the set is a documentary that incorporates interviews with Steve Winwood, Kramer and Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox (among others), along with vintage footage and never-before-seen photos that tell the full story of Electric Lady Studios from conception to completion in 1970.
Contained on the five vinyl LPs or three CDs in the Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision box set are 39 tracks recorded by Jimi, Cox and Mitchell at the studio within the last four months of the guitarist’s life. Hendrix was hard at work creating First Rays Of The New Rising Sun, the ambitious double album that would follow his 1968 masterwork Electric Ladyland. Inspired by the possibilities of the new studio, the Experience built classic fare such as Night Bird Flying, Freedom and Dolly Dagger from the ground up. The set offers a comprehensive look at the work Hendrix undertook during that fruitful summer of 1970.
The music ranges from four-track demo recordings of Valleys Of Neptune and Heaven Has No Sorrow, alternate arrangements of promising new songs such as Come Down Hard On Me and Belly Button Window, extraordinary, live-in-the-studio takes of Tune X/In From The Storm, Astro Man and The Long Medley, a stirring, 26 minute spontaneous exploration of Beginnings, Hey Baby (New Rising Sun), Keep On Groovin’ and Freedom. Additionally, the box set present many of the mixes the guitarist completed with Kramer before leaving to begin a European tour on Aug. 30 at the Isle Of Wight festival in England. Hendrix would never again return to Electric Lady Studios.
The documentary explains in depth that while Hendrix’s death robbed the public of so much potential music, the continued success of his recording studio provides a lasting legacy beyond his own music. John Lennon, The Clash, AC/DC, Chic, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder and hundreds more artists have made records at Electric Lady Studios, which speaks to one of Jimi’s lasting achievements in an industry that has radically changed over the course of the last half century.
“My brother had a musical vision,” Experience Hendrix President Janie Hendrix reflects. “With this project, it felt appropriate to shed light not only on his own music, but also on his lasting contribution of Electric Lady Studios. He was driven internally to build a home base where he could record everything he felt. While his life was cut short, so many other talented artists continue to express themselves within those magical walls on 52 West 8th St.”
The documentary includes never-before-seen footage and photos as well as track breakdowns of Hendrix classics such as Freedom, Angel and Dolly Dagger. The project also includes 20 newly created 5.1 surround sound mixes of the entire First Rays Of The New Rising Sun album plus three bonus tracks (Valleys Of Neptune, Pali Gap and Lover Man). The package includes an extensive booklet filled with unpublished photos, Hendrix’s handwritten song drafts, and comprehensive liner notes. The set comes on the heels of another documentary created by the same team: Music, Money, Madness… Jimi Hendrix Live In Maui, which was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Music Film category in 2022.”
