Best Box Set Ever

I'm a big Hendrix fan, and when I first heard of this box set, my expectations were huge. I waited months for it to come out, the anticipation growing so high it seemed impossible for anything to fullfill it. Then it finally was released and I bought it.



On just the first look at the outside of the box, you already know it's gonna be great. It's covered in some kind of rich, purple velvet that looks and feels fantastic. Inside is an 80 page booklet with an essay by Dave Marsh, tons of photos, handwritten lyrics, and at least a paragraph about every song. Each of the four CD's come in it's own CD case.



The music on this set is a treasure trove for any Hendrix fan. Lots of great live tracks, but what steals the show are the amazing alternate takes and never before heard songs. The tracklisting goes pretty much in order from 1967 to Jimi's last recorded song, "Slow Blues", in 1970. Which only reminds you of how much Jimi did in so little time.



Highlights:



Disc One. Outtake of "Third Stone from the Sun". You can hear Jimi and Chas Chandler coming up with the spoken intro, as well as the rest of the song. First ever recording of "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" with Jimi working out the harpsichord part. Live covers of "Rock Me Baby" and "Like a Rolling Stone" are also fantastic.



Disc Two. Instrumental live in the studio "Little Wing". Live cover of "Gloria". Long never before heard blues song "It's Too Bad". And the live in-studio instrumental "Bold as Love", which to me is the best I've ever heard Jimi play. This track alone is worth the price of the set. I can listen to it on repeat all day. Disc two is the one you'll come back to the most along with...



Disc Three. This disc is all live. It feature the best live recordings of "I Don't Live Today", "Roomful of Mirrors", and "Spanish Castle Magic" ever. As well as a "Red House" that is up there too.



Disc Four is where the nonstop greatness falters a little...a VERY little. Highlights are a live "Hey Baby/In from the Storm" medley, some live covers, and all the extremely rarely heard studio recordings of Jimi trying to work out songs for his fourth album.



Overall this box set is nothing short of revelatory to any Hendrix buff. It not only groups together great rare live performances, but shows Jimi's inner working of songs in studio and offers a few original songs never before heard. All thrown into a great box which really isn't expensive as box sets go. You'll be delving through this stuff for a long time. Here's hoping Experience Hendrix continue with their line of quality releases. Now if only Pink Floyd were to give us something like this...

Buy This Now.

Wildly inventive, exotic, and raw are the closest words I can find to explain this monumental box set. This is one of the best compilations of Hendrix that I have come across. It is not something you can just listen to, but rather something you must experience for yourself.

Although some songs such as Crosstown Traffic are found missing from this spectacular line-up, it includes several stunning versions of such classics as Little Wing, Red House, Voodoo Chile, and some less familiar songs for the folks who are looking to experience Hendrix for the first time; in particular Catfish Blues, Earth Blues, and Country Blues and who can forgett Jimi's infamous Star Spangled Banner which is the only way to properly rock out to our national anthem.

From inexperienced curiosity to die-hard fanatic, this box set will open up a veritable cornucopia of unreleased recordings and songs to free your mind of rigid structures that music is often comprised of. Smashing blues, R&B, straight rock, and even a little bit of country together into this fantastic array of artistic talent satiates even the most scrutinizing critic's appetite for pure, unbridled talent.

Wow! At a loss for words, so just plain.... WOW!

As mentioned, this is not for the person new to Hendrix. There's plenty of 'greatest hits' packages for that. With that said, if you are a fan you absolutely MUST have this box set. I just got it and it blew me away! Some really incredible guitar as you'd expect from Hendrix. Several tunes that I had not heard before, but are already favorites. An instrumental "Bold as Love", a scorching version of "Room Full of Mirrors", "Catfish Blues" and "Come Down Hard on Me" are just a few of the incredible songs on this set. Like I said, this is for Hendrix fans. Much better than the other collections of odds and ends that are available. This one has mostly polished numbers and great live cuts. I dumped it into my IPod and have been in Hendrix heaven since getting it in the mail. Buy it!! Read the other reviews for more details. I think everyone gave it 5 stars... should be 20 stars since all 4 discs are incredible.