Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | May 8, 2001 | |||
Recorded | 1966–1970 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 146:19 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Compiler | Janie Hendrix, John McDermott | |||
Jimi Hendrix chronology | ||||
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Voodoo Child: The Jimi Hendrix Collection is a two-disc compilation album featuring songs recorded by American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It was released on May 8, 2001 by MCA Records. [1] The first disc contains studio recordings, including alternate versions, while the second disc contains live recordings, some of which were previously unreleased. Its accompanying booklet features numerous photos and an essay written by Kurt Loder. [2]
Voodoo Child was generally well received by critics. On April 4, 2006, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold 500,000 copies in the United States. [1]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Blender | [4] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
Reviewing for Blender magazine, Robert Christgau regarded Voodoo Child as an improvement over the 1997 compilation album Experience Hendrix because, apart from "Manic Depression", it does not leave out any crucial songs. He also believed the second disc features undefinitive but revealing live recordings that made it Hendrix's best live album. [4] Oscar Jordan of Vintage Guitar said the release "blows the previous greatest hits style packages out of the water". While finding the first disc "well-paced" and "an excellent sampler of some of Jimi's best studio work", Jordan was more impressed by the live disc, on which he said "some of the best live recordings ever made of Hendrix reaffirm his status" as "the ultimate live performer and entertainer". [2] AllMusic's Lindsay Planer wrote that, considering the difficulty in curating a compilation of Hendrix's music, Voodoo Child's exceptional song selection and sound quality make it successful as "a thumbnail sketch of Hendrix in both a studio and concert environment … a great touchstone for anyone wishing to begin their Jimi Hendrix experience". [3] In the opinion of The Daily Telegraph 's Jamie Dickson, the compilation shows why "his status as rock's most outrageously inspired guitarist has endured", while contrasting "the opulence of his studio epics with the fluency and fire of his live performances nicely". [7]
Nicholas Taylor from PopMatters was more reserved in his praise, feeling the alternate versions on disc one are of mixed quality but that the two-disc set still offers listeners the most thorough overview of Hendrix's precarious artistry, particularly the live disc. "We hear him at his glorious studio best, we hear his less than stellar studio experimentation, and we hear his sometimes wildly exhilarating, sometimes horribly messy, live performances", Taylor wrote, concluding that Voodoo Child "gives us a full picture of Jimi Hendrix—always experimenting, always pushing the limits of conventional guitar rock, always willing to put it all out there at the risk of looking like a fool." [8]
The titles and running times are taken from the original Voodoo Child CD release. Other releases may show different information.
All tracks are written by Jimi Hendrix, except where noted
No. | Title | Original release | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Purple Haze" | single | 2:50 |
2. | "Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) | single | 3:30 |
3. | "The Wind Cries Mary" | single | 3:20 |
4. | "Fire" | Are You Experienced | 2:43 |
5. | "Highway Chile" | alternate recording | 3:39 |
6. | "Are You Experienced?" | Are You Experienced | 3:35 |
7. | "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" | single (UK) | 3:39 |
8. | "Little Wing" | Axis: Bold as Love | 2:24 |
9. | "All Along the Watchtower" (Bob Dylan) | alternate recording | 3:59 |
10. | "Crosstown Traffic" | Electric Ladyland | 2:12 |
11. | "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" | Electric Ladyland | 5:12 |
12. | "Spanish Castle Magic" | alternate recording | 5:48 |
13. | "Stone Free" | alternate recording | 3:43 |
14. | "Izabella" | single (US) | 2:46 |
15. | "Stepping Stone" | single (US) | 4:07 |
16. | "Angel" | The Cry of Love | 4:21 |
17. | "Dolly Dagger" | Rainbow Bridge | 4:44 |
18. | "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" | Rainbow Bridge | 6:04 |
19. | "Third Stone from the Sun" (UK bonus track) | Are You Experienced | 6:45 |
No. | Title | Original release | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fire" | previously unreleased | 3:33 |
2. | "Hey Joe" (Billy Roberts) | Live at Winterland | 6:46 |
3. | "I Don't Live Today" | Lifelines: The Jimi Hendrix Story – Disc four | 6:45 |
4. | "Hear My Train A Comin'" | Rainbow Bridge (album) | 11:00 |
5. | "Foxey Lady" | Rainbow Bridge (film) | 4:25 |
6. | "Machine Gun" | Live at the Fillmore East | 11:36 |
7. | "Johnny B. Goode" (Chuck Berry) | Hendrix in the West | 4:45 |
8. | "Red House" | The Jimi Hendrix Concerts | 8:00 |
9. | "Freedom" | Isle of Wight | 4:06 |
10. | "Purple Haze" | Stages – Disc three | 3:55 |
11. | ""The Star-Spangled Banner"" (music composed by John Stafford Smith) | Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More | 3:43 |
12. | "Wild Thing" (Chip Taylor) | Historic Performances Recorded at the Monterey International Pop Festival | 7:41 |
Electric Ladyland is the third and final studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released before Hendrix's death in 1970. A double album, it was the only record from the Experience with production solely credited to Hendrix. The band's most commercially successful release and its only number one album, it was released by Reprise Records in the United States on October 16, 1968, and by Track Records in the UK nine days later. By mid-November, it had reached number 1 on the U.S. charts, spending two weeks there. In the UK it peaked at number 6, where it spent 12 weeks on the chart.
Axis: Bold as Love is the second studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was first released by Track Records in the United Kingdom on December 1, 1967, only seven months after the release of the group's highly successful debut, Are You Experienced. In the United States, Reprise Records delayed the release until the following month. The album reached the top ten in the album charts in both countries.
Band of Gypsys is a live album by Jimi Hendrix and the first without his original group, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was recorded on January 1, 1970, at the Fillmore East in New York City with Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on drums, frequently referred to as the Band of Gypsys. The album mixes funk and rhythm and blues elements with hard rock and jamming, an approach which later became the basis of funk rock. It contains previously unreleased songs and was the last full-length Hendrix album released before his death.
First Rays of the New Rising Sun is a compilation album credited to American rock musician Jimi Hendrix, issued in April 1997 on MCA Records. Featuring songs mostly intended for his planned fourth studio album, it was one of the first releases overseen by Experience Hendrix, the family company that took over management of his recording legacy. It reached the album charts in the United States, United Kingdom, and four other countries.
Blues is a compilation album of blues songs recorded by American singer/songwriter/musician Jimi Hendrix. Compiled by interim Hendrix producer Alan Douglas, it was released April 26, 1994, by MCA Records. The album contains eleven songs recorded by Hendrix between 1966 and 1970, six of which were previously unreleased. Hendrix wrote seven of the pieces; other writers include Muddy Waters, Booker T. Jones, and Elmore James. Most are demos, jams, and live recordings, which Hendrix may or may not have completed for release.
BBC Sessions is an album of recordings by the rock group the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released on MCA Records on June 2, 1998. It contains all the surviving tracks from their various appearances on BBC radio programmes, such as Saturday Club and Top Gear, recorded in 1967.
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" is a song recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1968 that appears as the final track on the Electric Ladyland album released that year. It contains improvised guitar and a vocal from Jimi Hendrix, backed by Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums. The song is one of Hendrix's best known; it was a feature of his concert performances throughout his career, and several live renditions were recorded and released on later albums.
South Saturn Delta is a posthumous compilation album by American rock musician Jimi Hendrix. Released in 1997 by Experience Hendrix, it consists of material such as demo tapes, unfinished takes and alternate mixes, and previously released material, most of which Hendrix had been working on prior to his death in 1970.
Live at Berkeley is a live album by American rock musician Jimi Hendrix. It documents his second performance at the Berkeley Community Theatre on May 30, 1970, and was released by MCA Records on September 16, 2003.
The Cry of Love is a posthumous album by American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Recorded primarily in 1970, it features new material that Hendrix was working on for his planned fourth studio album before his death later that year. While most of the songs were included on proposed track listings by Hendrix, the final selection was made by recording engineer Eddie Kramer and drummer Mitch Mitchell, with input from manager Michael Jeffery. Hendrix, Kramer, and Mitchell are credited as the album's producers, with Jeffery as the executive producer.
"Angel" is a song by American rock musician Jimi Hendrix, featured on his 1971 posthumous studio album The Cry of Love. Written and self-produced by Hendrix, he recorded it for his planned fourth studio album just months before he died in September 1970.
Midnight Lightning is a posthumous compilation album by American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It was released in November 1975 by Reprise Records in the US and Polydor Records in the UK. It was the second to be produced by Alan Douglas and Tony Bongiovi and contains demo-type recordings that were overdubbed with musicians who had never played with Hendrix. Despite including reworkings of the popular live songs "Hear My Train" and "Machine Gun", the album was not as well received as its predecessor, peaking at numbers 43 in the US and 46 in the UK.
Nine to the Universe is a posthumous compilation album by American guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It was released in March 1980 in the US and in June 1980 in the UK. It was the third album of Hendrix recordings to be produced by Alan Douglas.
"Are You Experienced?" is the title song for the Jimi Hendrix Experience 1967 debut album. It has been described as one of Jimi Hendrix's most original compositions on the album by music writer and biographer Keith Shadwick. The song is largely based on one chord and has a drone-like quality reminiscent of Indian classical music. It features recorded guitar and drum parts that are played backwards and a repeating piano octave. Live recordings from 1968 are included on The Jimi Hendrix Concerts album and Winterland box set.
Rainbow Bridge is a compilation album by American rock musician Jimi Hendrix. It was the second posthumous album release by his official record company and is mostly composed of recordings Hendrix made in 1969 and 1970 after the breakup of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Despite the cover photo and subtitle Original Motion Picture Sound Track, it does not contain any songs recorded during his concert appearance for the 1971 film Rainbow Bridge.
Cornerstones 1967–1970 is a 1990 compilation album by American guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It features 18 of his greatest hits, including live renditions of "Fire" and "Stone Free" from the Atlanta International Pop Festival, Byron, Georgia, July 4, 1970. It was released on the Polydor label in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. The album entered the UK Albums Chart in November 1990 at No. 5, its highest position during a sixteen-week stay in the chart. All songs were recorded between October 23, 1966, and August 1970. This was the only compact disc release at the time to have the studio version of "The Star Spangled Banner".
Live at Winterland is a live album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It compiles performances from the band's three concerts at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, where they played two shows each night on October 10, 11 and 12, 1968. The album was released posthumously by Rykodisc in 1987 and was the first Hendrix release to be specifically conceived for the compact disc format.
"Hear My Train A Comin'" is a blues-based song written by Jimi Hendrix. Lyrically, it was inspired by earlier American spirituals and blues songs which use a train metaphor to represent salvation. Hendrix recorded the song in live, studio, and impromptu settings several times between 1967 and 1970, but never completed it to his satisfaction.
Live in Maui is an album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience documenting their performance outdoors on Maui, Hawaii, on July 30, 1970. It marks the first official release of Hendrix's two full sets recorded during the filming of Rainbow Bridge (1971). The two-CD and three-LP set was released on November 20, 2020, along with a video documentary titled Music, Money, Madness ... Jimi Hendrix in Maui.
Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 is a live album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was recorded during the group's last North American tour and includes a mix of popular Experience album songs along with some instrumentals. The album is the first full live release by the trio with Hendrix, Noel Redding, and Mitch Mitchell since 2013's Miami Pop Festival.