The 18th of September is a sad day – it was on this day in 1970 that Jimi Hendrix died in London.
[Jimi Hendrix Experience Winterland 5 CD Box Set]
The story of how Jimi died has been told and re-told many different times in different ways – the main thing we know is that he took sleeping pills which were possibly a much stronger type than he realized, became unconscious and asphyxiated on his own vomit.
There are a number of conspiracy theories surrounding Jimi Hendrix’s death, however I won’t bother listing them here because each one I’ve looked at was woefully lacking in any substantive evidence to back them up – all hearsay and rumor.
Of much more interest, well things that can be verified at least, is that the 41st anniversary of Jimi’s death is being marked in a number of interesting ways.
London’s Tin Pan Alley Festival will be holding a special tribute to Jimi at midnight on the 17th. It will be held simultaneously in 3 venues: The Borderline, The 12Bar Club, The Alleycat – worth a look if you’re in London on the day.
If you are on the other side of the pond, all is not lost. The Jimi Hendrix Annual Memorial Concert and Art Show will take place at the Jimi Hendrix Park in Seattle with free admission on the 18th of September.
Experience Hendrix LLC and Legacy Recordings have got together to produce the fourth in the series of the Jimi Hendrix Catalog Project.
The title is “Jimi Hendrix Experience- Winterland” which comes as either a 4 disc set from the Authentic Hendrix Online store, or an exclusive 5 CD Box Set from amazon.com – both have CD and an eight 12″ vinyl LP option.
The recorded material for Winterland comes from 6 performances recorded over the 10th, 11th and 12th of October 1968 at San Francisco’s historic Winterland Ballroom. These special performances marked the two year anniversary of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and came just as the album Electric Ladyland was released.
In addition to a number of recordings that have never been previously released, the Deluxe sets come with a rare interview with Jimi recorded backstage at the Boston Garden a few weeks after the Winterland performances. This previously unreleased bonus provides a unique window into Hendrix’s views about his background, his approach to the guitar and songwriting and future direction of his music.
On top of all that you also get a 36 page booked filled with previously unpublished pictures by acclaimed photographers Robert Knight, Allen Tannenbaum and Jim Marshall as well as an essay by noted Rolling Stone journalist David Fricke.
The bonus disc in the amazon.com version includes recordings from Jimi’s February 4, 1968 Winterland performance: “Killing Floor,” “Red House,” “Dear Mr. Fantasy (Part One)” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy (Part Two).” These tracks have been previously available only as part of the rare Dagger Records official bootleg Paris ’67/San Francisco ’68 and have never been available for retail sale.
The contents of the four main discs are:
Disc One
10/10/68 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco
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Lover Man
Sunshine of Your Love
Hear My Train A Comin’
Killing Floor
Foxey Lady
Hey Joe
Star Spangled Banner
Purple Haze
Disc Two
10/11/68 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco
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Like a Rolling Stone
Lover Man
Hey Joe
Fire
Foxey Lady
Are You Experienced
Red House
Purple Haze
Disc Three
10/12/68 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco
Fire
Lover Man
Like a Rolling Stone
Manic Depression
Sunshine of Your Love
Little Wing
Spanish Castle Magic
Red House
Hey Joe
Purple Haze
Wild Thing
Disc Four
Bonus disc Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco
Foxy Lady
Are You Experienced
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Red House
Star Spangled Banner
Purple Haze
Jimi Hendrix: Boston Garden Backstage Interview
Fender are giving away 15 copies of the 4 CD Winterland deluxe set.
Also take a look at our Jimi Hendrix Biography.
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