839 Jimi Hendrix - The Cry of Love (1971)

 839 Jimi Hendrix - The Cry of Love (1971)

Studio Album/Compilation - Rock



About the Act:

Jimi Hendrix famously died in 1970. Before that he was the highest paid entertainer in the world, and one of the most influential and innovative electric guitarists. He had a solo career of only four years, which started when he moved from his native US to London. Before that he was a jobbing guitarist for various bands.


About the Album:

This is not one of the three studio albums that Jimi released with the Jimi Hendrix experience. He was working on an album before he died, and this album was put together from those recordings and some other stuff, after he died. Some say it is the studio album he was working on, and others say it is a compilation of his later work. I think the truth is somewhere between the two.


My History with this Album:

None, I didn't even know it existed.


Review:

There are no songs on this album that I know, but it is recognisable as Jimi Hendrix. Musically it is maybe "Acid Rock" - it's certainly rooted in psychedelic rock, but maybe less excessive than some. It's blues/rock/guitar/Jimi Hendrix, and definitely interesting musically, and arrangement-ally. There are quite a gamut of feels to the album, and I know that some of the tracks had had less work done on them than others. Some got overdubs after Jimi died, and some didn't. The lyrics are certainly in the main tending towards the unusual and possibly hippie - but not flower power, more fantasy and internal head-stuff. There are some interesting pictures painted (I'd love to know what he meant by his "Belly-button window" for example). My favourite track is probably "My Friend" which could be taken at least two ways, and has background sounds as if he is in a café. 

I think it actually sold quite well at the time, but it less-known in hindsight, and it's probably less flamboyant than the other albums, but it's solid and enjoyable. When I first listened I didn't get that disparate feeling that I often get from compilations, so although it may not have been what Jimi intended, I think it stands as a studio album in its own right. 

It seems like an obvious self-referential statement, but if you like this sort of thing, you will like it. I do, and I did. I wouldn't hail it as a classic, but I certainly wouldn't sweep it under the carpet either. If you like somewhat quirky blues-rock, it's worth a listen.


7.5/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7ykAHaoptbCYaO0HAjpgcL

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q124xL2nlVw

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cry_of_Love



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