Rare Tape Reveals Gentler Side To JIMI HENDRIX
March 21, 2009, 15 years ago
Paul Bignell from Nzherald.co.nz is reporting:
At a quarter of an inch wide and 1,800 feet long, the reel of black polyester audio tape in its battered, coffee-stained, green box suggests nothing about the musical treasure it holds. But when played, it is unmistakably JIMI HENDRIX - lo-fi, stripped back to a single guitar and unvarnished voice.
Forgotten for decades, the recordings capture Hendrix at his most reflective. The tape, listened to by The Independent on Sunday yesterday, will be sold at auction next month. Expected to fetch between £50,000 and £100,000, the songs, 14 in total, date back to 1968 as Hendrix worked on his third album, Electric Ladyland.
Rather than containing his trademark distorted guitar and a full backing band, most of the tracks feature Hendrix singing and playing guitar quietly by himself in an apartment. Several tracks include a second musician playing harmonica.
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