Jimi Hendrix/IL,USA 1968

In conjunction with the release of Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 Fillmore masterpiece recordings, we will be releasing a live recording from 1968. While that was released in May, this is an audience album recorded at a live performance in Chicago on February 25th. Compared to the Fillmore, which boasted amazing clarity for an audience recording in 1968, such as the balance of the performance, this has a more vintage audience feel and analog sound quality. Of course, even though it is vintage, it is not the kind of roaring sound that drowns out Jimi’s vocals with his own guitar or the performance of the Experience (at all!), and you can enjoy Jimi’s best performance, full of confidence that is typical of the first half of 1968, with a moderate sense of distance. Probably to save tape, the negative point is that all the songs are cut with a squeaky sound, but except for the last two songs, the performance is well captured. It is a shame that the cuts were made so frequently in “Like A Rolling Stone” that it was practically not included, and the recording of “Purple Haze” ended halfway through. Even if you ignore this cut, the valuable content and the rich performance content are a must-listen for enthusiasts. After all, it’s 1968, but the set list still has a strong pattern from the previous year, which is valuable. It’s valuable just to prove that “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Manic Depression” are still in the repertoire at this point, but on the other hand, “I Don’t Live Today” is a repertoire that was added this year, and yet it is still performed compactly with less improvisation, which is refreshing. Also, like Fillmore, they performed Bob Dylan’s “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?”, and the live performance and sound source of this song other than BBC Radio are surprisingly valuable. And above all, the performance is wonderful. The contrast between the opening “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Fire” that were super high tension in succession, and the gentle “The Wind Cries Mary” is a level that gives you goosebumps when you listen to it. It was so moving that the audience, who had been excited until then, suddenly went quiet and listened intently. Civic Opera House, Chicago, IL, USA 25th February 1968 (30:45) 1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2. Fire 3. The Wind Cries Mary 4. Foxy Lady 5. I Don’t Live Today 6. Hey Joe 7. Can You Please Come Crawl Out Your Window? 8. Manic Depression 9. Like A Rolling Stone 10. Purple Haze