Hendrix in the West
Live album by
Jimi Hendrix
ReleasedJanuary 1972 (1972-01)
RecordedFebruary 1969 – August 1970
GenreRock
Length40:43
LabelPolydor
ProducerEddie Kramer, John Jansen
Jimi Hendrix UK chronology
Rainbow Bridge
(1971) 		Hendrix in the West
(1972) 		More Experience
(1972)
Jimi Hendrix US chronology
Rainbow Bridge
(1971) 		Hendrix in the West
(1972) 		War Heroes
(1972)

Hendrix in the West is a live album by Jimi Hendrix, released posthumously in January 1972 by Polydor Records (UK), and in February by Reprise Records (US).[1] The album tracks are split between those recorded in 1969 by the Jimi Hendrix Experience with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell and in 1970 with Billy Cox and Mitchell during The Cry of Love Tour.

Recording

The album contains songs from Hendrix's performances at the Royal Albert Hall on February 24, 1969, the San Diego Sports Arena on May 24, 1969, Berkeley Community Theatre on May 30, 1970 and the Isle of Wight Festival on August 30, 1970. The album's credits mislabel "Little Wing" and "Voodoo Child" as being recorded in San Diego, but actually they were recorded at the Royal Albert Hall on February 24, 1969.[1]

Critical reception and charts

Professional ratings
1971 album
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[3]

In a review for AllMusic, Sean Westergaard gave the album four out of five stars. He notes the relatively rare performances of "God Save the Queen", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Johnny B. Goode" as adding to Hendrix's more typical concert material.[2]

Hendrix in the West reached No. 7 in the UK albums chart,[4] No. 12 on both the U.S. Best Selling Soul LP's[5] and the Billboard 200 charts,[1] and No. 11 in Canada.[6]

1971 album track listing

All songs were written by Hendrix, except where noted. The album details are taken from the original 1971 Reprise LP record labels.[7] The original UK Polydor release reverses the sides, with "Johnny B. Goode" opening side one and "The Queen" side two. Both the Reprise and Polydor album liner notes list the tracks in a different order than the actual LPs.

Side one[7]
No.TitleVenue/date[1]Length
1."The Queen" (Traditional)Isle of Wight, 8/31/70timing combined with next track
2."Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)Isle of Wight, 8/31/704:02
3."Little Wing"Royal Albert Hall, 2/24/693:13
4."Red House"San Diego Sports Arena, 5/24/6913:12
Side two[7]
No.TitleVenue/date[1]Length
1."Johnny B. Goode" (Chuck Berry)Berkeley Community Theatre, 5/30/70 (1st show)4:45
2."Lover Man"Berkeley Community Theatre, 5/30/70 (2nd show)3:05
3."Blue Suede Shoes" (Carl Perkins)Berkeley Community Theatre, 5/30/70 (afternoon rehearsals)4:31
4."Voodoo Child (Slight Return)"Royal Albert Hall, 2/24/697:55

2011 re-release

Professional ratings
2011 re-release
Review scores
SourceRating
Rolling Stone[8]

Hendrix in the West was re-released on September 13, 2011, as part of Experience Hendrix's project to remaster Hendrix's discography. Since the rights to the Royal Albert Hall performances that appear on the original LP are in dispute,[9] the re-release substitutes the recordings of "Little Wing" (3:52) from Winterland on October 12, 1968, and "Voodoo Child" (10:40) from the San Diego Sports Arena on May 24, 1969.[2]

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Shapiro, Harry; Glebbeek, Cesar (1990). Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy (1st ed.). New York City: St. Martin's Press. pp. 543–544. ISBN 978-0-312-05861-6.
  2. ^ a b c Westergaard, Sean. "Hendrix in the West – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: H". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 26 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. ^ "Official Charts Company – Jimi Hendrix Hendrix in the West". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Chart History: Jimi Hendrix – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  6. ^ "RPM Top 100 Albums - April 8, 1972" (PDF).
  7. ^ a b c Hendrix in the West (Album notes). Jimi Hendrix. Reprise Records. 1988. LP labels. MS 2049.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Rosen, Jody (13 September 2011). "Hendrix in the West (Reissue) – Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  9. ^ Wyeth, Wyndham. "The Jimi Hendrix Estate Files Lawsuit Over Royal Albert Hall Recordings". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
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