The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Live at LA Forum 1969 – Review

This raw performance starts with a quick hello from Jimi in his familiar drawl, while he tunes his guitar. It is amazing to think that this is the start of such a seminal show. Eddie Kramer, Jimi’s long term producer and sound engineer, shared that this was usual for him, with a spartan crew of just 3 tech guys, he would just stroll up and tune his guitar and play in his own effortless way.

The album features all of Jimi’s classics – Purple Haze, Voodoo Child, Foxy Lady – and is mixed with less known tracks such as Tax Free, a cover from Swedish duo Hansson & Karlsson.

A particular highlight is Jimi’s take on the Star Spangled Banner, which became iconic at his Woodstock set a few months later. This remastered sound takes you directly into the crowd, the technology bringing you closer to his soaring solos immersing you in the listening experience of the concert exactly as it was performed.

This would have been Jimi’s 80th birthday, and as his sister Janie says he will always be 27. His shy and soft spoken nature with a wicked sense of humour was shown in his home life, where: “He had all these little funny snarky things to say, nothing harmful, and then I would start laughing. And then the whole family would be like, What did he say, what he said? He’d look at me and just kind of shake his head. Like, that’s our secret. Don’t tell anyone.”

Eddie Kramer described the first time he heard Jimi play “He hit a chord and my life changed in a nanosecond because that sound just went right through me. My hair stood up like, you know, I could have had an afro for all I could remember but it was fabulous and earth shattering. That one chord and I knew right there okay, I’ve gotta up my game to keep up with this guy,” adding how the dynamic levels of the chords go from “a whisper to a roar”.

Listening to the album gives a similar feeling, with Eddie describing the exhilarating nature of his sound, warning listeners to “Hold onto your hats and your underwear!”. This album is the Jimi Hendrix experience, epitomising his genius.