Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (Thirty Three and a Third series) [Paperback]

John Perry (Author)

Book Description

Series: 33 1/3 | Publication Date: March 31, 2004

Electric Ladyland is one of the greatest guitar albums ever made. During the recording process, Jimi Hendrix at last had time and creative freedom to pursue the sounds he was looking for. In this remarkable and entertaining book, John Perry gets to the heart of Hendrix's unique talent - guiding the reader through each song on the album, writing vividly about Hendrix's live performances, and talking to several of Hendrix's peers and contemporaries. Excerpt Natural wit, sharpness of ear and a pervasive sense of fun prevented Hendrix from sticking just to the wah-wah pedal's literal use (and it's worth remembering that Hendrix off-stage was a natural mimic, whose imitations of Little Richard or of Harlem drag-queens made his friends howl). In fact, he found a use for the pedal without even using guitar. By turning his amp up high and treading the pedal he found he could modulate the natural hiss of amplifier valves, producing sounds of gentle breezes, howling storms or the susurration of waves on a beach; sounds that are all over "1983" and "Moon Turn The Tides". Hendrix had an ear and (though it's often overlooked) he also had a fine, sly sense of humour that - with characteristic lightness of touch - he was able to express in music.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A new entry in a series about famous LPs. Perry calls Electric Ladyland the record in which Hendrix "reached his full artistic maturity." It was also the last album he made with manager Chas Chandler and the bassist and drummer who with him had constituted the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Ready to venture beyond the parameters Chandler's "manageable vision" set, "for the first time [Hendrix] could allow order to grow out of chaos"--and lead him into "a sea of excess." Perry recalls the era and how Hendrix fit into it, illuminating such underexamined phenomena as the contention that he was a "psychedelic Uncle Tom." Nice appreciation of an apparently timeless musician and album.

Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"…an inspired new series…sleekly designed…good news for sentimental fools that just can't let go."" -Janet Steen, Details magazine, Jan/Feb 04"

“…engaging…Perry is an astute critic and someone who, as a musician, gives credibility to his commentary on the studio process. Best, he brings a fan’s fervor to his revivification of a significant moment in Hendrix’s three-plus year recording career…” –The Boston Phoenix, 7/8/04 (Mike Miliard )

“If you already have three Hendrix recordings (or 300) and are moving to by a fourth, take the $10 instead and pick up this nutshell book of how the his third studio album was made, by guitarist / writer Perry who lives in London and whose head seems screwed on pretty tight – he neither wanted to fuck Hendrix or compete with him, just love him. Midway [though] reading this little book you’re going to be pulling off the shelf Paris 1966 Olympia Theater Live Recordings, if you know what’s good for you, and play it loud. This is the best capsulized 100 or so pages ever written on the late & great ‘Jimmy James.’” – Long House Publishers & Book Sellers, 2004

"This is actually two books in one: a track-by-track analysis of "Ladyland," heavy on guitar-geek esoteria like detuning and wah-wah technique (if you have to ask, don't bother), preceded by an overview of Hendrix's life and career around the time of the album. Which, since his career as a headliner lasted only four short years, makes for a pretty good introduction to rock's greatest plank-spanker." --Austin American-Statesman, 10/17/04

“…any fan of the Hendrix sound will consider it an essential guide.” –The Bookwatch, September 2004

"... Perry is quite the raconteur. His blow-by-blow commentary on Hendrix and company's musical dialogue throughout the album's tracks leaps off the page like an epic martial arts battle."- Joe Pettit, Ugly Things, Issue 25 (Ugly Things )

“If you already have three Hendrix recordings (or 300) and are moving to by a fourth, take the $10 instead and pick up this nutshell book of how the his third studio album was made, by guitarist / writer Perry who lives in London and whose head seems screwed on pretty tight – he neither wanted to fuck Hendrix or compete with him, just love him. Midway [though] reading this little book you’re going to be pulling off the shelf Paris 1966 Olympia Theater Live Recordings, if you know what’s good for you, and play it loud. This is the best capsulized 100 or so pages ever written on the late & great ‘Jimmy James.’” – Long House Publishers & Book Sellers, 2004

“… Perry is quite the raconteur. His blow-by-blow commentary on Hendrix and company’s musical dialogue throughout the album’s tracks leaps off the page like an epic martial arts battle.”- Joe Pettit, Ugly Things, Issue 25 (, )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Continuum (March 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826415717
• ISBN-13: 978-0826415714
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #789,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guitar fan's wet dream, July 24, 2004

By 

Siriam (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (Thirty Three and a Third series) (Paperback)

Jimi Hendrix after 30 years from his death is still revered as a guitar hero and innovator in the way the instrument was played and recorded, and Electric Ladyland was a major benchmark in his too short studio recording career in letting him stretch out and play compared with his prior 2 LPs and hit singles.

That this book is written by a guitar afficionado should thus come as no surprise, and the author was clearly influenced by Hendrix at an early age having seen him live in the UK and in his own subsequent career as a guitarist. The content (especially on the individual tracks and their recording) is very guitar playing orientated, explaining a lot of chords, tuning and playing techiques that made Hendrix sound so different and while a fascinating insight into exactly how unique Hendix was in his playing, I suspect it will potentially grate with many non-musicians (of which I am one) though as a long time Hendrix afficionado I must admit I found it all fascinating.

The book also picks up on many side issues that help one understand Hendrix and his times better esp. his position as a black American who in the heated anti Vietnam war and US domestic race riots happening at that time remained politically indifferent and his treatment at the outset and afterwards by white rock critics.

A captivating book especially for Hendrix fans and in the end piece that speculates that Hendrix at the time of his death shortly afterwards had already potentially delivered his best recorded work.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nicely Done But Not Definitive, June 4, 2004

By 

Mad Dog "maddog6969" (TimbuckThree, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (Thirty Three and a Third series) (Paperback)

I like the idea of books devoted to an individual classic album. This is the second such book to tackle the Jimi Hendrix Experience catalog, following an equally enjoyable book about the first Experience LP. As much as I do like this book, I feel that the author could have improved it by going into greater depth and detail. Don't get me wrong - the focus of a small book such as this is an asset but to be successful, the focus must be deadly accurate and also must have carefully seasoned perspective. I find too much of this book to contrast with historical facts found in Hendrix bios such as Electric Gypsy and Musician.

As an example, Perry states that Jimi's first manager Chas Chandler "failed to appreciate the depth and ingrained nature of American racism" in regards to searching out all of Jimi's previously existing recording contracts. I'd like to see the supporting proof for that allegation, since comments by numerous people that were on the scene at the time don't seem to support it. Chas was a fairly well-traveled and savvy guy. Aside from Chas's appreciation (or lack of appreciation) of American racism, the reason he didn't learn about the Chalpin contract is because Jimi didn't tell him about it when asked.

Realize that the above is picking nits. Perry does bring out much excellent perspective in this book, for example when he compares Eric Clapton's playing style to Jimi's. But I do feel that the details and the "apparent writing pace" are what sets the great books apart from the good. Another aspect of this book is that it's very personal. Perry saw Jimi live numerous times and takes the reader into his memories. After a first read, I can't say that he does so successfully, but I'll have to let the book sit a bit and give it a re-read to be fair. For now, his depiction of these influential shows seems a bit too rushed, lacking in texture and substance. Again, picking nits to justify not giving this book five stars.

If you haven't read Shadwick's Musician and want a book focused just on Electric Ladyland, then I suspect you'll enjoy this very much. All of the key issues are discussed with sufficient detail. But I'd certainly recommend Musician over this book because Electric Ladyland is covered extremely well in Musician, as are all aspects of Jimi's life. It's the standard I compare every Jimi book to.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For That Girl At Tower, August 29, 2011

By 

s.ferber (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (Thirty Three and a Third series) (Paperback)

As I have said elsewhere, Continuum Publishing has a wonderful thing going with its 33 1/3 series of minibooks, each one a small treatise of sorts regarding one of the legendary rock/pop albums of the past 45 years. I had previously enjoyed Sean Nelson's book on Joni Mitchell's "Court and Spark" (number 40 in the series, which series is now nudging toward the 100 mark), and decided to give number 8, John Perry's book on Jimi Hendrix' third album, "Electric Ladyland," a try. In a recent issue of "Mojo" magazine, this album was not only selected as one of the Top 40 psychedelic records of all time, but received the exalted No. 1 spot. ("Sgt. Pepper's," by the way, came in at No. 5.) A longtime personal favorite of mine, Hendrix' most ambitious recording has been blowing aging hippies' minds ever since its release in the autumn of 1968. Perry's book, to its credit, not only gives us a capsule biography of Hendrix, but recounts the author's experiences seeing him live in England (the lucky so-and-so!) and gives us a track-by-track analysis of all 16 songs on the record. Perry writes well, and his love and enthusiasm for his subject are both obvious and contagious.

I must admit that I, a fan of "Electric Ladyland" since its release 43 years ago (there are times when I honestly believe it to be the most imaginative, mind-blowing and orgasmic record ever made), learned an awful lot from Perry's work. Apparently a musician himself (he tells us that he "played the Trentishoe festival" in 1973, and has been involved in all kinds of studio work, but leaves his exact musical niche quite vague), Perry has a keen ear for detail, and points out facets of the music that this listener had never noticed before (such as Hendrix' piano accents at the 0:30 mark of "Crosstown Traffic"). I must also confess that much of what Perry discusses is a bit over my head. As a person who does NOT read musical notations or play an instrument, I found his numerous discussions of fingering technique, pentatonic scales and various chords a bit perplexing. Honestly, what is a NONmusician to make of this sentence: "The main sequence, in the key of A major, steps through C# minor 7, Bmin7, F# min7--and their respective relative majors"? These instances of musical technobabble aside, Perry's book should certainly please all fans of Jimi and his third great work. It has given me a deeper appreciation of this beloved piece of music, which I would not have thought possible after four-plus decades, even as it demystifies some of the legends surrounding its creation. It is certainly a worthwhile purchase for all fans (although, at $14.95 for a small 132-page book, an overpriced one, as are all the 33 1/3 volumes).

Having said this, I must also add that the book comes with a number of problems. Like "Court and Spark," this volume has its fair share of typos and faulty punctuation; a good copy editor really needs to be brought in for this series! Perry is often guilty of bad grammar, too, as when he writes "there's hardly a band from that era who weren't robbed blind," instead of "that wasn't." He also gets his facts wrong on occasion. For example, he tells us that he first saw Hendrix play at the Locarno club in Bristol on February 9, 1967, on a Monday night. Well, Hendrix did indeed play at the club on that date...except that that date was a Thursday. He talks about London's Marquee club on Wardour Street, but as far as I can make out, the Marquee was on Oxford Street; the Flamingo club was on Wardour. Perry mentions that on the song "Gypsy Eyes," the bass enters at the 0:28 mark; that should be 0:35. I could also have done without his gratuitous put-down of Grand Funk Railroad, a group that I feel has been needlessly maligned by critics who are largely unfamiliar with the band's 13 very solid studio albums. (Indeed, even Hendrix was a fan of Mark Farner; as the story goes, at a GFR concert at Madison Square Garden, Jimi was heard to have exclaimed, "Man, that guy can PLAY!") Quibbles aside, however, I am indebted to Perry for his loving, clear-eyed and (for the most part) lucid piece of work.

I would like to add one personal anecdote regarding "Electric Ladyland." During the last days of Tower Records, when I purchased the CD to replace my superworn vinyl, the young cashier girl asked me, "Who's Jimi Hendrix?" When I told her that he was a very popular guitarist in the '60s and had even played at the original Woodstock, she blithely asked, "What's Woodstock?" I just sighed, picked up my precious CD and walked out....