Customer Reviews

In From The Storm

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The other reviews are overly critical but do have good points. When I first heard this I was put off by the orchestra but the more I listen the more the orchestra adds. The rhythm sections are excellent as are the guitarists and vocalists. I defnitely would have enjoyed more cuts without the orchestra but again the added strings and brass are an extra sonic adventure. The more I hear this cd the better I like it. I bet Jimi digs it!

There is no reason why this album should be below 5 stars. Before Jimi Hendrix perished, he said that his dream was to be able to see other cats jamming to his music and his goal in the seventies was to be a formal student of music theory and to jam with a live orchestra. When I got this album I got chills on my spine because of the musical impact and of what I read in past Hendrix interviews. Miles Davis was stunned by the young guitarist's capabilities. Gil Evans wanted to start a project with Jimi Hendrix. Both Jazz inovator and Conducter were left influenced and inspired. This album, In From The Storm is proof of how professional musicians of all genres became influenced and passionate of Jimi Hendrix's music. To conclude, this album is great and to hear Santana, Sting, John Mclaughlin, Stanley Clarke and the London PhilHormononic Ochestra was just awesome.

This recording has the best fidelity of any CD in my collection. The sound is astounding. The artists do Jimi a great tribute.... One of the finest CDs available...

This is a good tribute to Jimi Hendrix. Good arrangements. I have enjoyed specially the Paul Rodgers, Sting and Brian May jobs. Is a quite good CD.

The first reviewer pretty much said it all. Carlos Santana, Robben Ford, Brian May, Taj and whoever else is on here are very good guitarists, but they get buried beneath the orchestration and in some cases get devoured by the tunes themselves.

John McLaughlin, on the other hand, does not. His version of "The Wind Cries Mary" is timeless. It's what ever cover ought to aspire to (what Jimi did to "All Along the Watchtower" and "Hey Joe") - he takes the original song, and through his own vision and personality, pushes it farther. His solo is simply phenomenal. Just the sound he gets from that guitar is a killer, sort of After the Rain (his 1995 Coltrain Tribute album) plus distortion. It really sounds wicked. In sort of a winsome tribute, he goes nuts on the vibrato bar at the end of the song.

So, should you buy it? I think you might as well - if anything just for Johnny Mac. Those used copies are going pretty cheap.

Maybe it's because I'm not all that familiar with Jimi Hendrix's music that I like this album. Of course I have heard some before, like the famous "Purple Haze" but this cd kind of introduced me to other songs. I am quite sure though that Hendrix's originals are way better, and this cd has made me want to check out more of his stuff. I also agree that the orchestra does seem out of place in the context of what this music is. I think it would have been a lot better without it, just as Stings version of "The wind cries Mary" proves. I think though, that it must just be taken as a whole, for what it is. A tribute. It's not meant to improve or compete with Hendrix...that would be impossible. And when you listen to it in that context, it's not at all bad. Not brilliant, but not bad.

If you have never heard of King's X or Doug Pinnick, then his

contribution to In From The Storm may mean nothing- HOWEVER, if

you HAVE heard of this Giant Performer, then this CD will literally be a thrill of a lifetime-

To say nothing of the Purple Haze rendition that is one of my all time favorite songs-

Again--the name to look for on this CD is DOUG PINNICK

Overall the album was diappointment to me. Too many tracks were note for note copies of the originals and made me yawn. Santana and Clarke are two of my favorites and so is Spanish Castle Magic, so I expected much. Alas, though Carlos is an excellent melodic and riffing guitarist, he can't combine the two with the genius Jimi displays in the original. Reduced to rhythmic riffing along with Stanley's monotonous bass line, it was Spanish Castle without the magic. But three tracks stood out enough that I got my money's worth. Mclaughlin's original solo within the structure of the original made Cries Mary a high point. Vai and company expanded the structure of the Drifting original, transforming it from an understated poem into an epic. Disagreeing with my fellow reviewers, I really like the funk tour de force treatment given Purple Haze, but then I
dig Boosy too so anything combining Bootsy and Jimi is fine by me

You can't reheat a soufflé. -Paul McCartney on why he was against a Beatles reunion.

When I first saw In From the Storm, I was wary. I have never seen a Hendrix tribute that did the material justice. His music is a product of a unique place in musical history and reflection of his uncompromising, pioneering spirit. It simply can't be reproduced out of the context of its time without sounding patronizing, insulting or just plain silly.

The liner notes hint that near the end of his life JH felt that his blues rock songwriting and guitar playing had "come full circle" and was starting to feed on itself. It goes on to say that he wanted to go back to music school, study classical music and work on expanding and developing his craft. Fair enough. This, however, is no excuse to presume that one can get into a time machine, travel back to another era, get inside a brilliant but drug muddled mind and realistically expect to extrapolate an accurate musical direction.

The liner notes do make a touching attempt at humility. I think when Kramer listened to the final results he was so horrified he rushed off to his word processor, fighting nausea, and penned the disclaimer.

I will say the rhythm section(s), especially Tony Williams, is (are)outstanding. If Kramer stuck to small group settings it would have shined. Instead, it can do no more than steer a ship, overloaded with pretension and unnecessary baggage while it sinks.

Too bad the mix is muddy. The very guitarists the recording sought to showcase (that was the idea, wasn't it?) get lost in the mix. The producer can't decide who to feature so each track keeps the key players buried under layers of over produced orchestral fluff.

Ah yes, the orchestra...(which didn't belong here in the first place)should have provided nothing more than subtle embellishments. Instead,it plays a lead role with out contributing anything interesting or useful. It's no coincidence that on the best track, The Wind Cries Mary,the orchestra takes a break.

The guitarists are certainly capable but aren't given ample soloing time to stretch out and explore the songs possibilities. Worse, each guitarist relies heavily on his stock of favorite Hendrix licks which most of them have been playing exactly the same way since they were teenagers. The result is not only boring but shows how little the electric guitar has evolved. For better or worse, Jimi defined an entire style. You simply can't play convincing blues-rock guitar without borrowing directly from the JH phrasebook.

The one shining track, The Wind Cries Mary, benefits from a simple arrangement, Stings respectful, matter-of-fact vocal delivery and guitar work from the only musician on the CD qualified to play a tribute to Jimi.

John McLaughlin has paid his dues longer than most of the other players have been alive. He was the only Guitarist on the CD (With the possible exception of Carlos Santana) who actually played with Hendrix and had a long term, first hand look at the Hendrix phenomenon. While JM was clearly inspired by Hendrix, he was never influenced by him. His style is completely his own - which is more than you can say for the majority of the other players on the CD.

JM's playing here is typical. His guitar solo sounds like a swarm of angry hornets. Full of energy and menace, it's the most perfectly realized musical moment of the entire recording. It holds a spirit of adventure absent from the other guitarist's efforts.

As far as I'm concerned, JM could play Mary Had A Little Lamb on a one string cigar box banjo and I'd be ready to abandon all my earthly belongings and live the rest of my life in isolation, celibacy and silent prayer.

Carlos Santana has a voice that's truly independent of JH - unfortunately, he sounds like he was having a bad day when his tracks were recorded. Still, even on a good day, he's simply not in JM's league.

All in all, In from the storm is just another failed attempt to honor one who is beyond honor. It's destiny lies in the cutout bins of musical history.

This is a perfect of example of what can happen if you buy a CD before you read the customer reviews. What a mistake! This CD is bad (and that is not bad meaning "good")! When I ordered this CD I thought, "New Henrix, well this should be good". Wrong! I have even tried to like it. I gave it a couple of chances even listened to it a couple of times. I listened to it when I was in different moods...nope...sorry...it is still terrible! Some of the tracks are "interesting" that is the best I can say. I think any Hendrix fan would be very disappointed. What this CD reminds me of is a song you loved from your childhood that you hear redone into some terrible "elevator music" rendition when you are put on hold with the bank or a song that was remade so that the older generation would find it acceptable. I'm sorry the only reason I could see for buying this CD is if you are a diehard collector of Hendrix material, and even then I would put it on the shelf and never play it! Anyone interested in a slightly used copy?