Jimi Hendrix'Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight'

MCA Records / UME

Grade: A-


With what would have been Jimi Hendrix's 60th birthday coming up tomorrow, this live album celebrates the iconic musician's last concert very fittingly. Released simultaneously with a DVD documenting the 1970 concert, the CD contains 11 highlights from the show.

Opening with a Jimi-fied version of Great Britain's National Anthem, "God Save the Queen," which launches into a quick piece of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," the album starts off on the right foot. Heeding the changing musical scene that in 1970 that was saying goodbye to hippie free love, Hendrix was ready to present his fusion of jazz, soul, blues, classical and rock 'n' roll to the world.

The album features long -- over 10 minutes -- versions of "Machine Gun" and "Red House" that have Hendrix wailing on his guitar like no other. It is easy to picture Hendrix playing in front of hundreds of thousands of people at 3 a.m. on the little island that was turned into a three-day rock haven.

The album also features an excellent "Lover Man" that is short but rocking. Following "Lover Man" is "Freedom," which is eloquently introduced by Hendrix. It is hard not to think about the troops in Vietnam as Hendrix sings, "That's what we want -- freedom" over piercing guitars.

Bob Dylan's oft-covered "All Along the Watchtower" is also included in the album, and one can hear the crowds cheering in the background. Hendrix's rocking version of this song has become just as famous as Dylan's original and it is easy to hear why as one listens to the version on this album.

Other songs on the album include "Dolly Dagger," "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" and "Spanish Castle Magic." The album ends with "In From the Storm," which is introduced with a spine-tingling drum solo and then swings into Hendrix's exquisite, unmatchable guitar-work, which washes away any hesitation of why he was called "King Guitar" by his peers like Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.

This show has never before been released in the United States. This CD, and the accompanying DVD, is a must for any Hendrix fan, or for anyone doubting that Hendrix truly was "King Guitar." Although it is sometimes difficult to listen to his long guitar solos while sitting in your room, if you only just close your eyes and picture yourself in the audience in 1970, those guitar solos seem all too short. These 11 songs represent a master in his element and a legend in his prime, whose life was unfortunately cut short a few weeks after this concert.