‘The
Making of Electric Ladyland’ Set for Release in Celebration of 40th
Anniversary of Original Release of Jimi Hendrix Experience Set
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ — Experience Hendrix LLC announces the release of At Last… The Beginning: The Making of Electric Ladyland DVD and companion Electric Ladyland Collector’s Edition CD + DVD. The packages will be released on December 9th through Universal Music Enterprises, coming forty years after the initial release of Electric Ladyland,
the third and final album by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It was the
last Hendrix studio album to have been produced during the guitar
icon’s lifetime and reflects his meticulous involvement in every facet
of its creation.
Electric Ladyland is the
source of such legendary Hendrix tracks as “All Along The Watchtower,”
“Crosstown Traffic,” and “Burning of the Midnight Lamp” and is commonly
acknowledged by Hendrix cognoscenti as the most fully realized,
cohesive project of his entire career. It was the only Hendrix album to
have hit #1 on the Billboard charts. It is, indisputably, the crowning
achievement of The Jimi Hendrix Experience and underscored Hendrix’s
abilities as singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer.
At Last… The Beginning: The Making of Electric Ladyland
documents the creation of the album that was released in the fall of
1968 as a 2 LP set. Some of Jimi’s closest associates are seen on
screen discussing their recollections of Hendrix and the project
including JHE bassist Noel Redding; drummer Mitch Mitchell; manager Chas Chandler, who discovered Hendrix after he left the Animals; drummer Buddy Miles, who appeared on the album and later went on to work with Hendrix in The Band of Gypsys; Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady; Steve Winwood and Dave Mason from Traffic; and others who participated in the Electric Ladyland sessions that took place at Olympic studios in London and The Record Plant in New York. One of the highlights of the program includes a session with original Electric Ladyland engineer Eddie Kramer, who discusses the techniques Hendrix, Mitchell and Redding employed in recording Electric Ladyland and playing some of the original multitrack tapes to illustrate the process.
Originally produced in 1997 as the premiere episode of the acclaimed Classic Albums television series, The Making of Electric Ladyland
is newly edited with expanded features and almost 40 minutes of
additional content not seen in the original feature. While the DVD is
offered as a stand-alone title, a Deluxe CD + DVD Collector’s Edition
that includes The Making of… DVD along with the classic Electric Ladyland CD offers consumers both the expository look at Electric Ladyland
as well as the actual album, which ranks as one of the most significant
projects in the Hendrix canon. All Music Guide, Blender and Rolling
Stone have all awarded Electric Ladyland five (out of five) stars, as it has been firmly ensconced in the pantheon of rock’s greatest achievements for 40 years.
