Although one can never really tell what would have happened had Jimi Hendrix released his potential fourth album had he survived his early death in 1970, this is likely one of the closest results to that we can ever hear. Indeed, this album’s title was a working title for an upcoming album that Jimi himself was recording just before his passing on 18 September 1970. Sadly, Jimi Hendrix is no longer with us, and this album was put together by his family’s company, Experience Hendrix. Therefore, this is not exactly what Jimi would have wanted us to hear, but it is still worth observing, given the man’s legacy as a guitarist and musician extraordinaire. Recorded mostly with Billy Cox on bass guitar (from Jimi’s Band Of Gypsy’s) and Mitch Mitchell (from The Jimi Hendrix Experience), this also features a huge array of guest musicians who were familiar with Jimi Hendrix at the time. The songs on this album were mostly recorded between 1969-1970. The album was produced by Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, Mitch Mitchell and John Jansen. The album was released on 22 April 1997 on MCA Records. It consists of 17 songs and runs for nearly 70 minutes. Let’s take a listen to this release, and hopefully it will have some of the Jimi Hendrix magic to it all.

1. Freedom begins with some loud and excellent electric guitar, launching into a superb and overlooked tune by Jimi Hendrix. It sounds really fantastic and is a supercharged and determined listening experience throughout. A really very cool listen throughout that has attitude, power and fine guitar playing throughout. Jimi sings and plays in a superb, cool way that impresses the listener heavily. Absolutely magical and awesome music, this sounds like a real trip musically. Jimi Hendrix was definitely a cut above the competition. The guitar solo throughout is a winner as well. A very, very cool music statement from a guitar often considered the greatest. This leads into a powerful and monstrous finale to hear. An awesome and majestic tune from the guitarist extraordinaire. Brilliant song. Very, very good to hear.

2. Izabella begins with maracas and guitars, alongside some Syd Barrett-style vocal sounds. It enters into a good tune, although far and away from being the best by Jimi Hendrix. Still, it sounds very good for what it is. The sounds and guitar playing throughout are absolutely fantastic to hear. This music is powerful, punchy and different. The guitar solo on this one is blistering and full of original pinch harmonics to hear. A good listen, even if it isn’t the best Hendrix ever did. A nicely layered and crafted tune by Jimi, this still has some outstanding guitar work on it. A seriously good listen, once again. Awesome stuff. The soloing on his Fender Stratocaster is legendary.

3. Night Bird Flying has some interesting guitars, reminiscent of Red House and launches into a really quite good ballad style tune by Jimi Hendrix. This sounds really fantastic, even if it is not up to scratch compared to some of Jimi’s earlier works. Still, undeniably enjoyable and great to listen to. Jimi Hendrix oozes originality and creativity all over these songs. Even if this isn’t his best, it is Jimi at his most incredibly intelligent. Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell play a fantastic rhythm section throughout, and Jimi himself is on absolute fire throughout. A searing and enjoyable piece of music finesse, Jimi Hendrix was one of the guitar greats. Period. An absolutely awesome tune to hear, this reveals Jimi Hendrix in a class of his own. The use of a variety of Fender Stratocaster tones and sounds makes for a truly awesome listen. A very, very good listening experience. Sublime. It fades out nicely.

4. Angel begins with lush guitars and cymbals being played. This sounds imaginative and beautiful throughout. It quickly launches into a super sweet and mellow tune that showcases Jimi Hendrix as the greatest Fender Stratocaster player to walk this earth. This song is gorgeously beautiful and majestic, with a real Rock God music feel to it all. A truly pretty and gorgeous tune, this is a fantastic and articulate tune with some of the most surreal imagery throughout. This is very much Jimi Hendrix speaking from his grave. Nonetheless, this tune sounds absolutely wonderful to listen to. An absolute gem of a song, may Jimi live on forever. This music is Surreal, Psychedelic and very reflective of its time. Who knows what Jimi would have done had he survived? No matter, this little gem is truly amazing to hear. The drumming by Mitch Mitchell is very decent as well, and Billy Cox plays some great bass guitar. This speeds up towards the end, and concludes gradually with a great guitar solo section and fade out, with a fade back in briefly to conclude.

5. Room Full Of Mirrors begins with some weird guitar parts, reminiscent of the late 1960s, and quickly launches into a gloriously fuzzy tune. Jimi Hendrix is at his tripped-out best here, and he delivers a joyous and interesting music statement. This sounds more evolved and different compared to previous works by Jimi Hendrix, and follows a wacky and LSD inspired listening experience throughout. The yeah-yeah-yeah vocals and guitar solos throughout are absolutely fantastic to hear. This has some unique, fresh and sweet playing throughout on the Fender Stratocaster. Jimi comes alive on this song, and he speaks from the grave. Absolutely fantastic music to hear, and is quite a short listening experience at just over three minutes in length. The weird slide guitar parts at the end sound cool. A great listen, with a fade out and return fade in to conclude. Nice.

6. Dolly Dagger begins with some unusual percussion, and launches into a bass-heavy and dirty groove, launching into a sweet and nicely textured tune at hand that sounds deliciously glorious. This tune has original guitars, surreal lyrics and a genuinely cool groove about it all. An absolutely top tune, Jimi Hendrix plays wonderfully and expressively throughout. A very dark and unusual song to listen to. Jimi plays a superb and beautifully melodic guitar solo on this one. A seriously amazing listen throughout. Jimi Hendrix sings and plays a menacing and dark Rock Music tune that still sounds as fresh, exciting and musically great as it did back in 1970. A really top listen, this has a wall-of-sound sort of layering and textures that sound absolutely sweet. The harmony-based singing throughout is awesome, too. A powerful and nicely layered listen with some of the best singing and playing by Jimi. A very cool listen, with screaming and wailing guitar solos and smooth singing to conclude with the long fade out. Very, very cool. A top tune.

7. Ezy Ryder is a likely reference to the Hippie film released in 1969. It begins with some awesome percussion-based sounds and guitars galore, along with organ and mean bass guitar playing. It quickly launches into a smooth and awesome tune to hear. This music is a sweet and sensationally cool listen. It has some neat and top-notch down-tuned guitar parts that sound incredibly good. Jimi Hendrix wasn’t just a great guitarist, he was a musician extraordinaire. A really top tune, and one of the best so far from this neat compilation release. With references to getting stoned and other wacky events, this is a real winner. The guitar playing sounds incredible on this song, and Jimi flies higher than most musicians on this song. His ability to create detailed, interesting and consistently good music leads this to a higher level of sound. The harmonies are great, too. A definite trip and sound to listen to. Absolutely awesome stuff to hear. Excellent. It has an unusual outro.

8. Drifting is a sweet and melodic tune from the start, with mellow Fender Stratocaster guitar parts, deep bass guitar work and subtle drumming. Jimi Hendrix sings sweetly on this song, and he sounds like an amazing and original musician of the best out there, to this very day. The backwards guitar parts are also a nice touch to hear. Jimi does a great job of creating a sensationally wonderful textured tune to hear. A really cool piece of sound, Jimi was obviously getting better and better at his musicianship throughout his brief lifetime. The sounds and music throughout this song are really quite amazing to hear. This sounds ridiculously good to hear. A gorgeous tune to listen to, this indeed sounds very wonderfully gorgeous and imaginative. Towards the end, we have some amazingly intricate guitars that are multitracked, followed by a quick fade out. Brilliant.

9. Beginnings begins with some loud and excellent Fender Stratocaster work, followed quickly by the rest of the band. It sounds simple, Blues based and enjoyable to hear musically. An absolutely top tune, it quickly launches into a great Rock Music groove with a shuffle feel to it all. A very cool listen, and an instrumental that sounds extraordinary. This quickly changes into a guitar solo section that sounds absolutely top. A really cool and amazing tune to listen to. In the middle of this tune is a neat drum solo-style section that builds up excitement and momentum throughout. Jimi knew exactly where he was going, even later on in his short lifetime. All in all, a very original and sweet piece of music to listen to. A thoroughly great song to hear. This music is supercharged and powerful as well, and Jimi Hendrix and friends knew exactly how to impress the listener. A great instrumental by Jimi Hendrix from start to finish.

10. Stepping Stone begins with some 60-cycle hum, upbeat guitar and Jimi singing about having the Blues. This enters into an absolutely superb tune that has power, punch and finesse throughout. This sort of music may seem dated today, but it still sounds powerful, impressive and original at the time of writing. Jimi Hendrix’s ability to create and manifest original music and explorational guitar playing makes him a pioneer, in the best sense of the word. A glorious tune to listen to, this music still sounds amazing to this very day. Jimi could play guitar unlike anyone else, and his impressive guitar soloing counts. He plays a sensational and fantastic tune with some interesting and punchy guitar solos that will blow your mind to pieces. A really sensational and fantastic song, Jimi Hendrix plays a mean guitar. This eventually wraps up with multitracked guitar solos, a drastic uptempo change and intricate musicianship from all. Top. It ends suddenly.

11. My Friend begins with the sound of an old school bar, with the sound of someone knocking their drink over and background chatter. It quickly launches into a strange and very Bluesy tune by Jimi Hendrix. This tune sounds quite awesome, although it is very uncharacteristic of Jimi sonically. Even so, this can be applauded for its adventurous characteristics. This music is a sweet and interesting tune. Jimi Hendrix sounds sweet and inviting throughout, although he is trying to win every woman out there to his cause in a womanising way. No matter, this is a very good song to listen to. The harmonica is also an odd touch, but it does sound really different and interesting throughout. An awesome listen, although this is pure Blues Music for alcoholics. Regardless, this tune is a pure, solid gold winner throughout. A cool tune, with some dirty and rather explicit lyrics throughout. A decent listen. It ends with some bar-styled chatter, once again.

12. Straight Ahead launches into a glorious wah-wah guitar piece with extraordinary harmonies by Jimi Hendrix. This sounds sweet and great throughout. The drumming is sensationally good as well. Jimi sings in a very direct way, and he sounds like a real groovy Hippie throughout. Singing directly to a metaphorical (or possibly real) lover, he sounds on top form on these songs. Indeed, even after the Electric Ladyland (1968) album, Jimi Hendrix was still evolving his musical craft. This is a much more lyrical song at hand. However, even so, the music accompaniment is gloriously good. Jimi launches into a wah-wah drenched guitar solo section that sounds really amazing. A sensationally sweet and interesting listen, Jimi certainly knew how to impress his core audience and listeners. This is very much Jimi Hendrix speaking from the grave, and sadly, he never lived to see these songs being properly released in his name. A sensational piece of wah-wah-based guitar playing, this is an underrated and extraordinary musical effort. Fantastic to hear throughout. It ends with gargantuan drum rolls and wah-wah guitars galore. Sweet. It fades out, then fades back in again.

13. Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) is an extended piece at over six minutes long. It begins with an ascending guitar part, and sounds very unusual indeed. This quickly launches into a thunderous piece of music that sounds a lot like The Who. This tune is very different to much of what early Jimi Hendrix was about. It quickly launches into a great instrumental section with sleigh bells, quirky guitar playing and powerful drumming. This is an exciting and interesting listening experience throughout. Not a dull moment is present here. Jimi Hendrix then asks if the microphone is on, before he gets singing very nicely indeed. Jimi sings nicely about coming from the land of the new rising sun to a lady at hand. This is good and different to hear. It still points to relatively uncharted territory for Jimi Hendrix. A good listen, through and through. This sounds very sweet and amazing throughout. The sounds and playing that Jimi Hendrix was doing at this point were quite unlike anyone else’s guitar work before or since. An absolutely awesome tune to listen to, this sounds sweet and emotionally powerful to listen to. Sure, it is a bit lengthy as a song, but it still works nicely. A great listening experience that does not disappoint. It ends with some sweet singing by Jimi and guitar work that sounds exceptionally good to hear. It ends chaotically.

14. Earth Blues begins with some interesting guitar work in the left channel, followed by some unusual guitar in the right channel, and a powerful rhythm section to match. Jimi Hendrix sings well here, and this is a strange tune, especially with the harmonies in the chorus. Jimi plays like the immortal music legend that he is. Indeed, he had a wonderful ability to craft original and unique sounds, particularly with his guitar playing. This music is a wonderful experience to listen to, and to get your imagination working very well. In the midsection is a fantastic guitar solo section that is multitracked and stereo panned. Jimi’s voice is heavily treated throughout, and he almost sounds like he is autotuned, except that autotune wasn’t around back in those days. All the same, this is a nice and adventurous slice of the best Rock Music of the day. An excellent listen, warts and all. Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox match this song very nicely on the drums and bass guitar respectively. A solid tune to listen to. It ends chaotically.

15. Astro Man begins with thumping bass guitar, loose drumming and enters into a strange tune at hand. This is about a superhero (Astro Boy, anyone?) matched with some super cool musicianship. Jimi Hendrix and crew play a mean tune. Even if this isn’t an official Jimi Hendrix album, it is very much near it as a posthumous release. The group play like they are on fire here, and this short and interesting song sounds far out, man. Jimi Hendrix plays some mean guitar licks galore that will take you by surprise. A really cool and interesting listen, this does sound a bit musically formulaic by Jimi at this stage. All the same, the three men who play here keep this music alive. Jimi’s death sadly meant that it took a long time for these tunes to see the light of day. Nonetheless, another good song. Worth hearing.

16. In From The Storm begins with some brief talk, and loud drums leading into a strange yet good tune with down-tuned guitars. Jimi Hendrix sounds amazing and thoroughly good on this song. He sounds extremely cool and delivers a Fender Stratocaster piece that also sounds really sweet and amazing throughout. A dark, dirty-sounding piece of music that has some high-end guitar solos and unusual harmonies throughout. In the midsection, this tune drastically changes into a sped-up jam section that is really very cool. Jimi sings about the stormy weather and walking back home to a lover, over some of the spaciest music that you will ever hear. All in all, yet another superb tune by one of the greatest guitarists to walk this earth. The wah-wah soloing throughout is intense and insanely good. This wraps up with some melodic wah-wah guitar to finish.

17. Belly Button Window is the final song on this album, and begins as a slow Blues Music boogie. Jimi Hendrix sings sweetly on this song, and he sounds like he is lamenting about life itself. This is a good finish to a decent album release, and it articulates some of the best elements of his recordings from this time. No drums or bass guitar, just multitracked guitars and vocals present on this tune. Jimi sounds like he understands Blues Music very well, and he sings about being resurrected in life. An awesome tune to close things, and very simple throughout. Simplicity is the order of this listen, and it sounds sweet and enjoyable. An awesome listen for what it is. Soft and sweet music.

This is the best representation of what Jimi Hendrix would have likely done as a musician, had he lived long enough to put out a fourth album. It’s definitely not perfect, nor is it a finished product, but having said that, these are unfinished tracks hauled out of Jimi Hendrix’s music vault. Still, this is a solid case for his unique musicianship and artistry. Should you listen to this album? If you love guitar heroes and what they stand for, especially if you love Jimi Hendrix, go for it. If wah-wah guitar solos are not your thing, then stay away.

A great representation of what could have been.

8/10