Album Review: People, Hell and Angels

Once more, Experience Hendrix has put together another posthumous album. Their first attempt, First Rays, was their attempt to piece together Jimi's follow up to "Electric Ladyland." The successors to that album have been unreleased material, outtakes, and unfinished songs and "People, Hell and Angels" is no different there. What makes this album different from it's predecessor is the people that are accompanying Jimi on the record.

Like Neptune, there is no single line up of the Jimi Hendrix Experience here, but unlike Neptune, there are far more lineups, and some noteworthy guests. The Cherry People, the Ghetto Fighters, Lonnie Youngblood, and even Stephen Stills are on this album that is presupposed as the direction Jimi was going to take after finishing the tour he was on when he died. This is not an album, but a collection of songs that Jimi recorded over various sessions over the years.

All in all, it is not really fair for this album to be compared to the three full length Experience releases because they were finished products. People is a collection of songs that honestly, have been heard before. When the posthumous releases of the 70's, the official releases, and the Experience Hendrix Posthumous releases are considered, there is very little "new" material here. Some songs are restored (i.e. sessions musicians removed) versions of songs on the 70's records. Some songs are earlier versions of other songs (i.e. "Hey Gypsy Boy" is an earlier version of "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)"), and some songs are alternate versions recorded with different line ups (i.e. "Hear My Train A Comin'" with Band of Gypsys instead of Mitch Mitchell.).  And finally, some songs are brand new with strange line ups (i.e. "Let Me Move You" with Lonnie Youngblood playing Sax and Jimi playing sideman.).

Now that your expectations have been tempered by me, let's get to the meat of the discussion. This album is fantastic.

It's amazing how well this music that was recorded over years, with different line ups, at different studios flows as an album. Furthermore, on this album there is at the very least, the definative version of "Hear My  Train A Comin'." This was recorded just weeks after the version on Neptune. The difference only being the drummer. Buddy Miles was playing drums instead of Mitch Mitchell. On this version the was far tighter and it was just perfect. This single recording was enough to make me long for more with this trio.

Stephen Stills even played on the track "Somewhere." This was supposed to be the beginning of something between the pair as well. This album is a great addition to any collection and it is by far the best of Jimi's posthumous releases.

Year: 2013
Genre: Rock

Tracklisting:

1) Earth Blues
2) Somewhere
3) Hear My Train A Comin'
4) Bleeding Heart
5) Let Me Move You
6) Izabella
7) Easy Blues
8) Crash Landing
9) Inside Out
10) Hey Gypsy Boy
11) Mojo Man
12) Villanova Junction Blues