Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland

by John Perry

Overview

Electric Ladyland is one of the greatest guitar albums ever made. During the recording process, Jimi Hendrix at last had time and creative freedom to pursue the sounds he was looking for. In this remarkable and entertaining book, John Perry gets to the heart of Hendrix's unique talent - guiding the reader through each song on the album, writing vividly about Hendrix's live performances, and talking to several of Hendrix's peers and contemporaries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826415714
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/31/2004
Series:	33 1/3 Series , #8
Pages:	142
Sales rank:	683,603
Product dimensions:	4.75(w) x 6.40(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

John Perry played guitar in the band The Only Ones. He is also the author of the acclaimed book about The Who, Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy.

Editorial Reviews

Music fans love to trumpet their favorite recordings to a sympathetic audience. Continuum has given fans that chance with its quaintly titled "331/3" series, in which the authors wax poetic on the greatness of their favorite LPs from the past 40 years. Though it's unclear how Continuum selected the authors, the musicians and music writers chosen do their subjects proud. Their articulate, well-researched, and passionate cases are a welcome change from the capsule reviews found in most music magazines, which seem intended to show off the reviewers' pithy witticisms rather than to illuminate the merits of the work in question. Interestingly, the authors here take on the qualities one would expect of fans for each artist. For instance, Perry, former guitarist for the Only Ones, gamely tries to explain the technical details of Jimi Hendrix's brilliant playing; Ott, a regular contributor to Pitchforkmedia.com, is serious and dramatic in telling Joy Division's tragic tale; and Vincentelli (music editor, Time Out New York) is a bit defensive in her self-conscious apology of Abba, resorting to tearing down other artists to make her faves look better. While the series is refreshing in its decision to sidestep the usual suspects (e.g., the Beatles' Revolver, the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds), its focus on lesser-known, more cultish albums limits the series' appeal to larger public libraries. Also potentially problematic: the artists' names are not always included in the book titles. Though written for lay readers, "331/3" may get better use, as a whole, in academic libraries.-Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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