Crash Landing review

The 5th posthumous Jimi Hendrix album. Once again, all the songs here have been difficult to track down and with this particular album, apparently the original versions of the song have been altered quite a bit. A lot of my thoughts aren't necessarily on the original recordings from the album, but are versions of the songs. Anyway, here's my thoughts.

Tracks:

1. Message to Love: 7/10 nowhere near as good as the stuff from the first 3 albums, but this picks up in the second half.

2. Somewhere Over the Rainbow: 7/10 I was listening to an awesome track with this title, then it turned out that wasn't the right one. This, the right song, (I think it might actually just be called Somewhere) is fine but it felt like a comedown nonetheless.

3. Crash Landing: 8/10 a far better showcase of vocals, songwriting and guitar playing than the other 2 tracks.

4. Come Down Hard on Me: 7/10 this was on the previous compilation, though under a slightly different name. It's a nice, gentle bit of fun.

5. Peace in Mississippi: 8/10 an excellent instrumental that packs a wallop.

6. With the Power (Power of Soul): 7/10 absolutely solid even if it doesn't blow the roof off.

7. Stone Free Again: 8/10 this song appeared on Are You Experienced. It's a good one; counterculture albums are always fun.

8. Captain Coconut: 8/10 this instrumental is very difficult to find, which is a shame as it showcases some awesome guitar-playing and is an album highlight.

Best song: Peace in Mississippi
Worst song: Message to Love

Summary: I haven't been getting on too well with these Hendrix compilations but this one was considerably better than the last 2. It doesn't blow the roof off and still completely lacks the punch of the first 3 albums, but this time here's a rarity that Hendrix fans might want to discover. There is some pretty good stuff in here and despite the controversy surrounding this album, overall this makes for an interesting listen. The songs on it are difficult to track down in the versions they are on this album though.



Final rating: 7/10