Jimi Hendrix

As we all know by now, Jimi Hendrix left behind more unreleased material than just about any other rock artist. Some tracks have rated as all-time classics ("Angel," "Izabella," "Drifting," etc.), while others should have remained in the vaults (such as the full-length albums Crash Landing and Voodoo Soup, two collections that were near-criminally touched up by then-Hendrix keeper Alan Douglas). The out-of-print War Heroes (currently only available on CD as an import from Europe) is one of the few consistent compilations of unreleased Hendrix, and has since been replaced by two recently released albums, First Rays of the New Rising Sun and South Saturn Delta. Highlights include "Beginning" (which contains a riff almost identical to the Stones' "Bitch"), "Highway Chile," and "Izabella," a track premiered on a Dick Cavett TV show a year before Jimi's untimely death. However, not all of the material is up to snuff, such as the nonsensical "Three Little Bears" and "Midnight," an overtly indulgent instrumental. If you're a newcomer to Hendrix, don't start here, but if you're a serious Jimi fan searching for some interesting obscurities, War Heroes is definitely worth the price. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide