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Are these Hendrix's best 11 tracks?

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by Jason Sidwell, Guitar Techniques magazine

Manic Depression
While there is no evidence that Jimi Hendrix actually suffered from bipolar disorder, he certainly nailed an appropriate zig-zagging mood on this explosive, waltz-time(!) cut. As much as Hendrix dominates the song, with his usual scorching soloing and an exaggerated singing style that sometimes spills over the meter, drummer Mitch Mitchell's somersault-like approach to the ¾-time arrangement is a breathtaking mini-course in jazz, rock and blues.
Fact! Manager Chas Chandler told Hendrix that he sounded 'manic depressive' at a press conference. The next day, Jimi wrote this song.

by Joe Bosso, MusicRadar

Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
An intense blues heavily-influenced by Muddy Waters' Rollin Stone, Electric Ladyland's closing track is one of Hendrix most self-mythologizing epics. Here he chops down a mountain "with the edge of my hand" and promises to meet us in the next world ("don't be late!") – prescient, given its place on his final fully-realised album. It's the band performance that makes it: a sound that's near exploding in its own frenzy and a song that you should never, ever attempt to cover.
Fact! It's Joe Satriani's favourite Jimi track: "It's just the greatest piece of electric guitar work ever recorded. In fact, the whole song could be considered the holy grail of guitar expression and technique. It is a beacon of humanity."
Watch! Live on BBC TV January 1969, Saturday night prime time.

by Michael Leonard, MusicRadar

Red House
Songwriting genius aside, it's Hendrix's guitar playing that made him famous. If, then, you're in the mood for some untethered and raw blues soloing, 12-bar Red House is the perfect musical plate from which to enjoy Jimi's skills. The piece is such a classic that it's become a blues standard, having been covered by Buddy Guy, Gary Moore, John Lee Hooker, Albert King and more.
Fact! Red House didn't make it onto the US release of Are You Experienced. Why? According to Jimi, the label claimed "America doesn't like blues". Quite. And guitar groups are on their way out, Mr Epstein

by Chris Wickett, MusicRadar

Are these 11 songs the ultimate Jimi Hendrix playlist? Should we have included Purple Haze, Hey Joe or others?

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