Though posthumous Jimi Hendrix releases have been fairly regular in recent years, even though the 'Acoustic Ladyland' recordings still haven't officially surfaced for release, the impression is that there isn't much left in the vault. But a new report by Mojo suggests that could be about to change; there's an 'untouched archive'.
It's part of the estate of Mike Jeffery – the late manager of The Animals and co-manager of Hendrix attached to more than his fair share of controversy. His office at 39 Gerrard Street in London’s West End was said to be crammed with memorabilia and recordings but when bailiffs visited they weren't interested in their potential value and it was all left on the floor before being discovered by Jeffery's former assistant and their current custodian Trixie Sullivan.
'Among the archive’s wealth of tapes, all in perfect condition, most are contemporaneous copies of recordings that Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer suspects Experience Hendrix have in their library (“Jimi would have a copy, [producer] Chas [Chandler,co-manager and producer] would have one, and maybe one for Mike,” he says),' writes Mojo.
'One, a 7-inch box labelled in red biro in Hendrix’s own hand, contains early versions – possibly from Mayfair Studios in New York – of songs destined for Axis: Bold As Love, including thrillingly raw versions of Up From The Skies and Ain’t No Telling.'
The music magazine reports that representatives from Experience Hendrix (the company that manages the late guitar legend's estate) have been amongst potential buyers who were booked to view the collection of recordings, letters, telegrams, photos and even a July 1970 Hawaii postcard from Hendrix to Sullivan.
“He was a good guy,” Sullivan remembers of Hendrix. “Very shy. Gentle. They all thought I was having an affair with him but I wasn’t. I wasn’t interested in any of the bands. They were cocky little sods most of them. I was like the big sister clipping them round the ears. Jimi – he was different. He had no idea how good he was.”
Read more at Mojo.
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