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The highly anticipate "People, Hell and Angels," a new collection of previously unreleased Jimi Hendrix songs, goes on sale Tuesday. (Experience Hendrix image)

'New' Jimi Hendrix album gets released Tuesday

BY Josh Kerns  on March 5, 2013 @ 9:19 am

It's Christmas in March for Jimi Hendrix fans, as the latest collection of previously unreleased songs from the Seattle guitar legend comes out Tuesday. And judging from the reaction of fans old and new alike, it's an exceptional collection that showcases where he was going musically at the time of his death.

The 12 tracks that make up "People, Hell and Angels" were recorded in 1968 and 1969 with a collection of noted musicians including Buddy Miles and Stephen Stills as Hendrix sought to branch out from the limits of the Jimi Hendrix Experience - his trio with drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding.

"So you've got some other players involved and I think that it kind of shows the diversity of his playing. I think that it shows the direction he was going, trying to branch out and play with other people," says Janie Hendrix, Jimi's sister and head of Experience Hendrix, the company that oversees Jimi's estate.

Hendrix says Jimi wanted to experiment with a variety of styles and was talking with artists like Miles Davis and Emerson, Lake and Palmer before his untimely death from accidental overdose in 1970 at 27.

"In itself it was a different journey in his music, it was like picking up other characters like the Yellow Brick Road," she says of the recordings made in 1968 and 1969.

"I just think that when you listen to the dozen songs that are on this album they're all different yet they're all so creative and just really does show his evolution in music writing and playing and his versatility as an artist to not only be the front but also to be the mojo man."

While it seems like there's been a nearly endless supply of posthumous recordings, Janie insists she and the other keepers of the estate are extremely critical of what they've released, only putting out the best to preserve his legacy. She says the new album is likely the last studio recording Experience Hendrix will release.

"I think it's really about making sure that his music stays as pure as possible and I think he's proud. I think he knows that we're taking care of what he left behind and that's what he hoped for," she says.

Fans seem to agree. "Somewhere," the first track from the new album, hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Singles chart, proving there's still plenty of demand for Jimi's music.

As for the title, Janie says she discovered the single line "People Hell and Angels" when she was digging through Jimi's archives for last year's "Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Lyric Book". They weren't associated with any song or lyrics, but "it was just kind of like a beacon of light that said 'this is it, this is the title of the album,' so we picked it."

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (10)


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  • Rangerhawk wrote...
    Cant wait for the tour
    March 4, 2013 5:47 pm
    I'm selling tickets on Ebay for only $75! Get em while there hot! (CH)
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Chris Gordon wrote...
    Why They Artificially Chart Dull Hendrix outtakes
    March 4, 2013 9:33 pm
    Very POOR loose jams on this CD, that is INTENTIONAL. The hype on this release all across the internet is ARTIFICIAL. The handful of moguls who orchestrated this are INTENT on drawing attention to POOR Hendrix jam music to CAUSE the public to conclude Jimi is "OVERRATED" - the point is to dwindle and diminish the influence of Hendrix. What are they doing this for? This is ALL ABOUT rockprophecy com - the Hendrix asteroid prediction which is now manifesting. NOTE: The day they released the single song from this CD is the day Russia was hit by asteroid, VALENTINE'S DAY. Also it's when Asteroid DA14 passed - on VALENTINES DAY because Jimi named the asteroid storm coming at us "ELECTRIC LOVE" - so the asteroids appeared on Valentines Day = LOVE. The BRIGHTEST COMET ever seen will arrive CLOSEST to Earth on JIMI'S BIRTHDAY this year - Comet Ison. The details of Jimi's prediction are at rockprophecy com. THAT story is WHY the moguls are DESTROYING interest in Jimi with this hideously bad CD for PEOPLE from HELL - the ANGELS will punish us all with ROCKS Jimi predicted - that's why he was the FIRST to be called "ROCK STAR" as in ASTEROID COMET. It was subliminal recognition by our species of Hendrix as mutation sensing remote view of objects in deep space. As he sang: "Electric Love penetrates the sky, the Mountain falls in the sea, the Sun refuses to shine..." Jimi See today's news - on March 4 ANOTHER asteroid the size of the one that hit Russia came closer than the moon and THREE new comets are on the way.... Prophet Jimi...rockprophecy com
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • BikeNazi wrote...
    Pirate this CD
    March 4, 2013 10:10 pm
    Jimi Hendrix is dead. His family is a bunch of losers wringing his corpse dry. Don't give them one red cent.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • hpitantso wrote...
    BikeNazi wrote... first time for everything....
    March 4, 2013 10:21 pm
    First time I can say I agree with you
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Tyrone DeVille wrote...
    Continuing Attempts to Extort Money
    March 4, 2013 10:34 pm
    from the corpse of a dead drug dealer and drug addict, with minimal to zero talent!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • AZ HAWKSFAN wrote...
    "minimal to zero talent"
    March 5, 2013 11:35 am
    ...not liking his family or his lifestyle is one thing, but "minimal to zero talent" just shows your musical ignorance. He was a genius on the guitar.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Desslok wrote...
    minimal to zero talent?
    March 6, 2013 11:34 am
    So what's it like to go through life and be totally deaf anyway?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    I'm doing the same thing
    March 5, 2013 4:13 am
    when I die I will keep on posting!! Lucky you!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dregstudios wrote...
    Purple Haze
    March 5, 2013 10:38 am
    Everything Rock knows about the guitar after 1970 came from his psychedelic twisting of what the instrument could do. I paid homage to Hendrix with a portrait called Purple Haze on the anniversary of his passing recently. You can see it at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/09/purple-haze-jimi-hendrix.html and tell me how the voodoo child’s music has influenced you!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Alex Mason wrote...
    This just in!
    March 5, 2013 12:24 pm
    Jimi Hendrix...IS DEAD...News at 11.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }