Jimi Hendrix Music:

Crash Landing Track Listing:
1. Message to Love
2. Over the Rainbow
3. Crash Landing
4. Come Down Hard on Me
5. Peace in Mississippi
6. With the Power
7. Stone Free Again
8. Captain Coconut

Crash Landing Reviews:
The Alan Douglas Chronicles: 8 out of 10
2008-10-02 - Crash Landing was my first exposure to Jimi Hendrix when I was around 8 years old (in 1978). After my father mentioned how amazing Jimi was I perused my father's record collection and discovered this album. In total innocence, I put on side two that opened with a devastating track entitled "Peace In Mississippi". Of course, my dad's stereo was already cranked up when the needle dropped and Jimi's completely fuzzed-out guitar just blew my head off. I could not believe a guitar could be THAT FRIGGIN' LOUD!! Crash Landing is a great introduction to the Hendrix legacy as far as I'm concerned, as I had no idea about the "session musicians" that Douglas dubbed onto these tracks and as an 8 year old I didn't care. Frequently I listened to this album for years and still own this ancient LP to this day.

Now in 2008, the question is raised whether Alan Douglas diminished the value of these recordings by using Jeff Minirov for rhythm guitar and adding Bob Bobbit on bass duties with Alan Schwartzberg behind the drum kit. My answer is: NO. In fact, I believe that by 1975 Hendrix would've been working with loads of session musicians (perhaps even the ones who grace this album) at his juncture. When Douglas claims that this was the direction Jimi was heading before his death, I am inclined to believe him. Hendrix used a rhythm guitarist at the Woodstock Festival in his Gypsies, Suns & Rainbows outfit as well as an elaborate rhythm section with percussion. As I listen to my new CD version now, I am struck by how the tight & funky Bobbit/Schwartzberg rhythm section brings these Hendrix tracks right to the mid-70's. The bass & drums are recorded in a way that could only come from the mid-70's: tight, punchy and full of compression. In these regards, the Douglas mixes succeed in updating Hendrix to the soul, funk & fusion of 1975.

While I prefer the live Band Of Gypsies versions of Message To Love & With The Power, these are nice beefy versions Douglas has conjured from the archives. The title track has a deeply underground street soul-funk vibe to it that has some affinity with Superfly-era Curtis Mayfield in subject matter. There is a sort dark tragic vibe that permeates through this album, whether intentional or not. Hendrix's voice sounds deeper than usual and even pessimistic in its tone. It's as if Jimi wasn't feeling too upbeat during these sessions and sings like he's kind of pissed off. His guitar playing is EXTREMELY pissed off in sections, but very funky and soulful throughout.

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" is a great psychadelic blues with haunting (pessimistic) lyrics and great delay drenched guitar leads. "Come Down Hard On Me" is another funky blues thang that brings Jimi back to the basics with clean and compressed guitar tones. Jimi's lead playing is just so tasteful on this track and you can really hear Albert King's influence. The aforementioned "Peace In Mississippi" is just as lethal as when I first heard it as a kid. Listen for the screaming feedback attack during the track's closing guitar solo and tell me that doesn't blow your head clean off. "Stone Free Again" is a nice mid-70's take on the classic with Jimi's processed vocals adding a nice touch. "Captain Coconut" comes from the flamenco head of an earlier jam called "Villanova Junction" performed at the Woodstock Festival. Douglas imaginatively juxtaposes the Bobbit/Schwartzberg unit with various Hendrix guitar-solo tracks until culminating in a wonderful psychadelic swirl of backwards guitar-tracks and other madness before fading out. As a kid I used to love "Captain Coconut", and as a middle aged man I still do.

All in all, I think what Alan Douglas did with these tracks was brave and very imaginatively done. Every track is expertly & expressively mixed, arranged and mastered. Bobbit's bass and Schwartzberg's kick/snare drum have a particularly nice punch together, making for quite a ballsy rhythm section that could only be a product of the mid-70's (as I've said before). At the end of the day, I think that Hendrix would've applauded Douglas' efforts too. On these merits, I rate Crash Landing an 8 out of 10 in comparison with Hendrix's greatest works.

For collectors only.
2008-02-04 - When I was in high school, this album came out, and created a storm of controversy. At the time my friends and I were not clear about the detail of this album's production. We were still straining to grab whatever pieces of Hendrix' music we could. Cry of Love, Rainbow Bridge, War Heros, etc. were still fairly new. But the treasure house was running dry. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a new Hendrix album! Some of us thought that Hendrix may have faked his death, and was holed up in a studio recording new music.

Then we bought the album and listened to it.

Douglas gave it his best shot, I guess. It was a bold move on his part; and a lot of the production was unprecidented. A considerable technical accomplishment. It would have been better had he got musicians who, like Mitch Mitchel, etc. had actually played with Hendrix. In fact, on the Rainbow Bridge film soundtrack, Mitchel had to re-do his drum parts. I understand he nailed it in one take. It would have made sense to have him on the project.

There's very little on this that is truly memorable. I have only the vaguest memory of much of this music. It actually makes me sad to listen to.

There was a line Hendrix sang on Somewhere Over the Rainbow: "Pretty soon they're gonna wrap me up in cellophane and sell me". I guess they did - especially considering all that crappy merchandise that Janie Hendrix and Experience Hendrix LLC has for sale.

I wonder if it would have been possible to record the sound of Hendrix spinning in his grave?

full of overdubs
2007-12-02 - While I do and did enjoy this recordings it is important to understand that in fact the album was put together using various tracks in various forms of completion. Message of Love With the Power are kept pretty much in tact to how they were recorded. Over the rainbow ,stone free again, Peace in Mississippi,come hard down on me baby uses the basic same song structure but new modern bass and drums. If you want to hear how they were recorded check out the box set or south saturn Delta. Captain Coconut was actually part of jam that was edited using another jam. So I guess if you are purist you don't want this cd. If you collect you love it. At the time when this and Midnight Lightning came out it was sold as new unreleased hendrix with lots of excitement. The new producer claimed that this was the "new direction" I guess it could have been worse and I am sure most are familar enough with the story behind these tracks

gigantic jimi fan
2007-07-03 - Unfortunately the enjoyment of listening to more jimi tracks is ruined by the unsympathetic backing musicians, I was so disappointed when I bought this album, it just hung on the shelf gathering dust, pretty much any other jimi hendrix album will be more satisfying... especially the albums released whilst he was alive, and his live offerings.

Best Hendrix Album - Crash Landing
2007-04-11 - I have listened to many Hendrix albums and some songs suit the mood and I flick through different tracks. I'm not going into anything technical here. But in terms of pure listening pleasure this album never fails to get me inpsired. Every track is a blast and its my favourite Hendrix album. In particlular the lead break on stone free I haven't heard on other albums, dolly dagger and message of love are real stand outs - In fact I'm gonna listen to it again now! Honestly, I can't undertsand the poor reviews.