Jimi Hendrix the man who learned to play guitar upside down,his guitar that is,due to being left handed,shows us what he's made of on the best compilation of Hendrix available,the remastered Smash Hits,As the legendary rocker Chuck Berry once commented about Hendrix stating he could just flat out play the hell out of that thing,coming from a man who knows,Berry ain't no slacker on guitar himself. This compilation may not have Star Bangled Banner,but it contains the elite Hendrix such as,Hey Joe,Dylan's,All Along The Watchtower,Purple Haze,Foxy Lady,Red House,The Wind Cries Mary and Remember. This is Jimi Hendrix at his ultimate best.(this Amazon overall rating is way underrated,this cd is a classic.)

I'm confused. The LP that I bought when this album came out has exactly the same songs as this re-issue. I guess those who think something is missing must have bought a re-issue with extra cuts. I'm showing my age...

I bought this because my LP is badly scratched and dirty I wouldn't subject my stylus to it even for one play to burn a CD. And anyway that old LP would sound like I had a crackling fire in the background of the music. Hmmmmm, maybe that would be a little nostagic.

Jimi was a great gift to the world and his passing was a sad loss. We have his music to remember him, and to refer back to when we want to see where the likes of Robin Trower, Stevie Ray, and those who came after got their first inspirations.

This is a compilation that you can assemble elsewhere. But maybe if you're like me you had this LP and the order of the songs brings some musty sweet memory back. For the price it was well worth it for me!

Straight to iPod!

ppro

God...if you're going to make a compilation album, you should do it right. Because tweleve songs just is not going to cut it. Sure, the material that's here is great: all instant classics. But what about what isn't there? I don't understand what prompted the makers of this album to exclude "Voodoo Child", "Little Wing", or "Are You Experienced?". Sure, it's still a nice listen, but it was nonetheless thrown together in a very haphazard way.

If you want a great Hendrix compilation, purchase the Experience Hendrix album. Sure, there are even omissions there, but it's the best one will get. But if I were you, I'd buy the albums. Each one is a classic, and even the less famous cuts will make you begging for more.

There are plenty of things about this cd that are good. The songs, and the sound quality come to mind. This cd contains classic songs by Jimi Hendricks such as "Hey Joe" "Foxy Lady" and "All Along the Watch Tower." The sound quality of this cd is great, and it's obvious that the people who remastered it did a good job. Despite all of this, I do have some cons dealing with this cd.
To start off, this cd was released in 1969. During that time, Jimi Hendricks was still recording, and that was the year he went to Woodstock and gave one of his best-known performances. Secondly, most of the songs on this cd are on the remastered version of "Are You Experienced?" or were on the original lp. The ones that are on the original lp are: "Manic Depression," "Purple Haze," "Hey Joe," "The Wind Cries Mary," "Fire," and "Foxy Lady." Others such as "Stone Free," "Remember," "Can You See Me," and "Red House" aare bonus tracks that weren't on the original lp, but are on the remastered version. That covers ten out of twelve songs on this cd. The other two are "All Along the Watch tower" and "Crosstown Traffic" are on his album Electric Ladyland. There are no songs on this cd from Axes Bold As Love such as "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)." Because of all of this, the cd doesn't provide a thorough overview of his career. That's because it was recorded while he was still alive, and it doesn't contain any songs from his Axes: Bold As Love album. Instead of buying this, buy Experience Hendricks instead. It contains some of the same songs as this cd does.

Please ignore the rantings of so many like "why another compilation" and "it's too short" -
This is simply a straight reissue of the great 12-song LP that was in every record store in America for 20 years after it's 1969 release, introducing millions to Jimi's music.
This was THE Hendrix collection while he was still alive.
If you didn't hold the records in your hands back then, and cherish the 30-40 minute LP format, you can't understand.
You're too young, you don't get it, and you shouldn't be reviewing music that was made before you were born.
**Only 2 Hendrix albums have gone Double-Platinum in sales :
Are You Experienced? and SMASH HITS.