Ultimate Hendrix

There are a lot of bad Hendrix books out there, but "Ultimate Hendrix" is not one of them. This book is mostly a recounting of Hendrix's daily work as recorded on recording studio logs and concert set lists. If you are looking for sordid tales of of sex, drugs and the rock n roll lifestyle, you won't find much of that here.

Instead you will find the daily routine of someone who loved being in the recording studio, and financed that love with frequent gigs. Hendrix comes across as a bit of a workaholic who is constantly pushed by his boundless creativity and a quest to break new ground with each new recording. Some interesting tidbits come through here and there such as jam sessions with Keith Emerson culminating in a request to have Keith join the band for the "Axis Bold as Love" album. Unfortunately circumstances worked against them and Keith was not able to participate on the recording.

Its also interesting to read about Jimi wandering through nightclubs in NYC looking for available musicians who can come back to the studio with him and work on new songs. There are also a lot of nice photos as well, some of which have never been shown before.