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On April 26, 1969, Jimi Hendrix took the stage at the Los Angeles Forum with the original lineup of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding. While songs from the show have been released in the past on Lifelines (1990) and The Jimi Hendrix Concerts (1989), the entire concert has never been officially issued in its entirety. That changes on November 18 with the Experience Hendrix/Legacy Recordings release of Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 on CD, 2LP, and digital formats. The album arrives just days before what would have been Jimi Hendrix's 80th birthday on November 27, 2022. The first single, the live "I Don't Live Today," is currently streaming.
The Forum in Inglewood, California - today known as The Kia Forum - opened in 1967 to house The Los Angeles Kings hockey team and Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, but promoters quickly saw the value of using the arena for rock concerts. Aretha Franklin and Cream both played there in 1968, the latter with Deep Purple opening. Hendrix was supported in April 1969 by Chicago Transit Authority (on the cusp of becoming just Chicago) and Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys. (Hendrix famously praised Chicago's lead guitarist, Terry Kath.) The tickets topped out at a whopping $6.50 (or $51.20, adjusted for inflation) for the triple-bill.
The Experience balanced crowd-pleasers such as "Purple Haze" and "Foxey Lady" with more experimental material while trying to control a raucous crowd anxious to rush the stage. "Red House" was heard at the Forum before its U.S. release, and the Experience members tipped their hat to Cream with a medley of the British trio's "Sunshine of Your Love" and their own "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)." Four months before he played Woodstock, Hendrix was experimenting with "The Star-Spangled Banner." The opening, "Tax Free," was an instrumental from the Swedish duo Hansson and Carlsson with whom the Experience had shared bills in Stockholm.
The album was recorded by Wally Heider and Bill Halverson and newly mixed for this release by Eddie Kramer. Journalist Randy Lewis has penned the new liner notes while ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons (who attended the Forum show and toured with Hendrix as a member of The Moving Sidewalks) offers a foreword.
Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 hits stores on November 18 from Legacy Recordings and Experience Hendrix. You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969 (Experience Hendrix/Legacy, 2022) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
- Intro
- Tax Free
- Foxey Lady
- Red House
- Spanish Castle Magic
- Star Spangled Banner
- Purple Haze
- I Don't Live Today
- Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
- Sunshine of Your Love
- Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
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One can get jaded with all the Hendrix releases but this is a GREAT show. So glad to see this one finally released.
Great news. The entire show made new by Eddie Kramer, that guy has had an amazing trip.
I'll be interested in hearing the entire show (and I always enjoy these Second Disc bulletins, thanks), but one side question: to what are you referring when you state that "'Red House' was heard at the Forum before its U.S. release..."? The studio version, at least, had been released here almost 2 years prior, on the 'Are You Experienced' LP.
Thanks, NL. “Red House” was not included on the American release of “Are You Experienced;” the song would finally appear in the U.S. in July 1969 on “Smash Hits.”
There was SOMETHING telling me that my question was inaccurate - - have I been listening to the UK release for too long? (Ironic, because I now recall that as a youngster, 'Smash Hits' was actually the first of his LPs I owned, and 'R. H.' stood out as a marginally-familiar but striking song).
Thank you for the clarifying reminder, Joe!
a very much welcomed release. this was going to be a 2 lp back in 69 as mike jeffreys felt it would be awhile to a new studio lp.red house surfaced on the expanded hendrix in the west lp. what was going to issued this year was a 4 cd titled electric ladyland studio sessions , 69/70 ..looks like that on the back burner for now. next year it will be issued tho. on the experience hendrix site there is a full version of i dont live today from this new release.
With the exception of "Foxy Lady" the rest was released as the 4th disc to "Lifelines - The Jimi Hendrix Story"
This is a great performance marred by the audience's rush to get rough. I'd prefer a complete refreshed San Diego '69 set instead of the way they scattered performances over a few boxes & compilations. Yes, I know about the Stages edition, but it deserves its own 2 lp release.
I already knew this was one of Jimi Hendrix's best live performance.I acquired the concert on Life Lines release that came as four cassettes in a box about twenty four years ago.I used to listen to this every night on my truck when I was a driver.So happy to hear it is being released on its on complete format.And what a big surprise to hear that Billy Gibbons was there.Thats awesome
Room Full of Mirrors was on the original Los Angeles Forums bootleg
It was one of his best live performances of Room Full of Mirrors yet we don’t see it on this albums version. Is this version available anywhere?
Thanks
Peace and love
hi. your referring to the 1970 show.