It’s astonishing – and fortunate – that so much unreleased Jimi Hendrix material exists, given his brief recording career. It seems every time he picked up his guitar in the studio, the Record button was pressed.

The hook here is 38 of the 39 tracks are previously unreleased – different takes, alternate versions or mixes, and demos recorded from June through August of 1970 with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell helping form the new Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix died that September, barely getting to explore his new state-of-the-art facility, which cost $1 million, and this set includes a 90-minute documentary on its creation with interviews and performance footage.

The subtle changes in the new JHE sound are evident throughout, largely thanks to Cox’s R&B-grounded bass, but Mitchell’s drumming evolved, too. “Ezy Rider (Alternate Mix)” is packed with Hendrix’s groovy fills and solos cruising on Cox’s funky bass. “Astro Man (Take 14)” rumbles with lots of heavy-duty rhythm guitar. Part of “Beginnings (Take 5)” is spacey, hard jazz-rock. The intense blues-rock fury of “Tune X”/“Just Came In (Take 8)” is staggering. Another goldmine for Jimi devotees.

This article originally appeared in VG’s December 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.