You probably know that Jimi Hendrix’s second album was called Electric Ladyland and also that there is a famous recording studio called Electric Ladyland Studios in New York’s Greenwich Village.
A new documentary, Electric Lady Studios: A vision of Jimi Hendrixtells the story of the connection between the two: in 1968, Hendrix commissioned the studio with specifications specifically tailored to his recording process.
The place, formerly a nightclub on West 8th Street, had far less promising beginnings.
The studio’s two-year production process was turbulent, marked by stops and starts. Investors constantly ran out of money, sometimes having to ask the owner of Max’s Kansas City or Hendrix himself for additional funds to pay salaries, sometimes Hendrix had to perform concerts just to earn money to pay the crew.
Then, in 1970, the studio finally opened, and Hendrix spent a few weeks recording there while construction was still underway. These sessions produced the first part of Hendrix’s Tupac-like posthumous work, including songs like “Angel” and “Freedom,” although most of Hendrix’s better-known work appeared on the albums before that.
At the end of the year, Hendrix was dead. But despite some uncertainties, the studio survived him and still exists today.
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The documentary, directed by John McDermott and produced by Hendrix’s sister Janie Hendrix, focuses primarily on this short period of time, featuring several people involved in its creation as commentators. Aside from Steve Winwood and a few supporting musicians, most of the people interviewed are not exactly famous, but the stories are outstanding nonetheless.
I would probably watch another documentary just about the history of the studio and all the people who have cycled there over the years, in the tradition of 2021 Under the volcano or 2013 Muscle swarms. The view is more limited, but still fascinating.
Electric Lady Studios: A vision of Jimi Hendrix will premiere Friday at New York’s Quad Cinema, just a few blocks from the studio, with subsequent releases in various cities throughout the late summer and early fall. There will also be a companion box set of tracks Hendrix recorded during these 1970 sessions.
