BBC Sessions
All surviving BBC radio tracks plus rare UK TV soundtracks from the Experience.
Released on June 2, 1998 by MCA Records, BBC Sessions captures every surviving track from The Jimi Hendrix Experience's appearances on British radio programs like Saturday Club and Top Gear. Recorded in 1967, these sessions showcase the band's unique live-in-studio sound with limited overdubbing. Beyond standard tracks, the collection features the only two surviving UK TV soundtracks: a clip of "Manic Depression" from Late Night Line Up and the complete 1969 Lulu Show appearance. This album offers a revealing glimpse into their early repertoire, including covers of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" and Bob Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"
Quick Facts
- Artist
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- Released
- 2 June 1998
- Recorded
- 1967, 1969
- Studio
- BBC studios
- Genre
- Rock
- soul
- blues
- Label
- MCA
- Producer
- Janie Hendrix
- Eddie Kramer
- John McDermott
Lore & Background
The BBC tradition required bands to record quickly in a studio, relying on their live sound with minimal overdubbing. The Experience utilized this format to record songs outside their main repertoire, creating unique versions of blues standards and originals. The album includes three versions of "Driving South," which incorporates guitar lines derived from Albert Collins' "Frosty" (1962) and "Thaw Out" (1965). It also features distinct takes of "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man," "Catfish Blues," "Hound Dog," and two versions of "Hear My Train A Comin'." The collection preserves the band's only known studio recording of Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" alongside amusing novelty tracks like a parody of a BBC Radio 1 jingle titled "Radio One."
Reader's Guide
Fans should note that personnel credits vary slightly across specific tracks. While Mitch Mitchell played drums for most sessions, Stevie Wonder takes over on "Jammin'" and "I Was Made to Love Her." Alexis Korner contributes slide guitar specifically on "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man," while Noel Redding handles bass guitar and backing vocals throughout. The 2010 re-release package included two digitally remastered sound discs, a DVD of footage from the recording sessions, and 22 pages of program notes. For those tracking chart performance, the original release peaked at No. 50 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 42 on the UK Albums Chart.
Track listing
Disc one
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foxey Lady | 3:00 |
| 2 | Alexis Korner Introduction | 0:28 |
| 3 | Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? (Bob Dylan) | 3:32 |
| 4 | Rhythm and Blues World Service | 0:12 |
| 5 | (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man (Willie Dixon) | 5:30 |
| 6 | Traveling with the Experience | 0:22 |
| 7 | Driving South (Curtis McNear Curtis Knight) | 5:31 |
| 8 | Fire | 2:42 |
| 9 | Little Miss Lover | 2:58 |
| 10 | Introducing the Experience | 0:51 |
| 11 | Burning of the Midnight Lamp | 3:43 |
| 12 | Catfish Blues (Robert Petway) | 5:29 |
| 13 | Stone Free | 3:26 |
| 14 | Love or Confusion | 2:54 |
| 15 | Hey Joe (Billy Roberts) | 4:02 |
| 16 | Hound Dog (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) | 2:43 |
| 17 | Driving South (McNear) | 4:49 |
| 18 | Hear My Train A Comin | 5:00 |
Disc two
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purple Haze | 3:17 |
| 2 | Killing Floor (Chester Arthur Burnett Howlin' Wolf) | 2:28 |
| 3 | Radio One | 1:34 |
| 4 | Wait Until Tomorrow | 2:55 |
| 5 | Day Tripper (Lennon–McCartney) | 3:25 |
| 6 | Spanish Castle Magic | 3:08 |
| 7 | Jammin | 3:24 |
| 8 | I Was Made to Love Her (Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy) | 3:05 |
| 9 | Foxey Lady | 2:59 |
| 10 | A Brand New Sound | 0:54 |
| 11 | Hey Joe (Roberts; alternate take) | 2:58 |
| 12 | Manic Depression | 3:11 |
| 13 | Driving South (McNear; alternate take) | 3:22 |
| 14 | Hear My Train A Comin (alternate take) | 5:03 |
| 15 | A Happening for Lulu | 0:20 |
| 16 | Voodoo Child (Slight Return) | 4:09 |
| 17 | Lulu Introduction | 0:23 |
| 18 | Hey Joe (Roberts) | 2:44 |
| 19 | Sunshine of Your Love (Pete Brown, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton) | 1:17 |
| 20 | Burning of the Midnight Lamp (2010 reissue bonus track) | 4:31 |
Did You Know?
- The 2010 re-release added the bonus track 'Burning of the Midnight Lamp,' recorded on August 24, 1967.
- Some material from these sessions was previously released in 1988 by Rykodisc under the title Radio One.
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