Black Gold (partially found Jimi Hendrix demo tape; 1970)

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Jimi hendrix art.jpg

Artwork of Jimi Hendrix.

Status: Lost

Jimi Hendrix was a legendary 1960s guitarist known for his erratic noisy and bluesy style. Hendrix has cemented himself with influenced artists ranging far and wide. As he unexpectedly died of a drug overdose at age 27, he left a bevy of unreleased material, of which most have seen the light of day.

One particular major recording, titled Black Gold, still hasn't seen release. In 1970, Hendrix recorded a series of 16 songs without his fellow band members in his apartment.[1] At least 9 of these songs were unique recordings that had never been heard before. The songs contained lyrical content that was unusually autobiographical for Hendrix. The last 2 songs were a 2-part funk rock song, "Astro Man", which contained humorous references to Mighty Mouse and Superman.

Hendrix reviewed the recordings with his drummer, Mitch Mitchell. The two talked about expanding the tracks and releasing them. Unfortunately, Hendrix would pass away due to asphyxiation before he would get to do so.[2]

Mitchell would forget about the tapes until 1992 when an avid Hendrix collector named Tony Brown asked him about any unreleased material during an interview. Mitchell remembered the tapes and rediscovered them within his household.[2] Brown made the tapes' existence publicly known for the first time afterward. He claimed that the tapes were an expansion of Hendrix's sound.

Despite massive fan demand, Black Gold has never been released. Janie Hendrix has stated that the tapes would be released "this decade".[3]

References