Rating: 
Summary: Unbiased Biography of Jimi Hendrix
Review: An interesting and well written account of James Allen Hendrix's transformation into "Jimi" and the tremendous influence Chas Chandler had on his development into a major star.
Rating: 
Summary: The Most Even-Handed Hendrix Bio Available
Review: Disclaimer: Huge Hendrix worshipper! When this book appeared in 1992 it was (and still is) the most even-handed biography on Jimi. Previous bios were from either muckrakers who were trying to damage his legacy, or by people who never met him and were trying to make grand statements about his talent. In this book McDermott has taken the time to get first-hand accounts from those who knew Hendrix best, including bandmates and business associates. The most valuable asset here is engineer Eddie Kramer, who was Hendrix's close friend and trusted creative confidant. (However, it seems that Noel Redding was consulted less than other bandmates, possibly because he had a more unflattering story to tell). Getting these valuable first-hand accounts gives us a very balanced view of Jimi's personality, and both sides of the coin are shown. You get the expected admiration for his talent, and the good sides of his personality. You also get the not-so-good parts, such as Jimi's paranoia, insecurities, and appallingly poor business sense. This book is not afraid to give bad reviews of Hendrix's poor live performances with the Experience when they were on the verge of splintering, or with the undeveloped Band of Gypsys. Also, his pathetic death (choking on his own vomit) is not dwelled upon and is treated as the senseless mistake it really was, rather than the noble, romanticized exit from this world (or even suicide) that you'll hear about in other accounts. The excessive details about Hendrix's sloppy business arrangements provide valuable information, even though these passages get very long-winded and detract from the focus of the book - which is the man and his music. Also, be suspicious of character descriptions of people who are not around to give their side of the story. This doesn't apply to Hendrix himself, as described above, but to late manager Michael Jeffery. This man surely left plenty of evidence that he was paranoid and power-hungry, but the descriptions of his personality by the people in the book, most of whom didn't like him, should be treated with suspicion, as he's not around to have his say. To a lesser extent, the same applies to Jimi's sexy but dangerous girlfriend Devon Wilson. The coverage of the posthumous Hendrix musical catalog is getting outdated (fortunately). Certainly after his death, the managers and record companies flooded the market with inferior material, most of which was either impromptu jam sessions or sub-par live performances which were never meant for release. Until the mid-90's this avalanche of so-called "lost" material blurred the brilliance of the smaller amount of official records that Jimi really tailored for the public. This situation has been mostly resolved since 1994 when the Hendrix family finally gained control of the musical copyrights. They've given us great reissues of the official albums, as well as the incredible "First Rays of the New Rising Sun" which consolidates the album Hendrix was creating at the time of his death. But with things like "South Saturn Delta" and "Live at the Fillmore East" the Hendrix family is almost as guilty of barrel-scraping as the bad guys were in the 70's.
Rating:
Summary: It was a pretty good book.
Review: For the most part it was a pretty good book but i was hoping it would show a little bit more dates. It didn't really tell you what year all the things were happening in. If your not a hardcore Hendrix fan like i am this book isn't for you but if you are you would probobly like it. It only tells about his career though. There is only like 2 pages about his childhood. If you really like biographies I really, really recomend No one here gets out alive. a book about Jim Morrison. I didn't know anything about the doors before i read it but now i love them.
Rating:
Summary: It was a pretty good book.
Review: For the most part it was a pretty good book but i was hoping it would show a little bit more dates. It didn't really tell you what year all the things were happening in. If your not a hardcore Hendrix fan like i am this book isn't for you but if you are you would probobly like it. It only tells about his career though. There is only like 2 pages about his childhood. If you really like biographies I really, really recomend No one here gets out alive. a book about Jim Morrison. I didn't know anything about the doors before i read it but now i love them.
Rating:
Summary: Walk a mile in Jimi's shoes
Review: I've read all of the Jimi bios over the years and to me, this one is the best. Maybe the act of helping Jimi get the sounds he envisioned helped Eddie to get into his head just a little bit. Reading the book, I found myself sucked into the making of the music and my appreciation of the music has grown as a result. Let's give this one 6 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Walk a mile in Jimi's shoes
Review: I've read all of the Jimi bios over the years and to me, this one is the best. Maybe the act of helping Jimi get the sounds he envisioned helped Eddie to get into his head just a little bit. Reading the book, I found myself sucked into the making of the music and my appreciation of the music has grown as a result. Let's give this one 6 stars.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK ON A GREAT ARTIST
Review: JIMI HENDRIX IS DONE JUSTICE HERE.VERY DETAILED&More Importantly talks About His Craft.The MAn was AHEAD OF HIS TIME.HE Had so much To Offer.His Vision Broke Down Barriers.THE POWER Of HIS MUSIC is still very much felt Today.HIS MUSIC HAd Many GREAT ELEMENTS About it Just Like THE MAN HIMSELF.He was Very Much A Work In Progress.He Worked Very HArd at Being THE BEst.it's a Shame that He had to go ABROAD to BE ACCEPTED for HIS GRAND TALENTS.BUT THE WORLD OF MUSIC IS EVEN BETTER 30 Years Later FOR HIs GIFT OF TALENT THAT is TIMELESS.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 stars not bad, but not as good as Electric Gypsy
Review: The first time I read this book was back in 1997. I was already a huge Hendrix fan and this book opened up many things about him and his music that I was unaware of, for the most part. At that time I would have given this book 5 stars. But after recently picking up Electric Gypsy by Harry Shapiro and Caesar Glebbeek, which blew me away, I reread this book and I give it 3 1/2 stars.
My main gripe is that it focuses too much on the business side of Hendrix. Sure that stuff is interesting and informative, but it makes for a slow read, in my opinion. And it takes away from the flow and the excitement of his music and touring. I think that they could have made a couple of chapters exclusively for the business side of things and kept the other chapters more musically focused and it would be a much better read. My next biggest beef, is that they continually refer to Voodoo Child (Slight Return) as Voodoo Chile. Those songs are very different, any knowledgeable Hendrix fan knows that and would be bugged by the 15 mentions of it, instead of the correct Voodoo Child (Slight Return.) Minor yes, but if Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's long time famed producer and friend, helped write this book, then why didn't they catch that glaring error?
Still it is a good book, but if you know a lot about Hendrix, it will not fill your needs and I would suggest the afore-mentioned Electric Gypsy. For one thing Electric Gypsy has FAR more interviews from Hendrix, which are always entertaining and revealing. And it has far more about the music and what went into it as far as inspiration and song meanings. For those two reasons alone that book blows away Setting the Record Straight. Also Electric Gypsy has many of Hendrix's song lyrics in the book, which is truly great. Also Electric Gypsy has a part in the back where it shows a list of every guitar Hendrix ever played and all the effects he ever used, all the bands he was in, a discography and much, much more.
Don't get me wrong Setting the Record Straight is a good book, but I would suggest to all Hendrix fans new and old, get Electric Gypsy first, then if you still want more, get Setting the Record Straight.
Rating:
Summary: Jimi Hendrix: Setting the Record Straight
Review: This biography was written to, as the title states , set the record straight. After Jimi Hendrix's 6-year career wasw cut short by a drug overdose he was viewed as an anti-establishment, sex and drug addict. However, no one ever focused on his serious vision and path of his music. He started his career as a backup musician for such artists as Curtis Knight and the Squires, the Iskey Brothers, and Little Richard. After that he was signed by Chas Chandler ( formally of the Animals0 signed him and moved to England. There the Experience began. The book shows that Jimi spent hours and hours in the studio to get a song right and kept to himself alot. Totally unlike his stage personallity. I would recommend this book to any music lover. The other musicians' insight into Hendrix's talent and personality makes the book especially interesting. It provides an interestingperspective into the most unique period in music History
Rating:
Summary: Jimi Hendrix: Setting the Record Straight
Review: This biography was written to, as the title states , set the record straight. After Jimi Hendrix's 6-year career wasw cut short by a drug overdose he was viewed as an anti-establishment, sex and drug addict. However, no one ever focused on his serious vision and path of his music. He started his career as a backup musician for such artists as Curtis Knight and the Squires, the Iskey Brothers, and Little Richard. After that he was signed by Chas Chandler ( formally of the Animals0 signed him and moved to England. There the Experience began. The book shows that Jimi spent hours and hours in the studio to get a song right and kept to himself alot. Totally unlike his stage personallity. I would recommend this book to any music lover. The other musicians' insight into Hendrix's talent and personality makes the book especially interesting. It provides an interestingperspective into the most unique period in music History
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