Jimi Hendrix, "Nine to the Universe" (Reprise, 1980)

Almost from the moment Jimi Hendrix took that final ambulance ride, recordings that bear his name have flooded the market.

Some are put together quite carefully, especially recent material issued through Experience Hendrix, which is run by members of his family.

In the old days, that wasn't quite the case. All kinds of stuff would pop up in the Hendrix bin at the record store: pre-Experience recordings when he played with a band fronted by a guy named Curtis Knight; haphazardly mixed live performances; and, most notoriously, whole albums featuring musicians Jimi never met grafted onto his basic tracks. (The final release in the latter category, called "Voodoo Soup," included the drummer from The Knack.)

Among the myriad of posthumous Hendrix albums is this curio that appeared briefly in mid-1980, then vanished abruptly and has yet to be re-released. I was just graduating from high school at the time and already was heavily steeped in the type of music later to become known as "classic rock" (back then, it was just kind of old). So when I saw a "new" Jimi LP offered through the old Columbia House mail-order service, I ordered it.

And I haven't seen another copy since.

"Nine to the Universe" is nothing more than five snippets from informal jam sessions sometime in 1969 - apparently, the album's liner notes are wrong about recording dates, according to subsequent research. As such, the tracks, varying in length from just under five to just over 10 minutes, are basically one- or two-chord foundations for improvisation by Hendrix and a few guests, in addition to his rhythm section at the time, bassist Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell.

In the late '70s, an album featuring Jimi's collaborations with British guitarist John McLaughlin was supposed to be released. That never came about, and the closest such track on "Nine to the Universe" features organist Larry Young, McLaughlin's bandmate in Tony Williams' Lifetime.


Another guest is guitarist Jim McCarty, best known for his work with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, who plays on aon song called "Jimi/Jimmy Jam." The two trade licks until Hendrix busts out with a shrill, fluid solo toward the end of the jam that shows once again that he was in a league of his own.

The album's title track is the only one with a real name, and the only one on which Jimi sings - a brief exhortation toward the end of the jam. Listeners looking for structured songs might be disappointed, but those who enjoy undoctored glimpses into Jimi Hendrix's instrumental abilities will enjoy "Nine to the Universe," if they can find it.