On 24 September 1966, Jimi Hendrix arrived in London. Within weeks he had formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience and recorded 'Hey Joe', released that December: the start of a journey that would transform music.
To mark 60 years since that breakthrough autumn, Genesis presents a final release of just 90 copies of its landmark limited edition, Classic Hendrix. The release is comprised of 30 numbered Anniversary Copies, each with an original framed and signed photographic print, and 60 Collector Copies, the last to be released from the Genesis archive. No further copies will be made available.
A comprehensive visual memoir, Classic Hendrix features more than 250 photographs by 34 of rock's most celebrated photographers. Introduced by Experience bassist Noel Redding, Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and legendary recording engineer Eddie Kramer, the book also features reminiscences from Mitch Mitchell, Chas Chandler, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood and many more of Hendrix’s friends and peers. Its biographical text draws upon archival quotations from Jimi himself.
The result is an extraordinary visual record of Hendrix’s life and remarkable career.
‘I hope that Jimi, Mitch and I gave you some musical pleasure. Then and now. I hope you enjoy this wonderful book.’ – Noel Redding
An extraordinary visual record
Thirty-four of the most celebrated names in rock photography contributed more than 250 photographs to Classic Hendrix. Among them are Linda McCartney, Jim Marshall, Gered Mankowitz, Baron Wolman, Elliott Landy, Jerry Schatzberg, David Redfern, David Montgomery and Jean-Pierre Leloir.
Acclaimed rock photographer Ross Halfin, who selected the photography for the book, travelled through Japan, the United States and Europe to uncover an extraordinarily diverse collection of images, ranging from the iconic to the previously unseen.
'I can't think of any single pop musician today meriting the deserved intense photographic coverage that Jimi provoked and which is reflected in these photos.' – Chris Morphet
In the words of Hendrix and those who knew him
Written by former Guitar World editor-in-chief and lifelong Hendrix devotee Brad Tolinski, the text combines a chronological account of Hendrix's career with an exceptional collection of first-hand testimony. It follows his extraordinary ascent from the Jimi Hendrix Experience's first concerts in France in 1966 to his final performance, at the Isle of Fehmarn in September 1970.
The book opens with forewords by Noel Redding, Joe Perry and Eddie Kramer. Recollections come from Hendrix's inner circle – such as Chas Chandler, Mitch Mitchell, Buddy Miles and Billy Cox – and from friends, contemporaries and admirers including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Ronnie Wood, Buddy Guy, Ozzy Osbourne, Chrissie Hynde, Slash, Kirk Hammett, Nico and Lulu. Many of the photographers also recount their own encounters with Hendrix, on stage, in the studio and behind the scenes.
A 12-page closing section presents additional archival interviews with Hendrix by Jann Wenner and John Burks of Rolling Stone, Chris Welch of Melody Maker and Jane de Mendelssohn of International Times. A further eight pages introduce the book's contributors.
'I couldn't believe how good he was. Part of me wanted to run away and say, "Oh no, he's everything I want to be – I can't handle this," and part of me just fell in love. It was a really difficult thing for me to deal with, but I just had to surrender and say, "This is fantastic."' – Eric Clapton
From the other side of the glass
Across more than five decades, recording engineer and producer Eddie Kramer has worked with Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Eric Clapton and David Bowie, but he is best known for his defining collaboration with Jimi Hendrix. Kramer worked on all four albums released in Hendrix's lifetime, and together they pioneered studio techniques, including phasing, backwards echo and innovative uses of reverb, that became hallmarks of the Hendrix sound.
Kramer also documented studio life with his camera. His portrait 'From the Other Side of the Glass' was taken during the Electric Ladyland sessions at the Record Plant, New York, in 1968. It appears on the Perspex cover of every copy in this final release, each signed by Kramer.
'I was fascinated by photography. I was in the middle of engineering but I kept my camera next to me on the console, ready to shoot.' – Eddie Kramer
Each of the 30 Anniversary Copies is accompanied by an original framed print signed by Baron Wolman, preserved in the Genesis archive since publication, alongside a specially numbered copy of the signed book and an original 2004 publication prospectus.
Baron Wolman, Rolling Stone's first chief photographer, photographed Hendrix on 4 February 1970 at the New York apartment of his manager, Michael Jeffery. Hendrix was being interviewed for the magazine alongside Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding. The relaxed portrait captures him smiling, away from the stage. It does not appear in the book and was reserved for the signed print that accompanied the original Deluxe copies.
Unlike those prints, these archive examples were kept unnumbered and untrimmed. Each survives as a complete 14 × 12-inch production sheet, with the original hand-drawn trim marks for its intended 10 × 8-inch format. Signed by Wolman in black ink, the print is float-mounted in a black hardwood frame that displays the full sheet, and it comes with a Genesis Certificate of Authenticity.
Issued as Publisher's Proof copies outside the numbered edition, the books are numbered P.P. I to P.P. XXX and signed by Ross Halfin, Eddie Kramer and Brad Tolinski. Each is quarter-bound in fine-grain purple leather with prismatic silver page edging and Kramer's portrait of Hendrix on its Perspex cover. It is presented in a black buckram box silk-screened with six fluorescent guitar strings.
First mailed to Genesis subscribers in 2004, the double-sided prospectus folds to A5 and opens to A2. Its design evokes a printer's imposition sheet, with panels in different orientations surrounded by registration targets, trim marks and colour bars. Printed in vivid magenta and orange, it features photography and quotations from the book alongside behind-the-scenes images of its production.
‘It ain’t no book, it’s a work of art.’ – Baron Wolman
• Archive print: Signed by Baron Wolman, unnumbered; FM stochastic offset lithography on heavyweight Italian coated art paper
• Print size: 35.6 × 30.5 cm (14" × 12") untrimmed; intended trim 25.4 × 20.3 cm (10" × 8")
• Framing: 45 × 40 cm (17¾" × 15¾"), conservation float-mounted in black hardwood with UV-protective Perspex glazing
• Book: Publisher's Proof copies P.P. I to P.P. XXX, signed by Ross Halfin, Eddie Kramer and Brad Tolinski
• Prospectus: 2004, double-sided, folds to A5, opens to A2
• Certificate of Authenticity: Signed by the publisher
In order to make investing in one of our limited edition books or prints easier, we offer an interest-free option to spread the cost.
For purchases over £150, the payments are spread over three months. For example, for a purchase of £360, £122.40 would be paid today, followed by two instalments of £118.80.
Genesis will dispatch your item once the last instalment is paid.
Limited to 60 copies
The Collector Copies are the last copies of Classic Hendrix to be released from the Genesis archive. Each is individually numbered within the original limited edition of 1,750 and signed by Ross Halfin, Eddie Kramer and Brad Tolinski.
Measuring 33 × 25 cm (13" × 9⅘"), the 292-page book presents more than 250 photographs. It is quarter-bound in fine-grain purple leather, with prismatic silver page edging and Kramer's portrait of Hendrix on its Perspex cover, and presented in a black buckram box silk-screened with six fluorescent guitar strings.
Each copy also includes an original 2004 Classic Hendrix publication prospectus, preserved in the Genesis archive and unfolding from A5 to A2.
'Put on your favourite Hendrix record, kick back and walk on Jupiter with Jimi for a while, 'cause you know what? They ain't making any more like him.' – Joe Perry
Select from the following copies:
The most comprehensive visual memoir of Hendrix ever published with commentary from Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Aerosmith's Joe Perry and, of course, Jimi himself.
Since 1974 Genesis has created signed limited edition books on behalf of authors and artists ranging from the Beatles to Buckingham Palace.
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