Are You Experienced? was the Summer of Love debut, and it sounded like divine madness–"Purple Haze," "I Don't Live Today," "Manic Depression," and "Fire" were all feedback finesse and arrogant virtuosity. 

 Axis: Bold as Love plunged deeper. Ballads ("Little Wing") met mind-warp blues–the songs blurred together, metaphorically implying the fact of Hendrix's creative impatience (and prefiguring his later ventures into jazz freedom).  

 Psychedelia's triumph came next: a double-album manifesto featuring contributions from Steve Winwood, Buddy Miles, and Jack Casady, Electric Ladyland showed Hendrix serving notice of his unstoppable ambition. 

 The recently reissued Smash Hits best-of is still the tightest collection of killer Hendrix.  

 Mitchell held on long enough to join Jimi and new bassist Billy Cox for an appearance at Newport, but the legendary Woodstock gig (including the famous, fiery "Star Spangled Banner") was performed by an ad hoc group called the Electric Sky Church. 

 If you want to hear unreleased Hendrix material, go to the estate's First Rays of the New Rising Sun and South Saturn Delta–both of these Nineties compilations were remastered by Hendrix's original engineer, Eddie Kramer. 

 If you want to hear unreleased Hendrix material, go to the estate's First Rays of the New Rising Sun and South Saturn Delta–both of these Nineties compilations were remastered by Hendrix's original engineer, Eddie Kramer. 

 Of the live work, BBC Sessions and Live at Winterland are the most exciting.  

 The fine four-CD Jimi Hendrix Experience box also collects some worthwhile unreleased music.  

 Live at Monterey captures the moment when America first met Hendrix.