LOOSE ENDS

This is the third posthumous Hendrix album and as far as I'm concerned can be considered as his sixth studio one. The line-up of musicians is a combination of the ''Experience'' and the ''Band Of Gypsys''.

It is also true to say that there are no jewels in here. Some good tracks here and there like the opener ''Come Down Hard On Me Baby''.

But there are also some painful moments (''Blue Suede Shoes''). During more than half of the song, Jimi is doing some sort of a studio repetition which is totally useless. When the band starts with the true song, it is an absolute massacre of this great rock'n'roll tune. It is quite strange when one knows how good the live rendition is available on ''In The West'' for instance. Press next, really.

This is also a short album (some thirty five minutes). When you consider the huge amount of fillers, there was hardly any reason to release such a work IMVHHO. Fortunately, it was a disaster in terms of sales as well.

Still, the long ''Burning Desire'' is another of the good songs featured on this rather average effort. Not a great and memorable song, but a decent one to be honest. Amongst some of these crappy numbers, it should be considered as a highlight.

The version of the legendary bluesman Muddy Waters ''Hoochie Coochie Man'' is quite decent to tell the truth, even if at times Jimi seems to be a bit unfocused. I am not overwhelmed by this instrumental version of ''Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)''. But the original one couldn't bring to heaven either.

This is the last recording from the Michael Jeffery era. He will die in a plane crash in '73. And the Hendrix saga can go on from there...

Two stars. Be aware though that this rating is provided by a Hendrix fan. Very few alien people would be so generous.