BBC Sessions

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Lore & Background

The BBC tradition required bands to record quickly in a studio, relying on their live sound with minimal overdubbing. The Experience utilized this format to record songs outside their main repertoire, creating unique versions of blues standards and originals. The album includes three versions of "Driving South," which incorporates guitar lines derived from Albert Collins' "Frosty" (1962) and "Thaw Out" (1965). It also features distinct takes of "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man," "Catfish Blues," "Hound Dog," and two versions of "Hear My Train A Comin'." The collection preserves the band's only known studio recording of Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" alongside amusing novelty tracks like a parody of a BBC Radio 1 jingle titled "Radio One."

In Their Own Story

The sessions captured a specific moment where the Experience relied entirely on their live dynamic, as overdubbing was largely limited to that practice still alive in British radio today. A standout moment occurs with the inclusion of a young Stevie Wonder playing drums on two tracks: "Jammin'" and a cover of his own song, "I Was Made to Love Her." The album also documents the band's infamous appearance on Lulu's television show in 1969, preserving the complete soundtrack. While some material had been released previously by Rykodisc in 1988 under the title Radio One, this 1998 compilation gathered all surviving tracks. In 2010, Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings re-released the collection as part of a remastering project, adding the bonus track "Burning of the Midnight Lamp" recorded on August 24, 1967.

Reader's Guide

Fans should note that personnel credits vary slightly across specific tracks. While Mitch Mitchell played drums for most sessions, Stevie Wonder takes over on "Jammin'" and "I Was Made to Love Her." Alexis Korner contributes slide guitar specifically on "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man," while Noel Redding handles bass guitar and backing vocals throughout. The 2010 re-release package included two digitally remastered sound discs, a DVD of footage from the recording sessions, and 22 pages of program notes. For those tracking chart performance, the original release peaked at No. 50 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 42 on the UK Albums Chart.

Did You Know?

• The album contains the only two surviving UK TV soundtracks featuring Jimi Hendrix.
• Stevie Wonder played drums on two tracks: 'Jammin'' and a cover of his own song, 'I Was Made to Love Her'.
• 'Driving South' includes three different versions found on this collection.
• The 2010 re-release added the bonus track 'Burning of the Midnight Lamp,' recorded on August 24, 1967.
• Some material from these sessions was previously released in 1988 by Rykodisc under the title Radio One.