Jimi Hendrix – First Rays of the New Rising Sun | True Fourth Album or Posthumous Patchwork?

Jimi Hendrix – First Rays of the New Rising Sun | True Fourth Album or Posthumous Patchwork?

Author: Nate Bridges & Brandon Niznik April 15, 2025 Duration: 2:01:55

In this episode we dig into Jimi Hendrix’s First Rays of the New Rising Sun and ask a big question: should this count as his true fourth album, or is it just the best posthumous compilation we have?

We talk about the songs Hendrix was working on at the end of his life, the Electric Lady era, and how these tracks were originally scattered across posthumous releases like The Cry of Love, Rainbow Bridge and War Heroes before being reconstructed as First Rays in the ’90s. We also get into why, despite the quality of the material, this record doesn’t seem to have the same emotional weight in the fanbase as his three lifetime studio albums.

In this episode:

– Standout tracks and moments across First Rays of the New Rising Sun

– How much this really reflects Hendrix’s intentions for his next album

– Electric Lady Studios, Billy Cox, Mitch Mitchell and the late-period band sound

– The gap between who Hendrix actually was and the sanitized, whitewashed version of his legacy

– Whether First Rays belongs in the core Hendrix canon or should stay labeled as posthumous reconstruction

Chapters:

00:00 (Intro)

0:00:22 (First Impressions)

0:19:09 (Is this the true 4th Hendrix LP?)

0:55:40 (An Acceleerated Life)

1:14:16 (What was next for Jimi Hendrix?)

1:29:28 (Standout Songs)

1:46:31 (The Black Gold tapes)

1:53:01 (Final Thoughts)

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There’s a particular kind of conversation that happens when two working musicians sit down to really listen-not just hear, but dissect and appreciate the layers of a record. That’s the space Playback with Black Market Dub occupies. Hosted by producers Nate Bridges and Brandon Niznik, this podcast leverages their combined experience recording artists across many genres to inform a deeper dialogue about music. The format is elegantly simple: each episode, one of them selects an album, and together they review, debate, and unpack it. They go beyond track-by-track reactions, placing each work within its broader musical lineage, cultural moment, and historical significance. Whether it’s a foundational classic or a contemporary release, Nate and Brandon’s discussions are rooted in the technical and artistic choices that give an album its character. You’ll hear the insights of practitioners who know what it’s like to be on both sides of the glass, making this more than casual criticism-it’s a masterclass in attentive listening. The result is a consistently engaging and thoughtful exploration of why albums matter, delivered with the easy rapport of two friends who have spent a lifetime thinking about sound. Tune in for a music podcast that feels like sitting in on a great, informed conversation between creatives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 39

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