This disc is more complete and far better sounding than any previously available versions of this concert, which took place little more than two weeks before Hendrix died. The tone of his Stratocaster and Flying V guitars is so punchy and distorted, it sounds as if every note were tearing its way through the speakers of his amp stacks. If nothing else, all the dirt and grit of great live rock and roll are tangible, even if this wasn’t a particularly grand performance. Plagued by sound problems and troubled by his 3 a.m. set time, Hendrix seems distracted. Nonetheless, by the mid-disc version of "Machine Gun," he’s tapping the soulful core of his music, improvising an expressionist war zone from feedback and tortured strings, yet also inventing small melodies that flutter above the sonic bombs like butterflies.

"Freedom" and "Dolly Dagger" crackle with energy, and "Red House" dips into Albert King’s bag of deep, resonant string bends to showcase Hendrix’s intimacy with hardcore electric blues. The blend of melody and tone in "Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)" marks the tune as one of his finest achievements, a sonorous essay in hope that endures despite its hippie-era viewpoint. And though "In from the Storm" opens with some horrendous clatter from drummer Mitch Mitchell, when Hendrix and his guitar take over, it brims with raw power and shines a light on the turbulent era of its birth. Lyrics aside, Hendrix’s music was often compelling social commentary on its own, and this Isle of Wight gig still has plenty to say.