Nine to the Universe is a posthumous compilation album by American guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It was released in March and June 1980 in the United States and the United Kingdom respectively. It was the third album of Hendrix recordings to be produced by Alan Douglas. The album contains five jam sessions, edited by Douglas. It only charted in one country – the United States – and even then only, briefly, reaching 127th on the Top 200 Billboard chart, before dropping out quickly. Various versions of the jams on the LP had previously circulated widely on bootlegs.
These jams were recorded at a time when Hendrix had become acquainted with Miles Davis (Hendrix' girlfriend Devon Wilson had a close friendship with Miles' wife Betty Davis a funk, rock and soul artist), who had begun to "cross over" to jazz fusion with In a Silent Way (recorded February 18, 1969) which featured the English electric jazz guitar player John McLaughlin as well as bassist Dave Holland. Hendrix had previously used a jazz influenced style from at least 1967, most notably on 'Up from the Skies' from Axis: Bold As Love and 'Rainy Day Dream, Away' / 'Still Raining Still Dreaming' from Electric Ladyland.
Hendrix and Davis had discussed music and, it is claimed by Alan Douglas [a jazz producer, introduced by Devon Wilson who was already friendly with clothing designer Stella Benabou (then married to Douglas)], that he, eventually, attempted arranging recording sessions with Davis and Tony Williams, with a view to a possible album. But this came to naught, again according to Douglas, through exorbitant demands for upfront cash from both Davis and Williams. Davis, from 1969, hired John McLaughlin, and latterly others who have been described as "sharing Hendrix's fascination with noise."
Hendrix recorded only once with Davis' sidemen Dave Holland and McLaughlin, and Larry Young, who was playing in Lifetime (as had McLaughlin, recently), but this was just an informal jam session on 25 March. Young was soon to record one track with Davis for 1970's Bitches Brew and four years later played with Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin on Love Devotion Surrender. These three are the only artists involved in the recordings that are recognized as "jazz" artists, and only two of them are featured here, on one jam 'Young/Hendrix'. Buddy Miles along with ex-Buddy Miles Express bassist Billy Rich and Larry Young, later played on John McLaughlin's 1970 "fusion" LP Devotion produced by Alan Douglas and Stephan Bright. McLaughlin later complained that the production was poor, and that he was inadequately recompensed for his efforts.
Douglas and Bright were attempting to produce Hendrix' Band of Gypsies from early October until November 28 when Douglas (and therefore his employee Bright) resigned as producer, "citing his own busy schedule, constant pressure from Jimi's manager Michael Jeffery and Hendrix' own indifference." During his & Bright's month and half as Hendrix' producers, the only thing Hendrix considered "finished" was the basic backing track of "Room Full Of Mirrors", Billy Cox had voted with his feet, walking out of the sessions and going back to Nashville after a furious row with Bright, he was only coaxed back two weeks later. He said: "We were just goofing around during those sessions at Juggy, the atmosphere at Juggy's didn't allow Jimi to create. It was a lousy deal with a lot of bad vibes around. I had words with Alan's partner, Stephan Bright. I hated that guy with a passion. Jimi sensed it and nothing we did there ever worked out. I didn't think they were necessary. I didn't think they were on Jimi's level. They weren't needed for the production, Jimi was well equipped to do that."
Hendrix recorded many jam sessions over his career which were only loosely organized, often started late and even went on into the late morning. He also recorded several jams in clubs on his portable Teac deck, a notable one being with a very "out of it" Jim Morrison ranting obscenities, Jimi encouraging him to "sing" into the correct mic'. The jams that ended up on Nine to the Universe were not written, played, or recorded as individually named songs; with the exception of "Message ['from Nine' - there is no record of this part in the original title] to the Universe" (an early version of what would become "Message of Love," and which also contains the seeds of "Earth Blues",[1] both songs he would record later that year with the same line-up, who had by then become the Band Of Gypsies). All song titles were made up during the production of the final album.
'Easy Blues' was recorded during the aborted August sessions at the Hit Factory with his short lived 'Woodstock' band (variously titled: 'Gypsy Sun & Rainbows'/'Band Of Gypsies'/'Sky Church')and originally featured a guitar solo by Larry Lee. McLaughlin's recollection of the session, many years later (he only played for a short part of the session due to his semi-acoustic guitar's faulty pick up, which made a loud distorted buzzing and the volume of Jimi's guitar which almost drowned him out anyway): "We played one night, just a jam session. And we [the various other musicians that played] played from 2 until 8, in the morning. I thought it was a wonderful experience! I was playing an acoustic guitar with a pick-up. Um, flat-top guitar, and Jimi was playing an electric. Yeah, what a lovely time! Had he lived today, you'd find that he would be employing everything he could get his hands on, and I mean acoustic guitar, synthesizers, orchestras, voices, anything he could get his hands on he'd use!... The music wasn't all that great, I'm sorry to say. I love Jimi, but the music wasn't that great. We played some good things. Just because it was my name and Jimi Hendrix' name is no excuse. Only since Mahavishinu came out was it transformed into something other."
Larry Young on the session: "I'm not quite sure why I was called, but I was real happy to do it. It was a lot of fun and very informal. Nothing was really planned. It was real loose"
Jim McCarty's comment on the LP: "None of that stuff was ever intended to be released. To me it was embarrassing. I'm sure that Jimi would have said, "You're out of your f...ing mind and never let it happen [i.e., the recordings being released, not the actual jams happening]. It was all about people trying to make a buck out of Hendrix." (i.e., Douglas and Warners who employed him and released the LP.)...
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