Voodoo Chile - Recording

Recording

During the Electric Ladyland recording sessions at the Record Plant, Hendrix and the band often explored the New York City club scene and frequently jammed with the performers. After one such jam at the nearby Scene Club, Hendrix brought a group of twenty or so back to the studio, including Steve Winwood, Jack Casady, and Larry Coryell. Hendrix proceeded to record "Voodoo Chile" with Mitch Mitchell (drums), Winwood (organ), and Casady (bass) (Coryell was invited to play, but declined, feeling that the music did not need him). A number of hangers-on were also present, who provided the ambient crowd noise.

Steve Winwood recalled "There were no chord sheets, no nothing. He just started playing. It was a one-take job, with him singing and playing at the same time. He just had such mastery of the instrument and he knew what he was and knew his abilities". Engineer Eddie Kramer saw it differently: "The idea that these jam sessions were informal is something that I completely disagree with. They may have seemed casual to the outside observer, but Jimi plotted and planned out nearly all of them. He'd reason that if he had his songs together, if he really wanted to pull out what he heard in his head, he needed the right people ... and that's what he did".

Recording began about 7:30 a.m. and three takes were recorded. During the first take, Hendrix showed the others the song while the recording equipment was adjusted. During the second take, Hendrix broke a string (these two takes were later edited together and released as "Voodoo Chile Blues" on the posthumous Hendrix compilation album Blues). The third take provided the master that was used on Electric Ladyland.

"Voodoo Chile" opens with a series of hammer-on notes, similar to Albert Collins' intro to his "Collins Shuffle". Hendrix played through a Fender Bassman head, providing a "very warm" amp sound with his guitar tuned down a whole tone. Although Hendrix "remains the focal point throughout 'Voodoo Chile'", the other musicians make contributions, taking it beyond the blues. Winwood "created a very English, hornpipe-like dance that was very Traffic-like", with Mitchell deftly responding to changes in direction and Casady "laying down the groove."

Hendrix wanted to create the atmosphere of an informal club jam, but "the noise level generated by those who had observed the session was not sufficient". So ambient crowd sounds were recorded from 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and added to the track. Hendrix and Eddie Kramer later mixed the track, adding tape delay and other treatments.