It’s kind of unusual for an album of covers to simultaneously be an artist’s most personal work. So it is with The Jamie Neverts Story, the latest record from ex-*TELEVISION* and ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS axeman RICHARD LLOYD. A collection of JIMI HENDRIX covers, the album is a tribute to not only Lloyd’s main inspiration in his teenage years, but also to late guitarist VELVERT TURNER, a Hendrix acolyte and a close friend of Lloyd. (The full story is in the liner notes, which explain it all better than I possibly could.) Playing Hendrix tunes with no electronic effects and no more than three guitars per track (plus rhythm section) is novel enough, though the arrangements stick fairly close to the originals. Lloyd’s voice is as limited, though not quite as expressive, as Hendrix’s, and serves well enough. Some of the hits are here (“Purple Haze,” “Spanish Castle Magic,” “Are You Experienced”), but Lloyd is just as apt to cover some of the lesser-known gems like “Wait Until Tomorrow,” “Ain’t No Telling” and “Bold as Love.” All that said, it’s difficult to gauge this record. It’s clearly a labor of love for Lloyd, and it’s full of his brilliant guitar work, so if you’re a fan of Lloyd and his six strings, that’s all you need to know. As far as Hendrix covers go, there’ve been worse, but, frankly, better ones as well. Pay your money and take your chance.
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