If you're a fan of Hendrix, it's nice to have this little rarity on CD, as the original promotional vinyl is long out of print. The addition of the extended medley is very nice as well, as I believe it is longer than any previous version in circulation. If you are more of a casual fan, though, this release is probably not for you.

As for Three Little Bears, it certainly seems out of place on a Christmas release. My guess is that the Hendrix family is making good on their promise to eventually re-issue all of the studio tracks that were originally released on the LPs War Heroes, Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge. The song probably isn't "good enough" to be re-issued on a studio compilation, so it has been tacked onto a single release. Again, nice to have if only to round out your collection, but the track sounds better in its original place alongside other outtakes found on the War Heroes LP/CD.

Lastly, the inclusion of a photo of Jimi in a Santa suit on the inside cover, originally taken for New Musical Express magazine in England to promote the December 1967 release of Axis: Bold As Love, was a nice touch.

This CD is a brief little snippet of Hendrix and the Band of Gypsys at play whilst rehearsing for their immortal Fillmore shows of December 31, 1969 and January 1, 1970. Thirty years later, it's still a gas to hear Jimi's huge throbbing guitar sound tear into Little Drummer Boy, Silent Night, Taps, and Auld Lang Syne. The first version was later released by Reprise as a promo single. The second, "extended" version is really the first with a longer, more elaborate ending grafted on from another take. Very nice and it sounds like they had fun recording it. Jimi's variations on these chestnuts got my jazz piano-playing mother in-law (who would run from Purple Haze in a hearbeat) listening closely and saying "interesting" as she tapped her foot. Three Little Bears, previously unissued on any U.S. CD, rounds out the disc for no particular reason. It's a harmless little ditty recorded during the Electric Lady Land sessions that sounds as if Jimi wrote it about ten minutes before the session and is already forgetting the lyrics. Bound to make you smile if you're not a grinch.

The cover in question is a painting by Abdul Mati Klarwein whose work was used for Miles Davis's "Bitches Brew," "Live/Evil" etc., Santana's "Abraxas," Earth, Wind & Fire's "Last Days...," Jerry Garcia/Howard Wales and others quite extensively in the late '60s - early '70s, so the use of his work for this is very appropriate. If you google "klarwein hendrix" in images, you can see a photo of Hendrix visiting Klarwein's New York loft.

The music is a rehearsal and should be appreciated as such.

Merry Christmas, folks.

Geez you guys! Quit your whining! The cover this go around is from the original 12" vinyl promotional copy that circulated in 1979 courtesy Alan Douglas & Reprise Records. The Jimi as Santa cover was cute, but now you get the rare promo cover.

As for the music on this CD, it's as much fun as it was the first time I heard it in '79. It's just not Christmas without this tune on my Rockin' Christmas compilation.

Short but sweet. Nobody outdoes Jimi when it comes to guitar work. If you're a Hendrix fan, don't hesistate; add this single to your collection.