10 Classic Rock Albums That Changed Music Forever

Jimi Hendrix was already being heralded as a genius long before he created Electric Ladyland. Coming up in the clubs of London, Hendrix was known as an eccentric guitar wizard who made the six-string emit otherworldly sounds that were unthinkable at the time.

With his legacy already intact, Hendrix went into the studio and proceeded to lay claim to the rock throne. Electric Ladyland is the true opus of Hendrix's career where he threw every musical idea at the wall to see what stuck. Remarkably, almost everything did, from his mix of rock and soul on "Crosstown Traffic" to the greatest cover tune of all time in his version of "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan.

The songs may be fantastic, but any casual rock fan knows it comes down to Jimi's guitar playing, which was at its peak form during this period. Across this double LP, Hendrix uses his guitar to make mini symphonies that flow much like a classical composition would. While many pretentious guitarists will say how the guitar has some spiritual connection with them, Hendrix is the only case where it felt like the instrument was as much a part of his being as the air he breathed. This may have been Hendrix's final musical offering, but what he left us with was a road map for the entire scope the electric guitar could achieve.