TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“Band of Gypsys.” Jimi Hendrix. Polydor. Rock-guitar fans should covet this live set. Backed by drummer Buddy Miles and bassist Billy Cox, Hendrix recorded it New Year’s Eve, 1969, at Fillmore East. For the brilliant guitarist, this was a retreat from rock and a foray into progressive funk. With his “talking” guitar, Hendrix came up with some of his angriest, raunchiest, most enthralling music. “Machine Gun,” the most scintillating of the six tracks, is a 13-minute peek into the future of funk. The sound isn’t great--there’s hiss at high volume--but the music is. 1/2