Hendrix: Classic or Dud?

http://devonrecordclub.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/the-jimi-hendrix-experience-are-you-experienced-round-24-grahams-choice/

Would have turned 70 today. (Yeah, I know, Noel Redding--love the song, though.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcrbSqySIpE

Love the graphics on these 70th Anniversary pedals

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/599228_10151335732774453_229179289_n.jpg

One of the few of that generation of dead before their time musicians I'd be really curious to hear alive today. I'm sure he would have put out a string of dubious guitar synth records in the '80s, but by now ... who knows what he'd be up to? Jazz? Electronic music? Experimental stuff?

Co-incidentally I saw 'ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER HENDRIX YEAH! :-)' written in the dirt on a white van today.

This is a thread

Classic. The man changed the way rock guitar was played, and listened to, forever. There are guys who came after that can play faster, cleaner, etc. etc. but not with the same level of emotion and abandon... and humour. Most subsequent guitar gods were just way too humourless in their approach. And he's still got the best stage moves ever.

Nothing shabby about his songwriting, some of his lyrics are beautiful.

Classic. For 'Little Wing' alone. Beautiful . Just for the guitar

Another new album coming out in March too.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience are undoubtedly classic, and not just for Jimi's much-publicised and praised guitar skills either - there's as much appeal for me in Mitch Mitchell's drumming, the psychedelic production on those records (which make for great headphone experiences), and Jimi's voice. Indeed, Jimi's voice isn't going to win any awards for technical proficiency - but it has a great rhythm and phrasing to it. And 'Little Wing' and 'The Wind Cries Mary' are fucking beautiful songs.

Best starting album for someone who knows nothing of Hendrix?

Seems obvious, but Smash Hits? One of my first albums as a teenager.

I'd just start with Are You Experienced? and go forwards from there, to be honest.

Xp Yes, Smash Hits or Are You Experienced would be a good entry point.

cool--thanks!

love love LOVE LOVE Band of Gypsys. That record is a monster guitar album. Definitely my favorite of his. Favorite Experience record Electric Ladyland. the man could do no wrong. Would've aged finely and it's a real hole not having him around for 42 years.

It's very difficult for me to imagine what Hendrix would have went onto do had he lived... I imagine his output may have got more "soulful", but beyond that I can't really think of what he would have done. The idea of Hendrix in the '80s to me is just unthinkable!

yeah for better or worse he's kind of frozen in amber in that incredible 3 year period where there was a lot of change happening (some of which he was a catalyst for) but it's hard to see how he would've interacted with later changes. makes me sad thinking about what an incredible up-and-down exploratory '70s he could've had. or even how fascinating a polarizing Neil Young-type '80s would've been.

Mitch was indeed tremendous. If Jimi was a virtuoso (I dislike the term) on guitar, Mitch was a virtuoso on drums. And as much as I enjoy the BoG, Buddy Miles's pedestrian (by comparison) drumming always leaves me a little cold. Don't get me started on his (Buddy's) vocals, which is a whole 'nother level of annoying. I suspect Jimi felt the same.

I think for Jimi to have survived he'd have had to get his business affairs in order first. Assuming he could have somehow done that, he'd likely have taken a long vacation somewhere, without hangers-on, and eventually written a bunch of songs reflecting his gradually healing and rested self. Coming back to reality as a rock star and recording them, we may have heard some fairly mellow stuff, along with some very angry stuff. Beyond that, who knows. Even if he could have got the business entanglements sorted out, he probably liked dope too much to survive too long.

yeah Jimi had business problems but it seems like everybody had terrible contracts in the '60s and most of the big legends found their way out of that and made enough money in the '70s and '80s that it didn't matter. but i would like to think more importantly if he had lived that he'd still had some creative juices left and wasn't, as has sometimes been speculated, kind of losing his touch already at that point.

yeah for better or worse he's kind of frozen in amber in that incredible 3 year period where there was a lot of change happening (some of which he was a catalyst for) but it's hard to see how he would've interacted with later changes. makes me sad thinking about what an incredible up-and-down exploratory '70s he could've had. or even how fascinating a polarizing Neil Young-type '80s would've been.

― trinidad jokes (some dude), Thursday, November 29, 2012 4:58 AM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It certainly would have been interesting to see what Jimi would have done in the era of synthesizers, vocoders and drum machines - I don't think he would have went fully 'New Wave' but I feel that he probably may have ended up using them in some way!

his essence is so analog that i have a hard time even picturing him playing to something with a fixed BPM, he needed something loose like those mitch mitchell beats!

Oh yeah, I totally agree... that's probably the main reason I can't properly imagine a "Hendrix in the '80s" scenario! But I definitely think that, had he been around, he would have been taken in by the new technology like most vintage acts did in the '80s, as much as I can't imagine what he actually would have DONE with that technology!

Am I the only one in here who really likes his lyrics and voice?

no!

I think he was a great singer. I don't get why he's so often damned with faint praise in that respect, even by himself. Not much of a range, it's true, but his pitch is always bang-on and just as importantly, his voice had tremendous character.

and RHYTHM

As long as we're speculating:

In the 70s, he would have made some disco. Everyone did.

In the 80s, he would have played the Superbowl.

In the 90s, he'd have laid down solos on a million rap albums.

In the 2000s, he'd finally become a billionaire.

I'm picturing him instead of Snoop Dogg popping out of the sand in Katy Perry's "California Gurls"...Tried to find Bangs's posthumous interview online but couldn't.

hendrix's voice is one of my favorite things about his records. you've got this huge, overwhelming noise -- even the softer hendrix performances are somehow loud -- and right in the middle of it you've got this spacey stoner drawl. he goes quiet where another singer would scream and races his way through lines that most singers would linger over. sometimes he sounds droll and sometimes he sounds like he's in awe, like he can't help standing back from this incredible sound he and his band are making and shaking his head at it. i'm especially fond of the way he sings 'hey joe,' where he just hangs back for most of the performance, playing it cool, letting the band build up momentum behind him, until suddenly he just comes out with 'I SHOT HER!!!'

The craziest thing about Hendrix is all his music was done in 3 or 4 years at the most.

Am I the only one in here who really likes his lyrics and voice?
Not mad about most of the lyrics but yeah the voice is a big part of the appeal for me.

Pleased to see the love for Burning Of The Midnight Lamp itt.

ha i assumed this was bumped because of the army jacking off incident!

http://i.cdn.turner.com/dr/teg/tsg/release/sites/default/files/imagecache/750x970/documents/0803051jimi13.gif

"I motioned him to come over and witness what was happening. He took a look and then went back into the squad bay and started working again."

HA!

man, the army is so lame, you have to write a statement every time you see a guy masturbating?

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Just Fill Out Form AR 190-45'

i wonder if when hendrix became famous, sgt private james mattox would tell everyone at the bar that he saw that guy jerking it.

'Can You See Me (Jerking It In A Cubicle)?'
'I Don't Jerk Today'
'Third Cubicle From The Sun'
'The Wind Cries "Hendrix! Stop jerking it in a cubicle!"'
'Ain't No Jerking'
'You Got Me Jerking'
'Rainy Day, Jerk Away'
'Still Raining, Still Jerking'

Axis Of Jizz: Bold As Self-Love

i wonder if when hendrix became famous, sgt private james mattox would tell everyone at the bar that he saw that guy jerking it.

― tylerw, Friday, November 30, 2012 5:37 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"I knew he was left handed before I ever saw the guy play guitar!"

Are You Experienced (In The Art Of The Hand Shandy)?

"Hey James, Where You Goin' With Yo Cock In Your Hand..."

Hey Jim/Where you goin' with your dick in your hand?

xpost!

Hahahahahaha! Priceless! :D

New album of previously unreleased leftovers called People, Hell & Angels coming in March; Amazon has the following rundown:

Earth Blues: Totally unlike the version first issued as part of Rainbow Bridge in 1971, this December 19, 1969 master take features just Hendrix, Cox and Miles—stripped down funk at its very origin.

Somewhere: This newly discovered gem was recorded in March 1968 and features Buddy Miles on drums and Stephen Stills on bass. Entirely different from any previous version fans have heard.

Hear My Train A Comin’: This superb recording was drawn from Jimi’s first ever recording session with Billy Cox & Buddy Miles—the rhythm section with whom he would later record the groundbreaking album Band Of Gypsys.

Bleeding Heart: This Elmore James masterwork had long been a favorite of Jimi’s. Recorded at the same May 1969 session as “Hear My Train A Coming,” Jimi had a firm understanding of the arrangement and tempo he desired. Before they began, Jimi instructed Cox and Miles that he wanted to establish a totally different beat than the standard arrangement. He then kicked off this amazing rendition unlike any other he had ever attempted.

Let Me Move You: In March 1969, Jimi reached back to another old friend, saxophonist Lonnie Youngblood. Before he was discovered by Chas Chandler in the summer of 1966, Jimi had contributed guitar for Youngblood and such infectious rhythm and blues styled singles such as “Soul Food”.

This March 1969 session features Hendrix and Youngblood trading licks on this never before heard, high velocity rock and soul classic.

Izabella: In the aftermath of the Woodstock festival, Jimi gathered his new ensemble, Gypsy Sun & Rainbows at the Hit Factory in August 1969 with engineer Eddie Kramer. “Izabella” had been one of the new songs the guitarist introduced at the Woodstock festival and Jimi was eager to perfect a studio version. This new version is markedly different from the Band Of Gypsys 45 rpm single master issued by Reprise Records in 1970 and features Larry Lee, Jimi’s old friend on rhythm guitar.

Easy Blues: An edited extract of this gorgeous, free flowing instrumental was briefly issued as part of the long out of print, 1981 album Nine To The Universe. Now nearly twice as long, fans can enjoy the dramatic interplay between Jimi, second guitarist Larry Lee, Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell.

Crash Landing: Perhaps known as the title song for the controversial 1975 album that featured Hendrix master recordings posthumously overdubbed by session musicians, this April 1969 original recording has never been heard before. Jimi is joined here by Billy Cox and drummer Rocky Isaac of the Cherry People to record this thinly veiled warning to his girlfriend Devon Wilson.

Inside Out: Jimi was fascinated by the rhythm pattern which would ultimately take form as “Ezy Ryder”. Joined here by Mitch Mitchell, Jimi recorded all of the bass and guitar parts for this fascinating song--including a dramatic lead guitar part amplified through a Leslie organ speaker.

Hey Gypsy Boy: The roots of Jimi’s majestic “Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)” trace themselves to this March 1969 recording. Unlike the posthumously overdubbed version briefly issued as part of Midnight Lightning in 1975, this is original recording that features Jimi joined by Buddy Miles.

Mojo Man: Jimi lends a hand to Albert & Arthur Allen, the vocalists known as the Ghetto Fighters, whom he had befriended in Harlem long before he achieved fame with the Experience. When the two recorded this inspired, previously unreleased master at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama they took it back to Hendrix at Electric Lady Studios. Jimi knew just what to do to elevate the recording beyond contemporary R & B to the new hybrid of rock, rhythm and blues he was celebrated for.

Villanova Junction Blues: Long before his famous performance of this song at Woodstock, Jimi recorded this studio version with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles at the same May 1969 session which yielded “Hear My Train A Comin’” and “Bleeding Heart” also featured on this album. Never fully finished, the song stands as an example of the fertile ideas he hoped to harness.

Hmm, this looks pretty good...lotsa stuff I knew existed & wanted to hear for awhile, like the sessions with Larry Lee and the embryonic Band of Gypsys recordings. Not crazy about the album title though - the title's Hendrix's, the song selection sure isn't.

1989 Noel Redding letter about the Experience -- poor guy went broke and stopped playing altogether for a time, barely seeing any royalties from Hendrix records.

Redding's autobiography ('Are you experienced?: the inside story of the Jimi Hendrix Experience') is excellent.