As long as we're talking songwriters today, let's face it, Jimi was such a phenominal guitar player that his gifts as a songwriter are often overlooked. But how can you deny genius like:
- The Wind Cries Mary
- Little Wing
- If 6 Was 9
- Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
- Up From the Skies

?

One of the top 10 alll-time in the Rock genre, IMO.

he has a few really graet songs, but for the most part i find his songwriting and even his arangements of covers to be kinda boring.

manic depression rules the fucking universe.

Definitely a one-of-a-kind songwriter. The way he mutates traditional I-IV-V blues forms is really amazing. Plus, some of his lyrics are genius. Look no further than Bob Dylan fanboy song "My Friend" on First Rays of the New Rising Sun: "You know good and well I don't drink coffee, so you fill my cup full of sand."

I respect your opinion and all, but this argument is hard to make while "All Along The Watchtower" exists.

Isn't this a Dylan song?

I think he's addressing the covers arrangement issue.

those songs are of course great, but I don't see how this topic can be posted without mentioning "1983." That and the entire "Rainy Day" suite is one of the most fucking unbelievable things ever constructed--lyrically (especially) and musically.

I have to agree. He's absolutely awesome, and I voted for Are You Experienced? in Spade's poll. However, that said, I don't often find myself wanting to listen to his albums.

Maybe I'll listen to one tonight.

I had to cut it off somewhere. I could have gone on all day. Those were just the first that came to my mind.

Yet another testament to his genius.

the fist time i heard the dylan version i was surprised how much more i liked it.

i think i'm going to listnen to some jimi to prove myself wrong.

Gotcha. I was thinking of songwriting, as per Todd's inital comment.

I'm in exactly the same position. I have a bunch of his stuff (studio, live, etc.) and as much as I admire it, I just don't need to listen to it very often. I did, however, have a brief recurrence of devotion when the boxset came out a few years back. Actually, if I listen to Hendrix, that is what I grab more often than not, for some reason.

I did something wrong, way back when. I found jimi, and then wore him out over the course of 3 years or so. I listened to any and every album I could find, at the exclusion of almost everything else. It's very, Very hard for me to listen to him anymore. But my favorites:

- Remember
- Bold As Love (favorite song of all time, still)
- Killing Floor (first song on Monterey, and really catches you off guard if you don't know what to expect. Try following That!)
- 1983, Rainy Day, seconded.

I can't think of a better guitarist to listen to, while chilling out with the pups and hubby at home, drinking beers, while it rains outside. I gave my husband the box set that came out a few years ago for a Christmas gift, and he pulled out one of the cd's, put on "Little Wing," and we danced in our living room before we opened any more gifts.

I concur!

I always like to mention "Dolly Dagger" in such lists. Not my favourite song by him, but perhaps his most under-rated.

Crosstown Traffic is an amazing single.

Almost exactly the same for me. I have numerous Hendrix CDs that are just full of crap that was never meant to be released. I'll be selling some of them soon.

I still admire Hendrix and like a lot of his songs but I absolutely drowned myself in his music in high school and have never really gotten back to loving it. Anyway, to the original question, he is an underrated song writer for sure. Some of his stuff is obviously very "hippie" but overall I think he was solid. My favorites:

Hey Joe (never did get sick of this one)
Little Wing
Manic Depression

Reading this at work today made me smile. Thanks for sharing.