A couple of months ago I read Charles Cross' biography of Hendrix-"A Roomfull Of Mirrors". This sent me off an a listening binge that has yet to let up. I've always been a huge fan, but during the past few months my favorite Hendrix record has become "First Rays of The New Rising Sun" which compiles what he was working on in preparation for his 4th record. The finished product would surely have been different and maybe even titled something else but damn I love every song on this CD. Thoughts on Jimi ? Talk amongst yourselves.

When I interviewed Richard Lloyd (Television, Matthew Sweet), he told me a story about how, when he was a teenager, he got decked by Hendrix. Apparently Jimi was a friend of a friend. I just loved that image of the greatest guitar player ever knocking another one of my favorite guitarists flat on his ass.

Any rate... my favorite has always been Axis: Bold As Love. And "Little Wing" ends about 5 minutes too soon! The more I listen to him, the more I appreciate how brilliant he was.

And to repeat myself (who, me?!?!) he is one of the most underrated songwriters of the rock era. Easily up there with Lennon/McCartney and Dylan. So great.

One of the greatest popular music snippets of all time... so unforgettable because you always, always, always feel it ends too soon.

Right up there with Lennon and McCartney-Exactly !

Band of Gypsys is still probably my favorite, but Axis: Bold as Love is just fucking incredible.

Yes.


Put down the rock.

It's a different style... he took the blues in a whole new direction. Basically invented "Acid Rock" and wrote with a poetry that, at times, exceeded that of Lennon/Macca, and melodies that, at times, exceeded Dylan. Never both at both times. But he was a force and had a style all his own, even as a songwriter.

I stayed away from Jimi for years due to overexposed to young rich kids listening to Purple Haze because "he did lots of drugs".

Somewhere in my mid-twenties I came to my senses and realized that---in addition to his guitar playing---he is one of the most brilliant musicians/songwriters EVAH.

He is one of the few musicians I know of that manages to simultaneuosly: groove, rock out in a serious way, and be extremely experimental/psychedelic, while at the same time writing real 'song-songs' (i.e. good lyrics, etc). (okay, there's also Love, old Funkadelic, and Sly & the Family Stone, but it's different).

I'd be curious to hear "First Rays of The New Rising Sun".

...one that I prefer, actually. ( )

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It has songs that you are probably familiar with like "Freedom", "Angel" and "Ezy Rider" along with 13 others. It was assembled by his family in 1997. Apparently Jimi's intended track order surfaced after the fact. The music was apparently not finished, but you'd never tell the difference. From a songwriting standpoint it really shows him growing. IMO it stands right with the 3 proper studio albums. A must have.

Yeah, that All Along the Watchtower was so much better than anything Dylan wrote.

There's a whole slew of digital-only bootlegs and demos hitting soon--



Dagger Records are putting them out. Only 4 are available so far. http://www.sonymusicdigital.com/jimi-hendrix/items/album?t=5461711

His version is much better than Dylan's.

I'd argue it is different, not "much" better. But the point was the melody; last I heard the melody was the same in the two versions.

(Obner in incipient old age.... defending comments made years ago).

I just find it much more visceral and emotional. Another one of those songs I've heard about a billion times but still crank up every time I hear the first few seconds.

And just revisiting arguments randomly as if the conversation never ended. This site's become the tv room at an old folks home.

Did anyone pick up Valleys of Neptune? It got really good reviews but just looked like yet another random compilation of Hendrix tunes to me. Is it really anything better/different than the others?

I don't think the "point" is the melody. That downplays the significance of every other aspect of a song and Hendrix blew Dylan's tune a new asshole. I'd argue that Hendrix's version is "better" than the original but don't ask for anything other than my subjective thoughts on that.

Maybe this should bump or start anew a "Covers better than the original" thread...?

Let's bump the old one. Or the other old ones. Or the five or six from the old CMJ board. Or the millions from every other message board in existence.

You're exceptionally "vocal" today. Two cups of coffee this morning?

Hand me the remote, Slick.

I've noticed that happens many times when a thread is bumped. I read about those new releases and just searched for "Hendrix" and this is the thread that came up. Interesting to see that, as you said, the conversations picked right back up.

You old.

Where Hendrix can suck you in, chew you up, and spit you out in bits of rainbow on the ground and Dylan can make you say, "Now, there's a story."