No need to add much more to the title...
No need to add much more to the title...
I've never been that much into his music, except that I do think his is the definitive version of "All Along the Watchtower". I think his most important legacy is the approach he took - experimenting with different ways of making music, and taking artistic control of his own releases. That, plus perhaps giving us music's most memorable mondegreen.
I heard the news on the radio. I loved Jimi and was able to see him and the Experience in concert here in L.A. in 1969, when I was 14 years old. I remember being devastated for days after, crying and mourning a lot. I was so looking forward to Jimi making his way to new musical directions. I know he was into the pioneering days of prog. He called the original King Crimson the best band on Earth. And everyone knows of the story about him joining Emerson, Lake and Palmer. In his latter years, he talked up his vision of a band where he wouldn't be the leader, just part of the act, called Electric Church. But I'm certain he would have joined in the prog movement some how. Certainly a blusey-jazzed up fusion band, or Mahavishnu Orchestra type band would have fitted him perfectly. Remember he also jammed with John McLaughlin. But the Gods of music only put him here long enough to teach us all that the guitar could be approached so differently than previously realized. Who knows what could have been? I only know that he was a master musician, a true Voodoo Child magic boy.
Day dawns dark...it now numbers infinity.
"Wow, we are desperate when we start observing the anniversaries of " musician's deaths.Originally Posted by bob_32_116
Well, we proggers are/were (?) a dying breed, supposedly living lives "of quiet desperation", so we were hanging (desperately) on to what has always given a sense of purpose. Jimi's guitar always did that for me, even though, as someone mentioned above, I am not an immense fan of his music/compositions per se, ...the guitar.....always that guitar...!
Ed
Last edited by rickmoraz; 09-18-2015 at 04:28 PM.
Is he still the greatest guitarist of all time? If not, who?
The older I get, the better I was.
This is of course hypothetical but if you string Eric Johnson, Alex Lifeson and Tommy Shaw in parallel the three combined would give Hendricks a run for his money as greatest guitarist(s).
I find your choice of names even more interesting.
The older I get, the better I was.
...That, plus perhaps giving us music's most memorable mondegreen....
Indeed...
In concert, Hendrix sometimes substituted lyrics for comic effect; "'scuse me while I kiss the sky" was rendered "'scuse me while I kiss this guy" (while gesturing towards Mitchell),[5] "'scuse me while I kiss that policeman" (at a near riot in Los Angeles), or "'scuse me while I fuck the sky" (during a downpour in Seattle).[28]
Ed
A colossus of nonpareil musical invention and peerless inspiration. Those who know, know.
Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes
I will say this, I've seen Hendrix t-shirts and wall posters more than any other band. Don't know what that means, just an observation.
The older I get, the better I was.
Well said. He will always be remembered, and has joined the status of other musical greats at the top of their field such as Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Stravinsky, Coltrane, Miles Davis, the list goes on and on.
Day dawns dark...it now numbers infinity.
I always thought that his feel and his time were second to none; even when he was heavy or even when he was light, his playing always displayed both simultaneously a beautiful sense of nimbleness and intensity. He never plodded, and his grooves were heavy, elastic and had weight to them.
I bought Band of Gypsy's on a complete whim in early 1974 when I was just starting to play GTR at age 15...needless to say it was a defining moment in my music journey. Jimi will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart.
...sometimes, God chooses to speak to us through ART. Jimi was one such vessel...Bach, Mozart, Pollack & Coltrane were others IMHO.
Without question.. he could pull more out of a guitar tuning up than most could in a lifetime..
The guitar was simply an extension of him.. Major bummer he went the way he did..
I wish he could have stuck around long enough for his dance-funk/disco phase.
Anyway, one of the all-time greats; a huge loss for rock music.
And how many of those people know it's almost total bunk? For one thing, Palmer wasn't even in the picture yet. For another, Emerson & Lake invited Mitch Mitchell to a meeting and Mitchell showed up totally wasted with a bodyguard who put a loaded pistol on the table before they even started talking. Mitchell vaguely mentioned working with Hendrix, but it never got beyond that, I don't think Mitchell even jammed with E & L. People like that story because they can snicker "That band would have been called HELP, har har har".And everyone knows of the story about him joining Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Yeah, I'm sick of that of story.
Before he died, he was talking with Miles Davis about doing a project (this would have been around the time of Bitches Brew), Miles insisted that Jimi get some lessons on how to write out music and to take some basic harmony and theory classes. Jimi was supposedly going to do that after he back from Europe but that obviously didn't end up happening.Certainly a blusey-jazzed up fusion band, or Mahavishnu Orchestra type band would have fitted him perfectly. Remember he also jammed with John McLaughlin.
Jimi Hendrix revolutionized the use of the electric guitar like no else, full stop. I love his music, I have since I first heard the American version of Are You Experienced? in 1967 as an 8 year old. What's a shame is that the stuff he left unfinished at his death (released as First Rays of the New Rising Sun) showed he was moving towards a less psychedelic, more stripped down funky sound. He revolutionized the electric guitar, he was a great songwriter, had a really cool voice, was one of the greatest live performers ever, was always looking for new stuff to do in the studio and had so much future potential. Of all the rock star deaths, I think his is the most tragic.
I recently watched a documentary about his performance at the Atlanta International Pop Festival, which took place on 7/4/70, about 2 1/2 months before he died. Mitch Mitchell is in very poor form and it's a standard setlist but Jimi plays some incendiary stuff. It puts the lie to the myth that he was in decline when he died. Yes, the Isle of Wight show was a mess, as was the short European tour that followed and he was obviously bored with doing stuff like Foxy Lady (which I could gladly go without ever hearing again). His business affairs were a mess, largely thanks to his total piece of human filth manager Mike Jeffery, but maybe Miles could have helped sort that out?
RIP James Marshall Hendrix.
...or you could love
Would that have been followed by Punk > New Wave > smooth jazz phases?I wish he could have stuck around long enough for his dance-funk/disco phaseI'd love to seen what he could have done with synthesizers when they became polyphonic. Maybe an electronic phase for Jimi in the 90's?
...or you could love
The "Gods of music" had nothing to do with his death. Sadly he choose to abuse drugs and choked to death in a needless early death. I say that without malice. I too wanted to see what he could achieve. But some of the greats, like Tommy Bolin, chose to live a very risky life style which takes them way to young.
Band Of Gypsys is still my favorite album by Jimi. Usually I'd never pick a live album as a fave by any band but for this one I'll make an exception.
He died at 27, but he will live forever.
Someone mentioned that Jimi had a sense of humor. When this came out in 1984, Jimi was probably laughing from heaven, and most likely still is! My favorite L.A. new wave/prog band from the 1980's. Do ya think Jimi would have dug the mellotron in his song?
Last edited by AncientChord; 09-18-2015 at 08:08 PM.
Day dawns dark...it now numbers infinity.
the same status as Beethoven, Mozart?????????? You are joking right?
We are the grandchildren of apes, not angels
But only we are gifted with the eyes to see
On days without FEAR, when our heads are clear
That angels, we could be
(Marillion 2016)
Had the same thoughts.. seen too many people leave this earth too soon due to "personal choices"..
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