Favorite Jimmy Hendrix'?

[mc1]

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

For me it's a six-way tie:

*Little Wing - live version Royal Albert Hall 1969 - a beautiful song with massive performance energy.
*1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) - super examples of the unearthly sounds he could create.
*House Burning Down - humorous lyrics with anthemic playing. What a combination.
*Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - an in-studio 'jam' on a completed album cut that became rightfully legendary.
*Drifting - like Angel, a softer ballad, but with exquisitely gorgeous playing.
*In From The Storm - a preview of where he was heading, some progressive elements.

It's funny to hear people dismiss Hendrix from a vantage point 50 years after his death. Hendrix wasn't revolutionary for electric guitar because he was more technically advanced than anyone else on the planet.

He was revolutionary because he brought a suitcase full of new techniques and approaches that no one else was using and wove it into an instantly identifiable sound.

These days 9 year old players can 'out-Hendrix' the real thing. But none of them would be doing anything if Hendrix didn't invent it first.

I happen to prefer pioneers over those who come afterwards. Doing anything original in life involves huge amounts of courage, drive and vision.

These are some really great choices. The Royal Albert Little Wing was on In The West, if I recall correctly. As was the Voodoo Chile, Slight Return. But because of ownership issues, credit was not given. In The West was my favorite for so long.

Have they ever reissued this concert? It was fabulous. I have a so-so video copy. It's funny because they left the lights up really bright at the show.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by ghostnote

There's a lot of Hendrix that I like - here are three:
Manic Depression
Love or Confusion
The Burning of The Midnight Lamp
There is also a lot of stuff that was less than inspired. I attribute that largely to the insane touring schedule and a contract that called for new albums on a regular basis.
And while to say that he wasn't the best guitarist is true - there is no "best" - he was very gifted. Some of the "best" guitarists of his time were completely blown away by his playing. They watched him do things that they could never conceive of. He was his own thing for sure.

The Burning of The Midnight Lamp is another favorite. I agree that trying to find a best is going down the wrong road. He was revolutionary. And he paid attention to every note.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by boombox

Another big Hendrix fan here. As for greatest? There are many players since who could blow him apart technically, though without his "feel", but as a creative and inspirational artist, there are few like him. Like Zappa, who drew on many facets of classical music, including the various odd modes I always think of when I listen to his guitar work, Hendrix absorbed and and synthesised many styles and was so creative in his use of jazz guitar techniques which are still used in rock today: it's easy to see the development of Wes Montgomery > Hendrix > Billy Corgan.

Tough to pick faves, but I'd have to go with 'Burning Of The Midnight Lamp' or almost any track on Axis Bold As Love.

His feel was part of his soul, and paramount. Axis is my favorite album.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by Lkristians

Red House. His blues talent really shines here.

This is one of my favorites. Funny comparing the couple us/uk studio versions to the live versions.

There is/was a cool Hal Leonard book/cd called Red House, that transcribed like 6, if I had to guess, of his classic Red House solos.

I had a search and I have 64 different versions of Jimi playing Red House.

But now the lyrics are antiquated, like Hey Joe, or many other Hendrix tunes (yes, HJ wasn't written by him).

The In The West San Diego version was for many years my pick.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by godfreydaniel

My favorite version is the one on Hendrix in the West.

In the West was I think, besides Axis: Bold as Love, one of my most listened to albums. I spent a lot of time to go back and find all of those concerts.

Berkeley was top notch. The difference between the set was stark. I think he got somewhat experienced between sets.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by eatswodo

“Castles Made of Sand”.

Another great. Here's Tuck (he's unbelievable!) and Patti:

[bill austin]

https://youtu.be/pJWwtxgx4WQ

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

For me it's a six-way tie:

*Little Wing - live version Royal Albert Hall 1969 - a beautiful song with massive performance energy.
*1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) - super examples of the unearthly sounds he could create.
*House Burning Down - humorous lyrics with anthemic playing. What a combination.
*Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - an in-studio 'jam' on a completed album cut that became rightfully legendary.
*Drifting - like Angel, a softer ballad, but with exquisitely gorgeous playing.
*In From The Storm - a preview of where he was heading, some progressive elements.

It's funny to hear people dismiss Hendrix from a vantage point 50 years after his death. Hendrix wasn't revolutionary for electric guitar because he was more technically advanced than anyone else on the planet.

He was revolutionary because he brought a suitcase full of new techniques and approaches that no one else was using and wove it into an instantly identifiable sound.

These days 9 year old players can 'out-Hendrix' the real thing. But none of them would be doing anything if Hendrix didn't invent it first.

I happen to prefer pioneers over those who come afterwards. Doing anything original in life involves huge amounts of courage, drive and vision.

I disagree with the last part of your statement. I understand you are talking about skills but...
Speed and shredding is robotic. I don’t think that either qualifies as “out-Hendrixing.”
I do agree that without the pioneers none of this would have evolved.
While I marvel at what some of these kids can do, I end up saying “so what.”
Bo-ring.

[DukeX]

Originally Posted by TJN

"All along the watchtower" . . . even thought it's a Dylan song.

It is. Written by Dylan in 1967.

[DukeX]

Voodoo Chile/Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

[Gordon Currie]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I disagree with the last part of your statement. I understand you are talking about skills but...
Speed and shredding is robotic. I don’t think that either qualifies as “out-Hendrixing.”
I do agree that without the pioneers none of this would have evolved.
While I marvel at what some of these kids can do, I end up saying “so what.”
Bo-ring.

Well, we're not in disagreement. That's why I wrote it 'out-Hendrixing'. Trying to evoke air-quotes.

A lot of budding musicians look at speed and technical skills as important indicators. I certainly did when I was 12. As I logged hours on the instrument and even more hours on the turntable I learned about all the other aspects of music.

I remember having a discussion with someone who felt that Stevie Ray Vaughn was a better player than Hendrix (when Stevie first came out and was heavily Hendrix influenced). His point was that Stevie was so much cleaner and consistent. My contention was that Stevie might not have even been playing professionally if Jimi hadn't paved the way.

(BTW, I dug Stevie a LOT when he developed his own strong style.)

[Gordon Currie]

Originally Posted by mc1

These are some really great choices. The Royal Albert Little Wing was on In The West, if I recall correctly. As was the Voodoo Chile, Slight Return. But because of ownership issues, credit was not given. In The West was my favorite for so long.

Have they ever reissued this concert? It was fabulous. I have a so-so video copy. It's funny because they left the lights up really bright at the show.

In The West was a release where they didn't have full rights, and ended up having to stop selling it.

Many years ago I found a German Polydor CD of In The West. To my knowledge that was the only time it was ever released on CD.

However, all the songs IIRC have been released on CD. It was a 4 CD package called The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The 1969 Royal Albert Hall film is of course legendary and, last I heard, unreleased. There was a decades-long legal dispute holding up the release.

[FrankHudson]

He was so great that the best song changes day to day or with my mood. So many of those have been mentioned already in the thread, and I love every one of them.

I'll single out two songs: "1983 A Merman I should turn to be" which is a wonderful composition. There's a demo floating around with just an (unplugged?) electric guitar and voice where Hendrix shows how formed the composition was before the recorded version we all know.

The other is "Machine Gun" which is a great, expressive, funky jam.

[Gordon Currie]

Originally Posted by mc1

I had a search and I have 64 different versions of Jimi playing Red House.

The In The West San Diego version was for many years my pick.

I started to wear out the record on that song. That version was the one I tried to copy when first learning Hendrix licks.

But my favorite Hendrix blues performance will always be Bleeding Heart from Albert Hall 1969. Starts off with 3(!) choruses even before he gets to the lyrics. It's an 8 1/2 minute master class on dynamics and making the guitar talk and sing.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by Gordon Currie

In The West was a release where they didn't have full rights, and ended up having to stop selling it.

Many years ago I found a German Polydor CD of In The West. To my knowledge that was the only time it was ever released on CD.

However, all the songs IIRC have been released on CD. It was a 4 CD package called The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The 1969 Royal Albert Hall film is of course legendary and, last I heard, unreleased. There was a decades-long legal dispute holding up the release.

Yes, that's what I recall as well.