Jimi Hendrix Experience (Official Thread)

[Hurdy Gurdy Man]

Ringo had a house out in the burbs outside London.For most of the time the Beatles were recording together,only Paul lived in London,in the St. John's Wood section,I believe either right around the corner from Abbey Road or at least very close.But now back to the Hendrix confab.I always thought the reason he was acknowledged to a large degree in England first was the fact that England was generally conceptually ahead of the US not only in music ,but also in the field of fashion.You know,Carnaby Saville Row,places like that.Only a mere two days after "Sgt. Pepper" was released,Hendrix was already doing his version of the album's title track at the Saville Theater in London,which I believe Beatles manager Brian Epstein had part ownership in as well as he sponsored the concert as well as he did the Monkees' 1967 tour of England.Apparently,Hendrix played Monterey at Paul McCartney's insistence, as he was actually listed as one of the organizers of the musically historic event.An honorary thing really.John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas was the man who REALLY ran the show.Then there's the famous story among classic rock fans about how Pete Townsend and Jimi flipped a coin to see who would go on first due to the fact that the Who didn't want to follow Hendrix for obvious reasons.Townsend,as we all can clearly see from the film, won the flip......................

 

[JimJam]

You packed a lot into one post, Hurdy Gurdy Man! The reason why Hendrix caught on in England (and parts of Europe) before the U.S. is conjecture. But there must've been something to the taste of his "heavy" blues-based guitar music, because Cream also caught on in England in 1966, while in the U.S. they only made a small dent.

 

[Phil B.]

I think that was the beauty of Hendrix's music. Up until then, you didn't see a lot of black lead performers in the "big" music scene. Chuck Berry and Little Richard (for instance) all had some pull in the USA, but arguably they played to the popular "Bandstand" crowd. The Blues was still a regional type of music in the US, but there was a definite appreciation in the UK for the blues. Hendrix's early years were saturated by the blues and his expression of the musical style was a wonderful catalyst for the whole rock scene. Ironic that a lot of Americans were turned on to their own music by a cat who had to go overseas to do it!

 

[Phil B.]

 

[JimJam]

I think that was the beauty of Hendrix's music. Up until then, you didn't see a lot of black lead performers in the "big" music scene. Chuck Berry and Little Richard (for instance) all had some pull in the USA, but arguably they played to the popular "Bandstand" crowd. The Blues was still a regional type of music in the US, but there was a definite appreciation in the UK for the blues. Hendrix's early years were saturated by the blues and his expression of the musical style was a wonderful catalyst for the whole rock scene. Ironic that a lot of Americans were turned on to their own music by a cat who had to go overseas to do it!

The latter part of the '60s is when rock n roll became rock. The Bandstand crowd was very much around. But with the counter-culture came The Doors, Janis, Airplane, The Dead and many others, including the stylistic evolution of the Beatles, all helping set the stage in the U.S. for the acceptance of Hendrix. Little Richard i think can be said to have had an influence as well, because he was a black dude and so damn outrageous, as Hendrix must've seemed to many people.

The Stones (named after a Muddy Waters song), Animals and Yardbirds were also U.K. bands who were instrumental in bringing the blues to the attention of U.S. audiences.

 

[Phil B.]

The latter part of the '60s is when rock n roll became rock. The Bandstand crowd was very much around. But with the counter-culture came The Doors, Janis, Airplane, The Dead and many others, including the stylistic evolution of the Beatles, all helping set the stage in the U.S. for the acceptance of Hendrix. Little Richard i think can be said to have had an influence as well, because he was a black dude and so damn outrageous, as Hendrix must've seemed to many people.

The Stones (named after a Muddy Waters song), Animals and Yardbirds were also U.K. bands who were instrumental in bringing the blues to the attention of U.S. audiences.

I always thought it was kinda funny that Jimi played some backing tracks on Little Richard's sessions.

 

[JimJam]

I could listen to Little Richard talk about Jimi Hendrix for an hour and not get bored!

"He used to make my big toe shoot up in my boot."

Richard quotes Sly, saying everybody is a star, the only difference is that some people have not been put in the dipper and poured back on the world for everyone to see their star. He's implying the extra difficulty black artists had in getting themselves heard. He says he knew Hendrix would make it big, but he also knows how rare it is for black guys "looking freaky" to make it big.

Richard also struck a note when saying Hendrix wanted to take people to places that drugs couldn't take them. I do not have an extensive knowledge of Hendrix's biography but i've always had the impression that he was not a big-time druggie, compared to others, despite the one awful night that lead to his death.

 

[Hurdy Gurdy Man]

Contrary to popular belief,not every 60's rock star idulged in psyhedelics to high copious degrees.Some of the writers heard that things like LSD etc. could very well have enhanced their already existing talents.They dabbled,became inspired to certain extents, displayed the results in their works,and then moved on to other things.Mike Pinder of the Moody Blues likened such substances to a painter's palate that suddenly becomes adorned with mind blowing colors that don't really exist.In the case of bands such as early Pink Floyd,this effect lead to high concept philosophical lyrics as well as more expansive musical experimentation.Hendrix,obviously,also achieved similarly glorious esoteric heights.....................

 

[Phil B.]

 

[Sharp Dressed Man]