Dec 14

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Greatly Appreciated

THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
 
 
The Jimi Hendrix Experience  was an English-American rock band that formed in Westminster, London, in September 1966.  Composed of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jimi Hendrix, bassist and backing vocalist Noel Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell, the band was active until June 1969.  During this time they released three successful studio albums.  Widely recognized as hugely influential in the development of the hard rock, psychedelic rock and heavy metal music genres during the late-1960s and beyond, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was best known for the skill, style and charisma of their frontman, Hendrix, who has since been called one of the greatest guitarists of all time by various music publications and writers.  All three of the band’s studio albums, Are You Experienced (1967), Axis: Bold as Love (1967) and Electric Ladyland (1968), were featured in the top 100 of the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
Among the many 1960’s psychedelic bands are the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Big Brother and the Holding Company, 13th Floor Elevators, the Chocolate Watchband, the Strawberry Alarm Clock, Iron Butterfly, and Tomorrow.  Our local newspaper, the Sun Herald reported over the weekend about a previously unreleased album by Arthur Lee’s band Love that is supposed to hit the stores shortly; I didn’t expect such hip news from them frankly. 
 
(March 2011)
 
*       *       *
 
Now, on their website, Sundazed Records insists of the Stillroven that “their pedal-to-the-metal, frenetic version of ‘Hey Joe’ [is] still THE definitive version as far as we’re concerned”.  That’s a pretty strong statement considering that “Hey Joe” was one of the most recorded songs of the 1960’s.  Better-known covers include those by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Deep Purple (on their debut album, Shades of Deep Purple, they even claimed to be the songwriter!), Johnny Rivers, the Byrds, the Music Machine, and the Leaves.
 
So, if you want to test that claim, here is the Stillroven on YouTube (audio only) performing “Hey Joe”:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-0zMnkCYOE .
 
(September 2012)
 
*       *       * 
 

While his music is not overtly religious for the most part, one of Lenny Kravitz’s biggest hit songs, “Are You Gonna Go My Way” seems to me to be written as a message from Jesus to humanity; the first verse is: 

 

     I was born long ago

     I am the chosen I’m the one

     I have come to save the day

     And I won’t leave until I’m done 

 

The music has a definite Jimi Hendrix vibe; and on the video, the musicians backing Lenny Kravitz with his flowing dreadlocks (the drummer is a woman, Cindy Blackman) look very much like the Jimi Hendrix Experience in their prime.  The ceiling above the band has swirling flashes of bright light that are perfect for the music.  

 

(November 2014)

 

*       *       *

 

Masquerading as the Wonder Who? – at the same time that the Who and the Guess Who were current – the Four Seasons released a version of “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” with Frankie Valli singing an exaggerated falsetto.  And there is the excellent cover by the Jimi Hendrix Experience of “All Along the Watchtower”, which seems to be on everyone’s short list of the greatest Bob Dylan covers of all time. 

 

(March 2015)

 

Last edited: March 22, 2021