Conference mr1pst::music

    1970    (maybe November, December?)
    \Gary

     September 18, 1970

     Neal

    
    
     Thanks for the info
    
                   Eric
    

    For those really intersted in the genius of Jimi and his life, check
    out Crosstown Traffic authopr Charles SHaar Murray, St Martin's Press
    NY. the definitive book is called jimi Hendrix Electric Gypsy (cant
    recall author and press info) Also an intersting book more like a novel
    but lot's of factual stuff too is 'Scuse me While i kiss the sky auth
    David Henderson.
    
    	JimI Hendrix cannot be referred to enough as being an influence and
    torch carrier for a genius on the guitar. He is the logical follow on
    from first Robert Johnson and then Charlie Christian. The depth of his
    playing and soulful aura of his music and songwriting is haunting and
    needs to be revived more than it is today. Anybody intersted in
    starting a tribute band, give a call. I need a drummer and bass
    player!!
    					Fred 237-2460
    

    Fred, every time I hear All Along The Watchtower I marval at the
    textures of his fills and rhythm playing! The whole track is a
    masterpiece. JEEEZUSSS what he could do given enough time in a studio.

    It's a pastime for Eric Johnson, Satriani and the late SRV to try and
    mimick Jimi's phrasing. Little Wing on SRV's The Sky Is Crying is
    basically just Stevie working on trying to get it right while the tape
    happens to be rolling.

    As Wayne and Garth say, I AM NOT WORTHY!

    --Ron

    Re: .5
    
    Maybe you're really marveling at Dave Mason who played second guitar on
    "All Along The Watchtower"...or so he claims.  He's pictured jamming
    with Jimi on the inner sleeve of "Electric Ladyland".  Apparently
    Traffic and Jimi spent some time together, Steve Winwood and Chris Wood
    also are on that album, and Wood guested on the first album from Noel
    Redding's Fat Mattress.
    
    						Brian

    Brian,

    I believe Dave Mason's contribution on All Along the Watchtower is 12
    string. The fills are classic Hendrix. The original tracks were cut
    before Axis tracks but Hendrix lugged the master around for a couple
    years re-recording guitar, bass and vocal tracks (I think that it's
    Hendrix on the final bass tracks). I think the original 12 string track
    of Mason's survived. This is the impression that I got from the new
    Eddie Kramer book.

    Besides, in all the Traffic/Dave Mason recordings I've heard I've never
    heard Mason play lead like that.

    --Ron

    Re: .7
    
    I wasn't suggesting Mason did any of the leads, but that he played some
    of the rhythm guitar stuff.
    
    							Brian

    
    	Dave Mason does a version of "All Along the Watchtower" and
    	I've always really liked it.  Nice solo too.  This is not
    	to say that it compares with Jimi's version tho.
    

>    I wasn't suggesting Mason did any of the leads, but that he played some
>    of the rhythm guitar stuff.

    I misunderstood, Brian. Sorry.

    The kind of rhythm stuff that Hendrix did that I find amazing can be
    heard on Wait 'til Tomarrow on Axis: Bold as Love. That's a style of
    playing that he learned playing the chitlin circuit after getting out
    of the Army. I don't think anyone else did it quite like Jimi.

    --Ron

    One really spooky version of "All Along the Watchtower" was done by a
    Brit band named Alan Bown.  I have all their albums, but I don't know
    anyone who's ever heard of them.  
    

    A couple things about Hendrix that I thought were interesting:
    
    1. His thumb.  Probably the only guitarist I've ever seen who can span the
    entire width of a guitar neck with the part of his thumb from the first
    knuckle to the nail.  I just got the Hendrix at Woodstock video and he
    used his thumb a lot more than I realized.
    
    2. The whammy bar.  Since he normally played a right handed Strat
    updside down (and restrung), whenever he used the bar, the bass strings
    would be affected and not the top strings (as is usually the case). As
    with everything else, he could incorporate the effect seamlessly. 
    
    Its too bad he didn't stick around longer, he was one of a kind.
    
    SA

re .12 

>    2. The whammy bar.  Since he normally played a right handed Strat
>    updside down (and restrung), whenever he used the bar, the bass strings
>    would be affected and not the top strings (as is usually the case). As
>    with everything else, he could incorporate the effect seamlessly. 

    Actually the tremelo system effects the tension of all strings
    simultaniously. Each string terminates in a common tailpiece block to
    which all bridge inserts are commonly mounted. Pressing down on the
    whammy bar moves all of the bridges equally towards the string,
    shortening the stringlength and lowering string tension.

    --Ron

    I was just reading in a recent Entertainment Weekly about the Hendrix
    estate.  It's going on the block again, estimated price is $300
    million.  Supposedly Warners is not going to bid for recording rights
    this time, and we may soon see Hendrix recordings on another label than
    Reprise.  The current estate is managed by Are You Experienced Ltd.
    which is held by some foreign companies.  
    
    Interesting financial details:
    
    -> Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell get no royalties any more, in the
    late 70s they sold their stakes for $100,000 and $300,000
    respectively, which in retrospect has lost them millions of dollars.
    
    -> The estate pays Jimi's father an undisclosed "stipend" somewhat less
    than the millions the estate generates each year.
    
    -> Jimi Hendrix sold more albums last year then the Spin Doctors (and a
    couple of other currently "hip" bands whose names I forgot).
    
    -> When alive, Jimi had a royalty rate of 1% from Warner Bros.  The current
    royalty rate the estate receives is 16%.
    
    							Brian

    Ron:
    
    	Good to hear from you!! Yeah Jimi definitely gets me waxing poetic
    every time. I gues we cleared up who platyed rhythm and who played
    lead on watchtower although there's always room for  interpretation.
    there's so much folklore around him becuase he professional life
    especially the last 3 years went by so fast that people were too busy
    enjoying and taking him in, and didnt bother to write too much down.
    It's such a shame about all of the lost stuff,. Apparently hours after
    he died, his appartment, which was filled with his own library of
    personal tapes of jams and just about  everything ( he used to lug a
    revox reel to reel around with him most places he ent to capture his
    own and others' playing) was ransacked presumably by Mike Jeffries who
    always watched out for Mike. Havent really heard of any of those
    particular tapes being recovered.
    
    	Yeah let me know when you want to jam!!! - Fred
    

    Brian:
    
    	Boy those kind of stats really hurt and just make it seem like Jimi
    really falls into the category of all great artists, poets and
    musicians who are appreciated so much more when they're gone. I always
    think about the albums that could have been. Rehearsals for a Gil evans
    session with Gil doing the incomparable arranging that only he could do
    were scheduled to start a week after jimi' demise and there was a near
    collaboration with Miles Davis that feel thru because of Miles
    exhorbitant fee ($50,000) which I dont begrudge him in the
    least...Miles was just trying to make sure that he at least wasnt going
    to be in the 1% fee range. That would have been some album and there
    are so many other times that i could here a more layed back hendrix
    sitting in on this session or that session were he just given a little
    more time on this earthly plain........of course the cruel irony is
    that Jimi died at the hands of a junior emergnecy med technicians hand
    who strapped Jimi into a sitting position with his head held back in
    the ambulance unwittingly causing the death by asphyxiation. I like
    Chas Chandler's summarry although it may be a little skewed because
    jimi dod come from abject poverty and a hard climb up the ladder in the
    chitlin circuit as Ron pointed out but Chas still captured the spirit
    when he said "Jimi's death was a tragedy, but his life was full of
    fun..."
    
    						--Fred
    

    re:13
    
    Your right.  I guess I should have said that Hendrix would cup the
    palm of his hand on the bar while playing bass notes and would
    incorporate the "bend" into his solos.  I've seen other guitarists do
    this, but they would hold the bar with their ring finger and little 
    finger and bend while playing on the top strings.
    
    re: 14
    
    I saw a vey interesting show on BBC a few years ago called Central
    Weekend which featured an hour long interview with Noel Redding.  he
    talked specifically about the rip off of the revenue from Hendrix. 
    Mike Jeffries was a real piece of work.  There were hundreds
    of these bogus companies based in the Bahamas which would be used (by
    Jeffires) to funnel money from Hendrix's appearances and recordings.  
    Hendrix was high all the time (Jeffries was one of his major suppliers), 
    so he didn't know what was going on, and Redding, Mitchell, and Cox 
    basically were paid squat.  In fact, Mitchell and Redding were paid $45 
    bucks a piece after a gig at Madison Square Garden (for an audience of 
    about 80,000)!!.  A couple years after his death, when everything started 
    to collapse, Jeffries died when his car ran off a cliff.  The body was
    never found.  Millions are still unaccounted for.    
    
    re: the infamous apartment tapes.  Many of these are now starting to
    surface.  I have copies of some of his acoustic stuff (Astro Man, Long
    Hot Summer Night, Watchtower) and they are pretty raw, but incredible. 
    He could literally sound like an entire band with just an acoustic
    guitar.  he'd slap the body for a percussive effect while -playing
    these intricate lead/strum riffs.  Also, I have three C-90's which were
    snet to me from someone I trade with that were recorded during his
    final sessions (Cry of Love, Rainbow Bridge, Nine to the Universe, and
    Crash Landing (before the redubs)).  On it are jams with McLaughlin and 
    Dave Holland and a blues which features a muted trumpet (Miles??). 
    
    From what I've read in interviews with Alan Douglas, Hendrix was palnning 
    on taking a couple years off of the constant three hundred plus gigs a
    year tour scheudle and move back to New York and concentrate on fusion. 
    Since he couldn't read music, this time was going to be used for wood
    shedding with the aforementioned jazz guys and as chance for him to
    get straight.  
    
    Also, according to the ambulance attendants, Hendirx died a violent
    death.  There was blood and vomit all over the room and his lungs were
    so full they couldn't revive him. They speculated he had been dead for
    at least four hours prior to them arriving, the attending physician at the
    hospital he was brought to confirmed it as well.  Thus, how they
    strapped him in the ambulance was pretty irrelevant.
      
    Monica Danneman stated he was alive
    when she got there and called the ambulance, but the two attendants
    refute this.  Perhaps her reason for lying (if she was lying) was that
    it was her prescription for sleeping pills which he OD'ed on (along
    with mucho red wine).
    

    Hellooooooooo custom::applegate:
    
    	Is this Steve? Gussing that from your node name partially spells
    customer and that there is a Steve in Digital Services that I've got
    thte right guy. Tried to send you mail but got login info incorrect at
    remote node. How can i get hold of you.
    
    	Jimi's death, like Marylin Monroes and JFK will always be shrouded
    in mystery. It's certainly true thart jimi loved to party to a fault
    but i think that by this time we at least know that it wastn explained to
    Jimi that the sleeping pills he took were %400 stronger than he
    realized....this european brand were to be broken into quarters and
    injested.......dont know the drug company but they really could have
    used some saftey engineering looking at the product before it went out
    the door. Anyway there was an articel as recently as a year ago that
    eveidence had surface to open an investigation of his death because
    foul play, like Marylin monroes death, couldnt be ruled out. I dont
    know about blood all over the place could have been red wine in the
    vomit and the only thing i can get from the deaht certificate was that
    he was doa no mention of how long......I dont think its out of the
    question that the hospital could have been covering their butt too if
    the ambulance personnel had botched things on site. We'll never know.
    Jeffries was reputed to keep supplying jimi with various concoctions to
    keep his mind off of business and was rumoured to have had hendrix
    bkinfolded and kidnapped by thugs at one point to keep him on edge.
    Doesnt make sense that Jeffries would kill the golden goose but who
    knows....... IN any event it's a shame and terrible waste. I think
    hendrix just short of age 28 was on the brink of growing up musically
    (presumptious remark, considering he had already achieved king of the
    hill status) but he undoubtedly would have always remained on the
    musical forefront had he lived.
    	
    	he left so precious little of refined product the first 3 albums
    with the experince, alittle band of gypsies stuff and the cry of love
    which actuially was produced after his death from incomplete studiou
    work. the reaminder never would have reached us in the form that we
    know it (such as crash landing etc) had he lived because he never would
    have let antything get out that he hadnt personlly refined as far as
    mix and production value. All we can do is enjoy what he did leave and
    dream about what might have been. ONe thing is for sure, todays music
    would have been far less blah( i enjoy most of what's going on today
    but there is a definite leaning towards over-production and how much
    white noise guitar are we going to be exposed to before the next genius
    comes along to show the rest of us how it's REALLY supposed to be
    done!) had jimi lived on to grow into a SUPER-super star!!
    
    							--Fred
    

    Hi Fred,
    
    Yeah, I'm the Steve at Digital Services and you can reach me at dtn
    471-5197, but you better hurry. My  last day at DEC (voluntarily,
    thank God) will be March 5.  I agree, Hendrix was probably growing up 
    musically, but, more importantly he may have been growing up
    emotionally, as well.  Jeffries supposedly knew that he would not be
    managing him much longer.  
    
    The life style definately took its toll. 
    Has anyone seen the Isle of Wight film?  There are flashes of his
    briliance (Red House, Spanish Castle/Sgt Pepper) but he looked agitated
    and VERY drained.  As he walks off the stage he drops the guitar in
    such a way that I immediately thought that nothing mattered to him. 
    The next week there was a riot at the Isle of Fehrman at his concert
    and much of his equipment was destroyed, Billy Cox had a nervous breakdown 
    (Jeffries may have been f@#$-ing with him, as well) so the rest of the
    tour HAD to be cancelled, and then he died the following week. 
    
    The double album planned (I think it was
    to be called Gypsy Suns and Rainbows) was, according to Douglas, his
    last pop album and he was going to stop touring and just release a
    couple of concert films to coincide with the album release.  
    Who knows?  He definately left his mark and many
    guitarists today (Satriani, (the late) SRV, Eric Johnson) point to his
    death as the day that they became serious about playing.  So maybe
    some good came out of it. Certainly the way he died made an impression
    on me.  Up until then, drugs were considered part of the whole
    psychedelic experience.  I was pretty young and impressionable then. But
    with him, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison all OD'ing within a year, it
    taught me something that all the lectures and movies that we had to watch 
    in health class couldn't.     
    
    For someone who only released three studio
    albums and a live (BoG) record and a half (the Monterey album with Otis
    Redding), there sure are a lot of performances and jams available.  
    Fortunately, he would lug his reel to reel with him and record just about 
    everything he did.  And like most professional musicians (as opposed to
    entertainers) he played constantly.  There are a few other musicians
    who burned as brightly and died too soon (Charlie Christian, Bird, Eric
    Dolphy, SRV, Trane, Duane Allman and Clifford Brown  come to mind ).  
    It makes me grateful for the ones that stuck around a little longer.
    
    Steve                                

    Re: finished product.
    
    That is an aspect of Hendrix I think is really overlooked.  The man was
    a master at the control board.  Eddie Kramer (who engineered most of
    the music) and him would work as long on the mixing and the refinement
    of the music as Hendrix and the band would on the songs.  A good
    example is Electric Ladlyland (both the album and the studio). Hendrix
    was always experimenting with sound whether it was from feedback or
    backward loops, so production was an important part of the process.
    Voodoo Child (the blues jam with Traffic) was cut from an hour jam that
    was a lot looser than what ended up on the album.  Even
    the infamous "the bar is closed?" comment was from the middle of the
    jam and some of the guitar parts were actually done solo and overdubbed
    over the rhythm. 
    
    No doubt all of the posthumous releases would either have never been 
    released (except as boots) or would have sounded totally different.
    
    SA

    First off let me state that I am and have been a giant Hendrix fan.  
    
    But, after reading various biogs of Jimi I have trouble pinning all the
    money blaim on Jefferies.  Hendrix, as has been shown in court, had
    signed a recording contract with Curtis Knight in NY before he left for
    England.  I suspect Jimi was like Bruce (Springsteen) in this respect
    that he just wanted to make music and would sign any contract shoved in
    front of him.  There is definately something funny about Jimi, an
    Amercian citizen being signed to Yameta Corp, a Carribean tax shelter
    comapny for British people!  I also feel that the Experience really
    lived the high-life in that when they were on the road they bought as
    much of anything they wanted.  This would defend Jefferies somewhat
    since he was the person who payed for it.  Alan Douglas is a rather
    sore spot with me.  Douglas was given what recordings were left and he
    wiped Noel or Billy and Mitch of the recordings and replaced them with
    studio musicians!  Since this was done, most of us will never get a
    chance to hear Midnight Lightning as Jimi intended.  Anyway, I have
    rambled on enough.
    
    
    See ya
    
    Joe

    'Tis true that Jefferies did right by Hendrix in all the initial
    business arrangements. For that, Jimi was devoted to Jefferies whom he
    credited for taking him from literally rags to riches. The contract that
    Jefferies obtained from Warner for Hendrix recordings was unheard of for
    an unproven artist. It was also a production contract which is why
    Warners didn't actually have a contract with Hendrix the artist.
    Jefferies and Chandler paid for everything up front, including paying NY
    lawyers to search for papers that Hendrix had signed and then buying out
    those interests. In one case this became a huge problem. They then
    reimbursed themselves with the advance money and gave Jimi the remaining
    money ($10K I think). The Bahamas company was a tax shelter for the
    Animals and he used the same arrangement for Hendrix. This was
    considered a stroke of genius by everyone. Jefferies did this because he
    realized that pop star's make all their money in a few short years and
    needed to spread their income out over the rest of their lives. So it
    protected the artist's earnings from being eaten alive by British taxes.

    Later, Jefferies showed signs of bizarre behavior and paranoia and his
    business dealings became increasingly questionable. He saw himself
    losing control of Hendrix and so tried to get him involved in strange
    business deals. It got pretty weird and there are a lot of unanswered
    questions. But Hendrix is not blameless for many of his woes.

    I recommend Eddie Kramer's new book on Hendrix.

    --Ron

re .17 

>    Your right.  I guess I should have said that Hendrix would cup the
>    palm of his hand on the bar while playing bass notes and would...

    Yes, playing left-handed with a right-handed bridge set up does change
    you're technique. That's why Stevie Ray Vaughn put a left-handed tremelo
    bridge on his right-handed "number 1" Stratocaster. 

    re: -2
    
    My uncle was Jimi's "NYC lawyer", with the firm of Bandler and Kass,
    and I always got the very distinct impression that they were
    negotiating completely with Jimi's interests in mind, as Jimi was not as
    preoccupied with his own legal interests as he might have been. 
    Probably the messiest deal was with all of the separate record
    companies represented by the different players in Band of Gypsies
    (who would not let the musicians be musicians...).  Without some legal
    acrobatics, it too might never have been released.  
    
    Jimi was an amazing, unique artist, and his death a tragic loss. 
    
    Cheers,
    Ken
    

    There's been a lot of talk in the conference around hendrix's emotional
    and financial life but if jimi were poking notes (no pun intended)into
    the conference his absolute top priority would have been music. Even
    tho he has left us only a relatively few recordings, each of his tunes,
    pieces has so much packed into it. Everytime i listen to Hey Joe, his
    first big hit, i find myslef tryiing to get at those mysterious chord
    voicings that he uses. Some have tried to say that because he was
    playing left handed or because of some characteristic opf his hands,
    say size, that he had all thses different voices. I dont agree. I hear
    in much of his music ordinary #9 chords etc but he also does have some
    very unique voicings that are hard to hear. Hey joe is a good starting
    point because it has a minimal sound to it in that the chords ae not
    fully textured. of he starts with just the unison e's together and the
    funky figure for the intro but the chords are almost none existant. And
    if you try to reproduce his sound, you definitely cant play open
    chords. It sounds like a combination of octaves for the c,g, d, a,
    progression with lot's of soul type arpegiated stuff while holding the
    e chord. I think one of the elements is his use of reverb on the guit
    combined with a very percussive stacatto for each of the c,g,d,a,
    chords especially in the early choruses. The only visuals are of course
    live version and they sound quite different than the studiou version
    although you can pick up some of the hey joe studio tricks from seeing
    montery and other live tapes.
    
    	I only picked hey joe because it's easy to talk about overt the
    tube but if anyones interested I'd love to fill the confernece with
    individual breakdowns of each tune. Every tune has interesting studio
    effects and more importantly so much guitar. Like Ron was saying wait
    till tomorrow is a great tune to analyse. I love the ballads which so
    many people overlook because they hendrix as just the wild psychodelic
    freak. There was so much intricate, beautiful guitar, arranging
    and songwriting. Up from the skies has got the defintive jazz/blues
    smokey barroom classic of that decade and has not been replaced  in my
    mind. Like I say the ballads, "castles made of sand" "wind cries mary"
    and the anthem/ballad "hey baby". the straight rock anthems such as
    "Axis:bold as love" we could start a separate confernece on.... 
    
    	But let's start with hey joe.....any body that has sat down to try
    and reproduce it (i mean copy it the way jimi played it) give a shout.
    
    						thanks - Fred
    

    re .-1
    
    Good note, Fred! I bought a double casette with "Are You Experienced"
    one 1 side and "Axis" on the other about a year ago. It's amazing
    how much genius pours through on all the songs, not just the ones
    you hear on the radio. I prefer the stuff like Axis: Bold as Love 
    and Third Stone from the Sun; masterpieces of psychedlic soul
    guitar. So who knows all those R/B licks that he took out to
    the eighth dimension?
    
    - Dave

    Yo Fred, Dave,

    R&B?  How 'bout "Rainy Day, Dream Away" of Electric Ladyland! 

    --Ron

    Try Tax Free from the Winterland CD. I know someone is making a
    good buck off the releases that have been coming out in recent
    years but I don't care. It is the music that matters. Radio 1
    contains some dynamite stuff from the early Experience and the
    version of Foxy Lady on Band Of Gypsies 2 absolutely wails.
    
    I've heard that a release of Jimi's set at the Isle of Wight is
    due out. I haven't seen it anywhere or heard anything else on it.
    Does anyone know any additional info.
    
    Jim C.
    
    

    I have to say that the more I listen to Jimi these days the more I hear
    weaknesses in his material.  I bought the "Electric Ladyland" CD, went
    home and cranked it up, and was actually getting bored before I hit the
    end.  Songs I used to really dig like "Midnight Lamp" just weren't
    making it any more. 
    
    The big problem (for me) with all these posthumous live releases is the
    level of (playing) quality varies.  The Winterland CD has some horrible
    bass work from Noel Redding, the Stages set is numbing to listen to,
    version after version of the same stuff.  Yeah, I know each is
    different, but I'd rather have four CDs with no repeats if such were
    possible.
    
    As far as Isle of Wight, while a CD version might have better audio
    than the old Polydor LP, the performances that were on that LP were
    spotty.  Unless there is a lot of stuff that was *better* that Polydor
    has been sitting on (some people have suggested this based on the movie
    of the concert), I can't see where this will be a real improvement over
    the other live sets except it covers the newer material Jimi was
    working on.
    
    I still love Jimi Hendrix and one of these days I'm gonna sit down and
    make up two C-90s of the real killer stuff and listen to that for the
    next ten years.
    
    							Brian

    I agree with Brian that Electric Ladyland has some lulls. What I think
    happened is that Hendrix had almost enough good tracks for a single LP
    but wanted to include Voodoo Chile so they went to a double LP and
    filled it with less than spectacular tracks.

    BTW, Midnight Lamp it turns out (to my surprise) was recorded before
    most of the Are You Experienced tracks. It was his 3rd or 4th UK single
    and got panned in the press, so it never went on the LP. The fact that
    it ended up on Electric Ladyland supports the above theory.

    I pretty leary of his live stuff. I never heard any live Hendrix that
    knocked me out, and that includes the two shows that I went to. I bought
    the Winterland CD last year and have not been able to listen to any
    track all the way through.

    He was a funny guy. His strength, on the one hand, was sculpting tracks
    in the studio. On the other hand, The Wind Cries Mary was a one take
    wonder. The track on Are You Experienced was actually a demo recording.
    He tried to re-record it but none of the takes were as good as the demo
    take. What a guitar solo! That's one of his tunes that sounds better
    every time I listen to it.

    --Ron

    re:29
    Brian:
    	Yes please do that (make up those 2 c90's becuase we dont want to
    lose you as far as being a hendrix fan. YOu're the one out ther
    reviving all of the soul stuff and interesting ethnic music and I would
    hate to think that you thought Jimi was just a passing fancy from the
    60's that only seemd good at the time because the audience (including
    record buying audience was in a daze. Listen to the ballads and pick
    the studio stuff over live becuase it's true so much of what happend
    live was vulnerable to bad mix bad equipment, the band out of tune, bad
    monitoring so that they could nt hear themsleves or each other. But
    anyway i know your not just blowing Jimi off. I agree too that there
    has been a lot of exploitation of scraps laying around and people
    trying to make a buckwith this new collection or that one....but dont
    let the good stuff elude you. Hey when you think you've lost the tast
    just put on the headphones and do some warmup listening from the first
    oir second albun and then launch into 1983.....a merman i should be
    and try to imagine what jimi would have sounded like a yuear or so
    later rcorindg with miles or doing a thing with gil evans.
    
    
    	by the way brian do you have an early mcgloughlin album it was
    white and had tony williams i believe on drums it was a pretty heavy
    albun really abstract but great music. I think it might have had a
    heavy version of follow your heart not sure about the tuine but pretty
    sure about the tony williams part it would have been released
    between '70 and 73' or there abouts.
    
    						thanks - Fred
    

    I'll take what I can get thanks. If some of it is considered crap, fine
    so be it. Since Jimi won't be issuing anything knew I'll put up with
    wailing live stuff that I have not heard. My ears aren't as discerning as
    others. 
    
    Jim C.
    
    BTW I love live Moby Grape as well as Canned Heat. 
    

    I saw Hendrix in concert in a small "theater-in-the-round" that used
    to be in Framingham, Mass. It was only open in the summer and sat maybe
    700 people at most. It was called the Carousel and it sat just off the 
    Mass Pike near the Natick line where one of the Prime Computer buildings 
    is now. It was probably 1968 and we couldn't have been more than 50 feet 
    from the stage if that. I've never been a big Hendrix fan (I know, I know, 
    there's no accounting for taste) but it was quite the concert.
    
    						Thom...
    

    re - .33
    
    Could've been '68. I saw him that Spring at Clark U, up close and
    personal, at the Bushnell in Hartford the next week (disaster of a show
    -- blew an amp and broke strings, never got started) and in Boston
    Garden that Fall (a high-end show complete with Star-Spangled Banner). 
    
    My (former) wife was pregnant in the Spring when we saw him at Clark.
    He was very late, the microphones didn't work (you could only hear his
    voice on "Hey Joe" and during announcements), but he was LOUD, a
    visceral kind of loud that you felt rather than heard. My daughter who
    "experienced" that concert got into AOR Metal types in the '70s and '80s
    and I think still likes Aerosmith. No, there may not be an accounting for
    taste . . . maybe it was neonatal abuse.                               

    re - .34
    
    Would've been funnier if I'd said "pre-natal."
    
    It's been a long day.
    

re .34

    Although I was all set to go the the Clark show, I came down with strep
    throat the day before and missed it. I did get to the Bushnell and, yes,
    it was very poor. Major amp and fuzzface/cable problems. And I did get
    to the Garden show. Were you the guy with the blue shirt?

    My older brother told me the Clark show was great. Small room, 2nd row.
    But I think he was just trying to piss me off. It worked, too. But 2 for
    3 ain't bad.

    --Ron

    re .36
    
    Yes, the Clark show was great. Blew my mind, as we used to say. I must
    have been only a row or two behind your brother, no doubt. Should have
    introduced myself. 
    
    It wasn't until the next year when I went to graduate school in
    Buffalo that I got into blue work shirts, so I don't think that as me
    at the Garden. Now, did you happen to see Zappa and Mahavishnu at the
    Rochester War Memorial Aud in '74 . . . ?

    I'm looking for a tape called "BAND of GYPSYS"that came out in the 70's
    featuring Jimi Hendrix,Buddy Miles and Billy Cox.Has anyone heard of
    or seen this in cassette,L.P. or C.D.?

    Hi,
    
    This has comeout in many forms.  Band of Gypsys is a single LP live
    record on the Capitol record label.  It may have been released on CD
    I'm not sure.  It is not the best example of Jimi's playing except for
    Machine Gun.
    
    There are also records boots out there called by the same name.
    
    Joe

    Band of Gypsys was an edit of 2 concerts at the fillmore east on new
    years eve, 1969. (actually it might have been 4 shows over 2 nights but
    I'm pretty sure it was 2 shows over 2 nights) in any event Bill Graham
    sup[posedly 'gave it to jimi' after one of the shows. jimi respected
    graham and wanted an honest opinion of how the band did. Graham said
    that the show was not good in no uncertain terms....jim was floored and
    patiently listened as his friend went on to tell him why. Graham said
    that there was too much gyrating and not enough music and that jimi
    couldnt tell the difference from the crowd becuase they would have
    acreamed apprecitaiton regardless of what he had done. Taking all this
    to heart, Jimi performed the next show stock still and really
    concentrated on the notes instread of the 'tossing and turning'. I
    think that most of the album comes from this show.
    
    	In any event it's still a poular album and should be readily
    available in all of the forms that wyou mentioned (cd, 12 inch, tape).
    Go to a well stocked store like tower or cocaonuts and youi shouldnt
    have any trouble. If you cant find it let me know. I have a really
    scratchy copy that I can tape for you.
    
    							--Fred
    
    

    
    	"Band of Gypsys" is not available on CD yet except as a
    Japanese import. A special full length CD is in the works
    which is supposed to include both concerts +.
    
    	I have it on tape, from the LP. I think his playing is
    great!
    
    
    Vinny 

    I'm looking for anyone to confirm or deny a rumour. Actually this was a
    tale told in a boston record store 2 or 3 years ago. Apparently >jimi
    was buried with one of his favorite strats and this information got into
    the wrong hands, those of graverobbers to be exact and that recently
    (2 or 3 years ago) the grave had been robbed and the prize guitar
    stolen. i never heard the story anywhere else but the fervor of the
    cashier telling the story always made me wonder. Anybody ever hear
    such a story??
    
    						thanks - Fred
     

    
    I think you're thinking of Bob Marley.
    
    

    
    Actually, Marley was buried with his favorite guitar and a ring given 
    to him by Haile Selassie.  Supposedly the ring contained stones that 
    were originally in a ring that belonged to king Solomon. 
    
    Anyway, grave robbers have been trying to raid Marley's tomb for years.

    Sadly,
    
    Jimi's grave was raided but for the headstone.  Jimi wasn't buried with
    a guitar.
    
    Joe

    Actually, Jimi was buried in Elvis' tomb with Bob Marley's and his guitar 
    and they will all be appearing in a new rendition of Dickens' "A Christmas
    Carol" off Broadway.  It has a new twist where the three of them try to
    un-corrupt Howard Stern on Christmas Eve.....
    
    8^)

    
    I an I smoke de spliff I rolled in life mon!
    
    

    Well I've lived long enough to hear a Jimi Hendrix tune used as a
    backdrop to sell Chevys.  Chevrolet's new "We Invented Rock and Roll"
    Camaro ad is done over "Fire".  The coins from royalties just keep
    dropping into that Hendrix estate.

    rjb

    Just saw another new "ultimate" Hendrix anthology, you know, "Jimi as
    you never heard it before", etc. 
    
    Looks like MCA picked up the option on the recordings.  Wonder if that
    means the Warners CDs will all disappear...
    
    							Brian

    > Just saw another new "ultimate" Hendrix anthology, you know, "Jimi as
    > you never heard it before", etc.
    
    I know there's a lot of talk about people seeing Elvis, but there are
    so many post-mortem Hendrix releases that you gotta wonder if he
    ain't walking around somewhere too.  ;-)

    Any one have the song list for the STAGES live boxed set?
    I interested if it has any Isle of Wright stuff or In The West
    stuff on it.
    Thanks!
    Jay

    Hi,
    
    Does anyone know what the criterion is for a song to become "public
    domain" ?
    
    The reason I ask is because if it's 25 years after the death of the
    artist, then in two years, we'll be able to do Hendrix covers without 
    paying for them. (and Jimi'll be spinning in his grave)
    
    Thanx,
    
    David
    
    

    Re: .53
    
    "Public domain" means noone holds a copyright.  Don't count on Jimi
    tunes going PD, those copyrights are worth big $$.
    				
    							Brian

    
    Yeah.  Unless someone's lawyers are asleep at the switch, the estate
    will be making money on those suckers forever.
    
    DFW

    re: .54, .55
    
    I know at one point copyrights expired after a certain number of years.
    
    If that's no longer true, than Jimi's tunes may not go PD, but if it
    is, it'll happen sometime.
    
    I know that recently they talked about getting rid of expiration dates
    on certain kinds of "intellectual property" (copyrights, patents,
    trademarks) - don't know if it happened and what it applies to.

I think that they do expire but they can be renewed.

    With authors, copyright normally expires 50 years after they do.  There
    are ways and means, though, for an estate to eke it out - by claiming
    copyright on certain editions etc.

    If anyone's interested - I can supply a list of hendrix boots with
    quality ratings, background info and comments etc...
    
    I saw the Experience at The Isle of Wight and the Coventry Hippodrome
    - Jimi was brilliant at the later gig - but so was Mitch - any comments
    about Mitch as a drummer??????
    
    If you interested - the Jimi Hendrix Information centre in Holland is
    worth a call or a letter.
    
    Cheers!!!!
    

>    - Jimi was brilliant at the later gig - but so was Mitch - any comments
>    about Mitch as a drummer??????

    Yup. Loved him. Manic Depression! Awsome.

    
    I caught a blurb on the tube last night... just the last 15 seconds
    though.  It was something about (re)investgating the circumstances
    of Jimi's death.  Has anyone heard anything about this?
    
    Tim

     >>Has anyone heard anything about this?
    
    
    Yes, there's doubts that he actually is dead......Elvis is reported to
    have seen Jimi at a Taco Bell with Janis Joplin and Buddy Holly.  They
    were fighting over the last bite of a Mexican Pizza and it drew enough
    attention that the customers recognized them.......honest, I'm not
    making this up......
    
    Dave barry

    
    >>Elvis is reported to have seen Jimi at a Taco Bell with Janis Joplin 
    >>and Buddy Holly. 
    
    Couldn't be true.  They were ALL abducted by aliens. 
     

>    Yes, there's doubts that he actually is dead......Elvis is reported to
>    have seen Jimi at a Taco Bell with Janis Joplin and Buddy Holly.  They
>    were fighting over the last bite of a Mexican Pizza and it drew enough

    WHAT?!!! I don't believe it. That Mexican Pizza is terrible!

    Actually, I think I remember seeing this in the paper.  Something about
    the overdose that killed him, people that knew hendrix say he would 
    never have done it or something so that it may have been murder or 
    something, I do not remember.  If I find the article I will fill in
    the details.

    
    Here's to your finding the article.  I'd be interested in reading it.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Tim

    I heard a little about this, including that "they" plan to exhume the
    body...pretty sick if you ask me 

    Whatever is says, it's probably way off base.  My uncle was Jimi's
    lawyer at the end, and a friend.  I remember speaking to him about
    Jimi at a family wedding, just a few days after Jimi's death.  He was
    upset, a bit shaken, but not surprised, as he knew the lifestyle...
    
    Cheers,
    Ken
    

    
    Hendrix didn't die of an overdose, but it _was_ related to taking 
    drugs...  he choked to death.
    
    Tim

    This reinvestigation into Jimi's death wouldn't have anything to do
    with the fact that there's some reissued CDs and a tribute album
    just released would it?
                                
    :-)

    
    
    I understand Oliver Stone is interested in this story, too... 
    something about a second shooter...
    
    

    
    
    
    "Guitarist died of apparent drug overdose 23 years ago
    
    Associated Press
    LONDON- Scotland Yard has reopened the investigation of the the death
    of Jimi Hendrix, 23 years after he died from an apparent drug
    overdose."
    	(paraphrased) An individual, who was not identified, requested
                      the new investigation.
    "There was insufficient evidence of othe cause of death.  A pathologist
    concluded that Hendrix choked to death after drinking and taking an
    overdose of barbituates."
    "Hendrix died in London on Sept. 18 1970, after leaving the message 'I
    need help bad, man' on his manager chas Chandler's answering machine. 
    He was 27."
    	(paraphrased) The Daily Mail said the inquest cam from Kathy
    Etchingham, a former girlfriend of Jimi
    "'I don't think it should have happened.  He was in the wrong place at
    the wrong time with the wrong people,' she was quoted as saying."
    	(paraphrased)She says it is important to find out the truth.
    "Noel Redding, bass play for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, said he
    always found his friends death mysterious.
    'We took drugs, but who takes nine downers and drinks a bottle of wine?'
    Redding told BBC radio 4.  Redding said his suspicions were fueled when
    conflicting claims came to light about how and when an ambulance was
    summoned and whether anyone was with Hendrix when he took the pills.
    'The supposition is now that he died much earlier and supposedly
    someone tried to cover it up."
    
    (end of article)
    
    -From the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, Sunday Dec 12, 1993
    		page A9
    	

    
    Thanks for posting that.
    
    Tim

So according to 'ZLX this morning, some 24 year old claims to be Jimi's long
lost son, and is suing for part of the estate.  Anyone have any more details
on this?

- DC

    check out the new Rolling Stones mag (the one with the women of Melrose
    place on it).....there is a write up on this guy
    
    BTW, he doesn't even like Jimmi's music that much....but I gather He
    does like the $$$
    
    Chris

	I have a cassette tape marked "Hendrix - Blues" 
	No other details. Contains these songs:

	Side A				    Side B
	Hear My Train A Comin' (acoustic)   Jelly 292                 
	Born Under A Bad Sign               Electric Church Red House 
	Red House                           Hear My Train A Comin     
	Catfish Blues                       The Wind Cries Mary       
	Voodoo Chile Blues                  Like A Rolling Stone      
	Mannish Boy                         Somewhere Over The Rainbow
	Once I Had A Woman                  Captain Coconut           
	Bleeding Heart
	
	Look familiar to anyone? Was it an album? I'd never heard some of
	these songs.
	
	Jay

>	I have a cassette tape marked "Hendrix - Blues" 

>	Look familiar to anyone? Was it an album? I'd never heard some of
>	these songs.

  That looks like the Hendrix "Blues" release that's getting reviewed,
  mostly favorably, all over the place (just read one in Downbeat or
  JazzTimes).  It's a fairly recent release.  I don't own it but the cuts
  look familiar based on the reviews I've read.
  
  It's a new compilation designed to showcase Hendrix blues cuts.  Some of
  them are previously unreleased, I believe was noted in the jazz review.
    JBC

  (See also the Hendrix topic, # 437, in the Blues/R&B conference,
  AKOFIN::AFTER_HOURS.  It lists the contents of the "Blues" disc, and the
  list seemed shorter than yours...)

	thanks for the pointer.
	some of it i've never heard. some i recognize, like the cut _Like
	A Rolling Stone_ is from the first monterey pop festival. 
	i'll check out ::AFTER_HOURS.

	I *highly* recommend this disc.  It will blow you away if
	you are a blues fan or a Hendrix fan.  The quality is outstanding.
	The guy shows his roots.

	re .-1, .-2,
	
	Well, I checked out ::AFTER_HOURS and that CD looks like the tape
	I have. It *is* a grate tape/CD.
	
	I also got a chance to hear part of an import CD of the JHE at
	Royal Albert Hall 2/24/69. Another excellent (so far, I'm only
	1/3 the way through). _Room Full Of Mirrors_ is smoking with
	Dave Mason on guitar and Chris Wood on a very Ian Anderson
	sounding flute. Also, a grate _Little Wing_ incorrectly listed as
	_Little Ivey_. Plus: Voodoo Child(Slight Return), Purple Haze,
	Fire, Wild Thing, Bleeding Heart, People-People-People (listed as
	C# Blues) and of course, Smashing Of The Amps ;-)
	
	Jay

	Well, I picked up "Jimi Hendrix: Woodstock" on CD.
	After 25 years, we finally have the complete Hendrix
	Woodstock performance.  Right?  NOT!

	I quote from the insert booklet:  "As with most of Jimi's
	festival sets technical problems impeded the recording of
	this show, however, the best of Hendrix at Woodstock is
	on this CD".  [My translation:  Somebody screwed up the
	recording of this show, but we'll blame it on Jimi and
	pretend we've given you the best of what really happened.]

	Continuing from the booklet:  "The song order for the
	first-half is arranged and paced for flow.  Authentic
	festival programming begins with Voodoo Child."  
	[My translation:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience couldn't
	arrange and pace a set for squat.  We're going to create
	an artificial experience that didn't actually happen,
	and believe us it's better than Jimi could have done.
	However, we'll market it as if it was the real thing.]

	Am I alone in wishing for authenticity?  I couldn't care
	less what MCA thinks is a good setlist and recording.

	On the positive side, the sound is good and Jimi is
	awesome as usual.  The Star Spangled Banner is sheer
	genius.

	The setlist as it appears on this CD:
		1	intro
		2	fire
		3	izabella
		4	hear my train a comin' (get my heart back together)
		5	red house
		6	jam back at the house (beginnings)
		7	voodoo child (slight return)/stepping stone
		8	the star spangled banner
		9	purple haze
		10	woodstock improvisation
		11	villanova junction
		12	farewell

    Interestingly, yesterday I grabbed AXIS: Bold as Love to listen to on my
    way in to work. This listen reaffirmed my opinion that not only is this
    Jimi's best work, it's one of the best albums I've ever heard.

    Last night, however, I caught the day-3 part of Woodstock -- the Lost
    Performances on Showtime. For Hendrix, it includes Jimi playing the Star
    Spangled Banner and Woodstock Improv. I thought it was depressingly
    terrible. Sad, I thought, that this is what many people think of as Jimi
    Hendrix. It was just aimless crap. I can only wonder what went wrong
    after those first three LPs and can only speculated that drug abuse had
    really fried this guy fast.

    --Ron

	Ron,

	Are you saying you thought the Star Spangled Banner was depressingly
	terrible, or Woodstock Improv, or both?  

	If the Banner, I really experience it differently.  It doesn't
	sound aimless at all, to me.  If you get a chance to hear the
	entire Woodstock performance, I'd be interested if you think
	all his playing had deteriorated, or his composing, or what.

	Personally, I think the Banner sounds differently precisely
	because it is so improvisational-sounding (not really 
	improvisational, I think he knew exactly what he was playing).
	It is designed to be all over the place and to express a
	huge amount of dissonance, consistent with (as Jimi put it)
	the American atmosphere at the time.  It needs to be read
	in the social context.  The bombs bursting in air weren't
	glorious or beautiful at all.  Many people (youth esp.) were
	having difficulty reconciling the America of the Anthem
	with the Amerika on the daily news.  Hendrix's version
	(give him credit for mucking with it, at least) expresses
	that difficulty, merges the conflicting emotions with
	great tension and subtlety (again, MHO), resulting in a
	breathlessly beautiful piece of incredibly evocative music.

	As for the drugs, I'm pretty sure the mind expansion he
	indulged in was more of a creative boost than anything 
	else.  Though I do wonder if Manic Depression can be
	taken as any kind of a self-referential statement?

	

>	Are you saying you thought the Star Spangled Banner was depressingly
>	terrible, or Woodstock Improv, or both?

    Well, I understood what he was doing in the Star Spangled Banner so I
    won't say it was aimless or terrible. I guess I'm mainly talking about
    the latter which was clearly just a lot of screwing around.

> If you get a chance to hear the
> entire Woodstock performance, I'd be interested if you think
> all his playing had deteriorated, or his composing, or what.

    OK, but I haven't heard anything to date that was live that I thought
    captured what he could do in the studio. And what I suspected was the
    case was reaffirmed in the book by Eddie Kramer: once he started to
    become a sensation in London, everywhere he went people shoved drugs in
    front of him. His first three studio albums are my prized possessions,
    both the original vinyl LPs and on CD. To give you an idea of how long
    I've been a Hendrix fan, I bought "Are You Experienced?" before "Purple
    Haze" was in the top 20 on AM radio. At the time that I bought it, I
    didn't know one other person that knew anything about Hendrix including
    my brother going to college in Boston and he was into the music scene
    big. I saw Jimi live twice and was disappointed both times. And I am yet
    to be able to listen to more than a couple live tracks of his.


>	As for the drugs, I'm pretty sure the mind expansion he
>	indulged in was more of a creative boost than anything 
>	else.  Though I do wonder if Manic Depression can be
>	taken as any kind of a self-referential statement?

    I used to think so but now disagree completely. His big creative boost
    came before he became heavily involved in using drugs. When he first got
    to London and didn't know anyone except Chas Chandler and a few of Chas'
    friends. When he didn't have any money except a little that Chandler
    gave him until he could work out a deal on a record contract advance.
    When Jimi was doing nothing but trying to come up with song ideas that
    pleased not only himself but Chas and when he wasn't playing music he
    was hanging out in Chandler's flat reading Chandler's collection of
    science fiction books.

    Most of the first three albums' tracks were recorded or begun druing
    this early time. I observe a steady decline in Jimi's creativity
    beginning when he relocated to the New York and separated from
    Chandler's, from whom he concealed his more adventurous indlugence in
    drugs. Chandler, as I understand didn't object to some moderate drug use
    but he and Kramer were alarmed to find out just how much Jimi was doing
    when he was away from them. So you see, when Hendrix was around them, he
    was reasonably straight and the studio was all business. And that's when
    his creativity was at it's highest.

    Although I'll concede that some drug/alchohol use may be a catylist for
    artistic creativity, I think the effect is short-lived and the
    subsequent negative swing in the long term takes one way below the
    breakeven point. I understand that Jimi was so nice to people, so afraid
    to offend them that he didn't know how to say no. I think that if
    Hendrix had continued his association with Chandler, the moderating
    effect on his drug consumption would have allowed him to be creative for
    a much longer time. The tracks that he was working on at the time of his
    death (Cry of Love) were just bad.

    These are great Hendrix tracks:

    Spanish Castle Magic
    Third Stone From The Sun
    Manic Depression
    Love or Confusion
    The Wind Cries Mary
    You've Got Me Floatin'
    Little Miss Lover
    Bold as Love
    Rainy Day, Dream Away
    Still Rainin', Still Dreamin'
    Voodoo Chile
    Electric Ladyland
    Crosstown Traffic
    1983 (a Merman I Should Grow To Be) (???)
    Up From the Skies
    I Don't Live Today
    Are You Experienced?
    One Rainy Wish

    --Ron

	I think my positive reaction to Hendrix's live playing
	comes from hearing only the recordings, naturally they
	are the good ones.  I never had the chance to see him,
	so I have nothing to compare it against.  Actually, I
	mostly listen to the live stuff.  I'm not really clear
	on what you would want to see in a live performance
	that "captured what he could do in the studio".  It's
	just a performance, right?  I look for different things -
	spontaneity, feeling, creative jams, incredible sounds... 
	all of which were there.  You must admit the great portion of Hendrix's
	fame is based on his live playing, I don't think most
	people have ever heard his studio albums, for the most
	part.

	Interesting analysis about his creative history.
	I do think it's hard to extrapolate to what the entire
	creative output of his life would have been, had he
	been fortunate enough to escape the Reaper.  Maybe he
	was in a funk, we'll never know.  Maybe he was one of
	those burn-brightly-early types.  Maybe he would have
	grown and become ever more brilliant.

	Sounds like fame was a problem, as it often is.  But
	I still wonder, is there any evidence he suffered from
	manic depression?  if you happen to know.  Thanks
	also for posting your favorite tracks.  I really
	need to give the studio albums a closer listen.

	Tom

re: Drugs

Yeah, they impacted his creativity, they killed him! But they
didn't prevent him from making great music. Go back and listen
to his last real album, The Cry of Love. Unbelievable. Axis is
great, but it's hard to rank his work. Each one is the best when 
you're listening to it.

josh

    RE: -1
    
    Well, as far as whatever it is you're listening to being your favorite,
    that may be true for you, but it's certainly not true for me. I've
    listened to hundreds of hours of Hendrix. I have more Hendrix albums
    than any other artist. For a very long time "AXIS:" has been my
    favorite. But not only is it my favorite Hendrix album, I condider it to
    be overall one of THEE best albums ever created. And each time I listen
    to it that feeling is reaffirmed. Not so with "Are You Experienced?" or
    "Electric Ladyland". And everything else that's ever been put out in his
    name I view as quite substandard in contrast to these three.
    
    And as far as drugs preventing him from making great albums, well I'm
    not certain that it was the drugs, but I think Cry of Love sucked. I
    don't think that most of those tracks would ever have made it to vinyl
    with Jimi alive. He spent two years working on "Watchtower" before he
    put it out. That's how fussy he was. Cry of Love tracks sound like raw
    ideas, work in progress stuff, to me. If "Cry of Love" is what he had
    for new tracks when he died, IMHO, had he lived it would have been years
    before he released anything. When you consider the incredibly short
    period of time that his great tracks were put together for his first
    three LPs, one has to wonder what was so different about Jimi between
    1967 and 1970. Heavy drug use, I says.

    RE: -2

    Tom,

    I didn't mean to ever imply that Jimi suffered from maniic depression or
    any depression for that matter. I don't think he did. And if you want
    spontineity, there's plenty on his studio tracks. His guitar fills were
    mostly off-the-cuff. Listen to "Third Stone From the Sun" and "If 6 was
    9". Listen to almost any of his guitar fills. And consider this, one of
    his best tracks ever, "The Wind Cries Mary", was done in one take as a
    demo. They tried re-recording it later for "Are You Experienced?" but
    none of the subsequent takes were as good as the original. Listen to
    that solo and the one in Hey Joe and consider that these absolute gems
    were improvised. That's not only spontineity, it's genius. But most of
    his better songs were too hard to pull off live with a 3 piece band.

    Sadly, I think he was so *ed up at shows that he could barely tune his
    ax.

    --Ron

  Actually, "Cry of Love" is a favorite of mine, mostly because I enjoy
  playing along with it, which may have to do with that "raw", undeveloped
  quality you (Ron) allude to.  (I don't claim it's his best...)

  It does have "Drifting", "Angel", "Ezy Rider", other cheap thrills.  - Jay

    I can actually remember the days that I bought each of the first 4
    albums: "Are You Experienced?" "AXIS: Bold as Love" "Electric Ladyland"
    "Cry of Love", bringing them home, unwrapping them from the cellophane,
    and putting them on for the first time and feeling them transforming my
    concepts of music. Like the first time I heard a real blues band take a
    tune all the way home. Like the first time I heard a real jazz band
    stretch the boundaries. Like the first time I was lifted off my feet by
    Gospel music or when I heard "Fresh Cream" and "Saucer Full of Secrets"
    on an "underground" radio station.

    And that was 24+ years ago. That's how much I thought of those albums.
    As clearly as I can remember relishing the first 3 Hendrix LPs, I
    remember how excited I was to buy "Cry..." and then how depressed I was
    to listen to it. Maybe I was expecting too much, but those expectations
    were based on the first three.

    I'll add this. I think Hendrix was trying to change directions after
    "Electric Ladyland". You can hear it on some of the tracks. He was
    looking to experiment with R&B and jazz more. That's one reason I think
    that "Cry..." was a WIP. He was looking to move on but he didn't yet
    know where to go.

    --Ron

    I always took "Cry of Love" as a sort of suicide note that Jimi left.
    Perhaps I was reading too much into it at the time.
    
    Jim C.
    
    BTW - I really enjoy CoL
    
    

Hi chaps,

Nice to see a bit of activity in this section of the conference.

IMHO The first three Experience albums were the best (studio) releases - however, First Rays of The Rising 
Sun (eventually released as Cry of Love, Loose Ends and Rainbow Bridge) would have been in the same 
category, if Jimi had of had the time to finish the tracks off properly!!!!!!!!!!!

As for Live stuff - Band of Gipsies still sounds awesome to me!!!!
                    Jimi Hendrix Concerts/Winterland patchy but - on the whole good.
                    Isle of White - patchy to say the least!!!!
                    Royal Albert Hall 1969 - some good blues!!!

Try some of the boots!!!!!
                    L.A Forum 1969/70 - either concert was a goodie!!
                    Berkely 1970 1st & 2nd performances
                    Mauii - recently re-mastered - much better sound!
                    Band of Gipsies New Years eve/day 1969/70 - WOW!!

The Woodstock video/CD release is of good quality but suffers from an awful "sameness" of sound with Jimi 
using the unvibe at a fastish setting through virtually all of the numbers - personally I find the sound 
annoying for such a long period!!!


Cheers


Paul
 

>if Jimi had of had the time to finish the tracks off properly!!!!!!!!!!!

    And therein lies the rub. But I would probably agree, except I'd wager
    that the track selection would most likely have changed.

    --Ron

    I mentioned this somewhere before, but a review of previously
    unreleased tracks from the Isle of Wight festival said that they paint
    a totally different picture.  The original release was a quick attempt
    to cash in after Jimi's death, and it seems tracks were chosen more for
    their "hit" value than quality.  The unreleased stuff was supposedly
    much better.  Supposedly a complete Hendrix/Isle of Wight release was
    forthcoming, but I haven't seen it yet.  Anyone?
    
    btw, speaking of the Isle of Wight, there's an absolutely electrifying
    clip from the Who's set at that festival on their new release "30 Years
    of Maximum R&B" (specifically, the video).  This was the Who at
    probably the peak of their powers, and their performance here ranks
    them as one of the best live rock acts of the time.  Recommended!
    
    /rick

    Hi, I'm looking for the tab of the Intro  "Hey Joe" and the Chords +
    solo of "Red House" in the Live At Winterland.
    Please send me a mail if you have some songs from this concert...
    'scuse me for my bad english.
    Thanks in advance,
    
    				-Fred-
    

  Ron,  You mention "Cry of Love" as the 4th album -- I, uh, experienced it
  as the 5th, following "Band of Gypsies"...  but no matter.
  
  I think it's kind of revealing that Miles Davis wanted to play with
  Hendrix, but Hendrix seemed intimidated by the possibility (when John
  McLaughlin & others approached him about it).  Hendrix didn't seem to feel
  he had jazz-quality chops (which, in view of Miles' later session with
  John Lee Hooker, was beside the point).
  
  It all kind of fits with the notion of a musical identity crisis, and
  although I like "Cry of Love", Hendrix does sound like he doesn't know
  what to try for musically.  Kind of caught between preceived pressures
  from other musicians to be avant, from other African Americans to ditch
  the Experience, from industry people to repeat past commercial success...

  At least I got that impession at the time.  - Jay

    Actually, you're right about Band of Gypsies. I kind of regard that as
    something alse entirely, like Hendrix took on a second job for a while.
    But that's just a kink in my thinking.

    I agree with the rest of your note, too. I think you're on the mark
    about him feeling pulled in different directions, whether the force was
    internal or external or both.

    --Ron

Lots of interesting points in this thread.

>    remember how excited I was to buy "Cry..." and then how depressed I was
>    to listen to it. Maybe I was expecting too much, but those expectations
>    were based on the first three.

>    I'll add this. I think Hendrix was trying to change directions after
>    "Electric Ladyland". You can hear it on some of the tracks. He was
>    looking to experiment with R&B and jazz more. That's one reason I think
>    that "Cry..." was a WIP. He was looking to move on but he didn't yet
>    know where to go.

Every one of his records was a true reflection of his spirit. Each of us
seems to identify with a certain period - I would venture to guess that
it's more a spiritual thing than a musical one. CoL was *very* challenging,
a spirit in turmoil, a call for help, tough things to deal with emotionally.
That's why I liked it, why I still love it, this is the essence of great art
to me. He communicated his desparation and confusion on this record. Belly 
Button Window is with me forever. All of us feel this way at some point
(don't we? I do...).

Don't think for a minute that anything Jimi recorded can be blamed on or 
credited to drugs. It's a cop-out Jimi would NEVER have accepted. His music
was his life and stands on it's own.

josh

>Don't think for a minute that anything Jimi recorded can be blamed on or 
>credited to drugs. It's a cop-out Jimi would NEVER have accepted. His music

    But Josh, you said it yourself. Drugs certainly impacted CoL if in no
    other way then BY KILLING HIM in mid-stride, leaving behind a bunch of
    half-baked tapes. Jimi Hendrix didn't put Cry of Love together. It was
    _posthumously compiled_ from _miscellaneous_ studio tapes. To me,
    comparing it with his first three is like comparing the Beatles' Let it
    Be with Sgt Pepper or Abbey Road. It's no contest -- MUSICALLY.

    I don't fault anyone for liking CoL, but I am irritated by your
    implication that I don't get it because I'm just not spiritually tuned
    into it. That's Bulloney. In fact I'll show you that I'm objective by
    admitting that it does have a better jacket than Axis. :^)

    --Ron

   > I don't fault anyone for liking CoL, but I am irritated by your
   > implication that I don't get it because I'm just not spiritually tuned
   > into it. That's Bulloney. 

I don't think that's what I meant. Taste is taste, there is no absolute scale
of "good" or "bad" music. Would CoL have been "better" if Jimi had had more
time to work on it? We'll never know, and besides, "better" is relative. I
*love* the record - sometimes it's my favorite Hendrix, sometimes it isn't.
I feel the same about Axis, Ladyland and Experienced. The subject matter of
CoL is way beyond Foxy Lady or VooDoo Chile, much more complex emotions are
being expressed, so when I like it that's what I like. No "good" or "bad"
or "attuned" is meant...... 

   > In fact I'll show you that I'm objective by
   > admitting that it does have a better jacket than Axis. :^)

Now THERE I disagree! But then I like Satanic Majesties Request, so what
do I know? ;)

josh

    Some interesting trivia on Hendrix from a Clapton interview on BBC.
    
    The clip was from an earlier interview with Clapton (Stigwood was in
    it).  Clapton said he had come across a left-handed Stratocaster
    while at a music shop on the outskirts of London, so we bought it
    with Jimmy in mind.  Clapton said he spoke to Hendrix by phone and
    they made plans to meet at a club called the Lyceum that evening.
    
    Clapton said the Lyceum was extremely crowded by the time he got
    there and although he could see Hendrix across the room, they never
    did connect and get together that night.  Clapton said he put the
    left-handed Strat in the boot of his car that night when he went
    home.  He said he woke up the this day to hear the news of Hendrix's
    death; EC had tears in his ears when he said "and there I was, left
    with that left-handed Strat".  EC never did say (at least during the
    interview) was he did with the guitar.
    
    

One of the biographies on Jimi said that he was left handed
but played right handed guitars upside-down because he had taught
himself that way. So he probably wouldn't have had much use for
a left handed Strat.

Barry

    It's how you string the instrument. The right handed Strat is contoured
    to be held in one particular orientation. It has some disadvantages when
    held up-side down. A left-handed Strat will be much more comfortable
    to hold. If you play right-handed instruments, you simply reverse the
    order of the strings. Viola, you have a right-handed guitar that feels
    good left handed. Or you have a left-handed guitar that's played
    right-handed by a left-handed player. Uh...scratch that last one...I
    gotta think about it...

    Left-handed Strats were fairly hard to some by back in those days. Jimi,
    having accustomed himself to right-handed guitars could grab a guitar
    anywhere. Necessity is the momma of inventors or something.

  Being about Otis Rush, this more properly belongs in the Eric Clapton
  topic, but...   8)
  
    [Anyone who's heard "Double Trouble", or, heck, any Otis Rush tune, and,
    heck, any Clapton vocal or solo knows what I mean...  There's a
    striking, natural vocal & instrumental similarity.]

  If I recall correctly, Otis Rush is lefthanded, but plays a right-handed
  guitar without the strings reversed.  I'd love to see him live to see
  exactly how he sounds the notes...
  
  (Also because his latest album, "Ain't Enough Comin' In" is tremendous.
  Not sure if this is the one that finally shows why Otis Rush is more than
  the equal of Chicago contemporaries Buddy Guy and Magic Sam, but...) - Jay

    Along those lines, one thing that I did want to mention about the
    Hendrix performance in the Woodstock film is that you get a great view
    of his picking technique. It's pretty unique. I recall seeing other
    chittlin' types, primarily rhythm players using that style of picking.
    I'd like to look at it more. Lot's of up-strokes, I think.
    

> If you play right-handed instruments, you simply reverse the
>    order of the strings. Viola, you have a right-handed guitar...

Does the length of the strings matter? Some guitars have the motors 
arranged so that reversing the order of the strings also reverses
the relative length of the strings. 

Also, would reversing the strings have any effect on the pickup?

Barry

    I'm not sure I know anything about motors in guitars, Barry, but the
    intonation of each string does need to be set according to the size of
    the string, i.e. its gauge. So this mechanical adjustment does change
    the length of the string, but only by a tiny amount. There's maybe about
    a 5mm difference between the length of the hi E and lo E strings.

    --Ron

    .102
    
    Just thought you'd be interested in EC's comments.  I'm assuming
    he wouldn't have bought it if he thought Hendrix wouldn't have
    been interested.
    
    

    I'm new to this conference.Hoping to find someone to trade some rare
    Hendrix tapes with.I have tons!
    Mail me if your interested at above address.
    
    -kev

    Just thought I'd ask here before I decided whether or not to spend the
    money I don't have... ;)
    
    Has anyone bought and listened to "Voodoo Soup" yet?
    
    Rob

    Yeah, I got a copy.  It appears to be mostly tracks from "Cry of Love"
    and "Rainbow Bridge", only one cut previously unreleased.  The hype is
    that this is closest to what the next studio album would have been
    (haven't we heard that before though?).
    
    I don't own any of the other post-mortem releases, so it seemed like a
    good idea for me.  But you might want to think twice if you've already
    got the two listed above.
    
    /rick