Well honestly i have to say, to promise to write a review of a 20 song album/compilation was definitely hardwork, considering that its my first blogging experience and that it is JIMI HENDRIX i am reviewing on. (you can imagine how many million people will be wacking my blog the moment i say something wrong or unpleasant).
Let’s do a short intro on Jimi hendrix:
1) Guitar god
2) Rolling stones magazine ranked him #1 on “the greatest guitarist of all time”
3) Worshipped by guitarist all over the world even until today
4) His songs have been covered countless times (voodoo child, little wing, bold as love–just to name some)
5) And he is self-taught.
Yup. That should be enough to give you an idea of who or “what” he is. (well incase you were wondering why he doesn’t have any grammys, he lived in the 60′s and then grammys has just started and it was called “the best on record“. DOn’t believe me? check wiki)
Jimi Hendrix plays as a trio (called jimihendrix experience) and its just something about a trio that always fascinates people. As for me, 2 questions about trios are constantly on my mind: 1) HOW THEY MAKE THEMSELVES SOUND SO FULL(not empty)??!! 2) How does the guitarist sing and play such complicated lines at the same time?
Call me a noob but i’ve tried playing “little wing” and singing at the same time. It was a disaster. i wish i could record it down for you guys, but its just too embarrassing(considering my “shy” personality).
Being a guitarist for years, many people have adviced me to get a Jimi Hendrix album but i never did listen to their advice, until i started playing “guitar hero world tour” on Wii. HAHA. Well, it was almost like i was committing a sin to not buy a Jimi Hendrix album. WHY? you may ask. Well here is your answer:
Still don’t understand? watch the Next Clip.
Well, i’ve known that he is definitely a guitar god who is capable of ripping of your brains with his riffs and solo but to me…… He was more of a showman. If i don’t watch him live, there is no point. But i have to admit, i was completely wrong. HE SOUNDS AMAZING ON RECORD TOO!!.
So here it is, my review of the record.
Tracklisting:
- Purple Haze
- Fire
- The Wind Cries Mary
- Hey Joe
- All Along the Watchtower
- Stone Free
- Crosstown Traffic
- Manic Depression
- Little Wing
- If 6 was 9
- Foxy Lady
- Bold as Love
- Castles made of Sand
- Red House
- Voodoo Child(slight Return)
- Freedom
- Night Bird Flying
- Angel
- Dolly Dagger
- Star Spangled Banner
Yup, 20 songs. Well if you ask me, it is definitely worth your money(it costed me S$19.95).
You are probably getting tired of this post by now, trying to get through it because either you know me, or you are really bored. So i shall just focus on the overall record and some highlights of the album.
Well, i have to say, listening to the record 3 times through, i realised that there was a very observable change in the style of his music through each album and especially when his bassist changed(from noel redding to Billy cox). I was a getting a little bored when i was listening to the last 5 song of the album especially when the songs became a little “poppier” in my opinion. But i thought the choices and placement of each song was almost perfect(atleast for the first 15 songs).
Some pages from the album booklet
Purple Haze’s riff was just pure raw power which will get any rock enthusias’ head popping back and forth. My only complain is that this song is too short! And if you are expecting a complicated sounding theory filled song,… sorry you won’t find it here. The main driving force of the song is the delightful riff that you will never find sick of. (which is expressed in many of his songs) The ending solo could have went a long way if not for the fade away. haha.
All along the watchtower totally blew me away. The fill ins was just so tasty and so suitable for the song (written by bob dylan). You will be able to find some “wah wah” action in the middle of the song which resonates between ur left and right speakers. Even though it wasn’t written by him, he just expresses this song so well. Not the best singing though, but it wasn’t going to affect it at all. The song is just so well arranged, simple, not flooded with too many solos and the buildup of the whole song was wonderful.
Not only were there pictures, there were also write-ups on each song
Jimi’s songs can be divided into 2 different kinds in my opinion. Pure energetic rock and clean bluesy softer songs. If the later is what you are looking for, you won’t be dissapointed because songs like “Little wing“, “the wind cries mary” will be able to satisfy your needs. What can i say about “little wing“? The intro is pure genius, the progression was well thought out, the words were meaningful and the drums and bass was just enough to bring out the whole “slow blues” feel yet being able different from any BB king or muddy waters song. just brilliant. (Bold as love would be another similar song. And i actually think Bold as love is better than little wing-personal preference). The BIG double stop hammer-ons and pull offs were i guess totally unheard of during his era and he was able to use so many of those notes in this short song.
And you have to listen to “voodoo child“. the intro alone would be sufficient, really.
Just like yin yang, you can’t have all good and no bad, so here it is: the singing was definitely not the best you will ever hear(but i guess he was able to create a kind of personal style that makes him who he really is), and on some songs he sounded like he was rapping or reading from a book(e.g. castles made of sand – but i still love that song though).
The last song would be one of those song that will drop your jaw when you watch him live but on record,……. it just doesn’t sound right to me. It sounded like he was trying to play some national anthem while rolling on the floor(at least thats wat i pictured in my mind). And the change in style for the last 5 songs was really spoiling the whole pace of the album. “freedom” was perhaps the only song that i enjoyed from the last 5 songs.
SO If i were to summarise the whole album in 1 word: TASTY. definitely one with lots of guitar skills to learn, one which exploits the blues and make it new, one that can make a person feel high and low at the same time.
8.5/10 for the music
(in case you were wondering what “little wing” sounded like-thats me by the way)
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