Jimi Hendrix - 'He wasn't that special'

SexyGreyFox · 4 Apr 2006 at 23:25

In the messroom today two blokes who actually went to see Hendrix were talking about him and one of the younger workers who is about 36 came out with "He wasn't that special". Everybody in that room (about 20 blokes) just turned around and gave him dirty looks. One bloke who is nearly 65 said that he didn't like him but he certainly knew where he stood in the timeline of music and what he did for a generation. The younger bloke stated that when he got into music everybody was playing as good as Hendrix and I said "Thats the point".

Just wondering what you young fellows think of Hendrix and what he did for modern rock music?

SexyGreyFox · 5 Apr 2006 at 07:13

I haven't give my thoughts on Hendrix.
I was playing guitar when Hendrix died but my hero was Marc Bolan. He said more to me on guitar than Hendrix ever could.
I then heard Zeppelin and Sabbath and Page and Iommi became my heroes followed by Richie Blackmore.
I did buy Hendrix material but it didn't say a lot to me like those other rock bands.
Even Status Quo said more to me than Hendrix.
I can't go and watch a local band without hearing Hendrix tunes and most guitarists can emulate him but thats the point "emulate".
I cannot deny his influence on the modern guitarist of the late 60's onwards and to this day he still makes people pick guitars up.
He is the special one and I put him right at the top of the tree (even though he didn't do a lot for me).

SexyGreyFox · 5 Apr 2006 at 18:11

Mr Bulbous said:
LOL

Apart from starting this very thread called ...

Jimi Hendrix - 'He wasn't that special' To stir things up of course.

So, you were waiting for the dust to settle or see a suitable contrary opinion to argue with?

So you reckon Marc Bolan was the guy now? Fair enough, you are the dude and scholar of Rock concerts, who are we *nobody's* to reckon with you m8?

OK. I'll be back in about 3 months ... If I can be bothered.

What the hell is up with you?
Once again you are completely taking my words out of context.
The title is a reference to what a bloke said at work yesterday and we all thought he was a complete ****.
I thought he was about 36 but he is actually 40.
Hendrix to me is an absolute genius and one of the greatest innovators ever of modern rock guitar but I missed him because of my age.
Marc Bolan meant more to me in my youth and nowhere did I say Marc Bolan was better then Hendrix.
I've grown to appreciate what Hendrix gave to the world which is a million times more than Bolan ever did.
I suggest that you read threads before mouthing off.

Apologies accepted.

SexyGreyFox · 5 Apr 2006 at 18:20

tTz said:
Jimi is God? Just because Satriani likes him? That isn't much of an arguement.

G3 : Live In Concert
encore - Red House

G3 : Live In Denver
encores - Little Wing and Voodoo Chile

G3 : Live In Tokyo
encore - Foxy Lady

I think that just about sums Hendrix up.

However I do respect your opinion tTz.

SexyGreyFox · 5 Apr 2006 at 19:25

Soul Rider said:
TUT, TUT, TUT.

Do you not know your musical history and the story of woodstock? Jimi Hendrix only set fire to his guitar because he couldn't do his usual routine. Jimi had espied Pete Townsend from the who smashing up his guitar and incorporated it into his set. When they found out they were both playing woodstock they had a meeting to see who would appear first. Mike what'shisname who put on the woodstock always wanted Jimi to be the last act, so The Who got to destroy their equipment first, and Jimi knew if he did the same he'd be seen as a copier rather than an originator, so he had to come up with something different......

Apologies to Mr Bulbous but I'm 100% positive this was at Monterey and not Woodstock.

SexyGreyFox · 5 Apr 2006 at 22:33

fireblade900 said:
Since you're asking us young fellows, if it wasn't him it would've been someone else. I don't like hendrix, don't think anything of his guitar playing and don't like his music.

Looks like you're with Simon on the shrinkwrapper then

SexyGreyFox · 6 Apr 2006 at 17:59

QABoy said:
Did Hendrix ever tune his guitar?

The Old Grey Whistle Test used to show loads of live Hendrix clips in the early 70's and I always remember my dad saying the same thing. Last night I decided to put my Blue Wild Angel DVD on where Hendrix is at the Isle Of Wight. I played Purple Haze which continues into Voodoo Chile and to be honest, if you were standing outside a pub and you heard that, you wouldn't walk in. However, I still think he's a legend.

SexyGreyFox · 6 Apr 2006 at 20:15

tTz said:
I don't understand how you can criticise him/his playing in one sentence, then call him a legend in the next. It's a bit oxymoronical, to my way of thinking.

Not really.
Just because the guy is high and out of tune doesn't make him a legend.

About 15 years ago I had the pleasure of being one of about 20 people who got to see The Crickets play live (Buddy Holly). They came on and they were awful, in fact they wouldn't have got a free gig in a local pub. However, 5 songs on and they got it together and we witnessed legends in action.

Elvis was a bloody embarassment at he end of his career but it doesn't make him any less of a legend.

SexyGreyFox · 6 Apr 2006 at 20:51

aceface57 said:
I don't think were going to get any sort of conclusion as to who was the best guitarist we all like different styles, but i think some sort of poll would be an easier way to see what this board thinks?

The thread wasn't started as a 'who's best' or a slagging off of Hendrix.
It was started because I was having a conversation with a 40 year old and I said that I thought Kurt Cobain was overrated (flame on) and he said "Yeah, its a bit like Hendrix, he was nothing special". At this point a lot of older blokes turned round in amazement. I then wanted to hear what younger people (under 40) thought of him. We will never get a conclusion and therefore the thread has run its course.

However, a poll would be interesting to see who is the biggest influence on here.
Perhaps a new thread could be started with names :

Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Ritchie Blackmore
Eddie Van Halen
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Kirk Hammett

Please add your names
(bets Penski comes on and mentions guitarists nobody as heard of

)

SexyGreyFox · 6 Apr 2006 at 21:14

tTz said:
Um...exactly. Am I misunderstanding you, or did you mistype that?

I'll start again :
Just because the guy is high and out of tune doesn't NOT make him a legend.
(crap grammar).

SexyGreyFox · 6 Apr 2006 at 21:22

I think this thread has run its course because we'll never come to a conclusion on Hendrix. Its my thread and I think Hendrix was a class act and right at the top of the tree for what he did for modern rock music so I win

Its seems useless having a poll because there will be about 100 guitarists in it, so I'm going to start another thread and ask for this to be closed.

SexyGreyFox · 6 Apr 2006 at 21:27

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17559651

SexyGreyFox · 7 Apr 2006 at 12:24

Mr Bulbous said:
I've never heard so much back pedelling in all my life, and NO, no apologies proffered this time Mr Poole.

I will just send you to post #27 which was my first post after I started the thread

dmpoole said:
I cannot deny his influence on the modern guitarist of the late 60's onwards and to this day he still makes people pick guitars up.
He is the special one and I put him right at the top of the tree (even though he didn't do a lot for me).

#46

dmpoole said:
Hendrix to me is an absolute genius and one of the greatest innovators ever of modern rock guitar but I missed him because of my age.
Marc Bolan meant more to me in my youth and nowhere did I say Marc Bolan was better then Hendrix.
I've grown to appreciate what Hendrix gave to the world which is a million times more than Bolan ever did.

#47

dmpoole said:
G3 : Live In Concert
encore - Red House

G3 : Live In Denver
encores - Little Wing and Voodoo Chile

G3 : Live In Tokyo
encore - Foxy Lady

I think that just about sums Hendrix up.

#73

dmpoole said:
However, I still think he's a legend.

#75

dmpoole said:
Not really.
Just because the guy is high and out of tune doesn't NOT make him a legend.

Where am I back pedalling on Hendrix exactly?
I think I have made it completely obvious what I think about him and I haven't detracted.
You really should read the full threads.

SexyGreyFox · 7 Apr 2006 at 12:42

Phnom_Penh said:
Maybe read the thread and not just the title next time.

Ah, now I see where he's coming from.
If he read just the thread title then he wouldn't have a clue what it was about.

SexyGreyFox · 10 Apr 2006 at 07:13

Mr Bulbous said:
Yes you are having a fabuoulus time ... LOL

Troll

ElvisFan said:
The thing with Hendrix is his music takes you off somewhere in your head. His guitar takes me to places I've never been (All Along The Watchtower makes me feel like I'm in 'Nam). The only other musician to do that to me is Ray Manzarek from The Doors. Sublime stuff.

Don't mention Nam

SexyGreyFox · 10 Apr 2006 at 21:07

Well another guy at work came out with a real pearler today.
He was on about Paul McArtney and his band Wings and how much he liked them .
He then said "Wings, the band The Beatles could have become".
I work with some right idiots.

SexyGreyFox · 11 Apr 2006 at 17:37

Tax Evader said:
That's just a line stolen from top comedy TV show "I'm Alan Partridge".

That explains it then - he is a big Alan Partridge fan.

SexyGreyFox · 19 Jan 2007 at 17:13

tTz said:
If you've got the Woodstock DVD, iirc, he stops every few songs to tune it. What tuning he's putting it in, however, is a mystery.

Its Eb.

Sorry about the revival but for some reason I had an email confirmation in my inbox :confused:

SexyGreyFox · 21 Jan 2007 at 19:42

Daveyboy said:
Marc Bolan was my dad's cousin, and he was technically great, and a good performer to the crowd.

Obviously Bolan couldn't hold a candle to Hendrix but he did end up on quite a few other peoples records. He also had the skill of playing exactly the same guitar part and the engineer would stack them on top of each other for a bigger sound. Back in the early 70's I used to believe my Dad when he used to say that Bolan mimed and couldn't play the guitar but two years ago I bought the DVD Born to boogie and there are two live concerts on there. He wasn't amazing but he could do it and watching that live DVD he had a fantastic bass player and drummer to make him sound good.

SexyGreyFox · 21 Jan 2007 at 21:50

Daveyboy said:
True. I think he might have been an even bigger star if he didn't die in the mini.
Did he use to mime? I know a lot of artists used to, but generally only on TV.

At the time he died he was on the way down with probably zero chance of rising again. I was a big Bolan fan but at that time he was an embarassment. His peak was around the 70 to 73 period with three albums - Electric Warrior, Slider and Tanx.

Mime? He was the worst mimer on the planet but I have a feeling he did it on purpose. All his Top of the Pops appearances were awful and gave credence to my Dads statement that he couldn't play. Of course I shouldn't have listened to my Dad because for years before T.Rex he was Tyrannosaurus Rex and he sat crossed legged playing an acoustic backed by a conga player doing songs about elves and magicians etc. He was told that acoustic wasn't the way and swopped to a Les Paul/Strat for his 4th album Beard Of Stars. I got to see him around the 71 period but I couldn't hear him because of all the girls screaming. I was convinced that there was somebody playing the guitar behind the stage because I really trusted my Dad.

When the long awaited Born To Boogie DVD was released I took it to my Dad, put it in his DVD player and told him "Look he could play and it took me 30 odd years to prove it"

I don't think Hendrix had reached his peak because he died at the wrong time.
Yes he died while at the peak but I think he'd got a lot more to come.