Helene here. When I was senior in high school, in Seattle in 1964/65, there was a dance club called Parker’s. My friends and I all had fake I.D. (Of course we did) and we would go out to Parker’s on a Friday or Saturday night. One night, there was this guy called Jimi Hendrix who was playing. If I recall, he wasn’t that great to dance to. But eventually we all just stopped trying and watched him play. Little did we know we were witnessing a legend being born….in a dance club on Aurora Ave.
Thanks for this..Jimi has been in my psyché since I bought "The Cry of Love" with paper route money back in 1971..It was from a Caldor's dept store..I think it was $3.99..I was 12..I remember when he died and how the media claimed he had died from a heroin overdose!..My parents tried to take the record away, but I prevailed and wasn't thrown out of the house!..I've been playing guitar since 8 and still do today at 61, many Strats later..He is my honest to god, personal soul-mate..I'm sure he's yours too!
Sounds like Jimi was pivotal to you in more ways than one…including learning to stand up for yourself when your parents threatened to take The Cry of Love away! Like you, I started guitar at 8. I loved and admired Hendrix but he wasn’t as much my soul mate as he clearly was yours. I had a thing for introspective singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Cat Stevens. Opposite ends of the spectrum, but all part of the great spectrum of music in the late 60s and early 70s!
Another great one! You've really hit your stride with these BLOW UP the SONG videos. So many interesting things you point out that I never knew about this classic, classic song. It makes me hear the song in a whole new light, and somehow that makes the song sound better and more impressive to me. Go figure. I've always loved Sting's 1987 version. And of course, SRV's version must ALWAYS be mentioned. Great job, Robert!
Makes me very happy to hear you say things like "hear the song in a whole new light" and "makes the song sound better and more impressive to me." It's like any great piece of art. When you focus in on the details for awhile, you begin to have a deeper emotional connection to the work and the artist. You spend some time seeing and hearing things from a point of view more akin to theirs, rather than merely as a casual listener. I love Sting's and SRV's versions of Little Wing, too. Might have to do my own version at some point...
I appreciate your thoughtful comments, Robert...And would love to hear your version if Little Wing! Regarding your comments about music as art...they made me think this: When I wanted to learn to sing and and play an instrument as a kid, I wanted to learn because I wanted to be able to play and sing a song. Little did I know back then that one of the biggest benefits and pleasures of becoming a musician would be that the knowledge of singing and playing the guitar would lead to a greater understanding and appreciation/enjoyment of the music I listen to. I'm always happy about that.
You broke this song down like no other! Been chasing Jimi's sound my whole life. In my minds eye Machine Gun live off Band of Gypsy's is the song to measure everything from. You have a subscriber here! Thank You and keep up your outstanding content!
Getting used to my Fridays being sweetened with your videos, loved the history and analysis, these are songs we all think we know well, but as with all great art it always gives more the closer you look👍
Thanks so much, John. That’s exactly how I feel when I put these songs under a historical and musical microscope. (It’s also why getting blocked is particularly frustrating. I feel there ought to be an educational exemption.)
What a story Robert! I learned so much I did not know, starting with his actual name. We played this song back in the 70’s & 80”s. Never really analyzed the lyrics either. It’s a great story he tells about “Little Wing”. The isolation of the tracks is really interesting. I hear what I never heard as a whole. Great job. Thanks. Keep them coming
Sound like you're having the same reaction I am to these song blow ups, George! The deeper I go into their history and musical details, the more incredible they are. Makes me realize how often we sing and songs without having a sense of where they come from. But knowing something about their history brings them back to life!
Very well done! Your channel is Interesting, educational, entertaining, inspiring! Thank you!! Please do a video on Band of Gypsies. Best live performance ever!
Thank You for that great video! Little Wing and All along the watchtower are some of the best songs of Jimi with unbelieveable guitar sounds! Do You know, how Jimi makes the sound, when he plays the part G-F C-D. Is it an Univibe?
Glad you enjoyed this, Siggi. The “swirling” sound I assume you’re referring to... in the studio, they put the guitar through a Leslie rotating speaker, which creates a “vibrating” Doppler effect. On stage, he’d get a similar effect using the Univibe pedal.
I think, that the lyrical expression ”The circus mind”, refers to circular reasoning, which makes her logic impossible to fully understand. I think it’s about the same girl as in Angel:” …the angel came down from heaven yesterday…”.
Totally agree, Muhammad. I’d actually go so far as to say that without his vocals, he would never have achieved the mainstream audience he reached. Come for the vocals, stay for the guitar...
Hey Kevin. I’ve managed to collect a bunch of original masters, mostly from the 60s and 70s. You can find some online, but most of mine are bootlegs from fellow producers and studio musicians.
I get where you’re coming from, William. SRV played with incredible technique and emotion. But of course, Jimi wrote the song and came up with many of the playing and tone innovations that Stevie and others refined. It’s sometimes hard to know how much to credit the foundation vs. the house built on top of it. I think the answer is both! Thanks for watching and commenting.
![Every great guitarist loves LITTLE WING [Jimi Hendrix Experience] - BLOW UP the SONG, Ep. 5](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
