Gridlock Mikey

I have spent years listening to people bang on about his style and how good it is/was etc, I've spent years reading about him in various articles and seen him top many a "best guitarist in the world" chart.

Personally I think his music was a bag of discordant bollox, his voice sounded like he had a speech impediment, and his "upside down" guitar sounded like the cheap amplified bag of rubbish that it actually was!

I do play a guitar by the way and it winds me up when other guitarists say that his music is amazing. Can't they hear the crap that is poorly improvised, badly timed power chords and weak dawdling solo's? Just cos you can't play a song, doesn't make it awesome!

I've tried to play some of his stuff to try and understand what the fuss is all about and his music goes totally and utterly against the musical rules "grain". When I play it, it feels wrong and in isolation (Guitar on it's own) sounds feckin rubbish. He played semi-rhythmic mess that rubs me up the wrong way. There are plenty of better guitarists out there past and present and I know this subject is all about personal tastes etc, I just wanted to know if I am possibly the only bloke on the planet that thinks Hendrix was a drunken, drugged up black dude who couldn't sing or play a guitar?

Mikey <All the above is merely my opinion, if someone out there has a shrine to hendrix at the end of thier bed, then I apologise for dissin' your hero >

milo

ive gotta agree actually

i think he was just different at the time.. very unique

not a good guitarist tho imho

Luke

Unique

that sums it up nice. Thats all he was. People loved him cos it was an excuse to skin up./

XRS

I guess you had to be there.

I was

NACRO

I think there are 2 possible options: either you are right

or practically everyone else is wrong.

Which is most likely?

Personally I think his music was ground breaking when you put it in context of its time.

If you listen to some of the backing tracks/session musician stuff he did you'd know he was a competant blues guitarist before he "freaked out".

[Edited by NACRO - 9/11/2003 11:35:16 AM]

edited twice due to fnger trouble , I should have tried typing with my teeth.

[Edited by NACRO - 9/11/2003 11:35:57 AM]

Mr Gee

You ever heard of Marcus Miller ?

Gridlock Mikey

But surely there is an element of sheep mentality involved here! Just cos it was "Ground breaking" or "different" doesn't mean it was good surely?

As to him being a good blues player, I never once found a song of his that uses a pentatonic scale, never. Some blues player he probably played his version of the blues i.e wrong ( you can know how to drive, but still be doing it wrong! ) and everyone thought "ahh bless the drugged up darkie from America........how cool is that? ahhh! Love and peace to everyone man!"

Mikey <Off to suss the triangle >

RichWalk

good topic Mikey, Pete Townsend tryed to play Hendrix's guitar at Woodstock and couldnt, I personally enjoyed his music, but as someone with the musical talent of a brick I cant comment on his playing ability... as someone mentioned earlier it was all about times and places and some very good drugs... cant be all bad then??

Jed Exodus

<maybe you ought to give up the guitar and try the triangle instead>

if you did, then theres a pefect chance to play it in "little wing"

Badger Stuffer

He was before his time.

He was a very technical guitarist. I have been playing guitar for 20+ years now and love the way he played.

Try picking out his use of scales (Pentatonic, Melodic, Ionian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, etc) and the way he mixed these together and you will see the bigger picture.

Try listening to the likes of Kenny Wayne Sheperd who was influenced by Jimi's music.

He shaped a generation of guitarists and we should be thankful for what he gave us all.

He is not to everyones taste I understand that but most of the music anyone listens to today will somewhere be linked to the likes of Hendrix, Dylan, Beck, etc. IMHO.

Hobo_Jojo

i think hendrix is gash.

fin.

Gridlock Mikey

Ohhh and Status quo invented 12 bar blues

Mikey

Badger Stuffer

No Mikey.they just done it to death...........

Hanslow

I never used to rate him, but as I have got older and mellowed a little, I can appreciate his music a bit more

As far as blues goes though....I'll stick with my Robert Johnson thanks

289

Hendrix was definitely influential, but that's not the same as saying he was any good!

For my money, however, his version of All Along The Watchtower was vastly superior in every way to the original, which has to be some sort of endorsement. As for his use of pentatonic, holistic or catatonic scales ..... not a clue.

The real question is whether he should have been influential. My honest opinion is that he was good, just not that good. He may have been an instinctive guitar player (someone will probably tell me that he wasn't), but I didn't think he was much of a musician, more of a showman.

mattstant

Hmmm Have to say first off that i think he is rock god of the highest order but will say that he went so far out here that i do understand those who cant take him.

But and this is a big BUT just about every living and or dead guitar hero of the last 30 years (Excluding Hank Marvin Except he is definitley NOT a rock god so that excludes him anyway doh.....errrr now Im rambling close the brackets quick perhaps know one will notice) owes a huge debt to him and you will be hard pressed to find anyone of them with a bad word to say about him.

but thats the point Mikey it does break all the rules and makes new ones of its own it sometimes has more in common with Jazz than rock
Well he did have a slight lisp and i dont think his vocal abilities have ever been lauded by any one LOL

Woah BIG mistake now I KNOW why you dont like him doing that sort of thing could seriously mess you up LOL

Luke

Its not "cool " to slag Jimi or the beatles when your in the music industry...

And as for Marley...Forget the stuff youve heard ...none of his real good stuff has ever been published. I have and its bloody worth 100's millions of $$$$ But the lawyers wont want the "Matter" closed so the stuff can be published. They are making millions a year dealing with it.... and have been since his death.

NotoriousREV

I personally think that Malmsteen, Satriani etc etc are gash, even though they are technically the best guitarists in the world. Music produced using the "musical rules" is always boring, bland, insipid etc.

Strange chords, awkward timing, idiosyncratic rythms are what attracts me to music, something edgy and hard to listen to until you "get it".

Different strokes for different folks. In the same way that some people like to monitor their engine, and some don't

brickboy

Mikey -- you might have hit it on the head when you mentioned his non-use of scales etc. Sure, a lot of his reputation is on the sonic adventurousness, feedback etc. He's not a "classic" blues guitarist, it's all on feel and sound, but when he did play a pure blues it could rip your head off.

Try listening to "Red House" from Are You Experienced, or "Catfish Blues" from the BBC sessions, or his Robert Johnson-like solo acoustic version of "Hear My Train A-Comin'".

All these are live-to-tape, no overdub songs. The invention, lyrical playing, imagination in the fills and sheer attack in the playing is still breathtaking.

At the time, he HAD no peers. Clapton's playing on the Bluesbreakers lp and early Cream is rudimentary, to say the least. Beck had the feedback but isn't bluesy. Townshend's a great songwriter and rhythm player but can't play a solo to save his life. Jimmy Page is great lead-rhythm but his blues solos (Since I've Been Loving You, I Can't Quit You Babe etc) are a bit weak and noodle along to no great effect.

But if you don't like him, you don't like him, simple as that

red_dog104

I like Hendrix...... Not that i'm a great authority on guitar playing! I know what I like and I listen to it.

unclebuck

He's not a "classic" blues guitarist

You can say that again. Played the ****** upside down for a start

Always felt he was overrated meself, relying too much in guitar 'gymnastics'

UB

Gridlock Mikey

Some interesting points there, all without having a go at me Is scoobynet getting good again?

Mikey

289

Mikey

Everyone knows that Hendrix was a God, you've got no taste, and anyway, Hendrix's use of polyphonic ringtones proves conclusively that he's better than Yngwyniey Malmsteein

(enough insults?)

red_dog104

Mikey - You're sh*t and you smell!!

muppet paster

I certainally rate Hendrix as a guitarist of the highest order. Anyone doubting this should start by listerning to Little Wing.

red_dog104

The 'black' comment was mikey being racist lol.

Gridlock Mikey

Morning All

ttt for some more "discussion"

Red dog, I'll see you in hell

Mikey

brickboy

Mikey, who do you like / rate on guitar?

Me, I like:

- Richard Thompson
- Paul Kossoff
- Tom Verlaine
- Robert Cray (first three lps)
- James Williamson

I think one of the problems with comparing Hendrix with other top twiddlers is the relatively primitive nature of his studio recordings made, and the over-reliance on phasing, echo and other psychedelic effects. Don't forget that at the time, using two 4-track machines to bounce tracks was state-of-the-art

The other thing is that an awful lot of substandard material has come out since his death -- which tends to dilute just how good his good stuff was.

If I can work out a way of transferring VHS tape to video, I could show you a live version of Johnny B. Goode from 1968 (the same recording is on the "Hendrix in the West" live lp but it's even better with the pictures) that is nothing short of awesome. You wonder where the other guitarists are ... but it's just him.

Jza

How many albums you sold then Mikey?

Jza

Scooby96

purple haze IMO is complete tosh