Tag Archives: Jimi Hendrix
Groove Alchemy: Band of Gypsys, “Power Of Soul” (1970)
By Eric Griffin Jimi Hendrix clearly considered “Power Of Soul” to be one of the Band of Gypsys’ signature numbers, and the four Fillmore shows heard on the Machine Gun release (2016) give us four takes to explore. In Take … Continue reading
Scary: The Who, “I Can See For Miles” (1967)
Next in my series of fifty-years-late appreciations of music in the year of wonders, I turn to a September 1967 (U.S.) release. Some tracks burst into your life sounding unnervingly good in a deeply unfamiliar way. (The uniqueness makes this … Continue reading
Experimental: Pere Ubu, “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” (1975)
You’re in a hole-in-the-wall record shop rooting around in a singles bin and you find a release by Pere Ubu (!) called “30 Seconds Over Tokyo.” That’s the hook, for starters: you don’t know why an underground Cleveland band in … Continue reading
Half Steps: Jack Bruce, “The Consul At Sunset” (1971)
There’s good reason for differentiating sharply between “whole” and “half” steps in a musical scale: only whole steps feel like definite steps. Half steps feel iffy at best.[1] The pentatonic scale, popular around the world, can be defined as the … Continue reading
And Now, a Hook from Our Sponsor
Awaiting takeoff on a recent flight I had no choice but to watch the little screen in front of me once it turned on. It was a United Airlines promo with snippets of Rhapsody in Blue faded in every few … Continue reading
Improvised: Jimi Hendrix, “Star Spangled Banner” (1969) and John Bonham, “Moby Dick” (1970)
Improvisation is a tricky subject in hooks study because it can be taken as opposing the whole hook premise of wanting to hear a certain bit of music again and again. That’s so reifying, and tame! Improvisation is free and … Continue reading
Non-Obvious: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “All Along The Watchtower” (1968)
You’d think the greatest rock cover of all time would have a very memorable groove. The second greatest, Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” certainly does. So what is the groove of Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower”? Try tapping it on your … Continue reading
Oddly Not Odd Meter: Jethro Tull, “A New Day Yesterday” (1969)
In an earlier post on odd meter the main question was, How can a song rock when it doesn’t stay in one of the physically cogent “regular” meters repeating two, three, or four beats? In that context it seemed remarkable … Continue reading
Rock Waltz? John Hiatt, “Cry Love” (1995)
John Hiatt’s “Cry Love” is a rock song that astonishes by really rocking out in three. It’s a great swooping three, mind you, no mincing waltz. Now, if you start tapping your fingers with it—and your fingers are at all … Continue reading
What’s in a Song? 43 Versions of “Sunshine Of Your Love”
Jack Bruce 1943-2014 One happy Father’s Day Matt Smith gave me the superb gift of a mix of 42 recordings of “Sunshine of Your Love”—just the 42 most notable ones—starting with the original 1967 Cream track and running up to … Continue reading
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