[May 16th
marks the 50th
anniversary of the releases of Pet Sounds
and Blonde on Blonde, two iconic
1960s rock albums. So this week I’ll AmericanStudy those artists and other 60s
rock icons and songs. Please share your own rocking responses (or hazy
memories) for a righteous crowd-sourced post!]
On what the
legendary 60s guitarist brought to three famous covers.
1)
“Hey Joe” (1966): Recorded
as a single and later released on Are
You Experienced (1967), the The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut album, Hendrix’s
“Hey Joe” was a cover of a song by Southern songwriter Billy Roberts. It’s
perhaps too easy to say that Hendrix brings more fire and passion to the song,
but certainly that’s part of what makes his version stand out; he taps into the
anger and pain that are part of Roberts’ lyrics but not quite his performance
(at least not in that hyperlinked version). But it’s impossible not to think at
least a bit about race as well, not so much as a social or cultural issue but rather
as an integral part of the Delta
Blues tradition in which Roberts’ song rests but which Hendrix’s version
brings out far more potently. Those blues were created by African American voices,
and Hendrix’s voice is a perfect fit for a quintessential blues song like “Hey
Joe.”
2)
“All Along the Watchtower”
(1968): Hendrix and the Experience began playing Bob Dylan’s “All Along the
Watchtower” almost as soon as it was released (on Dylan’s 1967 album John Wesley Harding), and recorded their
version in early 1968; it was included on their third and final studio album, Electric
Ladyland (1968). Hendrix’s version is to my mind closer to the original
than was the case with his “Hey Joe,” but in this case I would say the key distinction
also provides a pitch-perfect illustration of the vital role Hendrix’s electric
guitar played in all his songs. In “Watchtower” that guitar becomes a character
in its own right, one that to my mind is far more tangible and grounded,
captures more of a sense of real events unfolding in a possible version of our
world, than do the opaquely allegorical joker, thief, and other figures in the
song’s lyrics. Which is to say, I’d call Hendrix’s version dystopian realism,
compared to Dylan’s speculative allegory—and that howling guitar comprises the central
difference.
3)
“The Star-Spangled Banner”
(1969): And then there’s Hendrix’s anthem. It’s the starting point for one of
the great recent short stories (and a sort of cover in its own right), Sherman
Alexie’s “Because
My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ‘The
Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock.” It’s also one of those artistic performances
that are deeply dependent on place and time and context, on the coming together
of so many factors through which the stars align for a musical, cultural, and national
moment that can’t be replicated. (See also: The version of Springsteen’s “American Skin (41 Shots)”
performed in Tampa less than a month after the Trayvon Martin killing just up
the road in Sanford.) To name only one such context, there’s Hendrix’s early
1960s year of service as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne, one of
the many facts of his life that refuse to be reduced to any one image or stereotype
(such as “the counter-culture”). I’m on
record as no fan of our current national anthem—but if we’re gonna keep it,
we most definitely should use Hendrix’s verison whenever possible.
Next
RockStudying tomorrow,
Ben
PS. What do you
think? Responses to this post or other RockStudyings you’d share?
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