4. Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om3JfoMkYbo This is one of the coolest, kick ass moments in musical TV history, where a tribute blows the idol of affection not just out of the park, but off the planet. This is an amazing example of what Jimi Hendrix could do with six strings, holding the groove down with simple rhythm playing and that amazing blues/soul voice and an unbelievably tight rhythm section. But what made this so inspiring is when he said '"We're going to stop playing this rubbish..." and breaks into an instrumental of 'Sunshine of your love' by the recently defunct Cream. Can you imagine a band doing that today? Because 'Hey Joe' was the song that announced him, and whilst he had a string of other classics, 'Hey Joe' was so important because it was the antithesis of what was to become guitar hero culture of the 60's and 70's, this was a storyteller who used the guitar to help him tell the tale Whilst 'Purple Haze' and 'Fire' were tremendous examples of his ability as a player, this song and 'The wind cries Mary' are the real breakthroughs, no one this macho had unleashed such femininity to their playing before. And lest we forget, what a voice
Ed Nash
Contributor
What makes music fantastic? Star quality, amazing music, breathtaking lyrics and the ability to bring something new to the table, even if that means a new take on the classics. That's what I love to listen to and write about.
As well as writing for What Culture, I occasionally write a blog http://tedney.blogspot.co.uk and sometimes use Twitter, but sparingly @TedneyNash
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Ed