Forty Years Ago: The Most Significant Music Album Ever and Unfortunate Questions of Blackness
August, 1967 was the height of the summer of love. It was, too, the crowning month of an amazing year of music. In sixty-seven Pink Floyd released their first album. The Stones would release their 7th, 8th and 9th albums. The Monterey Pop Festival redefined live concerts. Plus there was a little album from the Beatles that was dropped to, oh, a bit of notice.
Also, the most significant music album ever was released in the US.
On August 23rd of that year America was introduced to the absolutely astounding debut record from 24-year-old Johnny Allen Hendrix. Jimi, to the world. At a time when both musicians as artist, as well as studio recording techniques were evolving at an accelerated pace, Hendrix possessed a singularity. As a self-taught guitarist -- left-handed, no less, on a flipped Fender Stratocaster as opposed to a true left-handed guitar -- he was an unparalleled virtuoso. Beyond his sheer ability, what made Hendrix Hendrix was the absolute fearlessness of a nuke scientist he owned when it came to mixing and blending styles. Rhythm and Blues, free Jazz, Soul, Rock... A cocktail he called the melding of Earth and Space -- Earth being the music itself, Space being a psychedelic approach to phrasing, playing and recording. Added to all that was Hendrix himself -- the hair, the clothes, the casual attitude toward life and the obsession for creating perfect music.
Hendrix's musical philosophy is put on raw display in an album that is track by track nearly flawless. On the US version (the tracks and track order are different on the UK version) the album opens with "Purple Haze," does a hard tumble into "Manic Depression," slips into the most famous rendition of Billy Robert's "Hey Joe" . . . Side Two begins with the soulful "Wind Cries Mary," then launches into what is the greatest straight ahead rock piece ever written: "Fire." The album closes with "Foxy Lady" and "Are You Experienced." In between and among all that is a tour de force by a man who was born to invert expectations of music and who played what how.
And that is the prime significance of Are You Experienced and Jimi Hendrix. There were, of course, no shortage of black music stars particularly at that time when Motown was in full flower. However there were few, if any, prominent black rock stars. To the contrary, the modus operandi of rock had been for white acts -- be it Pat Boone or Elvis, the Beatles, or the Stones -- to lift from black R&B, repurpose the music and sell it to white audiences. Hendrix flipped the script, took the rock format, re-infused it with Soul and Funk and gave a visage of color to Rock and Roll.
The influence of his artistry was powerful and pervasive. A direct line can be drawn from Hendrix to nearly ever guitar icon of the era: Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend and Eric Clapton (who would remain close friends with Jimi for the remainder of his life). It was Paul McCartney who got the Jimi Hendrix Experience -- Jimi's ultra-lean band with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell -- into the Monterey Pop Festival. At the festival it was Stones' Guitarist Brian Jones who introduced The Experience.
Unfortunately, no matter that Hendrix "stole back" black music and openly acknowledged and credited countless R&B legends as being of influence to him, like many blacks who live how they please Hendrix was often accused of not being "authentically" black; of being a sellout for his style of music, for not having black band mates and for dating white chicks. Basically he was given crap for being himself rather than the kind of black that others perceive and dictate black should be.
You'd think in forty years such puerile questions of "authentic" blackness would have been long answered, then consigned to the Potters field of racial identity. Take a look at what nonsense Barack Obama still has to put up with, and you see that sadly they have not.
Perhaps even someone as unique as Hendrix could not change racial politics for all time. We'll all have to be satisfied with his having changed music forever.
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The MSM is not representative of black americans as a whole ( especially that CNN Bush stenographer). Anyway, I have listened to Barck Obama on Tavis's radio show, seen him give speeches on TV before black audiences, read comments by black readers of black blogs and magazines that have covered Obama and average everyday black people don't question his blackness. I loved his response to the question during the 60 minutes interview when a white reporter asked him that question ( as if it was coming from the black community) and he confirmed he doesn't get that question when he goes to get his haircut (in the hood).
Many of my black family and friends are excited about his candidacy and have no questions about his blackness. The conservative media ( CNN, Beck, Sun TImes, Tucker Carlson and that raceaholic Limbaugh) are the only ones who are threatened by Obama and obssessed with his race.
...and it's unfortunate that Obama must navigate his way among these detractors - like Cornel West et al, and accept their attacks, in order to gain greater acceptance. Obama may have to stoop to conquer, and graciously does, but it's sad that the discourse is so debased - that this is the real racial animus with which he must contend.
How many people commenting here actually read the Newsweek piece that Ridley linked to? I wish Ridley had actually included real info from this article in his post, rather than alluding to it at the very end.
It looks to me like Cornel West attacked Obama's "blackness" because he wanted someone to kiss his ass and defer to him as a 'black intellectual', and attacking Obama's identity got him a lot of press (at the expense of authentic discourse) as well as a phone call from Obama. And damn if Cornel West, after receiving a personal phone call from Obama, didn't decide to insert himself as and 'adviser' to Obama's campaign. Which makes West, and anyone else who uses these tactics to gain credibility, look really pathetic. Al Sharpton, Al Sharpton, please pick up the white courtesy phone.....
Further into the Newsweek article, I began to think this whole BS about race - per the Newsweek article itself, was just a lame-ass way for the MSM to make it look like Obama's entire campaign was some kind of racial drama and not about character - which is a lie, which is biased, and which is fu***d up. The MSM, and fools like Cornel West, are skewing the discourse and failing the people, by pushing everything backward in service of some private, or secret, agenda.
Obama is a black man ready to bitch slap any nominee the Republicans want to present. Politics.
This is not about Obama being another Hendrix.
The thread has developed into the role of black influence in rock.
Music.
California loves to party. - Roger
This however does suggest certain riffs will gain huge support for Obama. Not with a gitfiddle. But with his lettered statements.
Whitey - as through my lifetime - is all ears.
The reality is that black all over the world do not share the same values as AA they do not feel the need to reject white culture.
Obama father was black but he did not hang out with AA (as most africans do); he married a white woman. He is not culturally black and the more the whites like him the less black he gets.
Black culture in America keep reinventing itself to avoid assimilation, they even resurrect the N word when whites stop using it. It is not about race, it is not about african culture is a reaction and a reflection on the way they were and are treated in this country.
There is not to say that there is not racism in Cuba or Brazil , there is, but somehow blacks do not feel the need to be culturally different. We all whites and black are more africanized than AA there are more whites practicing african religion in Brazil than blacks in this country.
Obama is black just in the skin he is culturally white and international as Haitians and NIgerians who are not interested in setting any feud. African do not understand AA and that is why the AA who travel to Africa feel so disappointed.
Half white Marley is blacker than Hendrix because of the struggle not the race. The point in AA culture is the struggle not race not african culture.
Very interesting article and made a great point.
AA culture is the least African of all black cultures in South America. I am a Cuban who lived many years in Brazil and Venezuela. There is african music and religion there but it does not belong to the blacks it belong to all of us. AA are the only blacks in "America" that do not know how to play the african drums and have forgotten their traditional gods.
My neighbors in Brazil: to the right Budist black to the left Vudu whites I went dancing to the beat of african drums in the streets of any of these 3 countries among Blacks, whites and Japaneses and was not an statement.
There is racism in all these countries but there is not a black identity neither a black culture, here we have a black culture but is not african it is a very creative way of differencing with whites. Jazz and rock is not black enough because whites like it. Amsatrong, Hendrix, Prince and Kravits are not artist of the black culture they just happens to be blacks.
Here in Miami a multicultural city black latinos do not hang around with AA they hang around with other latinos, my daughter is in HS and there are some nigerian girls that are friends of her they came to visit and they were so shy and cute and dress so modestly and they do not have the same attitude than AA. They were not black enough to hang aroung with blacks so they hang around with latinos, Haitians do not hang around with AA and some of them have prejudices against AA.
There are more than 100M Blacks in Brazil they do not dress talk or sing different that the rest of the population, Latino music is 10 times more african than Black american music.
I met Jimi Hendrix and had many friends who knew and played with Jimi Hendrix and Barack Obama is no Jimi Hendrix..!
I was alive and well when Jimi Hendrix was at the top and I can tell you Obama is no Jimi Hendrix. Obama, himself, has declared he is not an African American. Why shouldn't others have the right to question his authenticness? Other candidates have to face the same question. Why not Obama?
Hendrix was extraordinary. I was fortunate to see him in a small venue outside of Albany, NY in spring 1969. I bought a DVD "Jimi Hendrix Live at Woodstock.
Ridley's comments about race are on target. America has progressed and while racism remains alive and well, it is less a factor for those under 25. This is encouraging. Our society won't entirely rid itself of this stigma until we look directly at it. White people find myriad excuses for slavery and when excuses fall short of absolution we fall back on the always reliable "I can't be held responsible for what was done in the past" or we seek to soften its harshness. Of course we can't be reasonably held responsible for the events of morethan 150 years ago but what Americans can do is quit sugar coating slavery and stop excuse-making. British and French were involved with slavery and they are less racist than Americans: If they can get past racism so can we. The difference between them and us is slavery is officially recognize for what it was: An abomination. This is taught forthrightly in schools and politicians don't dance around the issue in the hopes of not offending people. Many of our politicians claim to abhor racism but when concrete actions are required to categorically reject it posthumously they balk for fear of alienating constituents. Leaders should and stop pandering especially over so patently awful an issue.
You could be Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Miles, Arthur Lee, Roger Troutman and Sly rolled into one.
And the recording industry and commercial radio would slide right on by you in these souless times.
Of course, notice the money they aren't making thanks to their deaf ears.
The people on top of radio and records are about as clueless as the people in charge of our political parties.
Its like we are asking when the next black man with a guitar will lead the white throng.
They suggest our black brothers feel debased when put in that role.
And from the days of Robert Johnson to Hendrix we are to believe none beyond BB or Robert Cray have any interest in our audience.
No wonder John Mayer makes hay.
Yet I know black cats with silky tone control.
Why aren't they signed?
Must be that to this day...the Man decides what we hear.
I haven't seen too many other "brothers" that play guitar. A few bassists, but not many guitar players. Most drop lyrics these days...its just a different era.
So far as the "man" goes, nothing's stopping anyone of any color from putting their stuff up on Myspace and starting their own label.
.
It's not finished yet folks...He
Starfleet to scoutship, please give your position, Over.
I'm in orbit around the third planet from the star called the sun. Over.
You mean its the earth? Over.
Positive. It is known to have some form of intelligent species. Over.
I think we should take a look.
Strange beautiful grass of green,
With your majestic silver seas
Your mysterious mountains I wish to see closer
May I land my kinky machine
Although your world wonders me,
With your majestic and superior cackling hen
Your people I do not understand,
So to you I shall put an end
And you'll
Never hear
Surf music again
Secret
Oh, secret
Oh
Shhhh...
Third Stone from the Sun...Jimi Hendrix
.
It's a bit disingenuous to compare Hendrix's situation with that of Obama. Hendrix's "blackness" was only questioned by militant blacks and those involved with the black power movement. Obama's "blackness" is being questioned on a much larger and mainstream level, on the nightly news, the cable news, the blogosphere, etc. It's also a bit of a stretch to lament that Hendrix's uniqueness and greatness failed to change racial politics forever. He had no inclination to do so, and he made no efforts to do so. So, kudos for giving props to Jimi, who is always deserving of such, but aside from that you're a bit off here with your premise, your intentions and your final point.
1983... A Merman I Should Turn To Be
Hurray i awake from yesterday
Alive but the war is here to stay
So my love catherina and me
Decide to take our last walk thru the noise to the sea
Not to die but to be reborn
Away from the lands so battered and torn
Forever forever
Oh say can you see it's really such a mess
Every inch of earth is a fighting nest
Giant pencil and lipstick-tube shaped things
Continue to rain and cause screamin' pain
And the arctic stains from silver blue to bloody red
As our feet find the sand
And the sea is straight ahead
Straight up ahead
Well it's too bad that our friends can't be with us today
Well it's too bad
The machine that we built
Would never save us that's what they say
That's why they ain't comin' with us today
And they also said it's impossible
For a man to live and breathe underwater
Forever was a main complaint
Yeah and they also threw this in my face they said
Anyway you know good and well
It would be beyond the will of god
And the grace of the king
Grace of the king
Yeah
Ooo
So my darling and i make love in the sand
To salute the last moment ever on dry land
Our machine it has done its work played its part well
Without a scratch on our body when we bid it farewell
Starfish and giant foams greet us with a smile
Before our heads go under we take our last look at the killing noise
Of the out of style
The out of style out of style oh yeah
Oooo
So down and down and down and down we go
Hurry my darlin' we mustn't be late
For the show
Neptune champion games to an aqua world is so my dear
Right this way smiles a mermaid
I can hear atlantis full of cheer
Atlantis full of cheer
I can hear atlantis full of cheer
Oh yeah
Veeery nicely done, Merrysunshine. Surely one of his ultimate visionary moments. Pure poetry. Thanks...
Presactly Judge! Wow, 40 years have passed. I was trying to describe the summer of 1967 in S.F. and seeing Jimi play for free in the Panhandle to my son. I got such chills I almost left my body.
The actions of our fellow humans can really be an embarrasment to the species.
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