Nov. 28, 2020
Yesterday was the 78th birthday of Jimi Hendrix. I had intended to post this on the blessed day itself, just to prove that I don’t only commemorate artists on the anniversary of their death. But the truth is, I was having a really hard time narrowing it down to one essential song.
Part of the problem is that I am only a moderate Hendrix fan. Of course I think he’s great and I have the first three studio albums. But I’m not one of those hardcore fans who knows every track on every album intimately or collects the many posthumous releases. And I confess I’m one of those heretics who thinks Electric Ladyland would have been better as a single album than a double (see also the Beatles’ white album). I mean, I live in Seattle and I’ve never even visited his grave! (Someday…) That said, I’m enough of a fan that I was feeling hard-pressed to choose just one song.
After much consideration, I’m going with Angel. I understand it’s an odd choice in a way. It was released after he died, so it wasn’t part of the original canon. It doesn’t rock, and it’s not a flashy guitar showcase. But in my guts it was my first choice. I tried to convince myself I wasn’t digging deep enough, but after listening to a bunch of other strong contenders, I’m sticking with it. Ultimately I’m more of a ballad guy than a guitar solo guy. I love Jimi’s voice, and it’s great to hear it out front. (Little Wing – another beautiful ballad – was a close contender, but ultimately ruled out because of the end, which fades out when it sounds like it’s about to really take off. Does anyone know if there’s a longer alternate studio version out there somewhere?)
Apparently the Hendrix family estate is very fussy about what they allow on YouTube, and it took some digging to find this video. In the event that it gets taken down and the link goes dead, as a bonus I’m also posting this really lovely version by Fiona Apple, which is notable not only because there aren’t a lot of women who cover Hendrix, but also because it is not at all guitar-oriented. Plus, she does an excellent job of singing it.