I enjoyed this contrarian underwhelmed review from Chris at the time, even though I'm a Jimi-worshipper (although that said, it's hard to imagine any circumstances in which I would put on a Hendrix live album - actually prefer him as a studio magician, painting pictures with sound).
The Lenny Kravitz dismissal got me wondering: have there been that many African-American axe heroes marketed in the mould of Hendrix? Eddie Hazel is known as a part of Funkadelic, not as a solo artist. Prince's stature as a guitarist is seen as just part of his status as musical architect, a notch or two above his stature as a drummer. People tend to ignore that Slash is of mixed parentage. I had forgotten Tom Morello's name. And nobody takes Lenny Krativz seriously, mainly because he was so overtly marketed in the mould of Hendrix. I'd say Chris Roberts is trying to diagnose a phenomenon from a single example.
ReplyDeleteYeah I can't think of that many. Prince had a bit of a Hendrix about him, but he was many other things. Vernon Reid in LIving Colour - but they were much more a straightforward hard rock band in practice, as I recall. James Blood Ulmer had a bit of Hendrix in the mix, or at least let's say, there's resemblances, in the sheer noise and ferocity coming out of blues basis, but I don't remember him being presented that way. by his critical supporters or the record company, Ornette Coleman and harmolodics came up more.
ReplyDeleteThis review came out before "Are You Gonna Go My Way" I think, so the ultimate, knowing, on-purpose Kravitz-as-Hendrix move was yet to come - right down to having a bassist that looked like Noel Redding in the video. But certainly it was one of LK's modes of pastiche from the git-go (along with Curtis Mayfield, others - he was diversely derivative!)
They were some white Hendrix wannabes in the early '70s - reputedly the dude in Mahogany Rush (who I've never heard I don't think), also Robin Trower ex-Procol Harum I believe.
ReplyDeleteYet axe heroes emulating Keith Richards are ten-a-penny. Is that just because it's easier than emulating Hendrix?
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