My first actual, experience if you will, with The Jimi Hendrix Experience was with this 1969 compilation, Smash Hits. It was played, quite frequently, at Jr. High dances some 25 years ago. Smash Hits is exactly what it sounds like. 12 of The Experience’s best-known hits: Foxey Lady, Stone Free, Manic Depression, Hey Joe, The Wind Cries Mary, All Along the Watchtower, and of course, Purple Haze. Not that anyone should, but if someone needed a one-stop-Jimi-shop, Smash Hits would certainly do the trick.
Tag Archives: Jimi Hendrix
Jimi on the Beach
I’m not sure if Jimi ever played Cancún, but if he did, he certainly stayed at Now Sapphire. Swim up pools and exotic cocktails starting at 9am. Bring the kids.
The Turning Point
My first John Mayall album, The Turning Point was, for me, indeed just that. Recorded live on July 12th, 1969, The Turning Point featured Eddie Kramer at the recording engineer helm (of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix fame), with Mr. Mayall acting as producer, album art director, and a stellar offering on keyboards, tambourine, slide guitar, harmonica, and vocals. The multi-hat-wearing Mayall kills the harmonica blues sound for what feels like a room of 10,000 eager fans, and should be deemed necessary listening material for any fan of modern blues rock. The Turning Point may not be the best place to start, given Mayall’s extensive library, but it sure is a damn entertaining ride.The 1969 Warner-Reprise Record Show
In 1969, Warner-Reprise released a pretty badass 2-LP comp titled, The 1969 Warner-Reprise Record Show. The Kinks, The Mothers of Invention, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Fugs, The Dead, Tull, Neil Young, and Fats Domino all make their prominent appearance. It’s a pretty solid comp; mixing well-known with mysterious obscurity. We paid $0.33 for this double LP, and she’s well worth every last dime.
Roam
With CCR, Hendrix, Dylan, and original compositions by Neil Young, the 1980 soundtrack to the Hunter S. Thompson laugh-riot, Where the Buffalo Roam, is classic, classic rock. Bill Murray, aka Mr. Thompson even does a goofy-ass version of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. Needless to say, this comp is worthy of any and every Gonzo out there.
Looney Twos (AKA Happy 2nd Birthday, Prudent Groove!)
This exceptionally deceiving, unusually vivacious three record comp by Warner Bros. Records titled, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies features not the usual cast of characters you’d typically expect based on the Fudd-y duddy cover. You won’t find Speedy Gonzales, Foghorn Leghorn, or even Daffy & Bugs, but instead, a hearty helping of Frank Zappa, Arlo Guthrie, Captain Beefheart, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Van Morrison, Little Richard, Randy Newman, The Grateful Dead, Alice Cooper, James Taylor, and The Kinks, among others.
Chosen as more of a symbol than a Saturday listen, this diverse compilation, in a way, represents the eclectic nature of the Prudent Groove which, today, turned two years old.
Happy 2nd birthday, Prudent Groove! You weren’t expected to survive, and there were several days when you narrowly escaped angry extinction. Thanks to everyone who stopped by for a photo for their iTunes metadata, left a comment, or got a chuckle out of this nonsense. 730 days is a hell-of-a long time, and 730 posts is exactly 730 too many. Thanks for stopping by!
Sex sells, and so do lottery tickets. Hendrix was. His legacy is. Fervent toils remain unraveled over the greatness of this 6-stringed beast. Let them toil and snare, grieving for future’s ears. The future was last week, as well as tomorrow. Let time prematurely leak its incessant novelties, and let the cautious remain cautious.
RIP Johnny Allen Hendrix.
The Prudent Groove 