On September 18th of the year 1970, 27 year old Jimi Hendrix was headlining all over the news. The reason: 60’s most legendary rock’n’roll musician had passed away, overdosing on sleep inducing drugs.
The death was blow to the music industry that had been completely revolutionised by Jimi Hendrix’s blues filled, jazz infused and soulful avant-garde musical techniques.
Honouring the late musician’s contribution to our music industry as well as to my personal rock collection, I’ve jot down 8 of Jimi Hendrix’s classics that are essential for anybody who has ever enjoyed music.
- Voodoo Child
If you’ve heard Hendrix’s music before, this wouldn’t have been tough to guess. Released posthumously, Voodoo Child has been a fan favourite since ages. Slick arpeggios and an intense guitar playing ranked Voodoo Child amongst my topmost favourites from Jimi Hendrix.
- Purple Haze
Next on the list is Purple Haze that came shortly after Hendrix’s first single. This song got Jimi Hendrix the attention he deserved and gave me a song to air-guitar on, all day long. The song was banned from the radio, which gave me all the more reason to listen to it.
- All Along The Watchtower
All along the watchtower is a pretty simple song. It’s a rock song that was actually covered by Jimi Hendrix. And believe it or not, the original singer Bob Dylan chose to sing Hendrix’s version instead of his own for years to come. Yeah, enough reason for me to love it.
- Little Wing
Easily one of the most lovable rock songs from Jimi Hendrix. Incredible flow and smooth rhythm made it one of my instant favourites. That wave like echo sound you’ll keep hearing in Hendrix’s songs, yeah it was first introduced with Little Wing.
- Hey Joe
A very commonly covered song, Hey Joe was Jimi Hendrix’s first ever single that actually didn’t even chart in America. But that’s no reason for me to not love it. A Hendrix classic, this song is the story of a man who cheated on his wife and got caught. Yum! I love such edgy stuff.
- Machine Gun
A timid voice clubbed with raw and deeply intense guitar work, this song has some kind of groove that is hard to explain. And that is very much why, I tune into this Hendrix classic whenever I need some undetectable connection with music.
- Bold As Love
Bold as love binds psychedelia with the most common story in the book – the effect of love on a man. Deep insight lyrics and a rhythm line to almost swing to, Bold as love is another timeless classic from our man Jimi.
- Castles Made Of Sand
Castles made of Sand is exactly like its name, tragic and beautiful. It is musically amazing and emotionally beaming. A touching and poignant psychedelic rock song, Jimi established himself as a fine musician in all spectra with this masterpiece.
No matter if he’s been dead for near about 46 years, his music is still moving millions of ears. It’s hard to imagine what a gaping hole there had been, if Hendrix hadn’t stepped into the 60’s and unleashed his sick guitar solos and magnificent playing techniques that would inspire generations to pick up guitar and play.
Thank you for everything, Mr. Jimi Hendrix. It was an honour to share the same planet as you once walked on!
Peace out.
If you liked this, you might wanna check out: Happy Birthday Jimi Hendrix. Let His These Quotes Inspire You Differently
