| I've been in rock and roll all my life and I admit it's bit | | | | faces as if to say, "I can't believe this guy! What |
| difficult to put Jimi Hendrix above Mick Jagger in terms | | | | galaxy did he come from?"SONGWRITING |
| of brilliant rock and roll stardom, but after watching | | | | TALENT"And the Wind Cried Mary". Oh, Jimi, how |
| several movies of both Jimi and Mick in concert, here's | | | | poetic can you possibly be? So the galactic storm |
| why I would do it: | | | | screamed "Jimi", and what hetero man in his right mind |
| BEST MUSICIANJimi Hendrix was the only true genius | | | | doesn't want that "Foxy Lady"? I suppose that a man |
| in rock and roll. The word genius is highly overused and | | | | who's in a "Purple Haze" might not be able to |
| it's often applied to people who are extremely talented. | | | | recognize one, and a man who's in a state of "Manic |
| I disagree with the dictionary when it equates genius | | | | Depression" might not be able to get out of bed and |
| with "exceptional intelligence", and what I think the word | | | | do anything about it, but every time Jimi launches into |
| genius is supposed to refer to is a person who | | | | Foxy Lady with his famous dissonant E chord my libido |
| creates something that's new, and not only new, but | | | | stands up and salutes. And every time I hear that all |
| significantly new, important, and somewhat of a | | | | time classic feedback note in the middle of the song, it |
| milestone in human development. I call Albert Einstein | | | | never fails to send shivers up my spine. Comparisons |
| the premier genius of the human race because the | | | | to other songwriters are superfluous. Jimi quite |
| Theory of Relativity was a giant jump in the | | | | obviously wrote more than a few great rock and roll |
| understanding of the way our universe operates and | | | | songs, he almost always had something important to |
| to this day, few people actually understand anything | | | | say, and he always said it in a poetic way.SINGING |
| other than the bomb part. Jimi Hendrix was the genius | | | | TALENTAs a professional rock and roll singer, it's hats |
| of rock and roll because he was the only one who | | | | off time to Mick. Oh, I'll get big arguments about that |
| invented something new. It's almost impossible to do | | | | but people who would argue the point don't understand |
| anything that's really new in the field of music because | | | | rock and roll singing. It's not about range, power, or |
| there are only eight notes in the Western scale so in a | | | | technical perfection. It's all about emotion and style. |
| sense, all music is derivative. But Jimi invented guitar | | | | Mick knows how to sing without necessarily using |
| feedback and nobody before Jimi even thought about | | | | words. Like Robert Plant, he often uses sounds alone |
| it. And Jimi took his invention one step farther. Until Jimi | | | | to express emotions. A case in point is "Going Home" |
| came along, all music since the time of Mozart and | | | | on the Aftermath album which consists of 11 minutes |
| Beethoven has been built on chord structure and | | | | of Mick having sex with a microphone. Jimi Hendrix |
| rock and roll music uses simple chord structure. Jimi | | | | was actually embarrassed by his own singing because |
| actually used feedback alone to construct song | | | | as a great |
| structure in a few, but not all of his songs (i.e. Third | | | | musician, he recognized and understood the great |
| Stone From the Sun). To this day, nobody has been | | | | singers. In the recording studio, he was the master of |
| able to do what Jimi did. In fact, Jeff Beck bought Jimi's | | | | guitar but he recorded his vocals over and over and |
| strat at an auction and even the super talented Jeff | | | | over again until he got something that he could just live |
| admitted that he can't get the same sounds out of the | | | | with. But I put Jimi in the same class as Bob Marley |
| very same guitar as Jimi got. With all due respect to | | | | and Bob Dylan. These are great artists who were all |
| Mick, he's a brilliant singer and one of the all time great | | | | perfectly capable of putting across their own unique |
| rock and roll songwriters, but he's not actually a brilliant | | | | songs in a way that nobody else can. I'm not a fan of |
| musician because he only plays rhythm guitar. I believe | | | | Dylan's voice and when The Byrds recorded Dylan |
| Mick would agree with me about Jimi being a genius | | | | songs, they did a good job but they lack Dylan's |
| guitar player because Mick was one of the first ones | | | | sarcasm and his almost bored feeling with his own |
| to discover Jimi when | | | | poetic brilliance. I'm a big fan of Bob Marley and I like his |
| The Experience made their debut in the clubs of | | | | voice, but I recognize that he's not a great singer. It just |
| London. Along with John Lennon, Mick spread the | | | | so happens that I love Jimi's voice.I hear Bob Dylan's |
| word to the other British musicians about the new | | | | influence and I know that Jimi was a fan of Bob's |
| nova in the rock and roll sky.BEST PERFORMERIt's a | | | | voice and of his lyrics. But Jimi did something very |
| tie between Jimi and Mick. Call it a dead heat with one | | | | unusual vocally and in the theater, it's called an "aside". |
| survivor. If Elvis was still breathing he'd be breathing | | | | Jimi had a wonderful habit of flipping off little spoken |
| down both of their necks and I probably will get flack | | | | phrases, very often interrupting himself while he was |
| from a whole lot of people for saying that, and even | | | | singing and it came off as being totally COOL. When it |
| more flack from the know-nothing fans of Madonna, | | | | comes to singers, people either like them or they don't |
| Prince (whoever he is these days) and Michael | | | | and all I can say is that as a professional singer, Jimi's |
| Jackson (not to mention Roberta FLACK). Certainly | | | | voice works for me big time.SEXUAL AURAEvery |
| Elvis came first and Elvis was The King, but Jimi and | | | | rock star has it. Jimi had too much of it for one man. |
| Mick both had their own unique styles and neither one | | | | I'm wildly hetero but I'm wowed by the sexual aura that |
| were heavily influenced by Elvis in terms of their | | | | surrounds Jimi on film. I was lucky enough to see him |
| performances. Mick was influenced by James Brown's | | | | one time in person and I can testify that he was as |
| dancing and only God knows who influenced Jimi's | | | | HOT as it's possible for a human being to be in the |
| performance style because he was truly an original. | | | | flesh. There are an uncountable number of women |
| Besides, Elvis moved on to acting and he starred in | | | | who would be quite willing to testify about Jimi's abilities |
| tons of below average movies - and now I'll really get | | | | in the bedroom.So in conclusion, it's not necessary to |
| flack! Unfortunately I won't get Roberta. But seriously, | | | | be a great musician to be a rock star, just like it's not |
| Mick deserves an award for putting on a great show | | | | necessary to be a great actor to be a movie star. |
| every single time he appears, he did that right from his | | | | This should be self evident and there are way too |
| debut as a young man, and he's continued to do that | | | | many examples in both fields to start listing them. But |
| as an old man. Jimi died as a young man. Both of them | | | | Jimi was a genius guitar player, a unique and atomicly |
| were sex stars on stage as well as off stage but | | | | powerful performer, a great songwriter, a very good |
| watching Jimi on stage is nothing short of breathtaking. | | | | singer, a super nova sex star, and a world class |
| He had all the moves, he had the body of a black | | | | personality on top of everything else. That's why I call |
| Adonis, he played his guitar with his teeth, behind his | | | | Jimi Hendrix the Number One Rock Star of All |
| back, under his leg, and when he set fire to it at the | | | | Time.Peter Cross is a former professional drummer |
| end of his shows, he got down on his knees and | | | | and a singer/songwriter/producer/Web Master who |
| prayed to the Guitar God who obviously listened to | | | | was among the first to put music on the Internet in a |
| him. He wasn't a | | | | downloadable format in 1996. His web site is very |
| dancer like Mick, he was a mover and a shaker of | | | | entertaining and at 206 pages, it may be the largest |
| women's "G" spots. People standing in front of his | | | | music artist web site on the Internet. |
| stage all had the same astounded expression on their | | | | |