It looks like Jimi Hendrix's PPX sessions are being released officially

After listening to the collection more it is starting to grow on me. I just try to focus on Jimi's guitar solos and the instrumental tracks. Which all sound great. "No Such Animal" in particular smokes. It's cool hearing Hendrix mastering his guitar style right before he became famous. What's amazing is that it took him so long to be discovered. Anyone in the industry who heard "Hornet's Nest" should have signed him to a solo deal immediately.

Just curious, was "Hornet's Nest" b/w "Knock Yourself Out" released as a single before Jimi was discovered by Chas Chandler and released "Hey Joe"?

 

The single was released in late '66, after Jimi was discovered but before Hey Joe and before anyone knew he'd become a star.
Jimi stirred some record company interest during summer '66 in NYC actually. It was only a matter of time.

 

Just listened to this and a big thumbs up to EH, although as usual with EH they have to mess with things to make it 'unique' so they can keep the master (You Don't Want Me??) why they have to always do such a hack job is beyond me, I guess to keep people like us talking about it, just the right playing time, the previously released boxsets of this stuff just is too much IMO but importantly I really hope all the musicians and there heirs get proper payment for this release and its not just $$$$ into Janie's pocket !!!

 

Dear oh dear... that's really dire. Makes me wonder if he wrote Exp to take the p*** out of it*.



*I know that's highly unlikely - but it's the first thing that came to mind, once it got going! Exp is a far better song, anyway.

 

Why o why this fella was not signed to a big label and having a band "built" around him while still in the states is beyond me ........................ oooooppp's, forgot the mans skin colour!!!

Listening to some of his playing here and it's way beyond some of / most of / all of his contemporaries in this genre.
This is a working band, playing to earn a living. Are some songs suspect in content and or structure? For sure, this is far from THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE.

Great release on CD [number of questions about the vinyl issue mind!] and worth the tenner. I can live with the couple of very weak songs for the pleasure of hearing some fine playing from Jimi plus the bonus of at least two gems here.

Maybe I'm alone on this but I also like the lack of detail we get, it adds to the mystery surrounding the man.

Already looking forward to the next installment that is Curtis Knight. And with that in mind, I "found" the CD in HMV in the K section and not a single one in the H section Really, you can't use my name, ha ha.

 

That is the key right there, the few "gems" should have simply been included on disc one of WCSB, not been part of an individual CD release containing numerous inferior tracks (and possible future volumes).

 

I get where your coming from but disagree, this release is fully in context and if [my] be truth told, of the 13 trax on the CD [discount the title track] 10 of them work just fine

I also don't think EH had acquired the tapes at the time of release of WCSB so I don't feel that a move involving this material would have been in their best interests.

 

Now now! But that is a very important point. Not just due to racism, but also the narrow-mindedness of the black music scene, r 'n' b basically, with blues being unpopular oldies music in the US prior the British blues boom invasion (we've all read Jimi's accounts of being cold-shouldered in Harlem due to being too freaky and playing blues). Was any black performer out of the r 'n' b bag in the US at the time? Only one that comes to mind is Arthur Lee.

 

There is of course that tale of Les Paul seeing Jimi in a club somewhere and promising himself to go back there and do something with him.
He went back to the club a day or two later and the band had gone and he lost track of them.

 

Yes. Musicians and producers in New York obviously noticed Jimi's big talent, but what to do with it? What would Les Paul have done with Jimi,? Would Jimi have been deemed a good enough a singer to front a r 'n' b band? Ed Chalpin obviously had no clue. Juggy Murray had no clue. Johnny Brantley had no clue. It's intriguing to think what arc Jimi's career had taken if he'd stayed on in New York. He said himself he had offers from record companies in NYC summer '66. In retrospect it really looks like the stars were aligning themselves for Jimi to come to London - the exact right environment for his talents to bloom at that point. There he found artistic freedom, a sympathetic producer, open-minded musicians, innovative engineers, the right equipment, adoration.

 

Yes, even Andrew Loog Oldman (who was presented to Jimi by Linda Keith before Chas came into the picture) didn't know what to do with him - though to be fair he did have his hands full managing full the Stones at that time. God bless Chas.

 

Otis? Albert King? Sly Stone would have happened without Jimi.

 

In 1966 Otis was pretty much straight Stax soul (and fantastic). Albert King hadn't yet made his soulish Stax recordings but he never ventured far from the blues, did he? Sly is a good call! Though the 1st album is pretty straight. Sly and Arthur Lee.

 

Hendrix wasn't unprecedented. It's important to keep mind that two of the founding fathers of Rock'n'Roll were African-American -- Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Chuck Berry is especially important, as he helped lay the foundation for rock'n'roll guitar. Just ask Keith.

There are other examples of African-American musicians, pre-Hendrix, who weren't exclusively R&B. Charlie Pride sang country western and there's Johnny Mathis, who specialized in romantic ballads. And Ray Charles, while primarily R&B, recorded a country album in 1962.

 

Agreed but Jimi was unprecedented in the way he took it ALL to the another level. The entire music community was caught like rabbits in the headlights on discovering what he was doing.

Look at these guys:

 

I totally agree. But in this case he transcended race. He transcended EVERTYTHING!

 

Richie Havens, is another African-American musician playing non-R&B music -- in this case folk -- who was happening at the same time, but independent of, Hendrix. Albeit not at nearly as big a level. Nonetheless, he was big enough to get invited to play Woodstock.

 

Not to some it seems in the mid 60's!
My comment was more of a favour of the times rather than any thing else.
US = wrong place, wrong time for a developing Jimmy Hendrix

 

and as someone has drifted to Country music / influence ..................... note the strong country slant on the YCUMN?

 

The band Sparks had essentially the same experience in the early 70s. Their first two albums two albums, which they made while based in their native LA, were just too weird for America and bombed. They moved to Britain and hit it big with their next album - Kimono My House. It seems Europe is a bit more open minded when it comes to music.

 

Way Off:

"Why o why this fella was not signed to a big label and having a band "built" around him while still in the states is beyond me ........................ oooooppp's, forgot the mans skin colour!!!"
What in the world are you talking about?!?!
Percy Sledge had a Billboard #1 single in '66,
"The Supremes" had two Billboard #1 singles & a Billboard #1 album in '66,
&
"The Four Tops" had a Billboard #1 single in '66 as well.

The Industry was making $$$ off the backs of many skin tones back-in-the-day & as soon as they could [many an artist has languished more than their fair share] they made $$$ off of Jimi too!!
[not saying all the different skin tones were treated the same/then or now/just BIG talent & BIG $$$ did win out over skin tone bias/surely not as often as we would like too have seen tho]

What?!?!
One day Jimi can't make it cause of his "skin colour!!!" & the next day he can?!?!
WTF
How does that work???

What is the excuse of all the lighter skin tone artists that didn't get their break soon enough or never got their break at all???

addED:

i would agree the "60's Rock [& Beyond] Genre" was more restrictive then even "60's Pop".
60's women can testify too that; butt some GREAT women still made it!
["60's Rock" nor the 60's US music industry in general was not denying any racial group entirely from the biz]

 

But they were unique exceptions.
And Jimi was primarily recognized as a guitar player, that's what folks were impressed by.
Not my baton to swing, but certainly racism and narrow-mindedness hampered Jimi's progress in the US. No use in trying to deny it.

 

You always have a side to things that "prove" the exception.
As stated Jimi was viewed at that point as a guitarist and we have NO Black American front man guitarist in an out and out "pop" band. You list many a great artist Ed but none in this genre.

It's sad but indicative of the times. This release once again highlights to me that if Jimi was white he would not have had to come to Britain for his break in music while his heart was set on making the type and style of music that he so much wanted.
He often moaned about being stuck in the back line of a band, he needed something more. His time gigging in NYC in the Rainflowers/ Jimmy James and the Blueflames was getting him nowhere. Lots of I saw and stories I'm sure but the simple fact is NO ONE from a major label had signed the man even though his talent was clear to see and hear.

Leaving the US did not mean leaving a racist mind set of some people, it occurs here in Europe for sure and certainly did in the 60's UK. But not it seems to the point of preventing him being promoted as he wanted to at that time. This really was not going to happen in the US for a number of years and may have been longer had Jimi not "made" it when he did as it appears he paved the way for others to follow.

 

The cruel fact is that the US had segregated charts. An artist had to "cross-over"! An unthinkable notion in Europe.

That's not really true Gord, that outfit only come together in July of 1966 (and after Linda had found him at The Cheetah with Knight's band).
As soon as soon as Jimi hit the Village, finally with his own band, the word spread like wildfire. The Stones came to see him, Chas came to see him, John Hammond Jnr. joined him, etc. He didn't have to play for months or anything in order to get noticed. It happened very quickly.

 

Yes, lots of interest but no deal. I agree it was only a matter of time but history shows us that he HAD to leave the US to get a deal that was payable and worked for him as a creative artist. IF and its a big IF, he had signed a deal in the US I doubt it would have been for anything like he got [artistically wise] that he was afforded in the UK with Chas / Track.