The 50 Best Jimi Hendrix Songs

From a poll in the german rolling stone-online forum

1. All Along The Watchtower (749, 35, 1)

2. Little Wing (603, 32, 1)

3. Purple Haze (598, 32, 1)

4. Hey Joe (590, 29, 1)

5. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (572, 29, 1)

6. The Wind Cries Mary (530, 30, 1)

7. Foxy Lady (514, 29, 2)

8. Cross Town Traffic (461, 28, 1)

9. Castles Made Of Sand (425, 28, 2)

10. 1983… (A Merman I Should Turn To Be) (321, 19, 1)

11. Spanish Castle Magic (308, 24, 2)

12. Bold As Love (301, 21, 3)

13. The Burning Of The Midnight Lamp (295, 23, 1)

14. Voodoo Chile (290, 17, 1)

15. 3rd Stone From The Sun (287, 18, 1)

16. If Six Was Nine (270, 22, 4)

17. Manic Depression (260, 19, 5)

18. Red House (242, 14, 2)

19. Fire (225, 19, 9)

20. Angel (225, 18, 5)

21. Stone Free (196, 17, 7)

22. Highway Chile (167, 11, 4)

23. I Don’t Live Today (164, 10, 4)

24. Are You Experienced (156, 11, 3)

25. Gypsy Eyes (132, 11, 5)

26. Love Or Confusion (132, 9, 3)

27. Machine Gun (116, 9, 2)

28. Freedom (106, 9, 9)

29. One Rainy Wish (88, 7, 7)

30. May This Be Love (86, 7, 7)

31. Little Miss Strange (85, 6, 5)

32. Up From The Skies (82, 8, 11)

33. Wait Until Tomorrow (74, 5, 5)

34. Who Knows (73, 5, 3)

35. Rainy Day, Dream Away (71, 7, 11)

36. Can You See Me (68, 6, 12)

37. Hear My Train A Comin‘ (60, 4, 7)

38. Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland) (55, 4, 9)

39. Long Hot Summer Night (50, 3, 6)

40. Pali Gap (44, 3, 2)

41. Ezy Ryder (44, 3, 9)

42. Remember (42, 4, 12)

43. 51st Anniversary (41, 3, 7)

44. Star Spangled Banner (38, 2, 4)

45. Drifting (35, 2, 7)

46. House Burning Down (34, 3, 12)

47. Earth Blues (33, 3, 13)

48. She’s So Fine (31, 2, 4)

49. Still Raining, Still Dreaming (29, 2, 9)

50. Hey Baby (New Rising Sun) (28, 2, 4)

 

A few amendments from personal perspective:

1. All Along the Watchtower (Electric Ladyland)
2. 1983… a Merman I Should Turn to Be (Electric Ladyland)
3. Midnight Lightning (South Saturn Delta)
4. The Burning of the Midnight Lamp (Electric Ladyland)
5. If six was Nine (Axis)
6. Machine Gun/Isabella (Midnight Lightning lp studio version)
7. House Burning Down (Electric Ladyland)
8. Hey Joe (Are you Experienced)
9. Purple Haze (Are you Experienced)
1O. Voodoo Chile (Electric Ladyland)
11. Have you Ever Been to Electric Ladyland (Electric Ladyland)
12. Little Wing (Axis)
13. Voodoo Child Slight Return (Electric Ladyland)
14. Highway Chile (War Heroes)
15. Rainy day, Dream Away (Electric Ladyland)
16. Still Raining, Still Dreaming (Electric Ladyland)
17. Come On-part 1 (Electric Ladyland)
18. Midnight (South Saturn Delta)
19. Are you Experienced ? (Are you Experienced)
2O. Remember (Are you Experienced)
21. The Wind Cries Mary (Smash Hits)
22. Crosstown Traffic (Electric Ladyland)
23. Bold as Love (Axis)
24. Hear my Train (Rainbow Bridge)
25. 51st Anniversary (Smash Hits)
26. The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice (South Saturn Delta)
27. Trash Man (Midnight Lightning lp studio version)
28. Tax Free (South Saturn Delta)
29. Villanova Junction (Woodstock)
3O. In From the Storm (Voodoo Soup)

 

i prefer and voted for the version of trash man from "hear my music"... but in the poll it landed outside the top 50

 

That's the basic track before the original bass & drums got wiped and subsequently replaced by Bob Babbitt and Allan Schwartzberg, respectively, along with additional guitar overdubs by Jeff Mironov, yes ?

 

i think so... it is longer than the rainbow bridge version and imho has all that it needs...

 

Never thought he had 50 songs. He died so young.

 

A couple hundred, at least. Jimi was constantly recording when he wasn't on stage; probably he spent most of his money on studio time (that is the money Jimi actually saw that wasn't siphoned off by his manager and hidden in offshore accounts) and eventually the cash he spent building Electric Lady Studio, so he could spend as much time recording as he wished. Most of what was committed to tape never saw the light of day during Jimi's short time with us ~ thankfully a lot has been issued posthumously. There are a lot of pre-fame recordings as well from his stints with Curtis Knight, The Isley Brothers, Lonnie Youngblood, Little Richard, King Curtis, and as Jimmy James & the Blue Flames. A whole lotta lotta.

 

As far as lists go, this one isn't too bad.

Except: Machine Gun needs to be much higher. Like in the top 10, not below the halfway point of the list.

Star-Bangled Banner needs a much higher placement too. (Below 51st Anniversary, really?) Did the studio version bring it down?

 

no, the studio version of star spangled banner was not mentioned... i think in germany the american hymn (and vietnam) is not that important

 

Jimi Hendrix - Castles Made of Sand, totally underrated and probably the best rock songs ever written