More to point, Experience Hendrix, which is a 20 track compilation album from 1997. This is the fifth disc in the collection the Man so graciously loaned me. Like Revolver and Dylan, there aren’t many songs on here I recognize. “All along the Watchtower” and “Foxey Lady” appear to be it. Well, and the American national anthem. That rendition is a classic.
While I like music from the early ’60s quite a bit, I never really found much love for the artists whose songs of protest marked the crossing of a line from hope to helplessness as one of the most saddest wars in the world raged on. Even the fun loving hippie Woodstock stuff is marred by a distinct sense that they were desperate to connect to any kind of joy, even if the only way to get it was through illegal substances.
I really can’t say if it’s a dislike of the harsh sounds of the music with all the whiny guitar stuff, or if it all has to do with the mood of the times and how that was reflected in what people sung about. I’ve mentioned elsewhere that my love of music relies heavily on an emotional connection to it and while I share the anti-war sentiments, the music’s a really big downer – which I guess was the point of recording it in the first place. Like what Joni Mitchell said of Dylan’s work, the time was ripe for popular music to be the voice of the disenfranchised, rather than a jolly radioland filled with “let’s pretend that shit ain’t happenin'” fun time tunes. Here are some of the lyrics for If 6 Was 9
‘cos I got my own world to live through
And I ain’t gonna copy you.White-collar conservatives flashing down the street
Pointing their plastic finger at me.
They’re hoping soon my kind will drop and die,
But I’m gonna wave my freak flag high . . . HIGH!Hah, hah
Falling mountains just don’t fall on me
Point on mister Buisnessman, [sic]
You can’t dress like me.
Nobody know what I’m talking about
I’ve got my own life to live
I’m the one that’s gonna have to die
When it’s time for me to die
So let me live my life the way I want to.
For those desperate to dodge the draft in later years, I can see why musicians like Hendrix were vital in unifying them and helping to make their feelings known to the world.
One Minion's Opinion 