Rock Chronicles. 1970s: Noel Redding

When: Mid 1976

Where: This is another tough one to remember. Certainly somewhere in Los Angeles but it’s impossible to recall whether it was a hotel somewhere or some record company office.

What: This is as close as I ever got to Jimi Hendrix (he passed away a couple years before I began writing). Well, that’s not strictly true. I did spend a couple hours with Mitch Mitchell once. But hearing these stories about Jimi was pretty excellent. The main thing I remember from this conversation is that Noel never felt intimidated in Jimi’s presence. He truly felt he was Jimi’s guitar equal. I found that astounding. Read on and see if you’re astounded.

It is inevitable when dealing with such a visible and emotional force as Jimi Hendrix that person who were close to him – and even played music with him – will be obscured, veiled by the once-in-a-lifetime chemistry that made up the man. Though Noel Redding may not leave behind a legacy of Jimi’s magnitude – who could? – his contributions as bass player for The Experience have been immortalized on record, and one cannot overlook the important role he played. He has since gone on to play with various musicians, both as bassist and guitarist, and proven himself to be more than just “that guy who used to play with Hendrix.”

Born in Folkestone, Kent, England, on December 12, 1945, Noel began playing violin at nine, while still in primary school, but soon abandoned this for the banjo. He took up the mandolin at twelve and for two years stuck with these instruments. At 14, he bought an old acoustic guitar for $12.00 and started playing skiffle (English jug band) music.

Just one year later, Redding purchased an electric. “It was black and white with one pickup” and a Dallas amp. “It was alright, it worked.” He quickly formed a school band which performed versions of various songs originally made famous by The Shadows, the Ventures, Johnny Kid And the Pirates, and Shane Fenton and the Fentones (now known as Alvin Stardust). He did sing a little (‘“Tom Dooley”’ and things like that”) but most of the material Redding was weaned on were instrumentals. Early influences included Buddy Holly, Cliff Richard, the Everly Brothers, and Eddie Cochran were also covered.

“I went to an art college when I was 15 and would play in the evening. And I think by that time I had a Burns guitar; it was an old one called a ‘Tri-something’ and had three pickups and a tremolo arm. I had a Swiss-echo echo chamber and a Selmer amplifier.”

Art school held Noel’s interest for about 18 months before he made the decision to leave and become a professional musician. He purchased another Burns (custom-made) and traded in the Selmer for a Vox AC Super Twin and the Swiss-echo for a Binson unit. Working the club circuit in Germany, Scotland, and England, Redding went through several guitars – first a Gibson SG Special, then a Gibson Stereo that was broken and replaced with a Fender Telecaster. This was plugged into a Fender Bandmaster that he still sometimes uses.

He actually recorded three singles for Pye Records during this period. His band was called The Loving Kind and was managed by Tom Jones/Engelbert Humperdinck figurehead Gordon Mills.

“That all folded up,” he explains, “be­cause we were going to gigs, driving two hundred miles, and finding out we were double-booked. The usual. I gave all that up and got the gig with The Experience in September of 1966. I got rid of the Tele­caster and swapped it for a (Fender) Jazz Bass which I still own.”

The route to membership in the Experience was not a straight road; originally, Noel came to audition as guitarist for The Animals but was told that “This American guy” was looking for bass players. “They just asked me to sit in and he (Jimi) shouted out some chords. I found out later it was ‘Hey Joe.’ I think he was very surprised that he could just tell me the changes once and I could play them. I can pick things up very quickly.

“They were also auditioning a drummer and that was Aynsley Dunbar (now with Journey). They asked me if I fancied joining their band and I thought about it and for some reason I did. We started rehearsing the next day and tried Aynsley out again and another drummer. Then about two days later, we tried (Mitch) Mitchell and he was agreed on.”

Redding didn’t mind the switch from guitar to bass and made the adjustment easily. During these initial rehearsals another bassist, Dave Knights (of Procol Harum) was brought in to allow both Hendrix and Redding to play guitar but this arrangement didn’t work out. “It would have been quite nice actually.” In the beginning, Noel, as a bassist, was using a small Burns amplifier, as was Jimi. But they soon both changed to Marshall (one cabinet, one amplifier each). Jimi stayed with Marshalls, but Noel, after coming to America on tour, switched to Sunn. He used three Coliseum bass amplifiers with seven cabinets – “a big wall of noise” – for the Experience’s duration.

“It wasn’t hard playing that loud but it was noisy. I used to have six cabinets on my side and one on Jimi’s side. And he used to use four cabinets, or six cabinets. Marshalls. I don’t know why we were that loud really; it was just a big wall of amplifiers.”

"Well, I was a guitar player, Jimi didn't have to show me anything."

Though Redding had no real difficulty changing instruments, the first sessions with the band were quite awkward. Combining three different musical styles proved a tough task.

“Those rehearsals were very strange because we didn’t know what to do. I’d been in three-piece bands before, but I don’t think anybody else had. And it was strange because I was playing bass for the first time and Mitchell had just left a band which was very jazz oriented so he’s going (mimics a drummer banging wildly around a drum set) and we’re saying, ‘Can’t you just sort of (imitates a drummer beating a simple time)?’ I could say something off the record – it must be off the record! I learned how to keep tempo; Mitchell did tend to race a bit. I always ended up during some sections going like that (stomps foot to indicate tempo). Really, that happened a lot. And Hendrix had just done a load of R&B with Little Richard and all those sort of people. So it was very weird; there was rock and roll, R&B, and jazz. We were doing things like ‘Have Mercy,’ ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love,’ old Presley things, ‘Hey Joe,’ ‘Johnny B. Goode,’ that sort of stuff. We didn’t start doing original things until later. ‘Third Stone From the Sun’ was the first one we did and then we’d slip in ‘Fire,’ ‘I Don’t Live Tomorrow’ (Redding means “I Don’t Live Today”) and ‘Manic Depression’ (all from Are You Experienced?)

Noel was so accustomed to playing guitar that he even began using a 6-string Burns bass during these formative days. “I never even noticed it really,” commenting on the change from guitar to bass. “Later, I got a Fender 6-string bass but I could never really use one.”

One of the controversies revolving around the Hendrix band was just how much or how little of the music Redding had contributed. Was he simply a vessel for Jimi’s ideas?

“Say we learned a song, the first thing we did was learn the chords and the (instrumental) breaks.”

The guitarist did write all of the group’s original material – with the exception of “She’s So Fine” from Axis: Bold As Love and “Little Miss Lover” from Electric Ladyland – both written by Noel. Jimi, however, did not show Redding specific bass parts but rather would show Redding basic chords and then the band would work out the instrumental breaks. On a few songs, Hendrix would have suggestions – such as the bass line for ‘’Manic Depression” which mimics the guitar line exactly. “But in a solo section, we were all left to be free and then come back into the verse. There wasn’t much of the, ‘You play that bit.’”

There were isolated instances when the late Seattle-born guitarist would play bass on record; this included “1983 … (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)” and other assorted tracks from Electric Ladyland (the trio’s third and final album). But the reason was not because of any technical inadequacy on Redding’s part but rather a physical one. “We used to go in the studio about 8:00 at night, lay down a track, and then until four in the morning Jimi would be putting on overdubbed guitars. At which time, everyone was so tired or whatever they just tended to leave the sessions.”

If Noel was left to his own devices in searching out accompanying bass lines to Jimi’s music, did the left-hander provide any sense of guitar direction? During the period when they both played guitars, was there an exchange of ideas?

“No, not at all. Well, I was a guitar player, he didn’t have to show me anything.”

Unlike Hendrix, who was continually experimenting with new guitars and sounds, Redding used the same instrument throughout: that Fender Jazz bass obtained before joining the band. He worked briefly with a Burns 6-string and more recently purchased a Fender 6-string but does not feel comfortable with either. The Fender Jazz is a stock 1965 model except for slightly lowered action and the removal of the pick plate and bridge plate which tended to get in the way of Redding’s bass chords. The bass, since refretted, is employed primarily for studio work while a new Jazz is used for touring.

Redding also bought a Gibson EB3 but because of its smaller scale (“The kind that Jack Bruce uses”), he tends to play it too fast. Another reason he stays away from the Gibson is that the variable tone setter makes it difficult to change swiftly from one sound to another without having to stop playing to adjust tones. On a Jazz, Noel feels, one can simply alter the sound by playing harder or softer or on different parts of the instrument – picking up near the neck, over the pickups, back by the bridge – which was a technique he developed while with Hendrix.

Noel favors Rotosound strings and has used a heavy nylon pick ever since he started playing bass. His strong attack makes it impossible to use stock Fender or Gibson heavy picks because they break too easily. He now uses a German-made plectrum.

“Yes, I pick hard but it depends. If I’m playing a verse, I can play very softly; but if I’m playing a solo, I’ll really attack it. If I have to do a fast run, I’ll attack it to really get the effect. It’s just basic technique; on a solo I’ll play back by the bridge, on a verse I’ll pick further up on the neck.

“I can’t play with the fingers because you don’t get the same effect as with a pick. It was an automatic thing to use a pick – you go down to buy a guitar, and you already have a pick in your hand. I never really thought about it; I can’t play without a pick, anyway.”

The 31-year old player still uses Sunn amps with the current Noel Redding Band though he switched briefly to Marshalls when he returned to playing guitar with Fat Mattress. This group toured with The Experience in America, where Redding served double duty: playing guitar during Mattress’ set and returning to the bass for Hendrix’s headlining set. Noel was then playing a Gibson Stereo guitar, through two of Jimi’s Marshall 200-watt stacks. He formed Mattress more an outlet for writing than for guitar playing. In fact, he claims not to have been influenced by the southpaw’s playing – “I had done an awful lot of guitar playing before joining The Experience. He didn’t have to show me anything.”

After Fat Mattress broke up, Noel did some sessions with Lord Sutch in 1970, again on bass. In June of 1971, he moved to Detroit where he formed a band called Road with guitarist Rod Richards (formerly of Rare Earth).

Now, as bassist for the Noel Redding Band, Noel uses a Sunn stack comprised of two eabinets with two 15” speakers in each and one 200- or 300-watt head. This setup, as he puts it, is “plenty loud.”

Redding says, “I don’t like playing loud anymore, I don’t know why we were that loud with Hendrix, really. Just a big wall of amplifiers.”

Noel’s tone settings on the Sunn are: volume at ½; bass on 6; midrange on 4;mid-treble on 2; and high-treble on 5. On the bass, he combines both pickups, the bass pickup (the one closest to the neck) being a big higher than the treble (bridge) pickup. With Hendrix, the settings always remained in one position: “full up.”

"I just plug in. I don't believe in effects; I can't understand why people use them, anyway."

Just as he has remained faithful to one axe, the Englishman has maintained a barrier between himself and pedals, a philosophy based on the fact that he can draw all the sounds he needs from an amp alone. “I just plug in. I don’t believe in effects; I can’t understand why people use them, anyway. I could plug into a paper box, really, and play. When I use to play guitar, I just had it and an amplifier, and I used to get effects. I’d turn down when I was playing behind and turn up when I did a solo. I’m not knocking pedals, but they tend to get in the way a lot, and they’re a lot of trouble. You always get these people, ‘Oh, my box doesn’t work, I can’t play tonight.’ People start depending on them. I mean, I’d get a bit worked if I didn’t have a plectrum at a gig.”

Redding feels his bass playing has improved considerably since The Experience days. Playing with so many new musicians has widened his approach to the instrument. Hismajor bass guitar influences include Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, and Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane). As for guitar heroes, Noel cites a diverse sampling including James Burton, Mick Green (the player from Johnny Kidd and the Pirates), Chet Atkins, (Big) Jim Sullivan and Ritchie Blackmore (during his Screaming Lord Sutch period). He especially likes Jim McCarty, originally from Mitch Ryder’s Detroit Wheels.

“Cactus, yeah, the first album. Is it ‘Parchman Farm?’

Of his evolution as a bassist, Redding says, “Not to sound flash, but my playing is now about 300% better (than with The Experience). I’ve learned how to do it; I don’t have to think about it. I once tried to learn to read music but I thought it would change my views. I can remember everything anyway so I didn’t see the point.”

Aside from his further development as a technician, Noel has grown as a writer and arranger. When he is on stage now, he not only concentrates on his own playing but also considers what the overall band sounds like. Noel writes on guitar, working out basic chords with the drummer and will then switch to bass to fill in with riffs and punches. Unlike Hendrix Redding tries to work without many overdubs, though he will occasionally put on added percussion, a Clavinet or organ track, or an acoustic or electric rhythm guitar (which he’ll typically play).

Though many followers of Redding’s work consider his period with Jimi Hendrix as the most creative, the bassist feels it was mainly a learning period. He felt little or no creativity with Hendrix and, though he admits his support as one half of the rhythm section was substantial, can cite no one instance where his playing commanded attention.

“I learned how to perform and learned how to play loud. But we were rushing around so much and we were working so hard, it was just like, ‘Whew.’ Of course it was one of the higher points in my career, but I prefer to carry on further. I was involved in a very, very successful band, but lots of things went down in it. He died, our manager (Mike Jeffery) did, money was stolen, there were lawsuits – and it does tend to upset me. That’s all an afterthought; at the actual time, we all enjoyed it. We had a good time.”

In the Noel Redding Band, the acid rock veteran has found that people will allow him to grow past the limitations of the ‘former Experience’ stigma. His vision of the future is simple and realistic: “I just hope to be appreciated as a writer/bass player/singer. I’ve been getting off planes at different places and going through customs and these guys will say, ‘Oh, Noel, you’re coming back to work again.’ They all remember and I’m really amazed. They don’t really relate to the past. I guess they think, ‘Oh, great, he’s out on the road again.’ Which is really nice.”

Note: Noel Redding passed away on May 11, 2003.

2008 © Steven Rosen

Comments

[sakura'sdarkest]

Noel sounds abit like a git...

But we'd be complaining if we didn't have these interviews, thanx!

[k00kie M0nster]

The main thing I remember from this conversation is that Noel never felt intimidated in Jimi’s presence. He truly felt he was Jimi’s guitar equal.

Was he on something?

[MoonBoots432]

sakura'sdarkest wrote:

Noel sounds abit like a git...

But we'd be complaining if we didn't have these interviews, thanx!

Quoted for truth.

[electricwizard_]

this guy is coool...

[maybenot999]

cool history and my name is noel too

[captainoid]

He sounds like a huge jerk on paper.

Awesome interview, thanks very much.

[majonior]

i gues hendrix did the "wall
of deaf" before wylde
wow i want a marshal so bad now

[Zeldaik]

Hendrix freaking rocks!

[yoursweatersux]

haha yeah what the other guy said...

"I feel like I was Hendrix's equal"

uhhh, sure buddy. To be honest, I consider he bass playing passable, and not even good. Compared to John Entwistle, Matt Freeman, Cliff Burton, Fat Mike, all the bass players I like, he's a joke.

[5kuzgib]

It was Little Miss Strange that Reading wrote for Electric Ladyland, not Little Miss Lover (which was on Axis: Bold as Love)

Just so you know

[NSixx136]

dude fat mike ****ing sucks at bass

[newateverything]

Noel Redding while a decent player did not change the face of music like Hendrix did. No matter how "unintimidated" he was, he was a musician nothing more. Hendrix; he was a legend.

[Tele Echoes]

Why does everyone here hate Noel so much for having the mental toughness to believe that he was worthy of playing with a legend? I mean, he did play with Hendrix! He was Hendrix's choice! I know they had a falling out, but dudes and gals, Jimi Hendrix chose Noel Redding because he felt he was worthy of playing with Hendrix. Personally, I don't think Noel is crazy, or a jerk for thinking of himself as an equal, since the Experience was a 3 piece, and it took 3 members to function. Noel was 33.3% of the Experience. Maybe not from a creative perspective, but when you hear the drums, that's Mitchell playing a part that Hendrix can't play on guitar, as is Noel's bass. He relied on them as much as they did him.

R.I.P Noel & Jimi

[chea_man]

Tele Echoes wrote:

Why does everyone here hate Noel so much for having the mental toughness to believe that he was worthy of playing with a legend? I mean, he did play with Hendrix! He was Hendrix's choice! I know they had a falling out, but dudes and gals, Jimi Hendrix chose Noel Redding because he felt he was worthy of playing with Hendrix. Personally, I don't think Noel is crazy, or a jerk for thinking of himself as an equal, since the Experience was a 3 piece, and it took 3 members to function. Noel was 33.3% of the Experience. Maybe not from a creative perspective, but when you hear the drums, that's Mitchell playing a part that Hendrix can't play on guitar, as is Noel's bass. He relied on them as much as they did him.

R.I.P Noel & Jimi

i like this guy. well said.

Hendrix played ore of the studio bass parts than Noel did, idc what Noel claimed, read any Hendrix biography.

I always tell my friends the songs are by the Jimi Hendrix EXPERIENCE and not just Jimi Hendrix... but that doesn't make Noel Redding Hendrix's equal. know what I mean?

[SL!!!]

Tele Echoes wrote:

Why does everyone here hate Noel so much for having the mental toughness to believe that he was worthy of playing with a legend? I mean, he did play with Hendrix! He was Hendrix's choice! I know they had a falling out, but dudes and gals, Jimi Hendrix chose Noel Redding because he felt he was worthy of playing with Hendrix. Personally, I don't think Noel is crazy, or a jerk for thinking of himself as an equal, since the Experience was a 3 piece, and it took 3 members to function. Noel was 33.3% of the Experience. Maybe not from a creative perspective, but when you hear the drums, that's Mitchell playing a part that Hendrix can't play on guitar, as is Noel's bass. He relied on them as much as they did him.

R.I.P Noel & Jimi

Thank you. And, besides, i don't see why he would have to be intimidated by Hendrix's playing. Now, perhaps he wasn't as creative or anything like that, but technically speaking, Hendrix wasn't the greatest guitar player of all time. His style was really what made him famous. And like he said, he didn't feel as creative in that band, so really the way he was thinking about it was probably just that, "yes, i can play what he is playing" not thinking that "oh, i could write a better song" or something. Cripes. Hendrix was good and his band is important and all, but people really make him out to be more than human or something.

[Raaaaar]

yeah Chas Chandler said he would go off to the pub while he did the basslines. I Think if i were in a band with one of the most iconic musicians of all time i would get pretty pissy

[bucky_2300]

Meh. I've never been much for Hendrix. He was a bridge into hard rock, and little else. A catalyst, an important piece of history, but a mediocre guitarist. There are people who love Hendrix (like Satch) and talk about wanting to be able to have his ability to play, but I'd rather listen to Satch than Hendrix, he's ten times the musician Hendrix ever was.

[NotAJock2Day]

Noel Redding isn't some kid whose knowledge of Hendrix comes from DVD's, YouTube, and the reputation that precedes him by 100 miles. To him, at least I'd imagine, Jimi was just one of his peers that he made music with. They were around the same age, they bonded musically and probably interacted like normal people do. If you're in a band with someone, you won't admit you inferiority readily since the fact that you're playing with them is generally a sign for mutual respect of ability right?

Or I got be wrong and Noel was a twat.

[cjimil419]

he wrote Little Miss Strange on Electric Ladyland, Little Miss Lover is Jimi's and its on Axis. Anyway, noel redding is a dick.

[firehouse24]

First you have to remember that Jimi was one of the first musicians that was considered a God among little boys during his very short career. In Mitch he had a collaboratore, in Noel, he had someone who was not only that, but also not intimidated by such a virtuoso. Without Noel & Mitch, we might never have heard what we have known for the past 40 years as "The Experience". It takes a strong willed man, not just a pridefull man to make those remarks. You know they are in Heaven or wherever right now and Noel is saying " I'll take lead on this one" then there's Elvis in the back ground saying "Let me sing man", "No, we're gonna try this Stevie Ray cat."

[psychokiller99]

bucky_2300 wrote:

Meh. I've never been much for Hendrix. He was a bridge into hard rock, and little else. A catalyst, an important piece of history, but a mediocre guitarist. There are people who love Hendrix (like Satch) and talk about wanting to be able to have his ability to play, but I'd rather listen to Satch than Hendrix, he's ten times the musician Hendrix ever was.

yes, good point, that's why thirty/forty years later, people are still influenced by jimi and people look up to him and love his music. that's why in another thirty years no one will even remember satch or vai, but ppl will still remember hendrix and the good music he created. that's why people like vai and satriani idolize hendrix and his music.

[Les Paul Ell]

So he hates excessive volume and effects pedals... I'm surprised he was in Hendrix' band in that case. I'll be honest though, I haven't heard anything with him on except for the stuff with Jimi.

[Dumpster510]

I think a lot of people are misinterpreting his statement about being equal to Jimi. He's obviously not talking about playing ability and I really can't see why people would assume that; the guy's not an idiot.

[iammeAsimpson]

dont read WHEN U R READING THIS DONT STOP OR SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN MY NAME IS SUMMER I AM 15 YEARS OLD i have BLONDE HAIR , SCARS no NOSE OR EARS I AM DEAD IF U DONT COPY THIS JUS LIKE FROM THE RING COPY N POST THIS ON 5 MORE SITES OR I WILL APPEAR ONE CREEPY NIGHT WEN UR NOT ExPECTING IT BY YOUR BED WITH A NIFE AND KILL U THIS IS NO JOKE SUMMET ING GOOD WILL HAPPEN TO U IF YOU POST THIS ON 5 MORE FLASH BOXES

[beau05]

pointless fact: i used to work with a guy (drummer from local blues band 'Darcy Perry Band') who once shared a joint with Noel Redding

[bananaboy]

psychokiller99 wrote:
yes, good point, that's why thirty/forty years later, people are still influenced by jimi and people look up to him and love his music. that's why in another thirty years no one will even remember satch or vai, but ppl will still remember hendrix and the good music he created. that's why people like vai and satriani idolize hendrix and his music.

Nah, the people that like Vai and Satch now will pretty much always like them, and they deserve it, they're amazing. They'll just never attain the legendary status Jimi did, because they appeal primarily to musicians, not regular people. Guitarists will be playing their stuff forever, but non-guitarists won't. The thing is, they don't even do that in the present.

[guitarsolo_17]

uh.....no mean to ruin the fun...but the songs people think they remember Noel for,.....Jimi played bass.

[Perpetual Burn]

Yup.

[doinstuffman]

Personlly, and I know I'm going to get a lashing for saying this, but... I think Jimi Hendrix is good, mind you... but he is waaaaayyyyyoverrated.

[djjiles]

yoursweatersux wrote:

haha yeah what the other guy said...

"I feel like I was Hendrix's equal"

uhhh, sure buddy. To be honest, I consider he bass playing passable, and not even good. Compared to John Entwistle, Matt Freeman, Cliff Burton, Fat Mike, all the bass players I like, he's a joke.

umm...wtf??

How can you compare Noel Redding to Cliff Burton?

Thats like me comparing Hendrix to Vai....

[shut_up_n00b]

The guy sounds like a really cool guy. Jimi and him were bandmates, they treated each other as equals and partners. He is not saying that he was better than Jimi, he's just saying that he doesn't feel like he needs to be amazed because he played with him. [/run on

[LedZeppelin4518]

Personlly, and I know I'm going to get a lashing for saying this, but... I think Jimi Hendrix is good, mind you... but he is waaaaayyyyyoverrated.

I TOTALLY AGREE

[druz15_UG]

buckey 2300 has a good point, if i ranked in MY OPINION the guitarists whose style and music i liked best, Hendrix would not make the top 10, there are no-names out there whos music I am more interested in, sure he was great, and a pioneer and all that but i get sick of him being called the greatest guitarist of all time. John Frusciante idolises Hendrix and has said he hopes to create a legacy like Hendrix, well i personally think he is ten times greater in terms of talent, style, creativity, technique and songwriting ability.
Same goes for people like Satch, Matt Bellamy etc etc

[teh_Beatles]

First of all, to all the people who think Hendrix is overrated, you are ignorant.

Maybe you dont like his music, thats fine, maybe you dont like his hair(wtf), thats fine aswell... But the fact is Hendrix changed the way guitar is played, people like Satch and Matt Bellamy count Hendrix as their biggest influence, even other guitar players at that time were influenced by him. To say that he is overrated is completly ridiculos and shows a lack of knowledge about music.

Now on topic, I think that since Hendrix picked Noel to be the bass player in the experience he must quite good, secondly Noel knew Hendrix on personal level and im sure that made him feel like they were equals.

Dont bash Noel, maybe he didnt do as much as Hendrix, but he did more than you will ever do.

[S-Gsus]

To anyone who thinks that Hendrix is overated, just consider this... Hendrix was the sort of guy who would have been great in whatever era he played in. he was the greatest guitarist OF HIS TIME, and i'm sure if he were born 30 years later, he would have become the greatest guitarist of that time.

[Feel bad inc.]

I dont really see were he said he was jimi's guitar equal. All he said was jimi didnt have anything to teach him which I can understand. Seemingly from what he says are his favourtite bands etc, I dont see Hendrix teaching him much. They were different people who played different styles, it was another band for Noel to join. Anyway I can see why he said that, he wanted to escape the tag of being the guy who played bass for Jimi.

[Monkey Biscuits]

i never new he was dead. that kinda sucks

[Serotonin]

If it wasn't for Hendrix, rock music as we know it wouldn't exist. Your little Frusciantes, Bellamys and Satches (I happen to like all three of these btw), are nowhere near as creative as Hendrix, and it's NOT humility when they say Hendrix was better than them, or the greatest guitarist of all time. It's their genuine attitude.

I've got to laugh when little nobodies talk about Hendrix disparagingly, when there's universal acclaim for him from those who've actually made it as musicians.

[Serotonin]

Just look at classical music. The music of the Romantic period is considerably more complex than music of the Classical period (say someone like Mozart or Beethoven), but only a complete idiot would denigrate these master composers because of that.

I suppose some people have the gift of discerning beauty whenever or wherever it comes from, whether it's simple or grand. Others do not. Funnily enough, the people in the latter group, who end up denigrating the past masters, tend not to make it. Just how many well known, professional musicians can you find who'll say Beethoven or Jimi Hendrix were overrated?

[telex]

watch two videos on youtube.

red house by steve vai and satch
then
red house by gary moore

gary moore plays it with the passion hendrix once did.
this is why satch and vai will never be equal. because they cant invest themselves into songs on an emotional level.
its just technical.

[fluffylump2]

yoursweatersux wrote:

haha yeah what the other guy said...

"I feel like I was Hendrix's equal"

uhhh, sure buddy. To be honest, I consider he bass playing passable, and not even good. Compared to John Entwistle, Matt Freeman, Cliff Burton, Fat Mike, all the bass players I like, he's a joke.

It's hard to play well when the music you're playing is mundane and redundant.

[uvq]

iammeAsimpson wrote:

dont read WHEN U R READING THIS DONT STOP OR SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN MY NAME IS SUMMER I AM 15 YEARS OLD i have BLONDE HAIR , SCARS no NOSE OR EARS I AM DEAD IF U DONT COPY THIS JUS LIKE FROM THE RING COPY N POST THIS ON 5 MORE SITES OR I WILL APPEAR ONE CREEPY NIGHT WEN UR NOT ExPECTING IT BY YOUR BED WITH A NIFE AND KILL U THIS IS NO JOKE SUMMET ING GOOD WILL HAPPEN TO U IF YOU POST THIS ON 5 MORE FLASH BOXES

Fack off..

[uvq]

psychokiller99 wrote:

bucky_2300 wrote:

Meh. I've never been much for Hendrix. He was a bridge into hard rock, and little else. A catalyst, an important piece of history, but a mediocre guitarist. There are people who love Hendrix (like Satch) and talk about wanting to be able to have his ability to play, but I'd rather listen to Satch than Hendrix, he's ten times the musician Hendrix ever was.
yes, good point, that's why thirty/forty years later, people are still influenced by jimi and people look up to him and love his music. that's why in another thirty years no one will even remember satch or vai, but ppl will still remember hendrix and the good music he created. that's why people like vai and satriani idolize hendrix and his music.

Psychokiller99 = Correct

[blaze2thekings]

NSixx136 wrote:

dude fat mike ****ing sucks at bass

obviously your just bias towards punk or maybe just NOFX, fat mike tears it up. the decline, the desperations gone, bath of least resistance, etc. youre ignorant

[Blind In 1 Ear]

doinstuffman wrote:

Personlly, and I know I'm going to get a lashing for saying this, but... I think Jimi Hendrix is good, mind you... but he is waaaaayyyyyoverrated.

yes and no. yes because he isnt the best guitarist ever. no one is. but no because he did have a good mind for music and if he lived longer and had more freedom to make the music he wanted, it would have shown more. ive listened to probably everything he has ever recorded, or at least everything i could get my hands on, and i have to say he really had something special. his phrasing and progressions were very smart for someone who had no real musical training. plus, you have to remember that AT THE TIME, no one was really playing like him. he helped change how people thought about the guitarist as an instrumentalist in rock and blues. but no, he isnt the greatest ever. thats just personal opinion. although he may be the most influential guitarist ever and probably always will be.

[blaze2thekings]

Serotonin wrote:

I've got to laugh when little nobodies talk about Hendrix disparagingly, when there's universal acclaim for him from those who've actually made it as musicians.

this guy put you all you haters in your place.

[Blind In 1 Ear]

telex wrote:

watch two videos on youtube.

red house by steve vai and satch
then
red house by gary moore

gary moore plays it with the passion hendrix once did.
this is why satch and vai will never be equal. because they cant invest themselves into songs on an emotional level.
its just technical.

thats dumb. who are you to tell someone how much or little emotion they play with?

just because you cannot connect with it emotionally, doesnt mean they arent playing with emotion. just means you personally dont like that style. but vai and satch (and eric johnson who was also in that version of red house) all play emotionally. being more skilled technically or being a faster player doesnt mean you all of a sudden cant play with emotion. it absurd and people said the same thing about hendrix and his wanking back in the day.

but trust me, they play with feeling. you obviously havent heard a musician who plays with no feeling. playing without feeling is playing everything perfectly in time and no real control over dynamics. it just sound like they are going though the motions. the guitar players you mentioned do not do that.

[porchmonkey4lif]

bucky_2300 wrote:

Meh. I've never been much for Hendrix. He was a bridge into hard rock, and little else. A catalyst, an important piece of history, but a mediocre guitarist. There are people who love Hendrix (like Satch) and talk about wanting to be able to have his ability to play, but I'd rather listen to Satch than Hendrix, he's ten times the musician Hendrix ever was.

ur dumb

[porchmonkey4lif]

Monkey Biscuits wrote:

i never new he was dead.

understandable, its only been nearly 40 years now.

[fluffylump2]

Serotonin wrote:

I've got to laugh when little nobodies talk about Hendrix disparagingly, when there's universal acclaim for him from those who've actually made it as musicians.

who the **** cares? Hendrix is significant historically, but is certainly not the greatest guitarist ever, nor the greatest electric guitarist ever. If we took the opinions of those who have "made it" as truth, we would consider Rolling Stone and the Grammy's legitimate. which we don't. hopefully.

[GuitarJunkie]

fluffylump2 wrote:


Serotonin wrote:

I've got to laugh when little nobodies talk about Hendrix disparagingly, when there's universal acclaim for him from those who've actually made it as musicians.


who the **** cares? Hendrix is significant historically, but is certainly not the greatest guitarist ever, nor the greatest electric guitarist ever. If we took the opinions of those who have "made it" as truth, we would consider Rolling Stone and the Grammy's legitimate. which we don't. hopefully.

Then please oh wise one...enlighten us as to who is the best guitarist ever.



This is where you say its a matter of opinion.





At which point I will retort that it is my opinion Jimi Hendrix is the best electric guitar player ever

[Elohel]

Technical facility is the only benchmark in considering a guitar players overall worth, unless you're completely narrow-minded.

[Elohel]

I meant isn't the only benchmark*

Horrible typo.

[fluffylump2]

GuitarJunkie wrote:

fluffylump2 wrote:


Serotonin wrote:

I've got to laugh when little nobodies talk about Hendrix disparagingly, when there's universal acclaim for him from those who've actually made it as musicians.


who the **** cares? Hendrix is significant historically, but is certainly not the greatest guitarist ever, nor the greatest electric guitarist ever. If we took the opinions of those who have "made it" as truth, we would consider Rolling Stone and the Grammy's legitimate. which we don't. hopefully.

Then please oh wise one...enlighten us as to who is the best guitarist ever.



This is where you say its a matter of opinion.





At which point I will retort that it is my opinion Jimi Hendrix is the best electric guitar player ever

You're not getting my point.
1) It's impossible to say who is the greatest electric guitar player ever. It's completely pointless to try. However, magazine upon magazine and TV Show upon TV Show label him the greatest, which is not only unfair, but also wrong, because there is no greatest. Simply put.
2) Somebody was stating that because professional musicians generally give him that title, that it should be accepted as truth - and that is a statement with which I most certainly do not agree.

But thanks for totally misreading what I said.

[mock502]

I had the ultimate concert expierence. It was 1969 Cincinnati Ohio. My 1st concert it was Jimi, Noel and Mitch. The were great!!!!!

[PunkMeGrunge]

First off, props to everyone who is smart.
Hendrix was NOT an amazing guitar player. He simply tok a guitar and did things no one had seen before. They didn't make him a skillfull guitar, they made him a soulfull guitar player. It was his enthusiasm that made him who he was. Hendrix LOVED to play guitar, and you can tell just by listening to him play. That's what made him great, his love for music. Skill has nothing to do with writing great songs. He was able to reach out into his fans through his music, just as Kurt Cobain, Munky, Freddy Mercury, Eddie Van Halen and Fat Mike did. They were/are all great musicians, but it wasn't skill that made them who they were, it was their love for music.
I agree with what was said before, there is no 'Greatest of Guitar Players.' he was modern, renovative, unique. But not the greatest. Not even Satch, Vai or Malmsteen or the greatest. There's too much guitar for ANYONE to EVER be the greatest. No one will ever be able to pick up a guitar and say that they have mastered it, because it just won't happen.
Guitar is the universe, and great musicians just keep finding more and more.

[PunkMeGrunge]

*skillfull guitar player*
Excuse my typo, eh?
Fuck keyboards.

[PunkMeGrunge]

*That didn't make him an amazingly skillfull guitar player, it made him a soulfull guitar player.*
Excuse my typo, eh?
Fuck keyboards.

[wombcat]

In lists of greatest guitar players, more reliance is placed on how much a guitar player influenced music or popular culture, or how what kind of style they use. Take a look at Rolling Stone's top 100 guitarists list just as an example. There is people up there like B.B. King and Chuck Berry who are good, but do are not even close to the skill level of some of today's guitarists. An example of this is one of my favorite guitarists, Buckethead, who is ridiculously f***ing good. I think that Jimi Hendrix could not play something, on the spot, that Buckethead could not play (I think Buckethead could play with the same skill and soul as Jimi if he chose). On the other hand, I think that Buckethead could improvise something that Hendrix, even if given a reasonable amount of time to practice, could not play, simply because of his speed and technical expertise. As far as influence goes, Imagine if Buckethead would have been put in the same time period, he could have influenced the s*** out of music and pop culture. Anyways, not to detract from Jimi's playing, because he is way better than me, I just think that he tends to get bragged up too much from time to time. This article is about Noel Redding too, by the way, to all of the people who are like "erm...sorry guys but Jimi played all of the studio bass so...Noel sucks," it is probably easier, if Jimi played the guitar track, he could probably lay down the bass track to his own specs. If Jimi could play drums very well, I'm sure he would have done that too. All of the songs were basically by Jimi and for Jimi, so it is natural that he should figure out everything to play. Noel was probably there mainly to play on stage which Jimi could not do while playing guitar. That's just my long-winded opinion, though
R.I.P. Jimi and Noel

[Maverick49]

telex wrote:

watch two videos on youtube.

red house by steve vai and satch
then
red house by gary moore

gary moore plays it with the passion hendrix once did.
this is why satch and vai will never be equal. because they cant invest themselves into songs on an emotional level.
its just technical.

I second that emotion

[philjay]

Ok so I keep hearing "Jimi is overrated" and stuff along those lines.. Fair enough but there's a reason people are still listening to him now and he remains an eye opener to guitarists to this day. I doubt someone who can play arpeggios really fast one after the other will go down in history.. People will get over shred because it's as creative as...Maths.

[SlapMeWithBacon]

Who cares, Michael Angelo Batio is obviously the best guitarist ever. I mean come on, a billion notes per second. Never saw Jimi do that

[catchtherainbow]

he's getting owned by Jimi in hell now.haha.

[thunderinblack]

jimi may be overrated but he is by far the most influensial guitarist of all time time without him satch, vai, malmsteen dave murrey and loads of ofer great players would have never started playing

[Pat McRotch]

Intriguing article, thank you.

[rock_and_blues]

id like to know why the hell there is so much jimi worship here? he was nothing more than a sloppy bluesman, who at best could lay down some fast pentatonic runs...his playing is by no means pheanominal...now i will admit he drastically changed how people viewed the studio and the effects people used...but he really just wasnt that good.

also, you cannot judge how much "passion" or "soul" someone is playing with, unless you are that person.

Don't think of me as some elitist shred head either. I despise the genre and absolutely hate shredders (they're all over indulgent pricks), i find the genre boring and the guy who said it was as exciting as math was dead on.

Now on to the interview...i thought it was cool and informative. Noel was always overshadowed by Hendrix, but its nice to finally here his perspective on things.

[failsaferemedy]

You can judge exactly how much passion and soul a person plays with because it should be just that obvious. Classical players show their passion by the mere flow of things; their movements and facial expressions. A bluesman will hit that one note that just sings to an audience "this is how bad I've felt. connect with me". A rocker may close his eyes and just wail away at the fretboard, never once making eye contact with the audience. An instrumental shredder will concentrate, but show through use of theory and sheer power how passionately he feels about what he does.
And those who play without passion and soul just hit notes to hit notes, and you can feel that. You just know. There is a reason there are metal guitarists that will shred at a million notes per second, but if you give them a slow blues song to jam along to, they don't know what to do. They just don't feel it. You know you've heard someone just play and you just didn't feel anything.
And that's what it all is: feeling.
For the record, I don't find Hendrix to be the greatest guitarist that ever lived. I think he was a good guitarist that influenced my own influences, such as John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and without him, we wouldn't have a lot of awesome tunes and musicians today.

[mock502]

Come on peaople. Give Hendrix a break. Remember the times. It was the late 60s. There was nothing like what he was doing. Seeing him play in person was unbelievable. The thing I rember most was that there were speakers from one side to the other side of the stage. The bass actually rattled the rafters. But most of all it was Hendrix and his guitar that sticks out the most. Rember there was nothing else like him at the time. That why we still talk about him.

[51VH50]

Jimi died in the peak of his fame. That was just another reason for his huge image today. People wonder what else he COULD have done. when u die right in the middle of it all everyone builds you up as a ****in hero. i think that hes a great guitar player and seriously i think hes amazing. but everyone acts like hes some god like figure.

[rock_and_blues]

failsaferemedy wrote:

You can judge exactly how much passion and soul a person plays with because it should be just that obvious. Classical players show their passion by the mere flow of things; their movements and facial expressions. A bluesman will hit that one note that just sings to an audience "this is how bad I've felt. connect with me". A rocker may close his eyes and just wail away at the fretboard, never once making eye contact with the audience. An instrumental shredder will concentrate, but show through use of theory and sheer power how passionately he feels about what he does.
And those who play without passion and soul just hit notes to hit notes, and you can feel that. You just know. There is a reason there are metal guitarists that will shred at a million notes per second, but if you give them a slow blues song to jam along to, they don't know what to do. They just don't feel it. You know you've heard someone just play and you just didn't feel anything.
And that's what it all is: feeling.
.

thats complete bullshit, its all in your opinon, for all you know they could be showing off or doing those contorted faces/flashy tricks for the image. Whether a peice of music moves you is based on your taste...there is no universal criteria for "moving music" or "soulful playing"

[troyponce]

failsaferemedy wrote:

You can judge exactly how much passion and soul a person plays with because it should be just that obvious. Classical players show their passion by the mere flow of things; their movements and facial expressions. A bluesman will hit that one note that just sings to an audience "this is how bad I've felt. connect with me". A rocker may close his eyes and just wail away at the fretboard, never once making eye contact with the audience. An instrumental shredder will concentrate, but show through use of theory and sheer power how passionately he feels about what he does.
And those who play without passion and soul just hit notes to hit notes, and you can feel that. You just know. There is a reason there are metal guitarists that will shred at a million notes per second, but if you give them a slow blues song to jam along to, they don't know what to do. They just don't feel it. You know you've heard someone just play and you just didn't feel anything.
And that's what it all is: feeling.
For the record, I don't find Hendrix to be the greatest guitarist that ever lived. I think he was a good guitarist that influenced my own influences, such as John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and without him, we wouldn't have a lot of awesome tunes and musicians today.

Huh. How many metal guitarists have you sat down with and tried to play blues with? Being a guy who mostly plays metal guitar, I tend to get defensive about generalizations that are based on nothing but one bad Yngwie vid.

[dgme92]

The article isn't about Jimi Hendrix, it's about Noel Redding... Grow the **** up, I'd go so far as to say that 60% of posts in here don't even have the words 'Noel Redding' or 'bass' in them.

Now, ON TOPIC.... It's great to see he didn't feel like he owed something to be on the same stage as Hendrix, a lot of musicians nowadays would say "I'd give my right leg to play on stage with Hendrix." imo Jack Bruce is the best bass player from that era, and then Noel, but then again, that's in my own, non bass-playing opinion, I don't know too much about the different players.

[RichieJovie]

The article isn't about Jimi Hendrix, it's about Noel Redding... Grow the **** up, I'd go so far as to say that 60% of posts in here don't even have the words 'Noel Redding' or 'bass' in them.

Mostly because most people who pass comment on here are 14 years old and haven't got a clue about much. Comments such as I so want a Marshall... are a dead giveaway.

[joshscus]

Bob Dylan's Grandmother!

[Nebblacktip]

The best comment I ever heard was, "Jimi was a great guitar player, but even he messed up notes and improvised bad solos." The fact is, as much as I love Jimi Hendrix (I would put him as #1) he was human like everyone else. If you don't think he's the best guitar player ever, maybe you're right, or maybe you just haven't listened to to enough of his music because you turn it off too quickly and say he's overrated.

Either way, the article is about Noel Redding, who really was a good bassist, especially since he had to play with someone who was as wacky as Hendrix (Kazoos? Seriously Hendrix? Kazoos? Listen to Crosstown Traffic.) And whether or not Hendrix wrote his lines, which may or may not be true, he still had to play them, at least live. As a Bassist, I enjoyed this article because It highlights one of my favorite bassists, and I learned that he was a guitarist first. And that he used a pick, which can now be used against the "fingers only" idiots. And that he was willing to count contemporaries among his influences (Jack Bruce is also amazing, and a good singer too) Seriously, I hate to break it to everyone, but the article isn't about Jimi. It's about Noel, and the fact that he and Jimi could probably sit around a campfire with their acoustics and riff off each other while Mitch played the bongos. Or something.

John Entwistle was the best bassist of that time period though, IMHO. No disrespect to anyone else intended.

[BigTex]

Fat Mattress rehearsed in Jersey, Channel Islands, UK before touring the States. They pitched up with a truckload of the latest gear and disappeared one morning leaving everything in the club they had hired. I joined a band that took up residency there and inherited a Hiwatt 200 top; Marshall stack and and Orange PA. I was playing a Gibson Flying V at the time and the set up blew the roof off. Alice Cooper's School's Out and Deep Purple were most requested at the time. As far as I know the gear is still here in Jersey.

[nile_the_strat]

LedZeppelin4518 wrote:

Personlly, and I know I'm going to get a lashing for saying this, but... I think Jimi Hendrix is good, mind you... but he is waaaaayyyyyoverrated. I TOTALLY AGREE

i think that he is becoming overhyped these days, but i wouldnt exactly call it overrated. i think a lot of people today are going "i listen to hendrix, which must mean im cool cause this is popular these days" but theyve only heard the songs that, by the end of his career, hendrix nearly hated. purple haze, foxy lady, and the likes. because they overshadowed the rest of his stuff, which is just as amazing, if not moreso. so anyway, to get to my point, i think hendrix is a bit overhyped by people trying to be cool, but im not sure hes overrated. my two cents

[woodie-woodrix]

I think noel is a legend too no matter wat u say about fat mike nd ppl like that noel is still a gr8 bassist 4 sum1 who had 2 change to bass the moment he met hendrix. so you know give noel some credit and hes only sayin his equal because they were friends nd yeh they fell out but so what. Nd although i love hendrix and he is 1 of the greatest (in my opinion) there is better out there or WAS better out there e.g Roy buchanan, his version of hey joe as a tribute to jimi is immense and the jam session he has with jimi which is on youtube is gr8 too although its bad quality vid. Nd it wasnt just jimi who made the songs gd, u seriously think jimi could have played drums? especially as well as mitch mitchell, he is a gr8 drummer no doubt so therefore jimi wasnt the only1 that made the experience so good. Nd as 4 the overrated thing ino ppl are going 2 hate me but he is slightly overrated when ppl say he is the best evr and alwasy will be, i believe hes 1 of the most influential and a gr8 song writer with stuff liek little wing, long hot summer nights, hey baby,pali gap etc. but i thnk in terms of ability there were or are sum ppl better slightly. But i believe theer is always sum1 better, i mean theres around 6 billion ppl in the world. how many gr8 guitarists are out there who arnt famous ? And to judge ppl on their playing is a pisstake, 1 thing even jimmy belived was never judge sum1 or call them crap even i u thnk they are coz there is always sum1 better. RIP jimmy, noel, nd roy buchanan.

[woodie-woodrix]

nd the arguing is pointless u really think these musical legends or "just musicians" as some one sed previously, would want ppl 2 be arguin over who is better, cmon evry1 is good in thir own way peace and love