Revised FP 3: Electric Ladyland by the Jimi Hendrix Experience

In 1968, one of the most successful psychedelic rock bands of all time, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released their third album, Electric Ladyland.  The Jimi Hendrix Experience only produced three albums together and this one was by far their most successful.  Electric Ladyland topped the charts in the United States and it included the band’s highest selling single “All Along the Watchtower.”  This album was released in October of 1968, just under a year before the Jimi Hendrix Experience headlined one the most famous music festivals in history, Woodstock. 

Woodstock was expected to be just another average music festival but it generated a crowd so large that they extended the festival another day to include all of the artists, which included a lot of psychedelic artists like the Jimi Hendrix Experience.  The organizers of Woodstock estimated around 200,000 people would attend this music festival but their expectations were shattered when over 400,000 people showed up to this two-day event.  There turnout was so unexpected that the festival had to be extended to three days just to include all of the artists.  Some of the artists included The Who, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.  This festival was mainly a rock music festival but with bands like the Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, and Grateful Dead that played such major roles in the festival, Woodstock had a large psychedelic vibe.  These artists are considered psychedelic because they replicated the feeling of using psychedelic drugs, which were very popular at this time, and produced a hallucinogenic, mind-altering feeling.  They drew people in with lyrics that told a story, intricate instrumental solos primarily on the guitar or piano, and with the use of elaborate studio effects that produced a mesmerizing, out-of-this-world sound. Woodstock was the epitome of the psychedelic rock genre, good vibes and lots of people under the influence of drugs. During this time period in 1969 psychedelic rock was booming so these psychedelic artists drew in a massive amount of people.  Woodstock quickly became possibly the most famous music festival in history so it was a huge accomplishment for the Jimi Hendrix Experience to headline it.  Before their appearance at Woodstock they had built up a successful career but after they headlined their popularity skyrocketed and their most recent album, Electric Ladyland, became legendary. 

Electric Ladyland opens with “…And the Gods Made Love”, a pure instrumental song that really messes with your mind.  The electric sounds of the instruments don’t mesh well together so it creates this uneasy feeling when you listen to it.  They keep building up so you expect some sort of resolution but then the song ends before the sounds can reach a harmonious tone.  After that, the next song “Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)” establishes the feeling and tone of the whole album.  This song has a chill and almost mind-altering feeling that puts you into a relaxed mood to listen to the remaining songs on the album.  Throughout the rest of the album this psychedelic style continues and songs such as “Voodoo Chile” and “Gypsy Eyes” produce this hallucinogenic felling that perfectly represents the psychedelic rock genre.  Through the use of attention-grabbing guitar riffs and lyrics that draw you in, "Voodoo Chile" and "Gypsy Eyes" influenced many psychedelic rock songs that came after them.  Another influential song by the Jimi Hendrix Experience comes at the end of this album, and is the band's most famous song, “All Along the Watchtower."  This song helps close out the album with an intense feeling that lingers even after the album is over.  This song showcased the talented band members and showed listeners why the Jimi Hendrix Experience was such a successful band.  Frontman Jimi Hendrix's impressive guitar skills and the harmonious sound that the entire band creates helps to make Electric Ladyland  the Jimi Hendrix Experience's most popular album. 

When this album was released in 1968 it was the prime time for the psychedelic rock genre.  Psychedelic rock consists of melodious lyrics and unique instrumentation that resemble the feeling of psychedelic drugs.  The Jimi Hendrix Experience encompasses this definition of psychedelic rock and Electric Ladyland contains many elements expected of a psychedelic rock album.  Although Electric Ladyland contains these elements such as elaborate instrumentation, mesmerizing lyrics, and an out-of-this-world feeling, it pushed the limits of this genre and exceeded the genre’s expectations.  The Jimi Hendrix Experience were able to stay true to their roots and use many of the common aspects of a psychedelic rock album but they also introduced new elements that would end up changing the psychedelic rock genre forever. 

Jimi Hendrix was a very well-known guitar player but in Electric Ladyland he really shows off his skills and pushes the instrumentation on the album over the top.  On Electric Ladyland, the songs “All Along The Watchtower” and “Voodoo Child” showcase Jimi Hendrix’s talent with elaborate and impressive guitar solos that shatter previous expectations of how the guitar is used in psychedelic rock.  Hendrix’s guitar riffs draw in listeners and create this hallucinogenic feeling that enthralls the listeners.  When the Jimi Hendrix Experience performed “Voodoo Chile” at Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix turned this five minute song into a twelve minute performance by adding additional improvisation on the guitar.  The guitar was a very popular instrument in the psychedelic rock genre and the rock genre in general, but before Jimi Hendrix the guitar was overshadowed by vocals or other instruments.  Traditionally the guitar added a little excitement when the vocals took a break or maybe it would be lucky enough to get a solo in a song.  Jimi Hendrix took these previous ideals and completely turned them around by making the guitar the center of his music.  His songs still involved intricate vocals and other instrumentation but the guitar was his passion, and he made it the most important thing in his songs.  Jimi Hendrix was truly a mastermind and used the guitar to produce feelings and ideas that words could not.  This new, intense, and hypnotizing use of the guitar was a new step in the psychedelic rock genre and generated a very positive response from listeners.  Hendrix’s use of the guitar not only revolutionized the psychedelic rock genre but he would also influence many other bands throughout the next few decades and within different genres.  Many bands such as Radiohead, Iron Maiden, and the Foo Fighters followed this idea of making the guitar important and each band has multiple guitar players to help showcase it’s importance.  Jimi Hendrix will always be remembered as one of the most influential guitar players ever and his showcase of the guitar helped make Electric Ladyland an exciting and revolutionary album. 

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was one of the greatest gifts to psychedelic rock and their influence on the genre was unlike any other band before them.  During this time period the psychedelic rock genre was booming and bands like this helped the genre skyrocket and become legendary.  Electric Ladyland is one of the most important albums from the psychedelic rock category and it will forever remain the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s most impressive work. 

Revised FP 2: Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones

In 1969, just seven years after The Rolling Stones were formed, they released their tenth album, Let It Bleed.  After releasing a hit album only a year before, the Stones came back and did it again with their chart-topping Let It Bleed album.  

Despite their musical success, the Stones experienced many difficulties during this time.  This album was the last to feature drummer and original member Brian Jones.  Along with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Brian Jones was one of the founding members of The Rolling Stones, but after experiencing many difficulties involving drugs and substance abuse he was not focused on the band at all.  After only performing on two tracks on the album and missing numerous rehearsals and other recording sessions the other band members were fed up with Jones.  After thinking about what’s best for the band, the other members of The Rolling Stones agreed that they had to kick Brian Jones out of the band.  Some critics and fans suspected Brian Jones would eventually return to The Rolling Stones after recovering from his addictions but he tragically died shortly after as a result of a drowning incident.  After the unfortunate situation surrounding Brian Jones, the Stones held auditions for a new drummer and found Mick Taylor, who is still a part of the band today. 

After gaining new member Mick Taylor it was the start of a new era for The Rolling Stones.  With this new harmony among their members they could once again focus solely on their music.  Let It Bleed was the first album to be released after this change and it symbolizes a new beginning for the Stones.  Although this change was for the better, many people were unsure about this new start and how it would affect the success of the band.  Let It Bleed was the assurance they needed that The Rolling Stones would still continue to produce successful and beautiful music. 

The second this album begins with the song “Gimme Shelter”, listeners are drawn in by the building percussion and opening guitar riff.  As soon as the listener hears it they want to hear more, and are immediately engrossed in the album.  The instruments create this anxious feeling as if something is coming and the listener needs to get away from it.  The Stones use a guiro, an instrument popular in traditional Caribbean music, to create a sound similar to a washboard that is very prominent at the beginning of the song and then fades in and out throughout the rest of it.  This unusual sound creates an uneasy feeling and when it fades you think it’s gone for good but then it comes back louder and more aggressive than ever.  “Gimme Shelter” starts the album off with a quick pace that sparks the listener's interest, and as the album progresses the tempo of the songs slow down and speed back up spastically, as if the listener is running and changing their pace.  The slow songs provide a false sense of security that calm you down and then the fast songs come back in and start the race again.  When you listen to this album you are embarking on a journey with The Rolling Stones by your side, guiding you through this intense experience. 

The next song on the album is “Love in Vain”.  After the intense opening song “Gimme Shelter”, “Love in Vain” slows it down and has a more soothing sound.  The song begins with a lulling guitar riff and then Mick Jagger comes in with a raw and pure sound in his voice.  The instruments back down while Jagger sings the first few verses and the listener’s focus is shifted completely to the lyrics and his voice.  Then the song starts to pick up and the instrumentation builds as Jagger’s voice fades into nothing.  This battle between the voice and the instruments continues throughout the song but each element still has the chance to be heard.  The lyrics of this song describes this story of Jagger boarding a train and having to leave his love behind, although he doesn’t want to.  The song ends with the haunting words “all my love’s in vain” and the trickle of the guitar to end the song with a sense of longing and anticipation for the rest of the album. 

The album continues with the song “Let It Bleed”.  At the beginning of the song there’s an unsettling sound of a slide piece guitar but quickly after it transitions into a more harmonious sound with the acoustic guitar, piano, and drums.  The song has an upbeat tempo and it feels very personal because Jagger is talking directly to the listeners throughout the song.  The song contains lyrics like “we all need someone we can lean on//and if you want it, you can lean on me” and “bleed alright, bleed alright, you can bleed all over me”.  The Stones establish this easy-going and happy feeling through their reassuring lyrics and upbeat tempo in this song.  

One of the last songs on the album is “Monkey Man”.  The song opens with a piano solo that immediately draws people in and then the entrance of the tambourine and guitar add a little excitement to it.  Then when Mick Jagger enters everything picks up and song builds up to a harmonious clash of instruments and vocals.  This song has sort of a crazy sound to it with lyrics like “I’m a fleapit peanut monkey”, “I’m a cold Italian pizza//I could use a lemon squeezer” and “well, I’m just a monkey man//I’m glad you are a monkey woman too”.  These unusual lyrics along with unique instruments like the vibraphone really set this song apart and make it different.  The quick pace and the appealing sound produce a happy feeling but there is also a sense of confusion from the strange lyrics and instrumentation. 

From the beginning of the album, the songs and lyrics create this feeling that you have to get away from something, but in the last song of the album, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, you experience this calming and almost heaven-like ending.  The opening of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” features a choir followed by Mick Jagger’s calm and relaxed tone, different from the uneasy and tense tone of the rest of the album.  After the journey through the album and this feeling of running away from something, listeners can finally rest and end their long journey.  With the nervous feeling in the rest of the album and the nervous feeling listeners in the 1960’s had about the world when this album was released, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, soothes you and somehow makes you feel better about what is going on in the world at this time.  With lyrics like “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes well you might find you get what you need” you feel content and almost hopeful about the future. 

The feeling that this entire album gives off is a sense of impending doom that the band is trying to escape.  The spastic change of tempo throughout the album creates a feeling of running from something, or trying to escape something.  This album was released in 1969, in the midst of a very violent era. During this time the Vietnam War was going on so the United States were exposed to this frightening war with dangerous oppositions from outspoken protestors.  The Stones album Let It Bleed encompasses this feeling of tension and fear using lyrics such as “rape, murder.  It’s just a shot away.” in the opening song “Gimme Shelter”.  While most of the album contains dark and gloomy lyrics such as these, the tempo and tone of the songs counteract with them so that the album doesn’t feel depressing or grave.  The lyrics reflect what was going on in the world and the songs themselves all mimic the feelings of anxiety and doom that people were feeling about the world. 

In addition to talking about the Vietnam War, The Rolling Stones touched on other events of the 1960’s.  In the sixties psychedelia was extremely popular and the psychedelic rock genre was thriving.  Many consider The Rolling Stones to be a psychedelic rock band while some disagree, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they did allude to this psychedelic phenomena that was happening during this time period.  “Monkey Man” is believed to be about an experience involving “acid” or another type of drug. The song contains lyrics that directly reference psychedelia like “all my friends are junkies” but most of the lyrics are so out-there that it’s hard to imagine someone writing them and not being under the influence of drugs.  This song reflects the typical psychedelic rock song because it tells a story about love but it is surrounded by strange lyrics and verses that don’t necessarily make sense.  When people today listen to this song it might be very weird to hear the lyrics like “I was bitten by a boar//I am a sack of broken eggs//I always have an unmade bed//Don’t you?”  but during the 1960’s it was very common because of the popular psychedelic rock genre.  It has been argued that psychedelia during the 1960’s was to help cope with the problems in the world during those times and when artists like The Rolling Stones referenced this topic it was familiar to people, and it also helped them cope with whatever they had going on. 

When Let It Bleed was released, The Rolling Stones had the odds stacked against them.  They had to follow up their previous chart-topping album, they lost one of their own members, and the world was in a time of crisis.  Nevertheless, The Rolling Stones continued what they do best, they created a masterful and successful album.  The lyrics and sounds of Let It Bleed are exactly what the world needed during this time.  Without band member Brian Jones everyone expected this album to be the end of The Rolling Stones' success, but when Let It Bleed was released everyone could see that this wasn't the end, it was the start of a new beginning for The Rolling Stones.