All about Jimi Hendrix's War Heroes album ...

Содержание

War Heroes is the posthumous album by legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix: the record was released in late 1972. The material on the record was recorded between 1967 and 1970. The material and sound of War Heroes can be characterised as "bright psychedelia combined with touches of hard rock and blues..." Subsequently, tracks from this release were included on the famous First Rays of the New Rising Sun....

The rich War Heroes includes "Stepping Stone", "Izabella" and "Beginnings", tracks that Hendrix recorded especially for his fourth studio album. Unfortunately, the musician did not manage to release it in time... Jimi Hendrix tragically passed away in September 1970... However, his death did not prevent his legacy from growing: "War Heroes" entered the top 30 in the UK and the top 50 in the United States. Consider this posthumous work in more detail.....

Studio work...

Jimi Hendrix called Billy Gibbons one of his favourite guitarists....

Not long after Hendrix's death, Eddie Kramer, chief engineer at Electric Ladyland Studios, said that there are recordings that should be released soon... Edwin H. Kramer, better known as Eddie Kramer is a famous producer and sound engineer! In addition to Hendrix, Kramer has worked with such Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists as the Beatles, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, The Kinks, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones... War Heroes is the fourth posthumous album released by Hendrix's label. One could say that this is the last album of the great guitarist: it contains recordings that are as complete as possible... Who knows: maybe Jimi himself would have released them exactly like this? All the audio material, by the way, was found in Electric Lady's studio.

Jimi Hendrix and his crew at Electric Lady Studios.

As for the musical character of the record, there is hardly any point in talking about it: it is, as always, the typical Hendrix wild sound... Much wilder and less refined than Cry Of Love! But such brutality is surprisingly goosebumps-inducing... Indeed: guitar tracks like "Midnight or Tax Free" - with great drums, powerful bass and searing guitar theatricality - are almost blues jams that seem to soar higher and higher... These are the tracks that inspired Hendrix's followers, and that fascinated rock fans... There is room here for records that are almost complete: "Bleeding Heart" or "Highway Chile"... Actually, let's discuss the material from the album in more detail (and enjoy it...).

Track list...

War Heroes consists of several instrumental sketches, alternate versions of English and American singles and studio jokes that certainly bring the listener closer to the idol but add little to his musical legacy... The fact that the recordings were made at different points in time adds to the sense of disjointedness: Eddie Kramer claims that some of them date back to 1968... There are also fully completed tracks here.

"Bleeding Heart" is another spacey Hendrix blues, with one of his more familiar bass riffs underpinning the Wah-Wah guitar....

"Highway Chile" was one of Jimi's first English singles: it's a well-structured rock ballad by a 17-year-old drifter:

"He left home at seventeen,
To see the world he'd dreamed of for so long....

Everybody knows:

"Tumbleweeds don't grow moss."
You might call him a tramp.
But that's not quite the case:
He's a child of the motorway. Yes, yes..."

"Stepping Stone" is set to a slower tempo here... Still - it's one of Hendrix's best singles:

"Before you find your babe,
Who will be my true love,
I'm spinning, screaming,
I'm crying, I'm flying,
I can't be trusted, and I'd rather be arrested.
I'm a tumbleweed...

You're a woman,
At least that's what you taste like.
But you can get it off your chest
In bed with my guitar..."

Jimi seemed to be on the verge of his myths and realities....

"Izabella" is a classic soldier's song, and it's probably the only connection to the album title that can be traced...

"Tax Free", "Midnight" and "Beginning" are instrumental sketches... With the exception of "Tax Free", these are ordinary tracks that Jimi probably wrote down as other people fill notebooks while talking on the phone... That's not to say his genius isn't obvious: "Midnight" is indeed a gorgeous track that has a heartfelt ominous mood... That said - all of these compositions bring to mind the wandering of genius... "Beginning" especially feels like an experiment or maybe just thinking out loud: the tempo and focus shifts and changes like icebergs arguing about which ocean liner to sink this time....

"Three Little Bears" could very well be a children's song! It has a really infectious guitar duet riff with a kind of lopsided tango rhythm....

In short, War Heroes is a medley of takes and bits and pieces that are sure to add depth to Jimi's image... Hendrix may have resented his vocals, but in each of his compositions there is a fiery guitar playing that simply makes the listener forget about everything in the world... Today, it's easy to take Jimi's technique and ability for granted: but even so, these little flashes stand out against the words and grab you... Actually, it's time to enjoy the tracks: