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

Содержание

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

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

Work at the studio...

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

Some time after Hendrix's death, Eddie Kramer, chief engineer at Electric Ladyland Studios, said that there were 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 collaborated with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists such 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. We can say that this is the last album of the great guitarist: it contains recordings completed as far as possible ... Who knows: maybe Jimi himself would have released them in this form? All audio material, by the way, was found in the Electric Lady studio.

Jimi Hendrix and his team 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, a wild sound typical of Hendrix ... Much wilder and less refined than Cry Of Love! But such rawness surprisingly sends goosebumps… Indeed: guitar tracks like “Midnight or Tax Free” – with great drums, powerful bass and searing guitar theatrics – are almost bluesy jams that seem to fly higher and higher. ... It was these tracks that inspired the followers of Hendrix, and it was they that fascinated rock fans ... There was a place here for records that have the format of almost completed: "Bleeding Heart" or "Highway Chile" ... Actually, we will discuss the material from the album in more detail (and also enjoy it …)

Track list...

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

"Bleeding Heart" is another Hendrix space 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 from a 17-year-old tramp:

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

Everybody knows:

"Tumbleweeds don't grow moss."
You might call him a tramp.
But it's not quite like this:
He is a child of the highway. Yes Yes…"

"Stepping Stone" here is sustained at a slower pace ... Nevertheless, this is one of the best Hendrix singles:

"Before you find your baby,
Which will be my true love
I'm spinning, I'm screaming
I cry, I fly
I can not be trusted, but it is better to arrest.
I am a rolling stone...

You're a woman,
At least that's how you taste.
But you can take it off
In bed with my guitar…”

It seems that Jimi was on the verge of his myths and realities ...

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

"Tax Free", "Midnight" and "Beginning" are instrumental sketches... With the exception of "Tax Free", these are regular tracks that Jimi probably recorded as other people filled out notepads while talking on the phone... You can't say that he the genius is not obvious: "Midnight" is a really chic track that has a penetrating sinister mood... But at the same time - all these compositions evoke thoughts about the wandering of a genius... "Beginning" is especially similar to an experiment or maybe just thinking aloud: tempo and tricks shifting and changing like icebergs arguing over which ocean liner to sink this time...

"Three Little Bears" could have been a children's song with great success! It has a really infectious guitar duet riff with a kind of one-sided tango rhythm…

In a word, War Heroes is a potpourri of takes and pieces that certainly add depth to Jimi's image... Hendrix could resent his vocals, but in each of his compositions there is a red-hot guitar game that simply makes the listener forget about everything in the world... Today, technology and Jimi's ability is easy to take for granted: but even so, these little flashes stand out against the background of the words and capture you ... Actually, it's time to enjoy the tracks: