Battle of the bands 1970's Round 1 Hendrix VS ZZ Top

Who wins this battle

  • The Jimi Hendrix Experience

    Votes: 11 47.8%

  • ZZ Top

    Votes: 12 52.2%
  • Total voters
    23
  • Poll closed .
chaos-scene.gif


OMG this is all so amazing, much respect to everyone!
 
CoyotesGator said:
I did not see this one ending as it did.

Surprised I am.
Click to expand...
Me to, in a way. Only because I thought there were a lot more Hendrix fans here.
It was about Jimi but Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell were one of the greatest rhythm sections in that era.

I know Clapton and Beck were completely in to his work.
In KK’s book he went to see Hendrix, I believe in London. So many great players were influenced.
 
Last edited:
ibmorjamn said:
Me to, in a way. Only because I thought there were a lot more Hendrix fans here.
It was about Jimi but Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell

I know Clapton and Beck were completely in to his work.
In KK’s book he went to see Hendrix, I believe in London. So many great players were influenced.
Click to expand...
Believe me, it wasn't easy voting over Jimi. That's a dude I lived, breathed and slept listening to from about the age of 12-14. The sun rised and set on him in my eyes. The only factor to vote against was the length of career and that was only because he unfortunately passed at the age of 27, which is disturbing and sad. But I a weird way? Its because he came and left so quickly that we still reverse his work. Had he stuck around, our opinions may have changed like how things went for Clapton. He went from Clapton Is God to "eh, yeah...big deal".

Jimi left us wanting more, like all the legends who leave quickly do
 
gball said:
I have always loved Hendrix's songs but have not really understood the reverence for his guitar playing. Great player for sure, but greatest? I just don't hear it.
Click to expand...
Ive often heard that question and I guess the only answer I have is that he did something that hadnt been done yet and it was shocking compared to his contemporaries at that time. Though the technical aspects of it are debatable, it's the manner of being totally free form and going crazy on the guitar that made people adore him. It wasn't structured I guess. And if you look at the guitar players afterwards, it's like there was this big ushering in of new, wild talents who all cited him as inspiration. Not that he really did inspire their particular styles, but more so that he opened the gates for them to explore the guitar differently and in different styles of lead playing too
 
Hey, I know what I am saying is sacrilege to a lot of guitar players. It's basically guitar dogma that we all agree Hendrix was the best without looking at it more critically. But my ears tell me otherwise. Beck is posted above - he was better before, during, and after Hendrix (and I think there are plenty of people who consider him the GOAT). Likewise, during the time Hendrix was recording guys like Steve Howe were coming up, who may have been influenced or may not have, but either way can play circles around Hendrix and shows no signs of his influence if they are there. I have always been a fan of Jimi's music, but a lot of times I actually think his guitar histrionics take away from rather than add to the songs. This is all just me though.
 
gball said:
Hey, I know what I am saying is sacrilege to a lot of guitar players. It's basically guitar dogma that we all agree Hendrix was the best without looking at it more critically. But my ears tell me otherwise. Beck is posted above - he was better before, during, and after Hendrix (and I think there are plenty of people who consider him the GOAT). Likewise, during the time Hendrix was recording guys like Steve Howe were coming up, who may have been influenced or may not have, but either way can play circles around Hendrix and shows no signs of his influence if they are there. I have always been a fan of Jimi's music, but a lot of times I actually think his guitar histrionics take away from rather than add to the songs. This is all just me though.
Click to expand...
I said that in the aftermath of Hendrix? Yeah, Beck was the greatest, no questions asked. That dude took guitar to so many different places
 
I didn't vote in this contest as I just had too much going on this past week to pay too much attention to the forum besides just logging in a few times and quickly glancing over a few things. But, I do admit to feeling a bit of a conundrum about it. The main reason is that the argumentation almost always boils down to a band (in this case, ZZ Top) vs. the individual of Jimi Hendrix. I realize the bracket is the Jimi Hendrix Experience vs. ZZ Top, but the discussion rarely really deals with the band as much as just Jimi.

To put the question another way, was the band Jimi Hendrix Experience actually better than the band ZZ Top? Or, are we really drawn to the novelty (and subsequent inspiration to other guitarists) of Jimi's style and approach.

I'm gonna have to echo some of @gball 's sentiment. Tone-wise, some of the things I hear from Hendrix just don't sound that great. To me, his tone has that typical harshness that is characteristic of a single-coil Strat run through an overdriven Marshall. It's piercing, nasal, and just has a grating, harsh top end. In his later years, he did start to experiment with a Gibson SG and a Gibson Flying V. Personally, though I am very much a Stratocaster lover (I have two), for what Hendrix was doing, I'd have liked to see more usage of the Gibsons.

But, tone is subjective and does not tell the whole story. His legacy is not about tone. What he did was play in a way that was unique and broke new territory, and he revealed that so much more could be done with guitar. He served as an inspiration to many.

Nevertheless, in this contest I would have voted with the majority. I would have selected ZZ Top because I see the band ZZ Top as being better than the band Jimi Hendrix Experience.
 
ibmorjamn said:
Me to, in a way. Only because I thought there were a lot more Hendrix fans here.
Click to expand...

I think what you've seen here is not a lack of Hendrix fans, but more an understanding that this is a battle of the bands, not a guitar player contest or an individual legacy contest.

Look at it this way, using an analogy from the world of hockey. This year, Alex Ovechkin will likely surpass Wayne Gretzky as the highest goal scorer of all time. At this moment, as I write this, he is only 12 goals away from breaking the record (there is a Capitals game on right now, so that number could change as soon as I submit this post!). However, the Washington Capitals, as a team, have only won a single Stanley Cup. This year, up to this point, the Capitals are doing well. But, they could still slump and do very poorly, even though a player on the team may break the world record for goals scored.

So, the motivation is NOT to minimize Hendrix's contribution or legacy. Many of us recognize that very much. But, in looking at this as a band vs. band, the tables turn in ZZ Top's favor in many peoples' opinion.

EDIT: The game is over. Ovechkin scored. He is now 11 goals away from surpassing Gretzky. However, the Capitals lost. They have now lost three in a row, so they are in a bit of a downturn. But, Ovechkin could still easily break the record. It's well within his reach.
 
Don O said:
As much as we all know Hendrix is one of, if not, the greatest guitarist in our lifetime. But this is a battle of the bands contest. Have you ever seen it written about the Jimi Hendrix band? Nope, it always just Hendrix. ZZ Top has been a band for decades and as such has my vote as a band. Jimi is still the greatest!
Click to expand...
Jimi Hendrix Experience was a band. Was it not?
 
smitty_p said:
I think what you've seen here is not a lack of Hendrix fans, but more an understanding that this is a battle of the bands, not a guitar player contest or an individual legacy contest.

Look at it this way, using an analogy from the world of hockey. This year, Alex Ovechkin will likely surpass Wayne Gretzky as the highest goal scorer of all time. At this moment, as I write this, he is only 12 goals away from breaking the record (there is a Capitals game on right now, so that number could change as soon as I submit this post!). However, the Washington Capitals, as a team, have only won a single Stanley Cup. This year, up to this point, the Capitals are doing well. But, they could still slump and do very poorly, even though a player on the team may break the world record for goals scored.

So, the motivation is NOT to minimize Hendrix's contribution or legacy. Many of us recognize that very much. But, in looking at this as a band vs. band, the tables turn in ZZ Top's favor in many peoples' opinion.

EDIT: The game is over. Ovechkin scored. He is now 11 goals away from surpassing Gretzky. However, the Capitals lost. They have now lost three in a row, so they are in a bit of a downturn. But, Ovechkin could still easily break the record. It's well within his reach.
Click to expand...
IMG_0783.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top