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 .
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.
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I don't think it's a lack of understanding, maybe perspective. I would say Hockey anaolgies aside maybe another sports reference would apply to my reasoning. For a few years as an undersized (5-10 i think ) guy boxing at Heavywieght against mostly much bigger and by far naturally heavier fighters there was a guy who terrified all of them ( until Robin Givens stole his mojo ). I contest there was no one in history that could deal with what he brought to the table, and I know all about Ali, Frazier, Foreman, yada yada and seen the fights. Nobody had what he had in that few years. I would say Hendrix had that same thing, he terrified the best, Clapton threw his hands up and walked away, I think he forced Beck and everyone else to get better ( and they did ). Of course they were a great band, killer. And I love that little band from Texas and they are a great band with an amazing legacy. I still will love them both.
 
I think it’s funny how personally people take little things like this.

Nobody—even people who say Hendrix was sloppy or had rough/bad tone—denies that he was influential and totally changed the landscape of how many guitarists play. I’ve heard people break up the Rock Era as “Before Hendrix and After Hendrix”…
He’s even a touchpoint/benchmark for musical styles, effects and tones.

But this particular question was (more or least) “Which band was more important to the 1970’s”, which means that ZZ Top won.

Hendrix died in September 1970.
ZZ Top formed in late 1969, and released their First Album in 1971, the first of their six albums of the decade.

Hendrix was a product of the 60’s.
ZZ Top “made their bones” in the 1970’s, and then went on to greater fame and fortune and notoriety in the 1980’s.

Hendrix was influential—shoot, he even influenced Gibbons (if you don’t believe me, listen to the Moving Sidewalks album “Flash”)—but ZZ Top was ultimately a bigger band of the 1970’s.

If Hendrix had won, I don’t think anyone would have Poo-Poo’d on the results…but to dismiss ZZ Top out of hand is (1) not actually answering the question asked and (2) kinda stupid.
 
Fiesta Red said:
I think it’s funny how personally people take little things like this.

Nobody—even people who say Hendrix was sloppy or had rough/bad tone—denies that he was influential and totally changed the landscape of how many guitarists play. I’ve heard people break up the Rock Era as “Before Hendrix and After Hendrix”…
He’s even a touchpoint/benchmark for musical styles, effects and tones.

But this particular question was (more or least) “Which band was more important to the 1970’s”, which means that ZZ Top won.

Hendrix died in September 1970.
ZZ Top formed in late 1969, and released their First Album in 1971, the first of their six albums of the decade.

Hendrix was a product of the 60’s.
ZZ Top “made their bones” in the 1970’s, and then went on to greater fame and fortune and notoriety in the 1980’s.

Hendrix was influential—shoot, he even influenced Gibbons (if you don’t believe me, listen to the Moving Sidewalks album “Flash”)—but ZZ Top was ultimately a bigger band of the 1970’s.

If Hendrix had won, I don’t think anyone would have Poo-Poo’d on the results…but to dismiss ZZ Top out of hand is (1) not actually answering the question asked and (2) kinda stupid.
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I love the results , it is so predictable.
Fan = Fanatic. Stupid is as stupid does.
People’s choice.
 
ibmorjamn said:
Main stream is painful.
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My listening habits are not common and often stray out of the main stream, but I don’t reject something just because it’s mainstream.

…and sometimes the underground becomes the mainstream, so if I hated everything mainstream, I might be rejecting something I’d like otherwise.

There’s two kinds of music:

Good Music and Bad Music.

I listen to the former.

I ignore the latter.
 
Fiesta Red said:
I’m sorry, I am not quite sure what you mean…
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ZZ Top was fine, no issue with them.
Personally I don’t think a larger body of work has anything to do with what I would rather listen to. Main Stream is a generalization term.
I know what I like. Many bands I like at some point in their careers turned to commercial appeal and lost me. So for ZZ Top, they lost me. If that’s is stupid, so be it.
 
Last edited:
What is "more?" If it's hours on stage ZZ wins handily.
Causing more booties to shake with wild abandon, ZZ wins that one easily too.
If It's expanding the boundaries of taste and style of the day, causing musicians to rethink and recalibrate, gotta give that one to Jimi and Co.
 
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