Voodoo Chile evolved from Catfish Blues, a song which Hendrix performed regularly during 1967 and early 1968. Catfish Blues was an homage to Muddy Waters, made up of a medley of verses based on Waters songs, including Rollin Stone, Still a Fool, and Rollin and Tumblin. In April 1968, Hendrix recorded a number of solo demos in a New York hotel, including an early Voodoo Chile, which he had been developing for some time. It used elements of Catfish Blues with new lyrics by Hendrix and included a vocal and guitar unison line. Music critic Charles Shaar Murray describes Voodoo Chile as virtually a chronological guided tour of blues styles ranging from early Delta blues, through the electric blues of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, to the more sophisticated style of B.B. King, and the cosmic blurt of John Coltrane. Lyrically, he adds, the song is part of a long, long line of supernatural brag songs. Hendrixs song opens with: Well the night I was born, Lord I swear the moon turned a fire red (2×) Well, my poor mother cried out, Lord, the gypsy was right, an I seed her fell down right dead Hoochie Coochie Man, the Muddy Waters/Willie Dixon blues classic, opens: The gypsy woman told my mother, before I was born You got a boy child comin, goin be a son of a gun In later verses, Hendrix, a fan of science fiction, adds references to the outskirts of infinity and Jupiters sulfur mines. During the Electric Ladyland recording sessions at the Record Plant, Hendrix and the band often explored the New York City club scene and frequently jammed with the performers. After one such jam at the nearby the Scene club, Hendrix brought a group of twenty or so back to the studio (his practice of inviting large groups to the studio led Noel Redding to storm out of the Record Plant earlier that evening and he was not present during the recording of Voodoo Chile). Organist Steve Winwood from Traffic, bassist Jack Casady from Jefferson Airplane, and jazz guitarist Larry Coryell were among those present. Although Coryell was invited to play, he declined and Hendrix proceeded to record Voodoo Chile with Mitchell, Winwood, and Casady. The remainder were on hand to provide the ambient crowd noise. youtu.be/gnIQ4w6ROLY
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 12:58:12 +0000
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