Jimmy versus Jimi

[The Bomber]

ask Janie "Purple Hazel" Henndrix, Jimi's step-sister (no blood relation) who now runs his empire...and sells everything under the sun with Jimi's likeness on it...golf balls, boxer shorts, toilet plungers...she makes me sick....I hope i have answered your question...

Hendrix was exploited,that was his tragedy,Jimmy was not,that is his,he kept himself to himself after Zep,he kind of faded,The Firm kept him afloat,but he dipped off into near obscurity,he was always great but wasn't as accessible.Janie's the giant arse of the earth,she's a sellout,Jimmy never did,hence his memory won't be disgraced.

I don't care what he would have achieved,look at what he did achieve,and compare that to Page,Page is my pick every time.

It makes me sad thinking about Hendrix,R.I.P.

[Deezer]

Hendrix was easier to exploit though. A poor black kid who never had anything suddenly had everything. Much easier to exploit than a guy who by the time Zeppelin took off was a veteran.

[kakdaddy]

Four of Hendixs' albums came out in his lifetime: "Are You Experienced", "Axis:Bold As Love", "Electric Ladyland", & "Band Of Gypsys'". I'd say it's an understatement to call this a solid body of work in 3 years, it was revolutionary.

We have over 40 years of music to go by with Page, & most posters are concentrating on his peak work with Zeppelin. No sessions, Yardbirds, Death Wish, Firm, etc. It's a bit biased. I say this with Page being my favorite musician, I just don't think it's a fair comparison if you compare one segment of Page's career, his peak, to Hendrixs', warts & all.

Why not compare Hendrixs' "Monterey" album to Pages' playing on the Yardbirds' "Live at the Anderson Theatre"? They're only a year apart & I think if it were a competition I know who would win hands down.

[fenderguy]

It still bothers me that Hendrix died so young---and under questionable circumstances. Page did not have to deal with an impoverished childhood, moving around living with different family members, having his mother die when he was young, or a lack of education.

I think Jimi was a fantastic guitar player, a good songwriter, and an under rated singer. You wouldn't know it after listening to Isle of Wight because by then his life was pretty much out of control. It should have never been released. As far as recordings go, I don't think anyone should be without the first 3: Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland. This guy was a major innovator. It is just too bad he had no business sense whatsoever.

[lzatlanta73]

Jimi -- Jimmy -- Eric

I've had this discussion many times as I'm sure you all have.

Jimi -- yes, he was taken too young. IMO he set the standard by which all future guitarists would be "judged" (for lack of a better word). The craziness in his own life came through on his playing and it was magic.

Eric -- they don't call him slowhand for nothing. One of the most boring concerts I have ever seen. Saw him once in the mid 70s and that was enough.

Jimmy -- Exciting, innovative, always fresh and playful. He could play rock, blues, and jazz flavored guitar. He is, IMO, truly a master of the instrument.

True story: a friend of mine's father was the guitar player with Little Richard from the 60's to the late 90's or the early 2000s (don't remember exact date). Great story -- he replaced Little Richard's former guitar player who according to my friends father was just to weird for LR. That guitar player -- Jimi Hendrix.

[fenderguy]

Since Jimi was "discovered" by an Englishman and transported to the U.K. for his recording debut, it is a little surprising they did not cross paths with anyone from L.Z. If they did, I don't remember reading about it. When Jimi was a sideman he had a reputation as someone who was easy to work with and just happy to be included, but I don't think Jimi thought Little Richard was easy to work with.

[RjK]

I know we all love Jimmy here but you can't compare the two simply because Jimi does not have a lifelong career to compare to. We will never know how he would of progressed if he had lived so I respectfully never try to compare the 2 Jimmies.

RjK

[Evster2012]

Eric -- they don't call him slowhand for nothing. One of the most boring concerts I have ever seen. Saw him once in the mid 70s and that was enough.

FWIW, Eric wasn't coined Slowhand because of his playing style, but rather that the audiences would clap slowly after he blew their minds. I'm not a huge fan of Clapton personally, but that's the origin of the monicker. Not meaning to be contradictory, just putting it out there.

I think what it comes down to is whether it moves you or not. Hendrix rarely moves me. Page takes me out there. It's a matter of chemistry. Hendrix simply doesn't get my synapses spiking. It's just taste. It doesn't mean anything. Comparing techniques and how things evolved or were derived is a valid discussion. Who's better is pointless and cannot be quantified.

And Otto, I totally agree about Beethoven and Mozart. It took young Beethoven going to Vienna and meeting Mozart to open his eyes to a wider world. Cheers my friend!

[pop]

Yes, hard to compare; Jimi was a FLASH who changed guitar playing forever in his short time. Jimmy brought evolution to the guitar and rock music itself in his longer career as he had time to savor the different styles of music that could be brought into the rock hemisphere and create new ones besides.

Jimi never had his chance though he made a much more immediate impact than Jimmy did at that time. We'll never know if Jimi would have remained as impactful as he was in his beginnings or if he would have even been as creative as Jimmy was in the long run....

[eagle87]

I couldn't agree more. Jimi was groundbreaking and intensly innovative. But Jimmy was way more diversified,passionate and hit the-nail-on-the-head heavy. Hammer of the Gods!

Agree. Two monsters, but Jimmy... damn.

1º Jimmy Page

2º Jimi Hendrix

3º Between Eddie Van Halen and Angus Young

[beatbo]

FWIW, Eric wasn't coined Slowhand because of his playing style, but rather that the audiences would clap slowly after he blew their minds. I'm not a huge fan of Clapton personally, but that's the origin of the monicker. Not meaning to be contradictory, just putting it out there.

I think what it comes down to is whether it moves you or not. Hendrix rarely moves me. Page takes me out there. It's a matter of chemistry. Hendrix simply doesn't get my synapses spiking. It's just taste. It doesn't mean anything. Comparing techniques and how things evolved or were derived is a valid discussion. Who's better is pointless and cannot be quantified.

And Otto, I totally agree about Beethoven and Mozart. It took young Beethoven going to Vienna and meeting Mozart to open his eyes to a wider world. Cheers my friend!

what about terms of influence? it could be said that zeppelin as a band influenced music as a whole profoundly, but if you rounded up all of the greatest popular music guitar players, who would most of them cite as their main influence?

you going to have a lot of clapton in this if you do that, i think

i personally believe that if we asked this question of guitar players ten years ago or even a year ago, this would be handily won by hendrix. now i'm not so sure....

[The Bomber]

As a guitarist,i feel i speak for many guitar players on the forum when i say that Jimi's legacy is disgraced by an over commercial sister (As stonefreelee said) and a string of defective clones,what a guitarist though!I just look at the 3 experience albums,the Gypsy album,and a few live recordings and ignore the crap that smears his legacy,now Page is better,technically.But look at the stuff Jimi did in 4 years!Page is by far my favourite guitarist of all time,he revolutionized guitar and music further than Hendrix.

I'll say this much:

Jimi:Revolutionized guitar forever,undeniable,but that was all,he was a flash in the ppan,there one day,gone the next,and changed the world along the way,not the most artistic,no acoustic,no skill,but it was the magic and intensity of him that allowed him his acclaim

Jimmy:It is naive to assume Jimi is best without questioning the statement,people take it as gospel,but Jimmy was a better artist,he turned music entirely on it's head,played acoustic,wrote better songs,and influenced music more than Jimi,while Jimi simply changed guitar.

Ok,Page changed production techniques,guitar playing and everything,Jimi wasn't really meant to last forever,just to change everything in a short window of time,but i prefer Page because unlike the tragedy of Hendrix,him and his music will last forever.

[Deezer]

We have no idea where Hendrix would've gone. To say he was a flash in the pan is underrating him. We have no idea where he would've gone, even in the next 5 years, had he lived. Judging by the material on First Rays, he was definition in the process of evolving.

[ZoSo88]

The issue here is overal perception. The fact that they are both great can harm the debate because the moment you pick a winner, someone will say what's wrong with hendrix/page? There is nothing wrong with either. Both are two of the greatest hands down, with Page being the all time greatest if you had to rank and here's why.

He was the most versitile (picked up from being the world's best session player), his creative genius, riff making, knowing how to construct and produce a song. Bottom line, Jimmy knew what people wanted. For Hendrix, outside of Purple haze, all along the watchtower, voodoo, etc...it becomes more of an aquired taste where as Page has too many classics to count. Now Page has lived longer, but just because Hendrix OD'ed does not mean he deserves to be credited with a lifetimes worth or work, the same quality of what he had been doing. So many people fade quick. I dont think Hendrix would have...but we cant assume either. Other then the Bealtes, Zep is the most successfull band ever and per-album sales are the highest of any act ever! Pagey produced everyalbum, did so much songwriting, was the staple of their live show (one of them anyway), and is the godfather of heavy metal.

But even strict guitar playing, i dont care who's more technically skilled. Overall being unique, diverse, crafty, and catchy...Page is the greatest of all time.

[Evster2012]

Again, I think the comparison is futile. Hendrix may have had some inluence on Jimmy's blues playing and flash stage style, but Page was incorporating travels to India and Morrocco as well as Celtic influences into his craft. He expanded rock music in his writing, and that had little or nothing to do with Hendrix.

[chef free]

Who's better or who's your favorite?

Man those two dudes are/were such great guitar players there's just no way mere mortals can rate them!

But I'll try anyway:

Possible facts we can agree on?

Jimmy had a better band.

Jimi was a better singer/lyricist.

Jimmy is a better businessman.

Jimi got famous first.

There you have it... it's a tie!

Now I'm going out to the garage and listen to MSG 9-19-70 and Copenhagen 9-3-70 and think a little more about this.

(P.S. Personally Zep is my favorite band and Hendrix is my favorite guitar player.)

[ohjimmy]

Rock guitar playing all starts and ends with Hendrix.....he got the guitar and shoved it down everyones throat back in 66/67 and changed rock music forever.....thank the lord above for him !!! what he did in 4 short years will never ever be accomplished again.......just like what the beatles did in 8 short years.

Go take "experience" "axis" "ladyland" and "gypsies" for a spin....it doesn't get much more innovative then that....he has in one way or another influenced anyone that has ever picked up a guitar to learn rock music......he added so much colour to guitar playing and he had so much feel.

Page is by far my fav guitar player, but there is no denying the accomplishments of jimi hendrix and how he changed rock guitar playing forever.....you have to remember he also influenced page in many ways.....I'm sure page would admit to this.

cheers

[Deezer]

Again, I think anything anyone says just comes down to an opinion. Of the four pages, I have yet to see anything that would convince me that one is necessarily better than the other. Just a bunch of people who like one more than the other.

Thus, this is a debate that will not be settled.

[stonefreelee]

I'll say this much:

he was a flash in the pan,there one day,gone the next,and changed the world along the way,not the most artistic,no acoustic,no skill,

Jimmy was a better artist,he turned music entirely on it's head,played acoustic,wrote better songs,and influenced music more than Jimi,while Jimi simply changed guitar.

Ok,Page changed production techniques,guitar playing and everything,Jimi wasn't really meant to last forever,just to change everything in a short window of time,but i prefer Page because unlike the tragedy of Hendrix,him and his music will last forever.

ok. first i agree with a few points in your post, however, I do take exception to some of the other statements that i have partly listed above. As most individuals know, jimi was no "flash in the pan", as it were. The legacy and changes he created and left us have few rivals. There is also no doubt that jimmy page has created may changes in somewhat different ways and also has created a lasting legacy.

"not the most artistic...no skill" Hhmmmm. I will even give you the benefit of the doubt...but just let those of you who are under the illusion, er, of the opinion that jimmy page somehow was better at this or that compared to hendrix, i respect your right to your beliefs. I just dont understand that anyone could truly believe that could be so. That could only be a decision based on emotion and not a cold hard look at the facts.

Jimi Hendrix, most know, basically slept with his guitar since he was a young boy. The guitar was his life. He played his instrument constantly and most probably, every day of his teen/adult life. Except when it was in the pawn shop...Jimi jammed and played fluidly, frequently, 12 hours straight maybe, in the studio, to varying degrees, obviously...

Jimmy Page and Hendrix truly are like comparing apples and oranges, as many have stated, but to imply, no, outright state that hendrix had "no skill", c'mon man, that's just absurd. How many interviews did I read (in the seventies) where page is quoted as saying, "I dont practice much" or "I dont play guitar much when we're not touring" , paraphrases, yes, but page and hendrix had totally different approaches to playing guitar. Page definately was the master of the orchestration, the implementation of the guitar army...and I knew and love zep before I knew crap about hendrix...

The thing about (well, one of the many things) hendrix was, he was thinking about how he could expand and create sounds he heard in everyday life as well as the ones he heard in his dreams and imagination...and he actively pursued and attempted to capture, stretch , bend, and explore these creations in a very obsesive, driven way. During some takes for songs on electric ladyland, for instance, jimi would record scores of solos for song after song...people think page is a perfectionist (and rightly he so!) but mamy have no idea hendrix could be worse! Ask Eddie Kramer...

how the fuck are you supposed to pick the main solo for say, "c'mon" when jimi has literally recorded 37 completely viable takes, each one a frickin' gem in it's own right?

With all due respect to zeppelin, my favorite band of all time, i'd like to repeat what i read in an earlier post. That is, Jimi was a one man show with two hired sidemen who gave little or no imput and were rarely asked. Mitch Mitchell obviously was worthy of being hendrix' timekeeper and is vastly underated...he definately contributed to the sound of the experience if nothing else.

Zeppelin, on the other hand, had four members who (at least eventually) had somewhat equal opportunity to contribute to the whole or with individual ideas/contributions...

[The Bomber]

Flash in the pan,ok i take it back,Jimi was a Supernova in the pan that changed guitar forever,but he died.And Jimmy took over the post of greatest in the world which Hendrix took up from Clapton,Clapton had mass longevity but his music faded,i'm going to see him live later this year But back to the topic,Jimi was very skilled,and artistic,but in a more chaotic way,Page fluently went through chaos,control,lucidity and madness,Jimi burned out fast and by not as artistic i mean listen to the emotion pouring out of an acoustic piece by Page,i love Jimi's stuff like Little Wing,but somehow Page moves me more,and that's what matters.

[Joelmon]

nevermind.

[Deezer]

Flash in the pan,ok i take it back,Jimi was a Supernova in the pan that changed guitar forever,but he died.And Jimmy took over the post of greatest in the world which Hendrix took up from Clapton,Clapton had mass longevity but his music faded,i'm going to see him live later this year But back to the topic,Jimi was very skilled,and artistic,but in a more chaotic way,Page fluently went through chaos,control,lucidity and madness,Jimi burned out fast and by not as artistic i mean listen to the emotion pouring out of an acoustic piece by Page,i love Jimi's stuff like Little Wing,but somehow Page moves me more,and that's what matters.

Yeah, he moves you more, and that's cool with me, but that's on your end. But to say because he moves you more that Jimmy Page is somehow "more" emotional than Hendrix is just not correct. Watch Hendrix play. That guy was almost straining he was putting so much into it. Heck, his performances in 1969 and 1970 are probably even moreso that way, because that was his only outlet in the turmoil that was his life at that point.

And I don't people to think that I'm somehow bashing Jimmy Page. It's just that on this site (AND DESERVEDLY SO IT IS A ZEPPELIN SITE AFTER ALL) there's not a whole lot of people saying Page sucks. Gotta stick up for Jimi.

[stonefreelee]

Yeah, he moves you more, and that's cool with me, but that's on your end. But to say because he moves you more that Jimmy Page is somehow "more" emotional than Hendrix is just not correct. Watch Hendrix play. That guy was almost straining he was putting so much into it. Heck, his performances in 1969 and 1970 are probably even moreso that way, because that was his only outlet in the turmoil that was his life at that point.

And I don't people to think that I'm somehow bashing Jimmy Page. It's just that on this site (AND DESERVEDLY SO IT IS A ZEPPELIN SITE AFTER ALL) there's not a whole lot of people saying Page sucks. Gotta stick up for Jimi.

Boy, I couldn't agree more. As I stated before, I became a zep freak around early '78 and it wasn't until about 6 months later that I even heard the name Jimi Hendrix. The more I learned about Jimi and his recordings/legacy, the more I learned about him, his struggles...there is simply not a fair comparison to Jimmy or Zep...I LOVE lz and their members and everything they have ever done, even "Hot Dog", hee hee...but Jimi was sooo much more than "fire" or "purple haze", etc...those were simply his 'breakthru" songs...listen to "Rainy Day, Dream Away" or the epic "1983" or listen to awesome later tracks like "Freedom", "Dolly Dagger". "Ezy Ryder", "Night Bird Flying", "Straight Ahead", "Angel", etc...most people know nothing past "Purple Haze" -to all the slagger's and Jimi haters: Open your minds and ears and do a little research...

and Deezer, you are so correct about the feeling thing...Hendrix ooozed feeling, he bled feeling, slags: listen to the live version of "Hear My Train a 'coming" from Berklee Com. Center, May, 1970. This is the version that was the last song on the old "Rainbow Bridge" lp. You can feel his pain, the sadness in the notes...

I could ramble on and on about hendrix...but lz is still my favorite band. Jimi was simpy a one-man virtuoso, a musical genius...

In summation, Jim Morrison, like him or not, was quoted as saying (and rightly so), "Comparisons are a shortcut to thinking..."

[fenderguy]

In my opinion, none of Hendrix's "essential" or "greatest hits" re-packages will do the trick. They leave out too many good songs that a lot of people should know about. Plus, Jimi was good at mixing short and long songs of various types that made each recording a unique experience. I literally think that since there were only three studio releases in Jimi's lifetime, everyone should buy them. Then get some of the rest of the stuff.

[Deezer]

I agree fenderguy.