Dissonance meets spoken-word recitation in this blast of atonal noise. As anyone familiar with their work will guess, Giant Sand takes it in a different direction. Īttending the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary show in October ( my review), I saw Jeff Beck bring out Billy Gibbons for a faithful version of this one ( video). This song has a similar title as the awful ’90s television show 3rd Rock from the Sun (responsible for the cardinal sin of bringing French Stewart into our lives). We named Joan As Police Woman’s simply-titled Cover the sixth-best cover album of the year. Jazz-pop pianist Jamie Cullum’s 2003 album Twentysomething featured covers of “Singing in the Rain” and “I Could Have Danced All Night.” Needless to say, this swinging choice came out of left field. Some of Hendrix’s hardest rocking songs are also his saddest. It set the prototype for Johnny Cash’s American Recordings. When Emmylou Harris released her acclaimed Wrecking Ball in 1995, she brought her sound over to a new generation of alternative radio listeners with the help of a non-country producer (Daniel Lanous in this case). The guitars are just as loud as ever, but crunch and noise take the place of soloing. Grunge pioneers Screaming Trees never achieved the fame of fellow Northwest residents Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but before the label blew up Sub Pop released this song on a 1988 compilation.

After her inane introduction, Hendrix dutifully makes it through about two minutes of the song before declaring “We’re going to stop playing this rubbish” and busting into Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.” The show quickly pulls the plug, but the video lives on. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Hey Joe (Billy Roberts)Īfter he blew up in Britain, Jimi brought the Experience to perform on lame variety show It’s Lulu (hosted by the “To Sir With Love” singer). The number one test of a good song: being able to withstand the transition to solo acoustic. Since he didn’t, RDM explores the possibilities.

If Hendrix had lived longer, maybe he would have experimented with mariachi. Though Hendrix covers tend to be an excuse for self-indulgent guitar wankery, approaching Jimi’s compositions from other angles reveals an underappreciated songwriting talent.Įdit 1/16: Links removed by request of the RIAA. It only took about twenty seconds into “Purple Haze” to realize rock and roll wasn’t going to be the same. In 1967 Jimi Hendrix exploded on the scene with his debut Are You Experienced. Got an idea for a future pick? Leave a note in the comments! The first post of the month features covers of every track on a famous album.

Are you experienced album cover