We become familiar with the hit songs of our time. They're unavoidable: their cultural ubiquity penetrates our personal judgment. But it takes volition to dig deeper into an artist's oeuvre. I haven't always done that. I regret missing great art through foolish inaction and am now fixing that flaw.
I lived during the Sixties so, of course, I heard Jimi Hendrix's famous "Purple Haze" dozens of times. I didn't, however, listen to the album on which it premiered ("The Jimi Hendrix Experience"). This omission is inexcusable: many music critics consider the record to be one of rock's all-time best. I finally got my hands on this vinyl masterpiece and have been savoring it non-stop for several days.
"Be forewarned. Used to be an Experience meant making you a bit older. This one makes you wider....Jimi Hendrix breaks the world into interesting fragments. Then reassembles it. You hear with new ears, after being Experienced." (From the album's liner-notes.)
Being just a little too young when the album came out, I only discovered the album in the late 1970s. It is a masterpiece though, one of the defining albums of that time. xxx
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. While you were a few years behind, you were still four decades ahead of me!
DeleteWhat a wonderful reflection Ally and beautifully put about the difference between hearing and truly listening.
ReplyDeleteI think most of us can relate to that sense of rediscovery, where familiar names or songs suddenly open up into something much deeper once we take the time to explore.
I’ve had the pleasure of listening to that album, inventive, fearless, and still sounding fresh after all these years.
There’s something almost otherworldly about Hendrix’s ability to twist sound and emotion together.
I’m glad you shared this — it’s a great reminder to go back and give those classic albums the attention they deserve.
Precisely. We overlook things too quickly now. Great art deserves to be appreciated for many years.
DeleteI need to listen to the album and broaden my horizons.
ReplyDeleteI usually have on Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd, both of whom I consider to be the two best rock bands of all time.
Suzanne
I agree with you on that. But I've heard their music, their entire oeuvres, too many times to be surprised. That's why I'm looking in new territory.
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