Jimi Hendrix Unplugged: Two Great Recordings of Hendrix Playing Acoustic Guitar

As a young guitar player, perhaps no one inspired me more than Jimi Hendrix, but I never dreamed I would ever master even a fraction of his technique. But what drew me to him was his near-formal indifference. He didn’t read music, had no classical training, was left-handed but played a right-handed guitar upside down, and focused his head and heart entirely on every note, never for a moment (as it seemed) doubting whether it was right. I knew his raw, emotive playing was firmly rooted in the Delta blues, but it wasn’t until much later in my musical journey that I learned he’d returned to more traditional forms after breaking up the Experience and forming Band of Gypsys with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. Most of the recordings he made with them were never officially released, but after his death they appeared on compilation after compilation, box set after box set, including One of the most beloved Hendrix’s blues song “Hear My Train A Comin'”.

Originally titled “Get My Heart Back Together,” the song was performed at Woodstock in 1969 and is a pure roots song. lyrics It speaks to both Hendrix’s loneliness and his playful dreams of greatness (“I’m gonna buy this city/And put it all in my shoe”). Several versions of the song have circulated on various posthumous releases, both live and in studio outtakes (such as 1994’s excellent “I’m Gonna Buy This City/And Put It All In My Shoe”). Blues).

But in the clip above, we get a rare treat: Hendrix can be seen performing the song on Leadbelly’s favorite instrument, a 12-string acoustic guitar, from the 1973 documentary. Jimi Hendrix (You can watch it here) Youtube Hendrix plays the intro first, sitting alone in the stark white studio, plucking the folksy fingers of his left hand. It’s perfect, of course, but then he stops and asks the filmmakers to start over. “I was scared to death,” he says, revealing the shyness and self-doubt that lurks beneath his prodigious talent and flamboyant personality. When he picks up the song again and plays it through, his playing is flawless.

A Hendrix solo acoustic recording, both on video and audio, is extremely rare. If you’re a Hendrix or acoustic blues fan like me, this video will leave you wanting to hear more Jimi unplugged. Hendrix was better than anyone before him at turning guitar amps into instruments with their thumping feedback sounds and distorted wah-wah sounds, but when you strip his playing down to the basics, he’s still great.

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