After all the jacks are in their boxes...

[Pete Galati]

And the clowns have all gone to bed
You can hear happiness staggering on down the street
Footsteps dressed in red
And the wind whispers mary

Jimi Hendrix - The Wind Cries Mary
Stockholm Sweden
May 24 1967

[markothefish]

Will the wind ever remember
The names it has blown in the past,
And with this crutch, its old age and its wisdom
It whispers, "No, this will be the last."


Jimi is Great thanks for that clip Pete. I've never seen video of him with that guitar before...

[Mark Davis]

There is a great story about how Jimi wrote that song.

After all the jacks are in their boxes
and the clowns have all gone to bed
You can hear happiness staggering
on down the street
footsteps dressed in red
And the wind whispers Mary
A broom is drearily sweeping
up the broken pieces of yesterdays life
Somewhere a queen is weeping
Somewhere a king has no wife
And the wind, it cries Mary
The traffic lights, they turn,
uh, blue tomorrow
and shine their emptiness down on my bed
The tiny island sags down stream
'cause the life that lived is, is dead
And the wind screams Mary
Uh will the wind ever remember
the names it has blow in the past?
And with this crutch, its old age, and its wisdom
it whispers no, this will be the last
And the wind cries Mary

--------------------------------------------------------------------

THats the words JImi and his girlfriend had a fight that night and that caused this song to be written.

She had fixed JImi something to eat and he didnt like it so he threw the plate and it broke on the floor they got into a big fight and Jimi went out for a walk to cool off and try not to be so upset. When he came back a short time later she was sweeping up the broken pieces of the plate.

After all the jacks are in their boxes and all the clowns have all gone to bed came from when British TV had finished broiadcasting for the night they put a jack in the box away inside the box. The part about the traffic lights turned blue was when Jimi went out for that walk.

Anyway I will have to find the exact details I remember reading this many years ago.

Wind Crys Mary is an excellent song a classic for sure.

[Big John]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

She had fixed JImi something to eat and he didnt like it so he threw the plate and it broke on the floor they got into a big fight and Jimi went out for a walk to cool off and try not to be so upset. When he came back a short time later she was sweeping up the broken pieces of the plate.

Wow !!, if i had thrown a plate i would have been out walking with a broom stuck up somewhere painful !!!

[Pete Galati]

Originally Posted by Big John

Wow !!, if i had thrown a plate i would have been out walking with a broom stuck up somewhere painful !!!

THat's gotta hurt!

You would have been drearily sweeping it up yourself.

I'd never heard that story Mark. Always love the song. Wonderfully written.

Pete

[charlie chitlin]

That song just might be perfect.

[Mark Davis]

Wind Crys Mary is perfect. Its got the perfect lead for that song. It really shows how much Dylan influenced Jimi.

That recording was done about 1 month before Jimi went back to the USA and played at the Montery Pop festival.

[Telecaster Joe]

I also heard that it was done in one or two takes with no rehersal. Jimi just ran it by Noel and Mitch right after he wrote it and they just banged it out in a few minutes.

[Bob Mc]

and that is my favorite. Learning it was an enormous breakthru for me; it came at a time when I thought all rock tunes could be played with root/5 barre chords. It's also a great tune to use when checking out a Strat.

[neocaster]

I saw the thread title and hoped that this was what I'd find inside. Thanks Pete. You made my day.

[Sleph]

Enjoyed that.....thanks for posting Pete

[Hockey Rocker]

Great song. Andy Aledort broke it down on Guitar World's February '07 CD Rom. Andy does a good job with the Hendrix lessons.

[Pete Galati]

You're all welcome.

It was a toss-up between that one, and this one:

Jimi Hendrix - Red House - Woodstock

but I've still got my guitar

[dB]

Look at those frickin' paws. Man I wish I had mitts like that!


dB

[Joel Terry]

Originally Posted by Bob Mc

(I like only a few Hendrix tunes) and that is my favorite. Learning it was an enormous breakthru for me; it came at a time when I thought all rock tunes could be played with root/5 barre chords. It's also a great tune to use when checking out a Strat.

It was while trying to play along with "The Wind Cries Mary" when I was about 14 or 15 that I stumbled on to the fact that Jimi used his thumb as an extra fretting digit (as is readily apparent in the video). That was one of the biggest musical epiphanies of my life.

It's always astounded me that virtually all guitar teachers frown on Jimi's fretting technique--you know the rule: "The tip of the thumb should rest in the middle of the back of the neck and perpendicular to the neck." I've never understood that. It must be a throwback to proper classical guitar technique. You can be sure that if I were a guitar teacher, I'd go out of my way to instruct my students to use their thumb as an extra fretting digit if their hand size permits them to do so; otherwise, it's a waste of resources (so to speak), in my opinion.

-------

No matter what one thinks of Jimi as a guitarist (and if I haven't yet made it perfectly clear on the TDPRI, I will unequivocally state that he's one of my greatest musical influences), there's no denying that the man was a great songwriter with tunes like "The Wind Cries Mary," "Little Wing," "One Rainy Wish," "Castles Made Of Sand," "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn To Be)," "Angel," and "Drifting," among many others.

For what it's worth, I think the person who's come closest to the legacy of Jimi's uncommon mastery of both the guitar and songwriting is John Mayer. I'm not saying John is a Jimi clone, per se; I simply think he is, like Jimi was, a brilliant guitarist and an equally brilliant lyricist. (Think about it: How many outstanding guitarists are also outstanding lyricists?)

I think that's what I strive for most--to be equally adept at playing an instrument and composing music and lyrics. Someone like Jimi, Nat King Cole, Diana Krall, John Mayer, etc. I'm not necessarily looking to be famous, but I'd like for those who hear my tunes to think I'm both a good musician and a good songwriter.

Great video of a magnificent song. Thanks, Pete.

Joel

[Pete Galati]

Originally Posted by Joel Terry

It's always astounded me that virtually all guitar teachers frown on Jimi's fretting technique--you know the rule: "The tip of the thumb should rest in the middle of the back of the neck and perpendicular to the neck." I've never understood that. It must be a throwback to proper classical guitar technique. You can be sure that if I were a guitar teacher, I'd go out of my way to instruct my students to use their thumb as an extra fretting digit if their hand size permits them to do so; otherwise, it's a waste of resources (so to speak), in my opinion.

I'm a big beleiver in not resting your thumb on the back of the neck because that's just not a natural way to play. I didn't start out that way, and all I can figure out is that that's Mel Bay's fault. It's not the only thing I had to unlearn.

My technique might suck according to some teachers, but I play a lot better than when I tried to do things properly.

I'd say more, but I don't feel like arguing with technique freaks.

Pete

[Mark Davis]

We used to call Jimis thumb the rotten banana when we were kids. LOL

Jimi and Stanley Clarke have the biggest hands!

That huge thumb could wrap all the way around the neck leaving the other fingers free. So he could do some stuff we just cant.

When Jimi died 9-18-70 I was really upset he was my hero.

[Pete Galati]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

We used to call Jimis thumb the rotten banana when we were kids. LOL

Jimi and Stanley Clarke have the biggest hands!

That huge thumb could wrap all the way around the neck leaving the other fingers free. So he could do some stuff we just cant.

When Jimi died 9-18-70 I was really upset he was my hero.

You could say that Jimi revolutionized the guitar. Other people have had a lot of influence on how people play, but Hendrix's influence was much more pivitol IMO. And he didn't really play lead or rhythm guitar, he just played.

Pete

[charlie chitlin]

Originally Posted by Joel Terry

(Think about it: How many outstanding guitarists are also outstanding lyricists?)

Joel

John Fogerty

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by Pete Galati

You could say that Jimi revolutionized the guitar. Other people have had a lot of influence on how people play, but Hendrix's influence was much more pivitol IMO. And he didn't really play lead or rhythm guitar, he just played.

Pete

Jimi played lead and rhythm at the same time.

[elmerbumpkin]

Keith Richards is quoted in Ralph Denyer's "Guitar Player's Handbook" as saying something to the effect of: "When you go to buy a guitar, you don't ask for a 'lead' guitar, or a 'rhythm' guitar, you're a 'guitar player' and you play guitar"... I think too many folks these days are going for one or the other, but the masters seamlessly blend it all together.

[Joel Terry]

Originally Posted by charlie frey

John Fogerty

OK, that makes one.... (By the way, I agree, Charlie.)

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Jimi played lead and rhythm at the same time.

Amen. Jimi was the one who put the notion in my head that a guitar/bass/drum trio doesn't have to sound thin if the guitarist, in particular, is adept and imaginative; Pete Townshend, Andy Summers, Alex Lifeson, Eric Johnson, and James Wilsey cemented that notion. (Yes, technically Pete and James were in four-piece bands, but, of course, Roger Daltrey seldom played guitar, and Chris Isaak's rhythm guitar was all but inconsequential to Silvertone's sound, in my opinion.)

Joel

[bo]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel Terry
(Think about it: How many outstanding guitarists are also outstanding lyricists?)

Pete Townshend (that's 2)