Let's Speculate: What if Hendrix had lived and Clapton had died?

[Tomm Williams]

I dont think he would have done as much as most people think he would have done. he may well have just faded into the background. While cutting edge at the time , he was pretty sloppy. He was also self destructive. My guess is that he would have ended up pretty unable to function as a rock star. Its not an uncommon path. think brian wilson.

 

 

Gonna agree 100% in this one. Hendrix was a master at what he did but after you listen to it for a decade or two, it doesn't seem so incredible. I think the timing of his death has more to do with his legacy than the actual quality of his playing. He was a monster ---no doubt, but I think the legend became bigger than the man. I don't believe for one second that Clapton would have had near the "post-mortem" reputation if he had passed on after the Bluesbreaker album.

[Vito Corleone]

I don't believe for one second that Clapton would have had near the "post-mortem" reputation if he had passed on after the Bluesbreaker album.

 

 

I agree. If no other reason, because posters of Clapton don't look NEARLY as cool on a kid's bedroom wall.

[kmart]

Nobody has had to endure Jim Morrison doing a Duets album with younger singers warbling Doors classics...

 

No but we do have his 'poetry' phase; Morrison was already well down from the peak of his best before he died.

[MartinC]

I'm 53, and when I was 15, I hung out with a buddy and his older brother, who was a professional guitarist. His whole band would put on a Jimi record, like Band of gypsies, and we'd all sit in silence for the entire record. Those guys wanted to try to figure out every single fart Jimi produced. Once, they were agruing about how a certain sound was produced, i commented What does it matter, as long as he does it?" they almost threw me out, and explained how they needed to figure it out because they were guitarists. Cover band? No, maybe not in the sixties. But when I started playing in coverbands in 1979, being able to play a few of his tunes, get a bit of his sound, was huge even in coverbands.

I think alot of younger musicans think he was alot bigger than he actually was back in the day. His stuff was not main stream cover band material during the summer of love. If you played alot of hendrix , you were not a top band in the working band cover scene.

 

[DarthElvis]

 

SRV would have had no one to rip off.

 

 

I love the people who say SRV ripped off Hendrix, I hear more of Albert and Freddie King than Jimi in his playing. You want a blatant Hendrix rip off ? Check out Robin Trower.

[Vito Corleone]

I think alot of younger musicans think he was alot bigger than he actually was back in the day. His stuff was not main stream cover band material during the summer of love. If you played alot of hendrix , you were not a top band in the working band cover scene.

 

 

Yeah, but that's more about the divide between radio-friendly-pop and underground-rock that still exists today. I'm guessing there must have been plenty of "serious artist" types listening to Hendrix in the late 60s who were laughing at the bands who "stooped" to play The Association and Three Dog Night.

 

Not all that different than how the bands playing "mainstream cover band material" like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga get looked at today....

[Vito Corleone]

No but we do have his 'poetry' phase; Morrison was already well down from the peak of his best before he died.

 

 

True. But wasn't that poetry stuff released AFTER his death? Hopefully it would have never seen the light of day had he lived.

 

But I agree he was already past his peak (largely probably a result of the substance abuse that contributed to his death). I've never been much of a Doors fan anyway, but I always liked the "LA Woman" and "Riders in the Storm"-period stuff least of all.

[MartinC]

True-plenty of albert in SRV, but even more Jimi. Trower, for sure, but Trower had his own thing as far as writing. As far as Jimi rip offs, please include Prince, who at least in his super bowl show, was almost a tribute. And even Lenny Kravitz has borrowed quite a bit. As far as guitar guys, name a rocker after 1970 who didn't rip off jimi.

I love the people who say SRV ripped off Hendrix, I hear more of Albert and Freddie King than Jimi in his playing. You want a blatant Hendrix rip off ? Check out Robin Trower.

 

[tim_7string]

I believe Hendrix would have peaked in the early to mid 70s, making spacier and more out there music which would have alienated a lot of fans. His career would have probably faded away a bit during the disco era. He might have had a comeback in the 80s, facilitated by people who thought his 60s stuff was so incredible (and forgetting the crap he put out in the 70s lol). That would have lasted for a few years, then he would just comfortably tour as an old relic like so many acts do from the 60s, but only once in a while and not for very long with each jaunt. I recall reading about Hendrix's distaste for long tours (loved playing live, just not being on the road forever), so he might have just done a month-long tour, or even a 10 date, 2.5 week tour like The Cars did in May.

 

It's fun to speculate.

 

guido mentioned The Who. I'm a huge Who/Townshend fan, so I often wonder what people would have thought if Pete had died after recording Who's Next. Quadrophenia hadn't been released or perhaps wasn't even written yet and many Who fans consider that their best album (not me, I find it kind of boring, but I digress). Maybe it could have been the great 'unfinished' album, like The Beach Boys/Brian Wilson's "SMiLE"?

 

Artists that die young are definitely looked at with a reverence that may or may not be deserving of their output. They don't have a chance to mature and/or 'suck' like the ones that survive.

[Scott Powell]

oh man, if Clapton had died i would never ever have had to play Cocaine,Lay Down Sally or Wonderful Tonight in bars for the past 30 years!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KeysBear]

 

True. But wasn't that poetry stuff released AFTER his death? Hopefully it would have never seen the light of day had he lived. But I agree he was already past his peak (largely probably a result of the substance abuse that contributed to his death). I've never been much of a Doors fan anyway, but I always liked the "LA Woman" and "Riders in the Storm"-period stuff least of all.

 

 

As with any artist they have all their lives to write material up until their big break. The first three Doors albums were pretty much fleshed out well in advance with material to spare. Robby Krieger was probably the most gifted songwriter of the group and wrote the majority of Light My Fire so it wasn't all about Morrison. So you make it big, you tour for a few years and suddenly you show up in the studio saying to each other "what have you got? I dunno, what have you got?" I thought the Doors ran out of gas with The Soft Parade then as if by magic they thoroughly redeemed themselves with Morrison Hotel.

 

This could have applied to Hendrix if he lived. It could have been up and down for awhile then you never know when the tap runs dry. He could have recorded a few bust albums and then quietly drifted away from the spotlight. We'll never know if his best was yet to come but with Jimi I like to think he would have amazed us even more as the years went by.

[tlbonehead]

I think that's likely. But I also think that, like Dylan, he'd largely still be riding on the music he did in the 60s with he subsequent material being spotty and largely disconnected with younger audiences. It's funny how this works but when you look at an aging artist like Dylan---yes, he's still influential with many young kids, but it's just his OLD stuff they like. The only people who have been buying any record Dylan has released since the mid 70s has been pretty much just the fans who grew up with him. I could very well imagine it being the same way with Hendrix--young kids would still be listening to "Are You Experienced?" but hardly anyone under 50 would be listening to his 2005Grammy winning album...

I know a lot of younger people who are huge Traveling Wilbury fans. I can't tell you how many "under 30" people, mostly female, who have requested or suggested we learn Tweeter and the Monkey Man.

[tlbonehead]

oh man, if Clapton had died i would never ever have had to play Cocaine,Lay Down Sally or Wonderful Tonight in bars for the past 30 years!!!!!!!!!!!!

never heard why anyone would choose Lay Down Sally as an actual gigging song, especially when his catalog is overflowing with great material.

[Vito Corleone]

I know a lot of younger people who are huge Traveling Wilbury fans. I can't tell you how many "under 30" people, mostly female, who have requested or suggested we learn Tweeter and the Monkey Man.

 

 

LOL....all I can say is that once again you show me that you must live in the strangest part of the country imaginable. I've NEVER had a request for Travelling Wilburys....by anyone of ANY age...let alone those two songs.

 

...but more power to you for finding the place where those people live!

[troyguitar]

I'd have pegged him to either keep getting more and more experimental over time and only be liked by other guitarists a la Uli Jon Roth and Jeff Beck - or to quit advancing and play the stuff that actually sells a la Carlos Santana and Gary Moore. Hard to guess which one would be more likely.

[Vito Corleone]

never heard why anyone would choose Lay Down Sally as an actual gigging song, especially when his catalog is overflowing with great material.

 

 

Not sure I've heard ANY band play Lay Down Sally for years and years, but if one did I would assume it was because people wanted to hear THAT SONG as opposed to "something from the Eric Clapton catalog, please..."

 

That's the kind of oldie I would imagine my wife probably digs. I doubt she knows, or could care less, that it was an Eric Clapton song.

[Vito Corleone]

I'd have pegged him to either keep getting more and more experimental over time and only be liked by other guitarists a la Uli Jon Roth and Jeff Beck - or to quit advancing and play the stuff that actually sells a la Carlos Santana and Gary Moore. Hard to guess which one would be more likely.

 

 

Probably a bit of both at some point. Many hardcore Hendrix afficianados might cringe at this, but one of the few modern 'geniuses' who DIDN'T kill himself who we can point to is Prince. Yes, he pursued commercial success much harder than Hendrix ever would have (hard to picture Hendrix making movies...) but after his big hits started to fade (even before actually) he went down the road of being more experimental and 'artistic' but virtually no one knows that except his most hardcore fans. And likely, Hendrix would have had about the same success with it.

 

Also, Prince did a "play with the modern stars like Santana did" record which completely bombed. Most of his fans regard it as one of his absolute worst.

[TIMKEYS]

Not sure I've heard ANY band play Lay Down Sally for years and years, but if one did I would assume it was because people wanted to hear THAT SONG as opposed to "something from the Eric Clapton catalog, please..." That's the kind of oldie I would imagine my wife probably digs. I doubt she knows, or could care less, that it was an Eric Clapton song.

 

 

we got two bands down here that do LDS. A duo and us lol. the hook that makes that song work is the harmony on the chorus. We have done wonderful tonight about three times in 9 months. You play with old guys and you end up doing all kinds of songs. Its a filler song for the most part. It works well when we have guest players on stage. easy ,, lots of solo room.

[Vito Corleone]

the hook that makes that song work is the harmony on the chorus.

 

Yeah. that was always my favorite part of playing that song was falsettoing that female harmony.

[TIMKEYS]

the hook that makes that song work is the harmony on the chorus. Yeah. that was always my favorite part of playing that song was falsettoing that female harmony.

 

 

Its a good song because its a good sing along.

[Vito Corleone]

Its a good song because its a good sing along.

 

 

It's way too low-key for any of the gigs we do. If somebody requested it, we'd pull it out, but nobody ever has.

[3shiftgtr]

In Miles Davis' autobiography, he says that he LOVED Machine Gun, and saw a Hendrix show and they talked about doing a show. Hendrix spent time at Miles' house and they were putting plans in place to do a project together in late 70 or 71.

 

My speculation is that Hendrix's focus in the 70's would have become more musically daring. He would have continued with the "rock" thing, but he was dismayed with his lack of attracting a black audience. Combine that need with a collaboration with Miles, and he could have been doing what Gil Scot Herron and the Lost Poets did combined African American 70's beat culture with jazz. 'Cept he would have put his soul on it. Which is exactly what it needed.

 

Or he could have done the Jeff Beck thing and made a couple of fusion records.

 

Or in the late 70's made a psych rock disco record. Heh...just kidding.

 

Certainly in the 80's he would have mellowed out and done a bluesey soul thing as the rock style he invented had been distilled into the culture and there was no need to beat that horse.

 

But then in the late 90's, with something to prove, he would release, a saturated, heavy, intense, grown up and mature Band of Gypsies type thing.

 

And guested on a Lady Ga Ga record.

 

And no one would miss Eric.

[Surrealistic]

I really question if he was good enough to go into the jazz genre. those guys are really good and have a huge command of chords, scales and structure. Many could play chet stuff with their eyes closed. Hendrix was not even close to being that kind of guitar player

I guess we'll never know but I really think you're wrong about this. He played a fluid loose style all of his own with the Jimi Hendrix Experience but he'd played as a sideman for years and was highly regarded musically by just about everyone at the time. I wouldn't doubt he could do the business in jazz.

 

Personally I think he'd probably have gone down a similar road to that taken by Carlos Santana, ie collaborations with musicians in various genres.

[urca]

As far as guitar guys, name a rocker after 1970 who didn't rip off jimi.

 

 

Eddie Van Halen

Yngwie Malmsteen

Ritchie Blackmore

Allan Holdsworth

Randy Rhodes

[guitarguy19]

 

SRV would have had no one to rip off.

 

 

Hey now...uncalled for. As much as I LOVE Hendrix, SRV would've played circles around him technically, plus he had a better voice. Besides, he's not even close to a carbon copy of Hendrix anyways. To me, that's like the definition of influence. As amazing as Jimi was, his biggest asset IMO was his creativity. He flat out changed everything.

 

Now Kenny Wayne Shepherd...there's a copy cat (of SRV). I like Kenny but he's SRV jr....let's be real.