It’s also interesting to note that Hendrix switched his band members during this time - Band of Gypsies. I am not sure why he did that - especially since Mitch Mitchell was such a fantastic drummer. It’s difficult to imagine how Ezy Ryder would have sounded like with Mitchell on the drums.
Pressure to be an all black band. He wanted to be played on Black radio stations, have a wider black audience. Play in Harlem, and not get laughed at, for his funny clothes, (hippy) and white drummer, and bassist. It was a political move, a musical career direction choice.
Interesting that you mentioned that. I have always liked Cry of Love a lot, but I rarely hear these tunes on the radio. Are You Experienced seems to get the most attention, Purple Haze, Hey Joe, Foxy Lady, etc. But I agree with you. By the time 1970 rolled around, he was already 4 years into his music and had entered his prime. It is tragic that his career ended the way it did. I can’t imagine what he would have continued to create going into the 70’s.
His first album is brilliant. And the second one, Very good. Third one Electric Ladyland was a double LP, If I remember correctly,most famous for 'voodoo chile.' It was kinda more indulgent, less mainstream. Ya know 5 & 7 min tracks as opposed to 2 & 3 min tracks. That;s my recollection, It was more bluesey and less poppy. Experimental and spacey lyrics. Eg. "1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)" lol wat? merman, 1983...That's Jimi....that's what I mean by spacey; Talk of "Jupiter suns," and interstellar cosmic musings. LSD effect was still strong on the culture.
1983... (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)....[What seems to be the home demo]
"Well its too bad
That our friends
Cant be with us today
Well thats too bad
'The machine
That we built
Would never save us'
That's what they say"
The song is actually...ahead of it;s time. Future underwater cities, might be possible,achievable, and the direction of civilization, if natural disasters, overpopulation and technology advancements, necessitate it. I'm sure Elon Musk types would push for stuff like that. It as been hypothesized. It's somewhat of a testing ground for outerspace colonization and terraforming procedures, as it's poses the same problems. Biodomes, that are selfsustainable in a hostile environment.
EDIT: Okay, I'm rambling...on a tangent. Back to1970...yeah that was his prime. His abilities were refining, he had his custom built studio and was multi tracking on 16(?) tracks. Which was a improvement from 8 tracks, of 1966. Beatles in early 60's started off with 4 tracks I think, moved to 8 tracks, had to keep bumping down tracks, and keep layering the sound, during most of their albums. Only until about 1969/1970 did higher fidelity, dolby noise reduction, 16 tracks, and later 24 tracks start to be more common.
But why are the last year of songs not as widely recognized, or played? I don't know...I guess because he died, before he could popularize them, in the culture. They were all posthumous, the 4th album he never got to release. I don't count band of gypsies...that was just a brief experiment. Mitch Mitchell the drummer actually got back with them in 1970, but he kept the black bassist, Billy something....He did not like Noel redding.
