 | |
| | Publisher: Belitha Press Ltd
Salesrank: 4032001
|
| Our Price: $178.35 |
| Used Price: $178.34 |
|
| Media: Hardcover |
|
Editorial Review:
An illustrated account of the career of rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix, which draws upon a collection of Hendrix memorabilia to provide a pictorial guide to the musician's life, with a discography of 150 singles dating from 1967 onwards, and photographs of Hendrix' performances.
Jimi Hendrix: The Man, the Music, the Memorabilia Reviews:
A Bio from a Musical POV 
2009-09-26 - I want to join the previous recommandations by saying - a great Rock Bio from the music point of view, which is, unfortunately very rare. Recommanded to any rock music lover and musicians as it brings all that's important and interesting regarding Hendrix life and music. As mentioned before, the appendices alone worth buying the book, but the book itself is well written and full of the right stuff.
Being on my cinical side, I'd force Rock Biographers wanna'bees read this book cover to cover to understand what a bio looks like and feels like, instead of flooding the market with bad shallow tabloids stuff biographies.
Excellent bio of a very complicated, contradictory man. 
2009-04-01 - It could be said that Electric Gypsy is a disjointed book thematically, but that's only because it accurately details a disjointed life. Jimi Hendrix, I've come to understand from reading this, was a living contradiction - a counterculture icon who embraced the drug use and fashion, but who was quietly a conservative philosophically opposed to so many of the core ideals of counterculture (the peace movement, embracing communism, etc). Considering how much that cultural split ripped the nation in two, it's amazing that Hendrix could embrace both sides. He was a living contradiction in some ways, but that's an illusion caused by judging him by our standards. In truth, Hendrix was very much an individual. He truly marched to the strum of his own guitar, and that alone makes him worth learning about. Despite his eventual (and still somewhat debatable) self-destruction, that individual spirit reflects the best of American character, as well as the risks inherent to such things. Hendrix was definitely a very American figure. I recommend Electric Gypsy as a good way to understand him.
The Best Jimi Hexdrix Bio Ever!
2009-03-04 - I have read many books about Jimi Hendrix and Electric Gypsy was the best one! The book starts with Jimi's poor, sad, tragic childhood, his mother died when he was just 15 and his younger brother Leon has to be sent to a foster home. His father Al struggles with odd jobs to keep food on the table. Jimi's one joy is music and his guitar. What is wonderful is the book is filled with Jimi's own words from interviews and I got a sense of who he was as a person. He comes across as a very humble, spiritual person who just wanted to create beautiful music filled with peace and love but the craziness of the music business let him down. In the end Jimi knew he was being used and ripped off by his manager, he was very stressed out and run down from constant touring and had few real friends.There also seems to be many stories that Jimi was not a heavy drug user toward the last year of his life and in fact had never touched Heroin in his life.. I love that alot of Jimi's song meanings are talked about, many of them came from dreams he had and some were about his mother who he missed dearly. The book is filled with lots of facts, concerts dates, girlfriends, evil managers,etc., and tons of beautiful photos inside that make this book well worth reading. Other good Hendrix books I read are Noel Reddings "Are you Experience" and Sharon Lawrence "The Intimate Story of a Betrayed Musical Legend".. There is just too much to Jimi's life story for just one book!But don't miss this one!
Great for deep and casual fans alike
2008-08-09 - A monumental work, with photographic and print details to give the mind a ride to the New Rising Sun and back. The Chronology is particularly helpful and fun, especially for the novice fan who is going to have some trouble piecing together, say, 1964 to 1966. Interesting details on Hendrix's off and on employment with Little Richard. Seems he played fill-in during a period when Richard was secretly out on Rock tours while he was recording Gospel! This detail could have made a chapter unto itself; also his full-time g-box assignment for LR for about six months, and including the historic recording session for Richard's Soul Classic, "I Don't Know What You've Got (But It's Got Me)", an R & B hit...which should have won a Grammy. The writers offer some mixed info. on this amazing experience: Richard, Billy Preston, Don Covay, and Maurice James (!) in the studio, cutting a ballad for a Legend who is associated primarily with loud, uptempo boogie-based music.
One of these days Hendrix writers will get it right for the Architect and his fans. But they sure did a number for one of his greatest poteges, JH.
The book is readable from any point - very tough to read in a linear fashion, as it takes on a multi-dimensional aspect...just like the electrified art of Hendrix.
Very Good Bio but ...!
2007-12-18 - This is a very good biography of Jimi Hendrix. Well, it is the best of the many I have read. I have one problem with this book. There too many reference (even thou the index does not totally reflect it) to Hendrix being part Cherokee. As if to say he is not all African; he is 1/16th Cherokee!? Who cares! This seems to be used to give comfort to readers who maybe uncomfortable with his ethnic background! Many if not most AA born of the slave trade maybe of mixed race in some way but what does that have to do with the greatness one achieves?
