Twittering Machines

My friend since kindergarten Tommy who we called Fred sent me a letter while he was stationed in the Philippines with the US Navy. An actual letter with an envelope, stamps, paper and ink because there wasn’t any internet yet. Fred asked if I could make a watercolor copy of the little bird (little wing?) from the cover of Crash Landing and mail it to him so he could get a tattoo of it on his arm. No, I couldn’t scan it because scanners and multi-function printers didn’t exist. Neither did color fax machines. I suppose I could have just shipped him the record cover but I didn’t consider shipping actual stuff around the globe back then the same way I do now, post-internet. Postcards and letters sure but stuff?

I suppose my reluctance was similar to the way my grandparents felt about talking on the telephone – only for emergencies. If you called just to say “Hi” that’s pretty much all you got back “Hi, OK then see you soon” as if the sound of a clicking timer eating away cents-per-second overwhelmed the words. It was so much better to actually see each other, sit at the kitchen table and talk. Today, phone calls just to say “Hi” and letters with an envelope, stamps, paper and ink are disappearing replaced by eGreetings and text. Facebook is the new communal table.

Jimi Hendrix (& Alan Douglas)
Crash Landing

Released in 1975 five years after Hendrix died, Crash Landing is the first Hendrix LP with Alan Douglas’ heavy hands all over it. Douglas went mining in the rich Hendrix archives for previously unreleased material. He of course found tons (that’s the great news) and decided in some cases to wipe away the original backing  musicians – Noel Redding, Billy Cox and Buddy Miles – and add some studio musicians including more guitar, bass, drums and backing vocals — that’s the not so great news. Douglas also gives himself co-writer credit on five of the eight songs which I suppose makes sense. Like admitting to a crime makes sense.

I can remember being excited when Crash Landing came out — more Hendrix was good no matter what was my thinking back then. I don’t feel that way today and greatly prefer the Jimi Hendrix that Jimi Hendrix put out or played on while he was alive with no additives added: Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love, Electric Ladyland, Smash Hits and Band of Gypsys. And I prefer the original pressings. For posthumous records I’d throw in a few of the better live albums like Hendrix in The West and for posthumous studio records I’d suggest the 12″ Gloria/Hey Joe on the West German Polydor label, Loose Ends and Blues. The Hendrix complete-ist will want the original US tri-color Reprise release and the UK Track Records (mono) release of the first two studio records and Smash Hits since they contain different songs and very different mixes.

I still see Fred a few a times year and he still has that tattoo from the watercolor I made and mailed to the Philippines of the little bird from the cover of Crash Landing. It’s growing faded with time like everything else but I’m always happy to see it.