is hendrix overrated, not as a guitarist, but overall?

I don't think so. His stylistic and technological innovations alone are just about impossible to overrate. One can overrate his playing technique (this has been well-discussed around here), but it is nonetheless quite reasonable to divide the history of guitar-driven rock into two periods: pre-Hendrix and post-Hendrix, because once Are You Experienced hit the record stores in '67, rock was never quite the same again.

i see ur point, but hendrix is also regarded as one of the greatest rockers in history but when i set down and pop in one of his cds i find that i can't listen to the whole cd, some tracks are just tht bad. now i'm not questioning his impact on rock, in his four year career he left a huge impression. but i still kindof think his music is overrated.

i do agree to some extent, his hippy-bullshit from his later albums is pretty spotty, and it seems like people think they are 'masterpieces' just because it's hendrix. but on the other hand, his first record is like the best album ever. i think its like the beatles, where they have a good album and then afterwards everything they release immediately becomes sacred.

so yes, i would say most of his music is overrated. especially his band of gypsys album, and 9 to the universe and all that stuff.

yes, he's overrated , but not all songs. I gotta say songs like purple haze get overplayed, but it is kind of hard to say it doesnt deserve any attention, because whether you will believe in this or not, he changed rock history. People today still play right handed guitars with left hands and the other way to try and duplicate his sound. Techniques have been used and copied to downright ripped off, and references to hendrix are all over. It's a shame to see his two extremes compared, from his great music to the stuff that doesnt have any impact on anything at all. Either way Hendrix is God.

Let me think about this for awhile... My first reaction is while he may be among the top 10 greatest artists of all time, he may indeed be overrated... I'll post more about this when I have more time...


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I shouldve probably thought mine through more too, but I guess I stand by it. As syd said, top 10, but still he is mentioned too many times for "Purple Haze" in my opinion.

I only have his three studio albums, so I haven't heard the things you refer to, but I like the first album the least from the three I have... I prefer Axis: Bold as Love...

and there are indeed people who say Hendrix is great, because they've heard other people say that he's great... and as I said before: I think all great bands or artists are a bit overrated...

Hendrix is the greatest guitar player of all time. Songs like Purple Haze or even alot of songs on his albums could never show the true talent he had. I think he had to not play as good as he wanted to (if that made any sense) to sell records, when in reality he had a burning desire to just rip out awesome blues shit. Maybe that's why people don't like his later records.

And anyone who says Hendrix is overrated should be bitched slapped right now. hehe

You said yourself that songs like purple haze were not great, a lot of people listen to those songs only. It is like led zeppelin, only a few songs will be enough to carry them on, but its the other songs that will be their true greatest. And for these reasons Hendrix is overrated, but only to a certain extent.