| "Ezy Ryder" | |
|---|---|
| Song byJimi Hendrix | |
| from the albumThe Cry of Love | |
| Released | March 5, 1971 (1971-03-05) |
| Recorded | December 1969 – August 1970 |
| Studio | Record Plant &Electric Lady, New York City |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:09 |
| Label | Reprise |
| Songwriter | Jimi Hendrix |
| Producers |
|
"Ezy Ryder" is a song written and recorded by American musicianJimi Hendrix. It is one of the few studio recordings to include bothBuddy Miles on drums andBilly Cox on bass, with whom Hendrix recorded the liveBand of Gypsys album (1970).[1]
"Ezy Ryder" was played live[2] in December 1969, but first released as record only onThe Cry of Love, the 1971 posthumous collection of songs that Hendrix was working on when he died. Since, it has been included on other attempts to present Hendrix's planned fourth studio album, such asVoodoo Soup (1995) andFirst Rays of the New Rising Sun (1997). Various demo and live recordings have also been released on albums.
The filmEasy Rider with and by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hooper was shot in the first half of 1968. While the crew was filming on the road for weeks, theirdailies were already combined with various rock songs of the era. Final editing took its time, though, also for legal reasons.The Jimi Hendrix Experience were asked to contribute their 1967 song "If 6 Was 9" to the film's soundtrack, and they were shown the movie beforehand.Easy Rider debuted in May 1969 at the French Cannes Festival, was in US cinemas in mid-July, and became a popular counter-culture film, also due to its soundtrack album,Easy Rider (soundtrack), that is not identical to the music within the movie. Thus, biographers indicate the lyrics to the song may have been inspired by the movie.;[3]
The three members ofThe Jimi Hendrix Experience also posed onEasy Rider-like chopper motorcycles, a shot of Jimi was later used as the cover ofSouth Saturn Delta.
An early version of "Ezy Ryder" was first recorded, designated with the title "Slow", on February 16, 1969, atOlympic Studios in London.[4] The basic track for the song was later recorded on December 18, 1969, at theRecord Plant Studios in New York City.[5] On the same day, Hendrix, with Cox and Miles, rehearsed the song at Baggy's Studios for the upcoming performances at theFillmore East.[6] The trio debuted "Ezy Ryder" at the Fillmore East during the first show on December 31, 1969. Later that night, the group played the song during the second show, but they did not perform it during either of the January 1, 1970, shows.[7]
Back in the studio, "Ezy Ryder" was rehearsed, recorded and mixed a number of times during early 1970. The first recording session at newly builtElectric Lady Studios on June 15 was focused on advancing the studio version.[8]Steve Winwood andChris Wood ofTraffic recorded backing vocals. Another recording session three days later was also dedicated to "Ezy Ryder", and mixes were produced on August 20 and 22.[9] The mix of August 22 was regarded as the final mix and presented on the opening party for Electric Lady Studios on August 26.[10]
In a song review forAllMusic, Matthew Greenwald described "Ezy Ryder" as:
One of the few studio-recorded examples of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsies period of late 1969/early 1970, "Ezy Rider" shows Hendrix moving into a stunning new direction. A tight, funk-driven rhythm is the basis for Hendrix's virtual collection of guitar riffs.[11]
Lyrically, Greenwald sees it as building on "theme of an outlaw bent of personal freedom" as heard in Hendrix's 1966 song "Stone Free".[11]
Studio albums/compilations
Demos/jams/rehearsals
Live
Citations
References
