History YMMV / JimiHendrix

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: A lot of factors conspire for Hendrix's achievement and contemporary impact to be consistently underrated, among them the tendency of rock fans to listen to mostly white musicians and the tendency of the media to downplay the impact of black ones (and to play up the druggy, wiggy, guitar-smashing, puke-choking elements of his life story), but Hendrix's effect on the musicians of his time and place cannot be over-emphasised. He raised the bar for everyone. Also it doesn't help that his innovations have been so widely imitated and absorbed into the rock mainstream that they've become cliches in their own right, through no fault of his own.

** "Hey Joe" was already a standard when Hendrix recorded it, being copyrighted by folk musician Billy Roberts. Other versions by The Leaves, Music/TheByrds and {{Music/Love}} preceded Hendrix's.

** Jimi toiled away for years in the United States, gigging constantly with little in the way of recognition to show for it. When Chas Chandler brought him to the United Kingdom, he virtually exploded out of the gate, almost immediately receiving recognition from famous musical peers such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, with commercial success following soon afterward. Given that Jimi was paired with Mitch and Noel, two born-and-bred Englishmen, some fans even feel that the Experience is more of a British band than it is an American one.

* FaceOfTheBand: Even though he himself always thought that Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding were just as important to the Experience's sound.

* FirstInstallmentWins: Downplayed as both ''Music/AreYouExperienced'' and ''Music/ElectricLadyland'' have been listed as Jimi's masterpiece. ''Music/AxisBoldAsLove'', while still well-liked, is generally seen as the [[MiddleChildSyndrome middle child]] of the Experience albums. And despite containing one of Jimi's all-time greatest guitar performances in "Machine Gun," ''Music/BandOfGypsys'' is generally TheUnfavorite of the [=LPs=] he released during his lifetime.

* NeverLiveItDown: He only burned a guitar on stage three times: in London, in Glasgow and at Monterey, where he did it because he was determined to top the earlier set by Music/TheWho. [[note]]Music/FrankZappa claimed to have a Strat Jimi burned at the Miami Pop Festival, although that claim is disputed. That would still only make four guitars burned.[[/note]] He did smash guitars slightly more often, though nothing like to the routine extent that The Who did, and later in his career he stopped doing it because he resented people expecting him to do it. He's also infamous for [[UndignifiedDeath choking to death on his own vomit]]. At 27.

* SignatureSong: Of his alive albums...

*** Overall: "Foxy Lady" and "Watchtower" take first, with runner-ups being "Purple Haze", "Hey Joe", and "Voodoo Child".

** The posthumous era in which Alan Douglas had control of the Hendrix catalogue is sometimes seen as a DorkAge due to what some perceive as Douglas' over-production of the recordings, and his decision to replace the original covers of some of the albums with photographs of Jimi. The more recent releases, by the Experience Hendrix company, restore the original art and reverse some of Douglas' production choices.

* NeverLiveItDown: He only burned a guitar on stage three times: in London, in Glasgow and at Monterey, where he did it because he was determined to top the earlier set by Music/TheWho. He did smash guitars slightly more often, though nothing like to the routine extent that The Who did, and later in his career he stopped doing it because he resented people expecting him to do it. He's also infamous for [[UndignifiedDeath choking to death on his own vomit]]. At 27.

** Jimi's manager Michael Jeffery is a borderline HateSink for many of his fans, but some feel that while he wasn't exactly an ideal manager who cared about Jimi's well-being, the extent of his misdeeds [[{{Misblamed}} has been exaggerated.]]

* FirstInstallmentWins: While ''Music/AxisBoldAsLove'' and ''Music/ElectricLadyland'' both achieved acclaim, ''Music/AreYouExperienced'' is considered his masterpiece.

** Jimi's manager Michael Jeffery is a borderline HateSink for many of his fans (not helped by unflattering portrayals in several memoirs such as Noel's), but some feel that while he wasn't exactly an ideal manager who cared about Jimi's well-being, the extent of his misdeeds [[{{Misblamed}} has been exaggerated.]]

*** On the other hand, Experience Hendrix has also come under fire from fans due to decisions such as their refusal to allow any of Jimi's music on YouTube.

** "All Along the Watchtower," even by the original artist, Music/BobDylan, who said that it was so perfectly played that Bob Dylan ''thought'' it was a Jimi-song, and he even prefers Jimi's version over his own original and plays it like Jimi Hendrix out of respect.

** He had a lot of popularity in France--and even today, a lot of Hendrix fan sites are run by French people. In his autobiography, Noel Redding stated the Experience enjoyed playing the Paris Olympia, as they felt that French audiences really understood them. In fact, Jimi's first concerts with the Experience were part of a brief French tour supporting Music/JohnnyHallyday in fall 1966.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: When he was becoming popular in England, he was virtually unknown in the United States.

* NeverLiveItDown: He only burned a guitar on stage three times (though he did smash guitars a bit more often). Whenever he appears in the media you'll more than likely see him doing it though. He's also infamous for [[UndignifiedDeath choking to death on his own vomit]]. At 27.

** On the note of Clapton, the Derek and the Dominos cover of "Little Wing", recorded as a tribute to Jimi.

-->''If I don't meet you no more in this world''\\

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: On ''Music/BandOfGypsys'', recorded on Dec 31 1969, Hendrix wishes the audience a happy new year and then snarks "Let's see if we can make it to the next one" and does an exaggerated chuckle. He didn't.

* HarsherInHindsight: The last verse of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", the last song on his last studio album, ends with:

* CoveredUp: "Hey Joe" and "All Along the Watchtower", even by the original artist, Music/BobDylan, plays it like Jimi Hendrix out of respect. "Hey Joe" was already a standard when Hendrix recorded it, with versions by Music/TheByrds and {{Music/Love}} preceding Hendrix's.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Mitch Mitchell is well liked among drummers for his Jazz-infused playing style, and his chemistry with Hendrix, whic lasted well after the Experience broke up. His drumming on "Manic Depression", "Fire", "Voodoo Chile"[[labelnote:*]]The jam with Steve Winwood and [[Music/JeffersonAirplane Jack Casady]], not Slight Return.[[/labelnote]], and "Third Stone From the Sun" in particular stand out.

** ''Music/AreYouExperienced'': "Foxy Lady", "Purple Haze", "Manic Depression", or "Hey Joe"

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: On ''Music/BandOfGypsys'', recorded on Dec 31 1969, Hendrix wishes the audience a happy new year and then snarks "Let's see if we can make it to the next one" and does an exaggerated chuckle. [[AuthorExistenceFailure He didn't.]]