Jimi Hendrix has long been cited a major creative influence on Prince, but in his early career, Prince brushed aside comparisons between him and Hendrix, saying in 1985 that his style was far closer to the 'prettier' flare of Carlos Santana, and that it was only because Hendrix was black such comparisons were drawn. Prince believed being compared to anybody was an accusation of ripping them off. That aside, he was no doubt flattered by the comparison, and performed Hendrix’s 1967 track 'Red House' in concert on a number occasions from 1986 right up to 2008. In 1999 he recorded his version of the track in the studio and renamed it 'Purple House', after his Kiowa Trail home, which was indeed painted purple. The song is a bluesy cover played in Prince’s inimitable style, captured at Paisley Park Studios alongside Larry Graham on bass. In November 1998 Hendrix's 'Machine Gun' was the inspiration behind Prince's instrumental 'Habibi' - the name given to his new purple symbol shaped guitar - but fearing the comparison was too close to the 1970 original, he edited the track before eventually releasing it on the NPG Music Club on 22 April 2001. He instead reached out to the Hendrix Estate to offer them a cover of 'Machine Gun' free of charge, and then in 2004, the album's producers contacted Prince, and he sent them 'Purple House' for inclusion on the 'Power Of Soul: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix' album. Prince has also played a number of other Hendrix songs in concert over the years, and so this post collects together live and studio versions of the best of them, so that we can now hear Prince playing Hendrix.
Track listing
01 Who Knows
02 Red House
03 Machine Gun
04 Villanova Junction
05 Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
06 All Along The Watchtower
07 Purple House
08 Spanish Castle Magic
09 Habibi
10 Foxy Lady
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