HEY JOE
PURPLE HAZE
Age 27 when he died, Jimi Hendrix learned guitar from blues greats. Both these singles were played at the Twisted Wheel. Jimmy heralded a change in the direction of music in the late sixties. It was not long after that many soul fans drifted away and became closet hippies, wearing flares and growing their hair – quite a change after the skinhead appearance that many mods had adopted at this time.
He acted as a bridge between blues and psychedelia which many began to cross (including us). Inevitably, Purple Haze became well known as one particularly potent brand of LSD. This gave rise to the ‘in’ saw of the time: If I can’t see you through the Haze, I’ll see you through the Window’ (yet another LSD trademark – there was a lot of it about!)
Stoned hippies digging Hendrix on acid almost became a cliche.
Hey Joe was quite a popular record at the Twisted Wheel, even though it was a pop chart hit, it was also considered to be a great blues record.
The Twisted Wheel Manchester at that time was in a blues appreciation phase. Many of the Mods that went to the Wheel were into blues and many loved and appreciated Jimi and all his subsequent recordings.
However, he appeared in his popular format just as psychedelia was beginning to be a phenomenon in the UK. Gradually, the charts began to be populated by new groups such as Pink Floyd, The Move and many others, some of whom made unlikely appearances live at the Twisted Wheel.
A sort of Soul version of Purple Haze got into the Northern Soul scene: by: Johnny Jones and the Casuals.