#New Jimi Hendrix Experience

[newplaces2drown]

Jimi Hendrix Experience performing at The Fillmore East in New York City on May 10th, 1968

Photographer unknown (to me)

[lisamarie-vee]

[guitar-prgress]

Day 41 of trying to guitar… i guess

day 2 of trying to play iron man by black sabbath opening riff. i can consistently play it at the correct bpm without any buzz in the sound so i just think this feels too easy. imma just speak speak about a manga i read a few days ago so feel free to ignore the rest of the post. i just read a manga by the name "the shiori experience" it is about a high school teacher getting possessed by jimi hendrix and having to become a guitar legend before she turns 28 so she does not join the 27 club and it is very fun and has charming characters and was what got me into hendrix so it is a 10/10 for me, i would recommend this to anyone who likes music manga.

[livingunderaclassicrock]

aw hell yeah new JHE art from @fishbred717!! always makes me happy to see u posting!! 💜💛💜💛💜💛

HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY！

So I draw shitty comic-book art (There are no character's lines though!!!!!!)

[cherrychilli]

Slip of the Tongue

A mini series I 18+ I Enemies to lovers

Chapter one

Eddie Munson, AFAB reader, neighbor! reader.

Reader and Eddie are the same age - she's in College and he's repeating his senior year once again.

Chapter Summary: You discover that Eddie's been practicing a very interesting new trick on his guitar, one which he offers to use on you under the guise of giving you some much needed stress relief.

A/N: Listen, series scare the shit out of me but I'm trying to challenge myself with a tiny one. I kind of already feel like I'm biting off more than I can chew but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Inspired by those clips of Steve Vai and Jimi Hendrix. ifkyk.

Chapter warnings: Nothing explicit this chapter. Some suggestive stuff but the real smut begins next chapter, so if you want more you better let me know!

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

He's doing it again. Of course he's doing it again.

You tilt your head forward, forehead dropping into your hands. Heatedly, you mutter your annoyance under your breath, thumbs rubbing at throbbing temples and eyes squeezing shut when the music picks up to an ear ringing volume.

Eddie Munson took sick pleasure in riling you up – you were certain of that given how he only ever seemed to plug in his guitar when it was time for you to study your coursework, wrecking your concentration and making your temper skyrocket with a kind of ease only he was capable of.

For years, you’d taken issue with the fact that your trailer neighbored his own, your bedroom becoming an echo chamber for every blaring chord progression and heavily distorted guitar riff that strummed out from Eddie's open window.

And as always, you felt the need to make your displeasure known.

Abandoning your textbooks, you hastily shove your shoes on to stomp over next door. You knew from painful experience that it was best to head behind the Munson’s trailer and approach Eddie’s bedroom window than to pound on the front door, the sound of his playing almost always too loud for him to notice your knocking.

Trampling over the patchy, dry lawn that lay between your homes, you made your way across, rounding the corner and striding up to the open window, fuming with thoughts of what you’d yell at him this time when you caught sight of the metalhead.

As expected, he's rocking out in the center of his unruly bedroom. No doubt having tuned the rest of the world out, channeling so much of his wild, boundless energy into his playing.

His mop of dark messy curls aren't tied back today, allowed to sway, tumble and whip around his face as he played to an audience of some devilish looking posters and a couple figurines that stood on his crowded desk, probably a part of that fantasy game he's always going on about.

He's dressed in grey sweats that hang low around his hips and a ratty old band tee that tended to ride up, you couldn't help but notice.

‘At least he’s got clothes on today’, you thought to yourself mirthlessly, only a touch thankful for the silver lining of not having to confront him while he's shirtless or in his boxers again. Not that he’d ever minded you seeing him like that before.

Your last encounter with Eddie was one you hoped to soon forget, cringing because he'd caught your gaze wandering when you came over to reprimand him for the noise again, becoming noticeably distracted by his bare chest and the tattoos adorning it.

You don't know how it happened, only that you fell into a sort of daze when your eyes slipped lower to follow the slope of his pale tummy, leading to the sparse trail of dark hair which thickened below his belly button and disappeared underneath the waistband of his boxers.

D'you want a picture or something, darling?, he'd quipped, growing even more pleased with himself when your face turned hot and the embarrassment of getting caught had you stuttering out the first thing you could manage.

"F-fuck off, Munson", you spit back and retreated awkwardly, the sound of his barking laughter as you did so ringing in your ears long after you made it back into your room and hid underneath your blankets for a good hour.

Yeah, that was hard to live down. As was trying to expunge the image of Eddie's unclothed torso from your mind.

Most times he could anticipate your arrival, like a lightning storm only he could forecast but this time he hasn’t seemed to noticed you yet, tongue pinched between his lips in concentration while his fingers travelled skillfully over the ebony fretboard of his guitar.

Watching him play like that sometimes made you think that if he hadn't plagued you for half your life with all of his antics, you might have admitted that he was good musician - that he had talent most people didn't care to acknowledge and maybe even go so far as to say that you found it impressive that he’d managed teach himself how to play in lieu of any lessons.

But you weren’t about to sing Eddie Munson's praises. Not when he was seconds away from making you pop a vein.

Taking a deep breath in, you prepared yourself to start the unpleasant cycle of bickering with your neighbor once again, hoping against hope that, at the very least, it'll be a short exchange this time.

“Ed-"

You meant to catch his attention with a single shout but the heated call flattens on your tongue in an instant, heart beat kicking up as you watch what he does next.

He lifts his treasured Warlock and you're half afraid for him when he casually flips the front of the instrument towards his face, its angular design and jagged edges enough to worry you even when he played on it the regular way.

But it's when his tongue stretches out, long and slick like a serpent, that things start to feel...hazy. Speechlessly, you stare as he slides it along one of the guitar's six strings, following the length of it from near the bottom of the fretboard while his left hand continued to flit over the strings by the neck, creating harmonics in a way you’d never thought was possible before.

Are my palms sweating?

The sound begins to shift again and your eyes bulge when he slides his tongue back down, flicking and picking the guitar strings by the tip of it with more speed and dexterity than you'd thought was possible, his fingers continuing to move seamlessly to hold down every note.

Eyes closed (and there was no chance of you letting that happen) there was no way you could've told the difference than if he’d been playing with his fingers all along, the sound just as sharp and crisp as as every time before.

It's filthy, bordering on vulgar the way he’s moving the silky pink muscle so expertly, so much so that it makes you feel like you're intruding, peeping in on something that only happened behind closed doors.

But that gnawing feeling isn't anywhere near enough to make you stop looking. Your gaze stays planted firmly on Eddie's mouth, the sight making your head crowd with static and your belly swirl with heat. Your thighs had been clamped together too, you realize, a sickening realization dawning over you when they rub together, registering the dampness pooling between them underneath your skirt.

Oh my god…am I w-?

And just as abruptly as the realization had sunk in, the song ends. Deafening silence returns to your shared corner of the trailer park when Eddie sets the guitar back down to hang by the strap fixed over his shoulder, eyes flicking to you as if he'd known all along that you'd been standing there, gawking at him.

"So, what do you think? pretty good, right? been working on it for weeks", he pants out, chest rising and falling softly with each labored breath.

Somehow, this feels so much worse than when he caught you staring the last time.

With luck, you're able to shake yourself out of your trance like state, round eyes narrowing in preparation to berate him as originally intended

"Fucking hell, Eddie would you keep it down? I'm trying to study!", you agonize, scrambling to find your fury again.

But your tone doesn’t seem to bother him, it rarely ever did. So he leans through the open window, elbows resting on the window pane, eyeing you up and down all amused.

"You look stressed", he observes, and it's the flippant way in which he does it that ticks you off, with the kind of lopsided smile you’d often described as annoying. For the most part because he’d almost always done something to that effect before flashing you one.

"I am", you confirm with an acidic glare, hoping he couldn't tell how frazzled his little performance had left you.

"And you're not helping so knock it off"

Turning on your heel, you're desperate to retreat back to your place for a reprieve, heart hammering inside your chest when he calls out to you again.

"I could help you relax, y'know"

The way he says it makes you pause, like he's about to let you in on a secret.

Your skin prickles with goosebumps. "I'm not buying weed from you Eddie", you answer back over your shoulder, trying to look unimpressed as you attempt to turn him down.

"I wouldn't charge", the boy winks at you without missing a beat, undeterred by your cold attitude and you hate that his persistence makes your face feel hot.

"But that's not what I was going to suggest"

"Oh?"

You turn around to face him again, intrigue building.

He takes a moment to scan you thoughtfully, brows furrowing, almost as if he's weighing the outcomes of what might happen if he were to continue.

"You liked what you saw, right?", his brown eyes flicked down to his guitar and back up to you in quick reference to what you were hoping to avoid.

The mention of what you'd witnessed him doing with his tongue brings that hot, sticky feeling sitting at the base of your stomach back in full force, alarm bells ringing in your head.

"What does that have to do with anything?", you ask cautiously, realizing a second too late that you’ve only confirmed his suspicion.

"Well..."

Eddie curls a finger up at you, rings glinting in the sunlight, beckoning you closer and for some reason you actually oblige, stepping up to his window until you’re only a foot apart from one another.

Low and throaty, he whispers to you. "I can do a lot more with my tongue than just shred on my guitar", flicking the muscle salaciously between his lips like a viper ready to strike.

It should revolt you, watching the crude gesture courtesy of the bane next door, the implication behind it enough to make your skin crawl.

So why doesn't it?

Why does it make you want to leap at him and close the distance between the two of you, hungry to feel his tongue against your own?

"You're disgusting", you tell him instead in an attempt to deflect, voice wavering through the lie.

But he's too astute to be fooled now. "And you like it", he counters easily.

"So are you going to cut the bullshit and climb in here or what?"

You stare at the hand he holds out to you and before you can think to just walk away, before you can pull yourself together and stifle the roaring fire inside lapping at your bones, your fingers have found their way to his.

[helslastangel]

My experience having 5H in Scorpio

Disclaimer: These are based on personal observations and experiences and may not resonate for everyone with these placements. If it doesn't apply, let it fly 🪽

I have many "normal" interests (makeup, fashion, hair, shopping, music, TV, etc) and I tell new people about those, but my true interests and hobbies always skewed towards dark or slightly morbid matter, so I keep them hidden. The sheer number of times I have to swallow back a Salad Fingers reference or refrain from giving my opinion on Fran Bow's mental condition in normal conversation... istg...Anyhow, due to my upbringing, I was sheltered from knowing exactly how odd I was until I left home at 18. That's when I got to catch up on some of the shows and cartoons that other people grew up on (for many reasons I don't feel like getting into right now, but "home school" and "radical religious parents" should give you a basic idea).

Thankfully I had a few friends who experienced similar childhoods, some of whom I even grew up with so I could talk about my weird stuff and they could tell me about theirs. For example, I've always been a little fascinated by blood. That whole thing with Angelina and her blood vial necklace did not gross me out at all - I found it cute and I'll die on that hill. Things like blood oaths and so on in history just capture my attention for some reason. Honestly, if the substance itself weren't a bio-hazard, I'd make art with it.

I remember talking with a friend about how I couldn't fully get into Avatar, but out of the little I HAD watched, I developed a very SPECIFIC hyper fixation with blood-bending and deep-dived the topic for WEEKS.I did not give a shit about any of the other bending abilities. Not even normal water-bending. 🫠 Just blood-bending. Idk if it's the power and control factor, or if if I'm just due for a wellness check. Who am I kidding-I have Capricorn & Scorpio stelliums. OFC IT'S ABOUT POWER.

History is another example. My favorite subject. Left unattended, I will look up every deformity that came about by royal family inbreeding or watch a fellow history nerd compile a tier list of the most brutal execution methods of all time. Once, for my birthday, my dad bought me a book called "A Left-Handed History Of The World." That was one of the few times I've felt truly seen by either of my parents. That tome was RIGHT up my alley. I'm a lefty myself and it was nice to read about so many famous and infamous people who were left-handed too. Like Jimi Hendrix - one of my favorite musicians.

I also know a wide variety of herbs, oils and flowers to use to cure or relieve many ailments by heart, and enjoy teaching people how to use those, along with basic reflexology to relieve minor symptoms during the day, so ah, there is that. Not sure how I got into herbology and such, but I do remember being horrified when one of my best friends used to regularly eat leaves off the trees on our street. We were like 7. I kept telling him he would die if he did that and he'd eat more lol. Ofc, nothing happened to him and he was never sick that I remember. So ever since then I was fascinated by the idea of using leaves to feel better.

(Yes, I smoke weed now - are you surprised? lol)

I also enjoy doing synastry readings for friends, family, coworkers, etc., when they're feeling lost or confused about a crush/friend/partner. It's always nice to see their faces light up with understanding when I explain a certain dynamic or give them advice on how to clear up recurring miscommunications. Most of what I enjoy is kinda witchy, but it's not all horrifying, lmao. Like children. Can't mention 5H Scorpio without kids coming up, lol. I was obsessed with the idea of children when I was a lot younger. I had names picked out for them, I would imagine their personalities and somehow they were always stubborn and unruly (I think subconsciously, I enjoy a challenge). In my daily life, anyone or anything in my care automatically became my child in a way. I actually wanted 6 kids at one point. Or some large even number. Babysitting was never a chore for me because I genuinely find children sweet and entertaining.

Even the supposedly misbehaved ones. They need love too. ❤️

Speaking of obsessions, I am a highly possessive person, but because I also have Venus in Scorpio + Mars in Cancer, I'm prone to have VERY strong reactions to rejection, betrayal and the like. For me, though, these are usually implosions. Being a Virgo sun, Capricorn moon, I generally refuse to let my inner turmoil get out into the public eye unless I feel like showing it.

So at any given time, I can be SEETHING inside, but look cold and unbothered.

Having 5H Scorpio is also often associated with being extremely creative, and....IT'S TRUE OMG. I love interior design and decorating, and lots of aesthetically pleasing crafts like crochet, origami, embroidery, etc. Sometimes I waste a phenomenal amount of time at work to make a spreadsheet pretty or play with the fonts in a document. I can't help it, I need to make things look beautiful and stand out.

I am easily consumed by whatever I'm into, and I guess that would be a bad thing if there were people relying on me to be emotionally present on a regular basis, but since it's just me, I get to be lost in my passions most of the time like Frankie (from the TV show Grace and Frankie, lol

𓆩♡𓆪

MASTERLIST

[detroitlib]

Portrait of musician Jimi Hendrix. Typed on back: "From: Goldstein Organization, 200 W. 57th Street, New York, N.Y. 10019. LT 1-3800. Contact: Pat Costello. The Jimi Hendix experience. Jimi Hendrix."

E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts, Detroit Public Library

[stench-blossom]

The Strokes on meeting each other

Various excepts from the book “Meet me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001–2011” by Elizabeth Goodman

“NICK VALENSI: I remember what Julian was wearing the day I met him in middle school: blue jeans and a white button-down shirt. The shirt had the name of his former school on it - which was funny to me, that he wore the uniform from his old school to the first day of his new school. I was thirteen, he was fifteen.

JULIAN CASABLANCAS: We met at orientation at the Dwight School.

FABRIZIO MORETTI: Dwight sucked.

…

NIKOLAI FRAITURE: Julian was cool even before the band. He was cool from first grade. We went to Friends School, on the Upper East Side. I don't remember meeting him but I remember when our friendship was solidified. We were six or seven. Our school had a water main break. It was in the morning so it was right after class started and everyone had to go home. My parents were working and they couldn't come to pick me up, so Julian told me to come home with him. The water main didn't get repaired for three days so I just stayed over.

FABRIZIO MORETTI: Nikolai was always around. Julian has this very attractive way of being, even on a subconscious level. People run the risk of wanting to bend towards his wishes. And at that time, the way I saw it, Nikolai was the only one who Julian would bend to. That changed, but I remember Nikolai's school got out later than ours, and Julian would wait for what seemed like a long time, for him to come home and just hang out.

NICK VALENSI: Fab was in my grade at Dwight-I didn't have classes with Julian, but I had English and French with Fab.

FABRIZIO MORETTI: Then they found out Nick was actually better at French than they initially graded him so he moved. We were all friends. But I always felt like I was chasing them, like I wasn't cool enough. They would kinda let me in every once in a while. They were thick as thieves, those two. I would try to hang out with them, and it always felt like a privilege when I did.

…

NIKOLAI FRAITURE: The first time I met Nick, were going to a music store on Forty-Eighth Street, Sam Ash. He was much younger than Julian and I were-he was thirteen and we were fifteen- but then we got home and he played "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Jimi Hendrix and I was like, "Holy shit."

NICK VALENSI: Right away Julian and I started doing music together. He started writing songs basically right away.”

…

RYAN GENTLES: Those guys all go so far back. Albert knew Jules since they were eight years old. He met Jules when he was eight!

ALBERT HAMMOND JR.: Julian and I went to boarding school together in France.

JULIAN CASABLANCAS: Before Dwight, I was kind of messing up in school as usual so I got sent to the boarding school that my father had gone to and that he loved. I had a roommate who had some video games, Street Fighter II and shit. People would come over and play.

ALBERT HAMMOND JR.: We connected in a way where he was like an older brother. We hung out in his room and played video games, that kind of thing. I was like a little kid to him, even though really, it was only a two-year difference.

JULIAN CASABLANCAS: Albert was a little younger so I wasn't really friends with him then, but he was one of the only other Americans there. I kept a pretty low profile at that school. I mean, it was a pretty big culture shock.

…

ALBERT HAMMOND JR.: I met Julian and Nikolai first, before I even tried out for the band. We went to Ryan's Daughter and had margaritas. I was never a big drinker. I was more of a stoner in L.A., so I was pretty wasted already, and then they were like, "Let's get forties!" I was like, "You want beer after this?" So we get forties and we're hanging out on the east park, Eighty-something, drunk.

NIKOLAI FRAITURE: Oh yeah, Carl Schurz Park, with the L.A. boy.

ALBERT HAMMOND JR.: It was a fun little bonding experience. Then I went home and threw up everywhere.

…

[thislovintime]

Peter Tork attending concerts in 1968 — The Bee Gees (photo from Tiger Beat), and the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the Shrine Auditorium on February 10, 1968 (photo by Kim Gottlieb).

“The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Eric Burdon and the Animals played to near-capacity houses for two shows at the Anaheim Convention Centre last Friday night. […] Following the concert, Jimi, Noel and Mitch went to a party at Peter Tork’s house. Also there—David Crosby, Jim Frawley, Micky Dolenz and with Samantha Juste, and Graham Nash. For most of the evening Peter’s guests sampled health foods—the new kick at Peter’s—and listened to tracks from the forthcoming Monkee album. One song, ‘Tapioca Tundra,’ has distorted voices, while another has a strong Indian influence, featuring the sound of the tabla, and Peter on lead vocal.” - Ann Moses, NME, February 24, 1968 “Health food was just starting to catch on in the sixties and Peter was kind of a fore-runner of that whole scene. I’m afraid that sort of image was a little thin for two other guys I could mention, but I understood—I really did. And I think he knew it. I didn’t inwardly agree with a lot of his company but it didn’t keep me from dropping in on him from time to time. Great salads—and always a cold beer to wash down the tofuburgers and brown rice.” - Davy Jones, They Made A Monkee Out Of Me (1988) “Influential Personalities [of L.A.]—Peter Tork: When Stan Freberg shows up on the set of the Monkee movie, this is the Monkee he is there to see… to talk about a ‘symphony’ Tork has written, among other things. Tork, folksinger-turned-teen millionaire, also appears regularly (and without pay) at the Monday night ‘hoot sessions’ at the Troubadour—to sing and play and laugh at Monkeedom. By definition, the Monkees are in another world, but they are honest people, after all, and do fit into the scene quite well.” - Rolling Stone, June 22, 1968 The “influential personalities” named were David Crosby, Cass Elliot, Terry Melcher, David Anderle, Lou Adler, Peter, Frank Zappa, Brian Wilson, Jim Morrison, Barry McGuire, and Phil Spector, in that order. “Steve [Stills] hung out with Peter Tork a lot because they were friends from before. Stephen was very frustrated that he didn’t get to be a Monkee. It’s true. Peter was a real sweet guy. He was the Monkee that hung out with us. The party went back and forth between Peter’s house and Steve’s in Malibu. The clique was Buddy Miles, Peter Tork, Crosby, Steve and right after Monterey, they hooked up with Hendrix. We all lived at Peter Tork’s at one time or another.” - Miles Thomas, For What It’s Worth: The Story of the Buffalo Springfield (2004)

[vintage-tigre]

"What do you need to know about Tokyo? Deep, deep waters. The first time I came here, it was a transformative experience. It was a powerful and violent experience. It was just like taking acid for the first time-meaning, What do I do now? I see the whole world in a different way.

I often compare the experience of going to Japan for the first time, going to Tokyo for the first time, to what Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend-the reigning guitar gods of England-must have gone through the week that Jimi Hendrix came to town.

You hear about it. You go see it. A whole window opens up into a whole new thing. And you think, What does this mean? What do I have left to say? What do I do now?"

[kaccvcate]

When I returned to the Free State of Jones in 2021 after my years of worldly travel, my first order of business was to start an experimental punk band. It hardly took any time for people (Dan Brewer) to compare my exploits to those of the then-defunct group GATORFIGHT. Immediately I knew I was destined to see this band, although they were broken up, and they entered a space in my mind reserved for performances of heroic legend (for example, the slaying of the Nemian Lion, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, etc.)

In person, they more than lived up to my expectations. Their set was deconstructive, daring, experimental, and hilarious. Their final piece, “The Ballad of Scotty Potty” was particularly resplendent. My eyes were glued to the stage, mesmerized, I tried and failed to guess what to expect from the singer’s monologue. It was vile, it was sick, it was Lovecraftian, and I loved every minute of it. GATORFIGHT not only pushes the boundaries of decorum, but of genre. Is this punk rock? (Is New Wave punk rock, for that matter?) I urge you to listen, watch, and decide for yourself.

There are few times in the average person’s life which can be described as a transcendental experience. Jesus had his cross, Buddha had his tree, in the 60’s all them hippies had Woodstock, and I saw GATORFIGHT.

Check them out on Bandcamp here.

[keepingupwithzaynmalik]

Zayn Malik is gearing up to release his long-awaited fourth studio album, and he’s co-produced the upcoming LP with Grammy-winner Dave Cobb, Rolling Stone can exclusively confirm.

In working with Cobb — one of Nashville’s most accomplished and in-demand producers — Malik will explore new sonic territory and lean into pairing his unmistakable vocals with live instrumentation. The soulful singer-songwriter had spent several years writing the album at his home in rural Pennsylvania before enlisting Cobb’s help as a co-producer. There’s no release date or title yet, but the album will be Malik’s first on new label, Mercury Records.

“What got me about Zayn was his voice, you can hear love, loss, pain, triumph and humanity in it. I feel as if this record is removing the glass from his spirit directly to his fans,” Cobb says. “Zayn has really created his own universe on this record, he really has no fear and is speaking straight from his soul.”

In an interview on Call Her Daddy last year, Malik teased the upcoming album a bit, saying, “I’m doing a record I don’t think people are really gonna expect. It’s a different sound for me. And it’s got some more narrative going on, like real-life experiences and stuff. My daughter’s mentioned in there a couple of times.”

Malik’s last album, Nobody Is Listening, was released in 2021. Since then, he’s shared a couple of scattered singles, including “To Begin Again” with Ingrid Michaelson, a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel,” and last year’s “Love Like This.” Back in January, Malik collaborated with the up-and-coming Pakistani group Aur on a reimagining of their hit single, “Tu Hai Kahan.”

As for Cobb, his credits include hit albums and critically acclaimed projects with Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Lady Gaga, Jason Isbell, Lori McKenna, and Sturgill Simpson. More recently, he’s teamed up with some classic rockers like Slash and Sammy Hagar, as well as Barry Gibb, Greta Van Fleet, Gavin DeGraw, and William Prince.

[eptodaytommorowforever]

Events In The History And Of The Life Of Elvis Presley Today On The 12th Of November In 1972

Elvis Presley Tour And Show Comes To San Bernardino CA.

A look back at Elvis Presley's 1972 outstanding concert at swing auditorium in San Bernardino CA

Sunday night, Nov. 12, 1972. The Santa Ana winds were howling, so typical of San Bernardino in November. And it was cold. But a sold-out crowd stood patiently to have an audience with The Legend . Elvis Presley was in the Swing Auditorium.

The Swing was the place east of L.A.'s Fabulous Forum to see virtually every top name act in the rock world, circa 1964 through 1981. Located on E Street, the auditorium was built in 1949 on the grounds of the National Orange Show and was named for Senator Ralph E. Swing, a San Bernardino legislator. What a glorious barn it was and what history played out on that stage. The Rolling Stones did their first American concert there in June 1964. The place rocked until a small plane crashed into it on Sept. 11, 1981 and the auditorium had to be demolished. One of the last shows played there featured Iron Maiden.

In between, rock royalty were regulars. Fleetwood Mac played more than five times. The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cream, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Black Sabbath, Ramones (as opening act), Chicago, Jethro Tull, Alice Cooper, the Grateful Dead (multiple times), Faces with Rod Stewart (also multiple times), Santana, the Kinks, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, the Beach Boys, and more. Look up how many of these acts are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Just about everybody but the Beatles made it to the Swing.

Prior to the modern rock era, Bob Hope was almost an annual fixture at the Swing during the National Orange Show Fair. Other notables who performed there in the '50s and '60s included Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Benny, Judy Garland, Jerry Lewis, and George Burns. But never had a King played there before that night.

Yet, it wasn't as if Elvis Presley had never been to the IE. He did own a house for several of the Priscilla years in Palm Springs and was known to do some boating in Big Bear Lake. Many scenes of the totally forgettable remake movie 'Kid Galahad' were shot in Idyllwild. And, some of the outdoor footage in 1964's 'Kissin' Cousins' was shot in the San Bernardino Mountains. Still, this was different.

Elvis Presley's nationwide tour began at Madison Square Garden in New York, a city he had never before performed live in. The four concerts there were sold out and got rave reviews. At 37, he was 'lean, tanned and greasily handsome, his coal-black hair glistening with an oily 1950s sheen', as the New York Times' Grace Lichtenstein put it. At a press conference before the Madison Square Garden appearance, he was asked about the secret of his longevity on the pop music scene. 'I take Vitamin E', he told reporters.

From New York, the tour moved west, passing through cities like Milwaukee, Chicago, Wichita and Tulsa before continuing on to Las Vegas. Elvis stayed there for most of October before continuing the tour, which took him to Texas, Arizona, and into California. He hit Oakland, then San Bernardino, where he performed two sold-out shows - one on Nov. 12 and another on Nov. 13. rom there, he headed to the Long Beach Arena for two shows, the last stop before catching a plane for Honolulu where the tour would wrap up. Originally, the Honolulu show was planned to be broadcast worldwide by satellite, but the broadcast date was changed to early 1973 so it wouldn't conflict with the release of MGM's musical documentary Elvis on Tour. No matter. The show (actually four of them) went on. And in Honolulu, as well as in other cities on the tour, fans of all ages crowded concert venues to get a live view of the King.

So it was in San Bernardino. The Swing could hold about 10,000 people with a concert take of around $60,000. On that cold November night, fans crammed into the sold-out auditorium. With reserved seating, there was none of the festival seating chaos that marked the Swing rock shows - kids pushing and shoving and fighting to get to the stage area. This crowd was real diferent. I was way too young at 21. For the usual Swing rock show, most of the concertgoers were my age or younger. The guys had long hair, wore boots, Levis and denim work shirts (think the cover of a Creedence album.) The girls went braless, wore tight jeans or peasant dresses. There were always more guys than girls.

For Elvis Presley though, these fans had jobs, mortgages, and kids. The women clearly outnumbered the guys. They wore bright yellow or orange dresses, lots of makeup. Hairspray was huge. And, there were more than a few suicide blondes with hot pants and go-go boots. (I would never have sat on anything in the Swing in hot pants.) Jean Naté was locked in mortal combat with Charlie in a fragrance war. My Sin perfume held its own. Smoke from the bathrooms came from real Marlboro men (and women.)

My seat was in the cheap section - off to the side and high up, close to the glued-on tinsel that was a prominent feature of the Swing. The place always had a peculiar smell. Close to show time, greedy Colonel Tom's minions were at the stage hawking T-shirts, photos, and other assorted gee-gaws. I wonder just how much of that cash Elvis Presley received.

Finally, the lights lowered. The band started playing the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Then, there he was - The King. He was resplendent in a black and red concert suit.

Though his show was typical of his Vegas show that he performed at the International Hotel (later known as the Las Vegas Hilton and now called the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino), it didn't matter to his loyal subjects. He was live in San Berdoo! Old ladies screamed. It was hard to tell from my cheap seat, but I believe there were a few panties thrown at him.

His voice and physique were in A-plus form. He ripped through concert standards such as 'Polk Salad Annie', crooned to crowd favorite 'Can't Help Falling In Love', and did a couple of religious numbers with the gospel group J.D. Sumner and The Stamps.

No Elvis Presley show would be complete without the hits 'Hound Dog', 'All Shook Up', 'Jailhouse Rock', and 'American Trilogy'.

His band and entourage - the Sweet Inspirations, legendary guitar hero James Burton - provided a full sound that could not be duplicated by the typical four-man rock act. It was a show truly becoming of a King. The crowd responded as if seeing him for the first time. Bedlam broke out among the thousands of fans.

After about 90 minutes, despite fans calling for more, Elvis Presley left the auditorium for the San Bernardino Hilton, about $60,000 richer. I was a poor college kid. I went to Del Taco. What a Sunday night! rare candid photo's one captured of elvis presley leaving Oakland CA captured here by a female ep fan boarding is executive chartered jet heading to San Bernardino CA and performing here at this show wearing the white pinwheel jumpsuit and the white cape and the lions head belt captured by a fan audience member who was at this show concert.

[mspiggy]

tagged by @robothell thank u i love u and marty's matching canon URLs

last song: stone free - the jimi hendrix experience

last book: reading hunter s. thompson's "hell's angels: a strange and terrible saga" as vampire: the masquerade research

last movie: VIDEODROME!!! did you know it was inspired by toronto's city-tv and "the baby blue movie" because i didn't before i watched it and i felt like quite the clever little lad as a result of getting to recognize the reference as i watched it

last TV show: beginning our rewatch of "interview with the vampire"

sweet/spicy/savoury: sweet and spicyyyy!!!

relationship status: MARRIED to my sweet sweet @tinybigfoot

last thing i googled: "weird al discography"

current obsession: also vampirism

looking forward to: GETTING MY NEW KITTEN, playing vampire the masquerade, starting HRT...

tagging @plaidos @clownmoder @milf--adjacent @biracy @brw @beemovieerotica @oldmanontumbler and anyone else who wants to do it! <3

[coffeeandcinemaandmusic]

Polaroid photo of Jimi Hendrix taken backstage in Rochester, New York in March 1968. Jimi is pictured with Kevin Ayers of Soft Machine, who were the supporting act for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. This photo was given to Stevie Ray Vaughan by older brother Jimmie, who was on the bill.

SRV was a huge Hendrix fan and had kept this photograph in his wallet, so he could carry it with him wherever he went. Jimmie also gave him a slip of paper containing Hendrix's signature that Stevie also kept in his wallet "until the ink faded and the paper rotted" according to Jimmie.

"Most of the influences I got were because of my brother, and Hendrix was another big one. I was really into his music and a lot of stuff about his life, and the higher I got, the more obsessed I became. I wanted to open my mind enough so that I could feel the music, because that’s what he did. Yeah, (Hendrix) was high as a kite and that might’ve had something to do with that. It almost killed me. It did kill him." - SVG, interview by Michael Corcoran, 1989.

Stevie did not have the photo and autograph with him when he died. In 2017 they were on display at the SRV exhibit at the Bob Bullock Texas State Museum in Austin, Texas.

[sophaeros]

the strokes for guitar magazine, june 2020 - english translated interview

2001-2020: The Strokes' Impact

The Strokes made their spectacular debut in 2001 with "Is This It." They loudly proclaimed the dawn of a new era of rock and roll with the onset of the 21st century, and swept the music scene with their unique sound reminiscent of the Velvet Underground and Television, creating a movement known as the "garage rock revival." Now they have released their long-awaited new album, "The New Abnormal." This article explores the appeal of Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi, the two guitarists who presented a new form of rock and roll guitar.

What Is The Strokes?

The cool and creative twin guitar technique that symbolizes the beauty of rock and roll

What was new about The Strokes? It was the style of the two guitarists who played the leading roles in the band's sound, Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi.

Text by Tomoki Takahashi

In the rock scene of the early 2000s, where the so-called garage rock/rock and roll revival whirlwind swept through, the greatest thing that made The Strokes stand out was their cold-hearted creativity, which symbolized the explosive music of rock and roll with perfect beauty. And just like Julian Casablancas' vocals, which seem to be embodied in the cool texture of the city of New York and the history of rock, the superb guitar work of the two guitarists, Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi, which could be called a geometric pattern of sound, has continued to function as an important core of The Strokes' musical world.

"Hard to Explain" features garage rock guitar tones filled with dry heat, creating an exquisite space with the lead melody and chords in relation to each other. "Someday" drives the dynamic rhythm that is unique to rock and roll not with sound pressure, but with the grain of the performance and the arrangement of the notes. "The Modern Age" redefines the riff as an accelerator of the beat, not as a wild weapon. Their 2001 debut album Is This It revived the old music of rock and roll at the dawn of the 21st century, loudly declaring its "resurrection."

Albert Hammond Jr. emotionally plays the essence he inherited from The Beach Boys, John Lennon, Buddy Holly, and others, holding his guitar high like a jazz guitarist. Nick Valensi lowers his guitar stance and pours the influence of his predecessors such as Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison into mysterious phrases. The two players' playing styles, which make heavy use of arpeggios and single-note phrases and emit contrasting hues, lead to a unique sense of tension and pop, like the art of balancing five different artists.

The Strokes' 2nd album, Room on Fire (2003), showed a balanced relationship between wild frenzy and tight, solid structure in songs like "Reptilia" and "12:51". Their 3rd album, First Impressions of Earth (2006), unleashed the golden rules of the sound they had created into a hard rock dynamism, as symbolized by songs like "Juicebox", creating a stadium-level scale that reached number one in the UK and number four in the US. This was the moment when The Strokes, who had come out into the world as a refreshing counter to rock and roll, came to dominate the royal road of the scene in both name and reality.

After that, the Strokes continued to experiment musically, starting with the electronic approach of Angles (2011) with songs like "You're So Right" and "Games." The friction that occurred during the production of "Angles," in which they sought to go "beyond," continued to cast a shadow over them, and their fourth album Comedown Machine (2013) and EP Future Present Past (2016) were unable to fully demonstrate their appeal.

However, The Strokes have been reborn with their latest album, The New Abnormal. The call-and-response of the thick octave sound and delicate, weeping phrases ("The Adults Are Talking"), the guitar that mysteriously intertwines with the synth sound and raises a dense melancholia ("Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus"), and the sense of liberation woven beyond a simple arpeggio ("Bad Decisions"), each one of them comes with a powerful affirmation. Rock and roll can be endlessly new — The Strokes have clearly embodied this, even now in 2020, or perhaps especially now.

Interview: Albert Hammond Jr.

Albert, one of the band's sound pillars, talks about the struggles of the latest work

The Strokes have just released their new album, The New Abnormal, for the first time in seven years. This time, we interviewed Albert Hammond Jr., one of the band's leading lights. He said, "Our guitar playing was born out of natural conversation," but what does that really mean?

Interview and translation by Tomohiro Moriya

I have also approached composing in a manner similar to that of filmmaking.

──This album has an electronic feel like the previous album "Comedown Machine" (2013) that used a lot of synths, but with the simple guitars that are typical of The Strokes, I think it is a work that presents the state of modern rock and roll. Was there a clear concept different from the previous album? No, I have never thought of it that way. In fact, I don't even think that "Comedown Machine" was such an electro-pop album. I don't generally label things, and I don't see the point in many people calling music that didn't sell well "this is indie rock!" Isn't "indie rock" a way of saying music that somehow didn't succeed? Even if it's a demo that doesn't sound very high quality, there's something exciting about it. I also think that it can be valuable music to people with different sensibilities.

──I agree. When you hear something at the time when you want to do something, you get excited and feel it's very new, right? What's more, you can encounter music that takes you to another place. I think there are many elements to talking about something. For example, when you talk about where you are in life, if you start talking about "why you are there now", you can't explain it with just one thing. It's a series of small events that lead you to your current position. So even with this interview, if you had done it before we went into the studio, I would have felt differently at the time.

──So, please tell us about your guitar playing on this album. The Strokes are known for their short, simple riffs and arpeggios, as well as their catchy phrases that are easy to remember. This album is also full of that. I had a hard time creating guitar parts for all the songs (laughs). However, the most unique part I felt was the layered guitar in "Eternal Summer." I played several parts on the guitar to create different grooves, and among them there was a phrase that I thought, "I don't know if I'll use it now, but I might use it after I add the vocals."

──I see. So you reserved judgment for the time being. Yes. The idea of "splicing together guitar parts that could be used later to give texture" was similar to the way movies were made. So "Eternal Summer" was a song where we thought about what materials we could use when we were editing it, and in that sense it was a very unique approach.

──I felt that the arpeggio-like riff intro of "Bad Decision" was a killer tune that exuded the early Strokes style. Julian had originally had the idea in some form, and I combined it with an arpeggio-like riff that I had prepared for another song. At first I thought it was a bad idea and opposed it, but in the end it worked out the best.

──The single note phrase in the B melody also has the power to completely change the atmosphere of the song. Nick plays the part I wrote there. Instead, I play the chords. There are some parts where we switch places like that, and it's not the result of any particular thought. It's just something that came out of a natural conversation I had with someone. I don't think it's enough to just play the guitar. We're trying to do something cool and surprise each other.

──Are there any other songs that left an impression on you during the production? Another one I remember clearly is "Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus." I play a solo in the intro, and Jason Leder (the engineer for this album) recommended that I use a pedal that produces a synth-like sound. It sounds like a wailing saxophone, and it sounds really weird. That was pretty cool.

Speaking of those sounds, there's a wah-like sound on "Why Are Sundays So Depressing." How was that done? It could have been a Nord keyboard played by Julian. Nick also plays some crazy sounds on this song... No, wait! Let's play the song and listen to it (starts listening to the song). That wah-like sound here! That's definitely something Nick played on guitar. Interestingly, on "Not the Same Anymore," there's a sound that sounds similar to the backing solo I played, but that's a keyboard. But personally, I don't feel like there's a lot of keyboards on this album as a whole. Instead, there's a pad synth. I use it especially in the chorus to create atmosphere and ambience.

──It's true that synth-like sounds play a big role in "At the Door" and "Ode to the Mets" along with the guitar. It's not like it's the main sound in all songs. But we don't think that we're a guitar-based band, just playing the guitar isn’t enough. We try to do something cool and surprise each other. Some people might think that The Strokes are a band driven by the rhythm of the guitar, but to me, Nikolai's bass is also great, and we're not a band that's all about the guitar.

I like amps whose looks and sound match up.

──Please tell us about the equipment you used. Did you use the Japanese-made Fender Stratocaster that you've been using since your debut? Well, I guess you could say it's my main guitar (laughs). Yes, I played most of the time with that guitar. I used other guitars for dubbing, but I don't remember them at all.

──A few years ago, Fender released a signature model that faithfully reproduced your main guitar. Have you used it? I replaced the pickguard on it with a mirror finish, and I always have it on standby as a backup guitar during live performances... No, it's no longer a backup, but I use it for a few songs in my set list. It's a pretty reliable favorite guitar.

──By the way, regarding guitar tones, will you ever go back to the "dry garage sound" of your early days? Until now, we have often been lumped together with the term "garage sound", but personally, I have never thought of it that way. Even when I listened to the music of bands that were said to be "garage sound!", I never felt a vibe similar to ours. The bands that were closest to our vibe were Guided by Voices and Bob Marley, and we have been looking for a sound and rhythm like them.

──Guided by Voices is a so-called lo-fi sound band, isn't it? Yes, our sound is quite similar to Guided by Voices, but the feeling that the songs give and what Julian is trying to convey are similar to Bob Marley. It doesn't just hit you as a sound, it shakes you from the bottom of your heart.

──Going back to the topic of the equipment you used, what effects did you use? Oh, God! I don't really care about that, and I don't remember it. In a word, I don't care about that. I'm always thinking about what parts I'm going to play, and people around me are saying, "Shouldn't this sound a little heavier?" (laughs). I'm always thinking about how to play to make the song good, and I think about how to construct the sound afterwards. That said, there is a delay and distortion that I always use... I don't remember the exact model name, but I remember that the distortion was Jekyll & Hyde. I'll probably keep using this forever. Well, for me, the name of the pedal is not that important (laughs). But Nick, in contrast to me, uses quite a lot of effects.

──What about the amps? Did you use the Fender Hot Rod Devil that you always use? I might have used it at the time of dubbing. But for the main recording, I'm sure I didn't use it. What kind of amp did I use...? You might think I'm a pretty strange guitarist, but I've never really cared about amps (laughs). I use what I like, but if I had to say, I might like amps that look and sound the same. It's good to have knowledge that "this kind of amp will sound like this," but in the end, I think it's a matter of trial and error to play it and see if you like it.

──In the end, it's all about feeling. However, in this recording, I actually used an amp that I've never used before, what was the name of it...I can't remember at all (laughs). Ah, but I'm always aware that the sound changes a lot depending on how you set up the microphone, rather than the amp itself. I also get inspired by the tone, so when I record, I usually use several amps with clean sounds and set up several microphones. For live performances, I use the Hot Rod Devil and that amp, um, what was it called...the one Pete Townshend used...

──A Hiwatt? Yes, that's it! I have a Hiwatt and a Hot Rod Devil running side by side, and a tech operates my pedal board, which is organized in a rack on the side of the stage. Once I know what the sound is going to be, I can play it without having to operate it or worry about the sound.

──The Strokes have also been confirmed to perform at this year's Fuji Rock Festival. Finally, please say a few words to your Japanese fans. I remember the last time we played. It was many years ago, but I also met Jack White, who performed with the Raconteurs. We love Japan, and we love the Japanese audience. We'll be closing the night with our new album, and it'll be a fantastic festival night that we can be proud of around the world. I'm thinking of going to Japan in a few days and hanging out a bit!

Gear: The Strokes' Early Equipment

Here's a look at the gear the duo used to create The Strokes' signature sound.

Albert Hammond Jr.

Guitar: Fender Stratocaster

It has been Albert's companion since he got it in 1999.

The symbol of Albert is his Olympic White Stratocaster with a rosewood fingerboard. This is a Japanese-made Fender made in 1985, and is thought to be a model based on the specifications of the late 1972 model, judging from its large head, bullet truss rod, and two string guides. He apparently acquired it in 1999, the year the Strokes were formed, and owns several Stratocasters similar to this one (although manufactured in different years) as subs. In addition to this one, he also uses guitars such as the White Falcon and Mustang in his solo projects, but as he said in the interview on the previous page, he almost always uses this Stratocaster with the Strokes. According to an interview about his first album (published in the May 2002 issue of this magazine), at the time he only chose the center pickup and strung a thick .012 gauge string on the first string. In 2018, a signature model based on this one was released by Fender.

Effects: Early signature sound created with a single distortion pedal

At Albert's feet in the early Strokes. From the right, there are three amps: BOSS TU-2 (tuner), Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde (overdrive), and MXR Micro Amp (clean booster). The band's signature sound was created with just one distortion amp. The amp he mainly used was the Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212, as it still is today.

Nick Valensi

Guitar: Epiphone Riviera

Nick's main instrument equipped with a P-94

Nick's main guitar is an Epiphone Riviera made in the 90s. His style of holding the guitar low contrasts with Albert, who holds his Strat high. Like Albert, he apparently acquired it around 1999, when the Strokes were formed. The Riviera was made in 1962 to compete with the ES-335, but this guitar is a rare one with two P-94 pickups, which are P-90s arranged to humbucker size. It is unclear whether Nick modified it himself, but Nick himself says that it is "the best guitar Gibson could not have made" (from the May 2020 issue of this magazine). Incidentally, this signature model was also released by Epiphone for a while. He also used a cherry-finished Riviera with two mini humbuckers in live performances, although not often.

Gibson Les Paul Special

Classic TV Yellow

In the early Strokes, Nick played almost all of the Rivieras shown above during live performances, but he can also be seen playing this Gibson Les Paul Special. Perhaps he preferred P-90 pickups? He also played this guitar in the music video for "Someday" (from Is This It). The photo shows a live performance in 2002.

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Used around the 3rd album

Nick can be seen playing the Gibson Les Paul Custom in many photos taken around 2006, around the time of the release of their third album (First Impressions of Earth). Perhaps the heavy humbucker sound of this guitar was necessary to reproduce the songs on his third album, which were geared towards a harder sound. The PU selector was set to the rear.

Effects: Uses the same Jekyll and Hyde as Albert

Nick's pedal board is made up of exactly the same equipment as Albert's (left). The only difference is that an amp channel changeover switch (for Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212) has been added to the pedal board. However, Nick, who has been using a lot of effects since his fourth album, has a board with many spatial effects added, such as Electro-Harmonix's Memory Man (analog delay), which can be seen on overseas websites.

Playing Analysis: Albert & Nick's playing style analysis

Here, we analyze the guitar playing of Albert and Nick with reference to the latest work The New Abnormal. Of course, the guitar solos are simple and easy to remember, but you should also enjoy the unique harmony created by the twin guitars.

Transcription and commentary by Toshikake Horisawa

Arpeggios & Riffs

Melodious duetReference time: 0:38~

A twin guitar ensemble excerpted from "Bad Decisions." The top line of the example is based on the two-chord arpeggio that continues from the intro. The rhythm pattern in bars 1 and 2, which seems to be the basic form, is also applied to the F chord in bars 3 and 4. The bottom line of the example is the Rch chord stroke that overlaps in the chorus. Rather than grouping the two chords in close positions, it seems to move in parallel while keeping the chord form of the 1st to 3rd strings.

Straightforward Arpeggio & Octave PlayingReference time: 0:56 ~

A combination of arpeggio and octave playing inspired by "Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus." The first two bars in the top row could be fingered from the 5th fret on the 2nd string, but I chose this position because I could feel the nuance of a gliss-up at the end of the 2nd bar. The 3rd bar is a fixed-form arpeggio, and the 4th bar is an irregular pattern based on the Am form. The bottom row is a parallel movement of the octave form on the 5th and 3rd strings.

Guitar solo

Simple harmony played on 1st and 2nd stringsReference time: 2:00~

This is a simulation of the solo from "Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus," which uses the same four-bar cycle chord progression as the intro. The phrasing is difficult to pinpoint, but it is thought to be a combination of fingering and position changes for two notes on each string, with the first string at the center. The eighth bar, which concludes the solo, is a harmony between the first and second strings using a third interval. Keep your index finger on the first string, and move to the second string by switching between your middle and ring fingers. The bass notes in the fourth and eighth bars descend from C to B to G, but the chord and name are all C△7.

Solo with repeated position changesReference time: 2:57~

A solo in the style of Why Are Sundays So Depressing. As symbolized by the upbeat hammering and pulling, the top line of the example uses a lot of position changes, with phrasing above the 3rd string. The position is lowered with a gliss down, and then returned to the original position with a staccato. Measures 3-4 are a repeat of measures 1-2, but the nuance of the semitone bend has been differentiated. As the gliss down can also be seen in the bottom line of the example, a position above the 3rd string was chosen, but if you want to keep fingering compact, try replacing the 10th and 9th frets on the 3rd string with the 6th and 5th frets on the 2nd string.

Disc Guide: The Strokes Collection

Finally, we will introduce the seven albums and EPs that The Strokes have released so far.

Text by Masashi Tsuji

"The New Abnormal"

2020 Sony/SICP-6321

The latest album shows the presence of the champion of rock and roll

The Strokes' latest full album, their first in about seven years since their fifth album, is a masterpiece that fully displays the charm of The Strokes. This album is packed with one of the answers the band has found after continuing to search for a new direction with their fourth and fifth albums. It is a re-presentation of modern rock and roll guitar. They released their first album in 2001, using that dry garage-rock sound as their weapon, but that was 20 years ago. We felt it was new at the time, but as time passes, we process that sound as something nostalgic. That is why The Strokes continued to experiment with electro-pop on their fourth and fifth albums, and tried new guitar approaches and reinterpretations to break away from the label of "nostalgia." Of course, this album can be said to be an extension of that, if we simply interpret the beats and effect sounds. However, the guitar is cooler, hotter, and more melodic than any of their previous albums, and the twin guitar combination and composition have improved by a lot. You should listen to "Bad Decision" no matter what. We have a feeling they will remain mainstream into the 2020s!

"Is This It"

2001 Sony/BVCP-21216

The first album presented the aesthetic of stripped-down style

With this first album, The Strokes announced the beginning of a new era of rock and roll in the 21st century. The guitar was stripped down to the bare minimum with simple riffs, arpeggios and chord backing. One of their signature songs, "Last Nite," only combines two octave phrases. However, the new sensibility that made it "cool" was unique even at the time.

"Room on Fire"

2003 Sony/BVCP-21324

Enhances melodic phrases

The second album was released after two years. Compared to the first, the atmosphere of the songs seems to have become more serious. However, the guitar is dominated by arpeggios and single note riffs that emphasize the melodic aspects, and the overall harmony is maintained so that the songs do not lean too much towards darkness. "Reptilia" is a symbol of this. The technique of using dynamic arpeggios to make the songs even more exciting would be used frequently in subsequent works.

"First Impressions of Earth"

2006 Sony/BVCP-21454

3rd generation specialized in solidity

This third album was the last time they played with a simple sound that could be described as "The Strokes-like". However, there was a change from their previous album. The songs were mainly based on rough and hard beats, and the rhythmic body often led the songs. The guitar stands out with its fast-paced playing that gives a boost to the solid beat. In particular, "Juicebox" features chords strummed with a distorted sound that is more distorted than ever before, showing a glimpse of a hard rock approach.

"The Angles"

2011 Sony/SICP-3046

The start of the new Strokes

This is their 4th album, their first release in 5 years. When I heard the first track, "Machu Picchu," I couldn't believe it was really the Strokes. From the intro, the beat has a futuristic feel to it, reminiscent of electro and techno... The guitar sound is also different from the previous ones, with fuzz, pitch shifters, and deep reverb interwoven to create an 80s atmosphere. It's fitting to call it an experimental work, and it's a fresh start as the new Strokes.

"The Comedown Machine"

2013 Sony/SICP-3789

The fifth installment in a quest for balance

The overall atmosphere of 5m continues from the previous album, but the guitar sound has a strong raw sound. There are signs of the band struggling to find a middle ground between the Strokes' previous albums (1st to 3rd) and the previous album, which was full of electro. You can see this in "80's Comedown Machine," which tries to incorporate a raw, hard distortion sound into the "80's" atmosphere as the title suggests.

"Future Present Past"

2016 Import

A devastating EP

This 4-song EP delighted fans as a sign that the Strokes were becoming more active. The meticulously layered guitar phrases and the synth sounds mixed in create a beautiful ensemble, highlighting Julian Casablancas's sweet voice. "Oblivion" also features an emotional guitar solo with picking harmonics. Even though it's just an EP, it's a destructive piece.