I've found that any time the topic of Noel Redding comes up, there are often three myths which I keep seeing. I'm not seeing anything like that here, of course. But this seems as good of a place as any to discuss these myths about Noel Redding. Here they are--
1. The myth that Noel only played in the JHE because of his hair.
2. The myth that Hendrix overdubbed the bass on most of the songs.
3. The myth that Noel Redding was a frustrated guitarist.
The fact of the matter is that there is actually some basis for these myths. For instance, Noel's hair actually was a factor in getting him hired. Hendrix really did play bass on much of Electric Ladyland. And like many other people, Noel Redding did experience frustration. However, to paint the picture of Redding as a frustrated guitarist wanting to overshadow Hendrix is inaccurate. I'd say what was most frustrating to him was that Hendrix himself was beginning to assume both the role of guitarist and bassist by Electric Ladyland. I look at Noel Redding as more of a frustrated bassist than a frustrated guitarist. According to people who knew him, this frustration became especially pronounced during the "Electric Ladyland" sessions. Of course, things just got worse for him after that.
If he only was there because of his hair, did Hendrix keep him as bassist for 3 years just because he liked Noel Redding's hair so much? Could there have been other factors? Could it be, for instance, that Chas Chandler chose Noel because he could learn songs so quickly? This does seem to be a relevant factor, especially if, for example, you note what Eddie Kramer has said about how fast both Noel and Mitch were able to learn Jimi's songs in the studio. And just listen to some of the live recordings. Noel is playing some pretty good bass on those. The recent 4 CD release of "Winterland" would be a good example. The superbly-mixed "Winterland" (by Eddie Kramer of course) has quickly become one of my favorite things to listen to. But if you like listening to Noel playing on "Axis: Bold as Love," you might also enjoy his playing on Winterland. Unfortunately, however, his quite good bass solo has been cut from one of the performances of "Tax Free."
The myth about Hendrix overdubbing the bass is one of the most persistent. Except for playing bass to half of "Electric Ladyland," there is no evidence that Hendrix played bass on anything else. It does seem some people think Hendrix overdubbed the bass on "Spanish Castle Magic" and on the last song of the Axis album, "Bold As Love." I don't think that happened. But supposing for the sake of argument that it did: there are alternate takes of those songs on the Purple Box CD set on which Noel is definitely playing bass; they both sound great.
The final myth has to do with Redding as a frustrated guitarist. If this was so, why did he voluntarily choose to play bass in bands he was in after the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Fat Mattress no longer existed? This could be elaborated on, but the historical record is clear on what actually happened. We know that Noel went to audition for the New Animals as a guitarist. That position got filled. But Chas Chandler wanted him to try out as bassist for Hendrix. Chandler knew Noel was a guitarist and not a bassist. But he told Noel that after hearing Hendrix play, he wouldn't even want to play guitar anymore.
For a brief moment they did toy with the idea of Noel being a second guitarist with someone else on bass, but that didn't work out. Noel ended up as the bassist. He was on the verge of selling his guitar and becoming a milkman before the audition for Hendrix and Chandler. I seriously doubt that ending up playing bass for the JHE was some kind of great disappointment for Noel Redding as some people seem to think. What I do think is that too much is made of Noel's involvement with Fat Mattress in which he was a guitarist. But that fizzled out and Noel was very disillusioned with it. In the bands he got in which followed Fat Mattress--at least the ones that had actual recording contracts--Noel played bass. I've mentioned this, but I'm re-emphasizing it. Noel Redding played bass off and on his whole life. If he only wanted to be a guitarist so much, why did he keep playing bass so much, too?
Like others here, I think I like Noel's bass playing on "Axis: Bold as Love" the best, too. Unfortunately, the album itself seems to be underrated and overlooked. I think it's a great album. I especially like the sound of the Hagstrom 8-string bass. I agree with Eddie Kramer's assessment that "Axis: Bold as Love" was a conscious effort to be on a higher level than the first album. I'm paraphrasing Kramer, but that was the gist of what he said.
Here is Noel playing bass for Randy California. Due to the contractual obligations, Noel couldn't use his real name, but had to use a fictional one.
Randy California - Downer (1972) - YouTube Kapt. Kopter & the Fabulous Twirlybirds (Randy California) - Things Yet To Come - YouTube
