What talent is, it’s not entirely clear.
In art, in general, it can be the ability to express images, thoughts, and feelings.
But again, this is a conjecture and at best it concerns a certain number of artists and not all.
Perhaps a more appropriate approach, however, could be to turn weakness into any tool that the talented one can handle.
It’s not uncommon for an artist to look more like an autistic person than a Rock Star, and he or she is usually the real star.
Jimi Hendrix was known for his fear of the public.
In fact, when starting a concert, he always had, in the beginning, his back turned to the audience.
At the same time, he had an inability to express his feelings, which concerns a large part of the male population.
He transformed this weakness into the creation of songs.
Bold Αs Love…
The most notable example is “Bold As Love”, the last song on Jimi Hendrix Experience’s second album, “Axis: Bold as Love” from 1967.
Its lyrical part refers to a painting palette.
Hendrix’s inability to use descriptive word terms for music prompted him to use words that describe colors.
Many times, in order to be able to describe a musical form, he used color names.
He had the same difficulty in describing his feelings and the use of color names was a more appropriate solution.
As described by his friends and associates, he was a very emotional person.
This resulted in his colorful expression in his music, but mainly in his lyricism.
Harry Shapiro characteristically states that “his recording was a battle of passions, with only colors as a strategy”.
He continues: “The bottom line is that love comes in many shades, love is hard work and the participants courageously accept the commitment.”
On the other hand, Denise Sullivan adds that “these are rainbow songs, a declaration of love in all colors”.
The lyrics “My Yellow is this case is Not so Mellow” refer to Donovan’s song, “Mellow Yellow” and explain his inability to express himself in a conventional way.
Of course, the music part is full of original and experimental manipulations by Eddie Kramer, in the production of the song.
The guitarist’s arpeggios, together with the solo are played simultaneously creating a “space” sound.
Essentially, the song is the epitome of the perfect collaboration of technique and emotion.
Although the music was spontaneous, it took 27 recordings to get it in its final form.