Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Jimi Hendrix, 1968. Solo by Jimi Hendrix.

The wah-drenched opening riff and the solos that follow are the Hendrix sound at its most aggressive.

Hendrix opens alone with a muted, scratching figure through a wah pedal, still a fresh sound in 1968, before the band crashes into the riff. The solos grow from blues phrasing into wide bends, feedback and constant wah sweeps, and at times the track sounds like several guitarists at once. Because it was essentially cut live with the trio, the playing has the looseness of a jam, climbing to a frenzied, feedback-laced finale. Eddie Kramer's panning and the sudden jumps between quiet and loud make the aggression even more dramatic. Listen to the first few seconds closely: those muted, rhythmic wah scratches set up everything, and they have been copied by funk and rock players ever since.

Voodoo Child (Slight Return) by Jimi Hendrix is ranked #18 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Jimi Hendrix and the song was released in 1968. It appears on 27 lists, placing as high as #2 (Gitaarles.nl).

The story of Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" grew out of a much longer piece. On 2 May 1968, Hendrix led an after-hours jam at New York's Record Plant with Steve Winwood on organ and Jefferson Airplane's Jack Casady on bass, producing the fifteen-minute slow blues "Voodoo Chile". The following day he returned with his regular Experience rhythm section, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, to reshape that theme into a tighter, heavier piece.

The session doubled as a film shoot. An ABC television crew was making a short documentary and asked the band to play something for the cameras. Redding later recalled that they learned the song right there in the studio while being filmed, and Songfacts reports Hendrix simply suggested they play something in E. The band ran through eight takes, and the last one became the master, captured by engineer Eddie Kramer largely live in the room, with Hendrix singing as he played.

The track closed Electric Ladyland, the Experience's ambitious double album, issued in October 1968. In October 1970, weeks after Hendrix's death that September, Track Records released it in Britain as a single under the title "Voodoo Chile". It went to No. 1 on the UK chart in November 1970, becoming the only chart-topping single of his career. It also reached the top ten in the Netherlands and Ireland.

The song's stature has only grown since. Hendrix made it a regular closer in concert, stretching it anywhere from about seven to eighteen minutes, and official live recordings have been issued from Winterland, the Royal Albert Hall, Woodstock and the Fillmore East. It was also the final song he ever played on stage, at the Isle of Fehmarn festival in Germany on 6 September 1970, less than two weeks before his death.

The solo

Hendrix opens alone with a muted, scratching figure pushed through a wah-wah pedal, still a novel effect in 1968, before the band crashes in with the main riff. Louder notes that Kramer panned rhythm and lead guitars across the stereo field and exploited dramatic shifts between quiet and loud passages. Across the track Hendrix alternates the heavy, chordal E-based riff with searing lead breaks built on blues phrasing, wide bends, feedback and relentless wah sweeps, sounding at times like several guitarists at once. Because the song was essentially cut live with the trio, the solos have the looseness of a jam, climbing to a frenzied, feedback-laced finale. Guitar World ranked it the greatest wah-wah solo ever in 2015, and Joe Satriani called it the finest piece of electric guitar playing ever recorded.

Legacy

The song is regarded as a cornerstone of hard rock and proto-metal guitar. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 102 on its 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs, MusicRadar readers voted it the best guitar riff of all time in 2012, and Guitar World named it the top wah solo. Stevie Ray Vaughan's cover turned it into a blues-rock staple for a new generation, and it has been covered or sampled by artists ranging from Joe Satriani and Zakk Wylde to Pearl Jam and the Beastie Boys.

Top 10 facts about Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

The song was learned and recorded on 3 May 1968 while an ABC television crew filmed the session for a short documentary.
Wikipedia
The band recorded eight takes, and the final take was chosen as the master.
Wikipedia
It was derived from 'Voodoo Chile', a 15-minute jam recorded the previous night with Steve Winwood and Jack Casady.
Wikipedia
Released as a UK single shortly after Hendrix's death, it reached No. 1 in November 1970, his only chart-topping single.
Wikipedia
The posthumous single was titled 'Voodoo Chile' and carried 'Hey Joe' and 'All Along the Watchtower' on the flip side.
Louder
Eddie Kramer engineered the recording, capturing the band largely live with Hendrix singing as he played.
Louder
It was the last song Hendrix performed in concert, at the Isle of Fehmarn in Germany on 6 September 1970.
Songfacts
Guitar World ranked it the No. 1 wah-wah solo in 2015, and MusicRadar readers voted it rock's best guitar riff in 2012.
Songfacts
Hendrix introduced the song at Fillmore East as the Black Panthers' national anthem.
Songfacts
Hendrix's live versions of the song ranged from roughly seven to 18 minutes long.
Wikipedia

Live versions

Woodstock (1969) Part of Hendrix's famous Monday-morning set, released on later Woodstock live albums.
Royal Albert Hall (1969) One of the officially released concert recordings of the song.
Winterland Ballroom (1968) Released from the Experience's San Francisco shows.
Fillmore East (1969–70) Band of Gypsys-era performance introduced as 'the Black Panthers' national anthem'.
Isle of Fehmarn (Love + Peace Festival) (1970) The last song Hendrix ever played live, 12 days before his death.

Notable covers

Stevie Ray Vaughan (1984) Extended version on Couldn't Stand the Weather, later a live favourite.
Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and John Petrucci (2001) Played together on the G3 tour.
Zakk Wylde One of many metal guitarists to cover it.
Pearl Jam Among the rock bands that have performed the song.

In our lists

The Most-Taught Solos — #34
Genre Champions — #25
The 25 Greatest Blues Rock Guitar Solos — #2
The 25 Greatest Psychedelic Guitar Solos — #1
The Pioneers: 1950s & 60s — #5
Wah & Talk Box Solos — #3
Best of Jimi Hendrix — #2
Played on a Stratocaster — #8
Most Agreed-Upon — #18
Fans' Picks — #18

Sources

What guitar was used on the Voodoo Child (Slight Return) solo?

A fender stratocaster through a Marshall amp, with wah, Fuzz Face, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Voodoo Child (Slight Return) rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#18 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 27 of them.

Who played guitar on Voodoo Child (Slight Return)?

Jimi Hendrix, backed by Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums.

What effect did Hendrix use on Voodoo Child?

A wah-wah pedal, which shapes the famous muted intro and much of the soloing.

What album is Voodoo Child (Slight Return) on?

It closes the Jimi Hendrix Experience's 1968 double album Electric Ladyland.

What is the difference between Voodoo Chile and Voodoo Child (Slight Return)?

'Voodoo Chile' is a 15-minute slow blues jam with Steve Winwood; 'Slight Return' is the tighter, heavier trio version cut the next day.

Was Voodoo Child a No. 1 hit?

Yes, in the UK, where it topped the chart in November 1970 after Hendrix's death.