The one guitarist Alex Lifeson said nobody could compete with: “Even if you copied”
Alex Lifeson had the unique ability to take in all of his influences and synthesize them into his own style. Whether it was the hard rock runs of Jimmy Page or the monster power chords of Pete Townshend, Lifeson knew how to channel his heroes without copying them. That’s how Rush got their singular sound – start with inspiration, and take it in your own direction.
They weren’t the prodigal sons of prog for no reason. The whole inspiration of the genre was to push things towards a new direction ,and each member of the band did that with aplomb. Geddy Lee harnessed the melodic bass playing of legends like Paul McCartney and made the instrument a focal point. Neil Peart was as precise as a temperature gauge and as unexpected as the mercury within it, while Alex Lifeson completely dominated a new space on guitar.
But, while they certainly developed their own sound, they did so using the bricks of the houses left behind. One of those influences that was felt, but not directly stolen from, was Jimi Hendrix. Like all rock fans growing up in the 1960s, Lifeson was enthralled by the theatrics and distortion-heavy style that was ironically Hendrix’s alone. He was nothing short of a revelation in heavy rock music, but Lifeson appreciated the softer moments that Hendrix brought to his catalogue.
“This is one of the most beautiful songs and arrangements ever recorded,” Lifeson said of ‘All Along the Watchtower’. “Hendrix took a Bob Dylan folk song and turned it into a symphony. The acoustic guitar on this song [played by Dave Mason] has such beautiful compression.”
“It doesn’t slap you; it caresses you,” Lifeson added. “This song grabs your heart and sails away with it; it sounds unlike anything anyone has ever done. That was the magic of Hendrix: even if you copied what he recorded and tried to play like him, it could never be the same.”
This is a common theme for almost every single guitar player who happened to be alive when Hendrix was. Whether it was Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck, one thing they all had in common was just how highly they revered Jimi Hendrix. But his biggest asset wasn’t necessarily the heft of his sound or the technique he employed, but his complete uniqueness.
That sense of using music as a guide rather than a direct source is what primed Lifeson to take control of his own style. There doesn’t seem to be any traces of Hendrix’s style in Lifeson’s playing, but if you dive deep into the bluesier side of Lifeson’s guitar, especially on early Rush tracks like ‘Working Man’ and ‘In The Mood’, you’ll be able to find shades of Hendrix shine through.
This is the case for most guitarists who found inspiration in Hendrix and, by proxy, a whole heap who may have never heard of him. The truth is, while nobody could match Jimi Hendrix, almost every guitar player since has at least some fragments of his earth-shattering style within them.
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