Third Stone from the Sun
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| “Third Stone From the Sun” | ||
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album cover (Track)
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| Song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience | ||
| Album | Are You Experienced | |
| Released | May 12, 1967 (UK) August 23, 1967 (US) |
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| Genre | Hard rock, psychedelic rock | |
| Length | 6:52 | |
| Label | Track Records (UK) | |
| Writer | Jimi Hendrix | |
| Producer | Chas Chandler | |
| Are You Experienced track listing | ||
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Side 1
Side 2
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Third Stone From the Sun is a song written and originally recorded by Jimi Hendrix and released as "3rd Stone From The Sun" on the 1967 Are You Experienced album by Jimi Hendrix Experience. It is mostly an instrumental, but includes pieces of spoken word, performed by Hendrix, over the music.
Because the song mixes the styles of rock and jazz, it is often cited as one of the earliest examples of fusion. The title 3rd Stone From the Sun is a direct reference to Earth, which is the third planet away from the Sun in the Solar System.
The song features slowed-down voices and dialogues between Hendrix and his manager Chas Chandler. They wanted to reproduce the spacy sounds from Star Trek. The word Stone in the title was a way to depict the Earth from an alien point of view.
This song, along with "Purple Haze," was frequently covered live by Jaco Pastorius. Part of the guitar chorus melody has been quoted on other records, amongst them The Amboy Dukes ("Baby, Please Don't Go"), Cozy Powell ("Dance With The Devil"), Weather Report ("Slang"), The Allman Brothers ("Mountain Jam"), DEVO (a cover of Hendrix's "Are You Experienced"), and Right Said Fred ("I'm Too Sexy").
The song also inspired the title of the TV show 3rd Rock from the Sun.[citation needed]
Guitarist Joe Satriani's 2002 album and music publishing company are both named "Strange Beautiful Music" which is a lyric from Third Stone From The Sun.
[edit] Dialogues
With the track sped-up by a factor of two, one can clearly hear what is said, especially at the beginning of the song. The version heard on The Jimi Hendrix Experience: 1966-1967 begins with the overdub session for the dialogue, including Hendrix and Chandler's first "verse" at regular speed, including two incomplete outtakes:
- Hendrix : Star fleet to scout ship, please give your position. Over.
- Chandler : I am in orbit around the third planet of star known as sun. Over.
- Hendrix : May this be Earth? Over.
- Chandler : Positive. It is known to have some form of intelligent species. Over.
- Hendrix : I think we should take a look,(Jimi then makes vocal space ship noises).
On the original mono version (titled "3rd Stone From The Sun") the last line is buried by a normal speed overdub of Jimi saying "War, speak water" followed by a very quiet "Speak" (He later used this unusual phrase in 'Freedom' - "You've got my heart, speak electric water") this was removed from the Stereo version in favour of revealing the last line - "I think we should take a look"
The later stereo mix reveals more slowed talk e.g. "Yeah, a acid drop can make people fly" etc.
Towards the end of the song, which was the only instrumental on the album, Hendrix, in a taunt to the popular music of the period, says, "To you I shall put an end, then you'll never hear surf music again." The aforementioned overdub sessions reveals two additional sentences:
- Hendrix: ...Then you'll never hear surf music again. That sounds like a lie to me. Come on, man; let's go home.
As per Dick Dale, according to the liner notes of Better Shred Than Dead: The Dick Dale Anthology, the line "Then you'll never hear surf music again." was Hendrix's way of encouraging Dick Dale while he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer.[citation needed]
