Hear The Isolated Guitar Track of Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower”

Although many other musicians have covered “All Along the Watchtower,” the version Jimi Hendrix recorded with the Jimi Hendrix Experience for their third studio album, Electric Ladyland (1968), is universally recognized as the definitive version. This Bob Dylan-penned tune originally appeared in the singer’s 1967 album, John Wesley Harding. The song is among the many songs that the folk legend has written during the months he recuperated from a motorcycle accident.

Moreover, in the United States, where Hendrix’s impact outstripped his fame, the song was his lone Top 40 success. A handful of his singles charted in the United Kingdom, where he first gained notoriety before he became a household name in his US homeland. The rendition was recorded with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, which featured Hendrix on guitar, Noel Redding on bass, and Mitch Mitchell on drums. However, Hendrix played bass on this track instead of Redding because the guitarist frequently thought that Redding did not give his all to the bass and was worried that Redding was focusing too much on his other group, Fat Mattress.

Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower” had such as great impact on its original singer that Dylan was influenced by Hendrix to “go electric” and create “heavier” songs. As someone who became the face of folk-rock, this didn’t initially bid well with his fans. Still, you can’t ignore good music, most especially if it’s done by a legend like Jimi Hendrix.

You can listen to this isolated guitar track of the song below.