Why didn't Hendrix's "Dolly Dagger" become one of his bigger songs?

[River_Hippie]

Devon and Jimi pic

Devon Wilson mini-bio

[Jim_s_Son]

Maybe Warner Brothers records didn’t shell out enough payola to make it popular. Not that I ever heard it and thought it was an absolute masterpiece.

Out of curiosity, just how many posthumous releases become big hits? I am thinking that Janis Joplin’ “Me and Bobby McGee” and Otis Redding “Dock of the Bay” came out, or became popular right after they died. But I think after a few months, people just revert to the familiar songs. The hardcore fans will buy vault material and live shows.

 Alan Douglas controlled Hendrix's releases in the 1970s and was controversial in editing them and adding session musicians to fill out parts. Maybe Warner Brothers resented him and wouldn't heavily promote what he released.

[Marley23]

@Jim_s_Son

Alan Douglas controlled Hendrix’s releases in the 1970s and was controversial in editing them and adding session musicians to fill out parts. Maybe Warner Brothers resented him and wouldn’t heavily promote what he released.

Douglas controlled Hendrix’s releases for decades, and while he didn’t seem to care much about the integrity or authenticity of the music, I expect he made Warner Brothers many shitloads of money. Looking at the other songs that Hendrix was working on at the time of his death - the ones collected on the post-Douglas First Rays of the New Rising Sun album, which is an attempt at putting together Hendrix’s next album as he envisioned it - I think there are a bunch of songs that are better than Dolly Dagger. Among the uptempo songs I prefer Room Full of Mirrors, Ezy Rider, Izabella, and of course Freedom has been enduringly popular. Angel also might’ve made its way onto that album, and I’ve become a big fan of My Friend.

[River_Hippie]

@Marley23

Douglas controlled Hendrix’s releases for decades, and while he didn’t seem to care much about the integrity or authenticity of the music, I expect he made Warner Brothers many shitloads of money. Looking at the other songs that Hendrix was working on at the time of his death - the ones collected on the post-Douglas First Rays of the New Rising Sun album, which is an attempt at putting together Hendrix’s next album as he envisioned it - I think there are a bunch of songs that are better than Dolly Dagger. Among the uptempo songs I prefer Room Full of Mirrors, Ezy Rider, Izabella, and of course Freedom has been enduringly popular. Angel also might’ve made its way onto that album, and I’ve become a big fan of My Friend.

I’ve heard all the songs you mentioned and I’ve got to say that I prefer DD to all of them. That’s just me, though. It’s clear I’m in the minority here. I need to sit down and figure the song out on guitar*. By God, I’ll make it a HIT!

*I can imagine it as a solo acoustic song, but again that’s just my taste.

[Harvey_The_Heavy]

Douglas had nothing to do with Cry of Love, Rainbow Bridge or War Heroes, hence nothing to do with Dolly Dagger. Those albums were produced by Eddie Kramer, and used Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox to fill in instrumentation where needed.

[Marley23]

@River_Hippie

I’ve heard all the songs you mentioned and I’ve got to say that I prefer DD to all of them. That’s just me, though. It’s clear I’m in the minority here. I need to sit down and figure the song out on guitar*. By God, I’ll make it a HIT!

*I can imagine it as a solo acoustic song, but again that’s just my taste.

I can imagine it as a solo electric song in sort of a Muddy Waters style, but solo and acoustic is a little hard to picture.